Lower Itchen Fishery

0830 - 1700

Bright start - clouding over somewhat after lunch - with a brief shower, AT 5º-15ºC. River full - bank high in places - though, thankfully not too much colour.

20 Grayling - very few under 12oz  and quite a number around the 1lb mark. The three I weighed went 1lb 10oz, 1lb 15oz & 2lb 6oz. 1 Chub 4lb 10oz. 7 Brownies - 2-3½lb.

Super day's sport and thanks to Neal for organising. We had permission to fish the upper beat - alas the river was in the fields and this stretch was all but inaccessible. However the one swim I could get to in wellies produced all the big grayling and the chub. Spent the afternoon working my way down the lower beat - in a case of 'catch a couple and move on'. Everything caught on red corn - I actually ran out of the stuff - I brought 2 pints of maggot and didn't use a single one!

Itchen 4lber

Trying to photograph grayling is akin to giving a cat a pill!!