River Itchen

Twiddler · #1 03-08-2010, 06:32 PM

Weekend before last, we had our annual River Itchen grayling day....this event happens once a year when the Lower Itchen fishery (a fly fishing fishery) opens their gates to coarse anglers for a few months between Sept-Feb.

This was my 3rd time attending this great get together with friends to yet again fish for the Lady of the stream on this lovely river stretch.

I arrived at the fishery about 8am and Nigel was already busy in the kitchen doing bacon butties for everybody...a nice way of starting a cold morning before fishing.

The water level of the river was very high due to the rain we had the week before, lots of colour and running through like a stream train.....I took one look and decided it may not be a good idea trotting, so decided to go on the feeder. To be honest, I was glad I could be stationed and be able to sit down at a swim, as I had done my back in at work a few days before.

My first swim was directly at the car park....a side pool of the river with some slack water, so I placed the maggot feeder right in front of an overhang tree with a gentle underarm swing.....recast to the same spot a minute later and was already into my first fish, a little chublet, soon followed by a roach and a grayling of about 6oz.
Sadly the pic of the grayling came out very blury but not to worry, I can catch the by the dozen at Lordswalk to get my points.

I continued catching for about an hour, then the swim went dead...time to move to another swim, so I walked over the bridge to the opposite bank of the clubhouse, reached a bend from where I had the view of the bridge which I had to be crossed to get to the fishery.

I knew from previous experience that there were a good head of big(ish) roach under the bridge, so I was aiming as close as possible to the bridge with a side cast, as it wasn’t possible to overhead cast due to overhanging trees above me.

Again I recast every minute 3 times before I had my first bit....a beauty of a roach and my river PB of 1lb

I was well chuffed, so decided to fish the swim a bit longer, hoping that I may tempt an even bigger roach.

I kept on catching every second cast but nothing bigger came along and again it was time to move swims after the bites stopped.

So I decided to walk further upstream where I knew of some good swims with slack water and where I was hoping to catch a couple more species....like trout or salmon parrs.

After fishing for about 20 mins without as much as a nibble....I yet again moved to another swim....I kept my tactics up, fishing with the maggot feeder as some of the others really struggled to tempt a bite trotting a float.

I found a swim which I liked the look off, a curved in bend on the opposite bank, again there was a slack and I managed another nice roach on the first cast.

After that I missed a few bites but at least I knew there were fish there so I carried on casting to the same spot.
About 5 or 6 casts later I hooked into something a little larger which gave me a very good run for my money on my light tackle......at one stage I thought I had a small barbel on the line but as I carefully played the fish in a cracking chub of 4lb10oz game to daylight....another new PB for me.

I was well over the moon and could have quite happily packed up and gone home.
Slowly I made my way back to the clubhouse to meet up with my friend Wendi for a natter and a brew

Steve, Wendi’s husband has been trying for 2 yrs to catch a 2lb+ river roach and was hoping to get one at the Itchen, as another friend of mine caught one there last year.

I joined Jeff for a short while, who was fishing for barbel and had caught a 10lb+ bertie earlier in the day... here a pic of another smaller one he caught

when I heard Wendi screaming that she caught a big one, first we thought that she hooked into a barbel as she was fishing to opposite bank from us.....but it turned out to be a monster of a roach....Steve’s face went pale as he weight the roach....was it a 2lber his wife caught without even trying? Yet he has been trying for 2 yrs and not managed one?!......The scale showed 1lb 11oz.....you’ve should have seen Wendi’s face, what a relief...she thought she might be in for a divcorce lol .

The dark sat in and we all called it a day, a few of us went to the pub for a well deserved pint and to catch up on everybody’s result of the day.

It was nice again to have met up with friends to fish this lovely river...roll on next years meet!!!

paul p · #2 03-08-2010, 07:08 PM

Nice one twiddles, lovely river and some nice fish caught. Cant wait till it warms up a bit. Have 500 blackheads in my fridge for our river, went down on the 2nd march had a run "lost it" and i had 2 pairs of socks on and i was freezing. Who is the dashing bird beside you, there must be something in the beer were you live.

Simon N · #3 03-08-2010, 07:17 PM

Congratulation 2 New PB's In 1 Day

Some Fantastic Looking Pics.

Loads Of Effort Put In To Get The Result You Wanted.

Twiddler · #4 03-08-2010, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul p

Nice one twiddles, lovely river and some nice fish caught. Cant wait till it warms up a bit. Have 500 blackheads in my fridge for our river, went down on the 2nd march had a run "lost it" and i had 2 pairs of socks on and i was freezing. Who is the dashing bird beside you, there must be something in the beer were you live.

Ha ha Paul...that's my friend Wendi but sorry mate...she is happily married lol.....and why must there be something in the beer here?

paul p · #5 03-08-2010, 07:35 PM

Ha ha i am also married oooh, just passing a compliment irish charm lol your better looking though, i know your happily married too bummer i know but thats the way it is lol. Regarding the beer looking at all those pints on the table no wonder your always smiling.