So… on a bright April day I braved the M62, M57, M58, A59 and a farm track that had obviously recently been targeted by the local militia's Scud missiles to arrive in breathless anticipation at the Beck's Brook ticket box. Well nervy anxiousness really. It had been pretty dry over the last few days so I helped out with the irrigation and then got stuck in.

Really didn't know what to expect so having read loads of stuff, most of which went over my head, and watched innumerable YouTube videos I'd decided to fish the Deadly Duo! This involves fishing a nymph on the end of the tippet with a buoyant dry fly (often a Klinkhammer - hence the name 'Klink and Dink' as the technique is often known) tied higher up which acts as an indicator but can also catch fish. So.. tackle used:

• Rod: Wychwood River and Stream 8' #4
• Reel: Wychwood River&Stream #4/5  - with Airflo Super-dri G-shock  #4 WF-F line
• Airflo Trout 5' tapered Polyleader
• About 3' 5lb Flurocarbon tied to a no14 high vis klinkhammer
• About another 18" of 3lb flurocarbon attached to the bend of the klinkhammer and ending with a No16 Snipe and Purple. Both hooks are barbless.

No idea if this was any good but thought it might do as a start before I got on the water and ascertained what the trout were feeding on (ha ha - who was I trying to fool I doubt at this stage I could differentiate between a caddis fly larva and elephant droppings!)

Anyway, tackle set-up, check, professional looking waistcoat on, check, waders on, check, landing net attached to PLW (professional looking waistcoat), check. What else can I do to delay? Nothing, so off we go down the hill towards the stream. Watch out fish, here I come!

First obstacle is a barbed wire fence with no style or gate. OK, come on this can't be too bad can it? Look, there's a low bit over there. Leg over, stumble, careful now, bugger landing net is caught, damn, can't get it unhooked, fall over the fence in a bundle. Good job I'd had the immense forethought to attach the net via a magnetic link so it just fell off - wondered what the magnet bit was for. Anyway, look around to make sure nobody had seen the ignoble start to my fishing adventure (they hadn't - phew!) and onwards to the water.

I walked down the beat seeing what the stream is actually like. It's pretty varied, there are shallow fast moving, broken water runs alternating with slower, wider, deeper not-quite-pools. The bed seems to mostly be composed of biggish pebbles up to smallish boulders with areas of silty mud. There is plenty of weed interspersed with this (I might one day know what to call this stuff).

Anyway let's wet my waders. Into the stream and pretend I know what I'm doing. Actually it turns out that I can, in fact, make a reasonable cast - without tangling everything up into a rat's nets! So begins a really absorbing few hours. Who'd think that whipping an innocent river to within an inch of it's life whilst staggering a step at a time up it could be so rewarding?

Hells teeth, what's that? A giant awk or something just rushed me with menaces. No it's just a Canada goose - but a bloody big one! Actually it looks like it's more frightened than I am and goes honking off upstream leaving a totally exposed nest on the bank with 2 eggs in it. I've never seen a goose nest and I'm really surprised at the total lack of cover or camouflage - I wonder if this is normal. Interestingly it lands only a score or so yards upstream calling out in indignation and is rapidly joined from downstream by a mate (I assume) and they both sit (do geese 'sit' in the water?) there honking indignantly at me. An interesting interlude so I left the riverbank, looped around above them and rejoined leaving them to get back to their pronto-kids. Good luck to you both.

Onward I plod casting upstream into the ripples, trying to keep in touch with the flies as they return to me - cast again, step on trying not to stumble on the boulders and end up swimming home.

Time for a small change and I swap the Snipe and Purple for a No12 gold bead Endrick Spider.

Here's an interesting section, the river swings round a curve, enters a shallow fast riffling section and then broadens out into a deeper curve with dark, smooth, oily water. Surely any self-respecting fish should be waiting at the end of this fast section looking for food to be swept down and around to them? I gently wade up to within 10 yards or so of the end of the fast water (is this too close? Should I stay away? I've no real idea but I'll give this a go).

I cast into the fast water and let the jolly Klink sweep towards me following the line of bubbles left on the surface. Nothing, let's try another line … and another … Plop! something just made pass at the dry fly. Try that line again … an suddenly the klink isn't there and my line tightens. I don't know who is more surprised, the fish or me but I've actually attached myself to a silver flashing rocket! A brief struggle and he's nearly mine - where's by bloody net? Oh yes attached to the magnetic thingy. Reach around, grab it and then try to work out how to manoeuvre my prey into it - what a bloody palaver this is. I've trawled in too much line and now I can't get the poor beauty close enough because it's somewhere towards the end of an 8' rod. There's probably a better way but in the end I stick the rod under my arm and get the net under my first Grayling - for that's what it is, a stupendous, silvery 8" beauty and he'd taken the Endrick! What a wonderful thing and yes I do know it's out of season but I was actually looking for trout! Quickly now, wet my hands and ease him back into the river, head upstream and he waits for a second or two and then with a wriggle and a flick he's off into the deep.

Wow! What can I say? My first river wade, my first fish on a fly and my first Grayling! For the next five minutes all is really right with this world.

No more luck for me today but I don't care. I negotiate the barbed wire and float back to the car. If only I didn't face the A59, M6 … still the price is worth it - I'll be back.