24 February
Entry posted by Chris Plumb
646 views
River Frome, Wool
0830 - 1500
Cold and overcast - max 2ºC with a raw northerly wind. River high with a little colour (more than the Kennet!) but within its banks (at last!). EA Gauge at East Stoke 1.14m
7 Grayling - best 3; 2lb 9oz, 2lb 2oz & 2lb0oz, 1 Sea trout; 1¼lb.
First Frome trip of the season and given the season on this bit of river closes on 28th Feb, my last! All winter it looked highly improbable that I'd get to fish it at all - but thankfully this latest cold snap has at least been dry and the river has dropped over a foot in the last fortnight - making it fishable at last.
Conditions weren't exactly easy though and for a couple of hours it looked like a wasted journey as I couldn't buy a bite. The third swim I dropped in looked a nice pool - which last year in lower conditions I didn't even look at. After 15mins I bumped a fish here - progress, and shortly after had one of a pound and a half. I'd found some fish and it was time to put a little plan into action!
Yesterday when I went to pick up my bait, Tony was showing me some artificial rubber wasp grubs. We both agreed they looked and felt like the the real thing. Tony went on to say they were coming on the market in the spring - but in a fit of generosity for which he is famous - he gave me one! I think the chub will go crazy for them and can't wait to give them a go in earnest next winter. But would the grayling like them?
Only one way to find out - I snicked it onto my size 16 and blow me if first trot through the swim the float buried in the same place I had the first one and a 2lber was brought to the net. 20 mins later and I repeated the trick with another 2! Another 20 mins or so later and yet another 2 - this time the biggest of the morning fell to the same tactics! Think we might be onto a winner with this!!!
I only found fish in one other swim - and that just one - on conventional red maggot - but returning to this pool for one final time with my trusty rubber grub produced a bright silver and very acrobatic sea trout.
So quite hard going overall - but can't complain with my biggest grayling of the season AND a succesful experiment.
Best of the day!
Today's hotspot.
Bait du Jour - Look out for them in the shops soon!
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