Actor & Activist, Jim Murray
Shares What Fishing Means to Him
Fishing gives you experiences you will not find elsewhere
My work takes me all around the world, but I’m a country boy at heart and there’s nowhere that I feel happier and more grounded than when fly fishing on the River Itchen in Hampshire, the place I am lucky enough to call home.
I got into fishing as a young boy. My late grandfather, Norman, took me fly fishing on a reservoir in Macclesfield, close to where I grew up. My grandfather was a gentle, patient man who taught me how to cast and encouraged me to practise doing so on my own. I’d spend hours in the back garden casting into an old tyre, with a bamboo rod with a piece of cotton attached.
We never really caught much, but it was never really about catching the fish – it was more about the experience. Being close to nature, enjoying the quiet companionship of each other, without the need to talk, and with the mental space to collect your thoughts. To this day, I still use my time on the river to solve any problems I am wrestling with.
“Fishing has given me so much”
Fishing has given me so much throughout my life. When I lived in London in my twenties, trying to make it as an actor, I was pretty broke. But, for the price of a pint, I could jump on my motorbike and take my rods out to Syon Park lakes in southwest London and spend the day fishing for trout.
Today’s digital world is fast-paced. Social media now dominates so much of young lives. It leads to us being more stressed and feeling overwhelmed at times. Fly fishing provides a blend of natural beauty, challenge, and tranquillity that is hard to find in other sporting activities. When fly fishing, you’re totally focused on what you are doing and immersed in the beauty of where you are.
Fishing will take you to some magnificent places and give you experiences you will not find elsewhere. There is a sense of awe that can only come from observing the power of a Scottish river at close quarters. Or, the tranquillity of fishing for wild trout surrounded by the mystical, rugged mountains of the Snowdonia National Park. Fishing on the Hampshire chalk streams, teeming with life, you feel a profound connection with nature.
“Slightly obsessed”
I’m not ashamed to admit I have become slightly obsessed with salmon fishing. Catching wild salmon is renowned for its difficulty, but this is part of the appeal. Salmon are powerful and elusive fish, known for their strength and stamina, making them a challenging prize. When they are in freshwater, they don’t need to feed; they live off the reserves they built up whilst in the oceans. So, it is all the more of a challenge to get a salmon to take your fly. That being the case, it was all the more surprising when I actually caught one on one of my first salmon fishing trips to Scotland.
Despite the excitement of the chase and the catch, salmon fishing is profoundly meditative. Fly fishing requires a level of concentration and focus that mirrors mindfulness practices. Anglers must pay close attention to the environment, watching the water’s surface and anticipating fish behaviour. This need to remain present and mindful of every action and reaction helps distract from everyday worries and stresses. The repetitive casting motion, the focus on the fly, and the anticipation of a bite can be incredibly meditative, fostering a state of mental clarity and tranquillity.
“Fishing got me through the darkest time of my life”
Quiet hours spent by the river provide a time for solitude and reflection. It’s a moment to reconnect with oneself and the rhythms of nature. Research consistently shows that spending time in nature can reduce stress, calm anxiety and can lead to a decrease in depression. In fact the NHS has officially recognised fishing as a prescribed activity to help people suffering from anxiety or depression.
Fishing got me through the darkest time of my life. After the loss of my daughter Ella-Jayne, at only eight months old, I could not find comfort in my grief from therapy or speaking to friends. It was only returning to the river that helped me through the pain. I didn’t know how to work through my grief, but slowly, through the meditation that came from fishing alone, immersed in nature, I was able to heal. Fishing is still vital for my mental health today.
For that reason, I owe these rivers everything, and I will always be a huge advocate for them and for angling as a sport.
On founding Activist Anglers
I founded @Activist Anglers so the angling community could come together to protect and fight for the future of our rivers.
Anglers are the eyes and ears of our waterways. They can see how our rivers have been degraded by the activities of water companies, agriculture, and chemical pollutants.
This is, sadly, all too apparent on the Rivers Test and Itchen. Take the situation on the Lower Test. It is one of the most critical habitats for rare chalkstream salmon. Chalkstream salmon are classed as Atlantic salmon but are actually a rare subspecies and genetically different from their non-chalk cousins.
Chalkstream salmon now under threat of extinction
The numbers of chalktream salmon are at critically low levels and unless something is done urgently, one day there will be no more. Their habitat is being destroyed by pollution and over abstraction of water by Southern Water. When there are drought conditions, the rivers are raided for water, lowering the flow and pushing the remaining salmon ever closer to extinction.
With Hampshire being one of the most water-stressed areas in the country, it’s not hard to see what the future holds if we do not stop using the rivers to make up the shortfall caused by human activity.
Future of our rivers in doubt
Wild Atlantic salmon are a keystone species – they are an indicator of the health of our ecosystem. With their future as a species in doubt, the future of our rivers is too. Whilst there are many ills at sea, lice ridden fish farms and industrial fishing fleets being the main culprits, there is much to do for the few salmon that do get back to their natal rivers. As such I am very keen to see an accelerated effort to do more on the Rivers Test and Itchen where this endangered species is fighting and gasping past pollution in the estuaries, man made obstructions like weirs and then more pollution from the water industry, the roads and farming in a desperate effort to get upstream to spawn.
Everyone has something they can contribute
If you are lucky enough to own a part of these heritage rivers, then establishing salmon sanctuaries – places for fish to rest and recover – or improving the habitat for spawning will all help these magnificent creatures survive.
Everyone can contribute something to the fight for our rivers. You can join in a campaign and help keep the pressure on the water companies, regulators and politicians. Or get directly involved with the health of the rivers. This could be anything from joining in a litter pick to becoming a citizen scientist with your local Water Quality Monitoring Network. Even saving water at home or stopping using products like wet wipes will make a difference to the future of our rivers.
I’m not going to let the water companies off the hook but I have been encouraged by recent talks with Southern Water after the local protests at Fullerton and Newbury. There is a long way to go, and a lot more investment needed, but it shows that when we all work together, things can and do start to change. The passion shown by the Hampshire River Keepers and collective efforts of organisations like the Test and Itchen Association, WildFish, Wessex River Trust, the Angling Trust and many others, can and will win the fight to protect these precious waters.
Fishing offers something for everyone: community, friendship, happiness, an escape from day-to-day worries, peace, mental clarity, and wellbeing. Let’s safeguard the ability for future generations to benefit from fly fishing on the River Itchen, Test & Meon.