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River Itchen 0830 - 1730 Mild and overcast all day. AT 13ºC Max. River at near normal levels though carrying quite a bit of colour. 22 Grayling; 12 over 1lb, with 6 of those over 2lb - biggest 2lb 7oz. 2 Chub 4lb 3oz, 3lb 8oz. Thanks to Paul's excellent networking skills (& silver tongue) we had exclusive use of this lovely bit of river for a second time (see blog entry 13/10/08 for the first). Bites at a premium and quite hard work at times - but if you stuck at it the fish would take - eventually!! About half my fish on red sweetcorn - most of the rest on white maggot (4 of the 6, 2lbers on corn). Paul managed less well on the grayling front with a dozen fish to 1lb 10oz - mainly beacuse chub kept turning up in his swim (or sea trout). Think he had ½doz chub and a suprise 2lb perch along with some salmon parr - much more of a mixed bag than I managed! A couple of Paul's fish - including his Itchen stripey!

River Itchen 0800 - 1815 Mainly cloudy with sunny spells. 11ºC -> 15ºC -> 9ºC. 41 Grayling; 18 over 1lb, best 5 - 2lb 4oz, 2lb 2oz, 2lb 0oz, 1lb 14ozX2. 2 Chub 4lb 6oz, 3lb 7oz. 10 Brownies to circa 1¾lb. A 2lb crucian and a 2lb grayling in the same week!! River was low and consequently the fish were quite spooky so it was a case of catch a couple and rest the swim - my biggest 2 fish both came from swims that had already been fished 3 or 4 times. About half my fish on trotted red corn - including most of the bigger fish, the rest of single red maggot. Paul had a frustrating morning - but did much better in the afternoon once he changed down his hook size (!) - think he ended up with a couple of dozen ladies to 1lb 14oz....(and a couple of chub too ) Piccies of one of my 2lbers, one of Paul's chub and a belligerent cow who took exception to where Paul wanted to fish and refused to budge!

River Frome, Worgret & Wool. 0730 - 1030 - Worgret 1100 - 1500 - Wool. Mild and breezy. Overcast am. Mainly sunny pm. River very coloured but well within its banks. (Not at all what I was expecting!!!) 4 Grayling; 2lb 11oz, 1lb 4oz, 12oz & a tiddler. 1 Dace; 10oz. 6 Brownies - most quite small. 1 Sea trout - 1¼lb. A couple of new venues for this winter and a river I've been wanting to fish for AGES! So some new waters to learn - and the 1st part of my education was in misreading what the state of the river would be!! My heart sank when I saw the colour of it. The game keeper informed me that it wasn't like your typical chalkstream - and coloured up quickly after rain. Still he was quite chatty and pointed out a couple of hotspots - one of which produced the dace and both of which I want to revisit when the water is clear! BTW - I can't remember the last time I was asked for my permit on my usual club waters - yet get asked for it within ½hr of starting here! I was hopeful that further upstream at Wool would be less turbid - and so it proved. Still very sub optimal - but not quite as hopeless as where I'd started. Bites still at a premium but slowly they came - lost a really good fish when the maggot bent over the hook point - and next cast caught the sea trout - still with lice on it. 1st grayling of the afternoon was the tiddler, followed by some trout of similar size - but then I hit the jackpot with the big un giving a bloddy hearstopping fight - it jumped - twice! So, bit of a hard slog - but I've seen enough to want to go back!!! Edit - this site will prove very useful in the coming months...just upstream of where I started on Sunday... http://www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live...me/Holmebridge/ 2lb 11oz of grayling - my 4th= biggest. Wool Bridge

River Frome - Wool 0745 - 1445 Bright and sunny and VERY breezy - lashing rain for 1st hour! River low and clear. 11 Grayling; 3 smalluns - all the others between 1lb 9oz - 2lb 2oz (2X2lbers). 1 Dace (small). 9 Trout (all small). 1 Salmon 4½lb, 1 Salmon parr. A challenging session due to the strong downstream wind - made presentation a nightmare and I must have spent half the session with my float waving around in the sky everytime I tried to rebait. No surprise that my 2 biggest ladies came in the first hour when it was cloudy (and wet! ) Salmon fight was, err, interesting and it had obviously found a taste for maggot as it had another angler's hook in its scissors - with maggots still attached! Was briefly connected to a MUCH bigger salmon - which thankfully got off! Had wanted to try and find a few dace on this trip - but a couple of hours fishing the supposed right area produce just one smallun.

River Lambourn - Shaw 0730 - 1230 Frosty and bright start - clouding over by mid morning. 0ºC -> 6ºC. River low. 56 (!!) Grayling; 3 over 1lb - best a lovely fish of 1lb 12oz. 2 Roach (small). 8 Brownies small ( but bigger than parrs). Nice sociable session with Paul. Original plan had been to do some more prospecting for perch on the canal but the weather forecasts had been predicting a cold clear Friday morning all week - so Plan B was the ladies! Got off to a slow start and we thought we'd be off the water in under a couple of hours and moving elsewhere but then we found the fish. Usual tactics here are catch a couple and move on - but I guess because of the low water they were somewhat shoaled up - I had 22 from one spot alone. Paul managed 37 grayling and 3 trout with 4 over a pound - his best 1lb 6oz. So over 100 fish between us - a great morning's sport !!! 1-12 is my =biggest grayling from here. Pics courtesy of Paul (as per usual!)

River Lambourn - Newbury 0745 - 1115 Cool and mainly overcast. 2º -> 6ºC. River low and clear (of course!) 33 Grayling; 10 over 1lb (!) best 4, 1lb 15oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 7oz, 1lb 6oz with another dozen around the 12oz mark. 3 Brownies - all small but bigger than parrs. Christmas Eve sees the annual cleaning of my bait fridge as the maggots are served with an eviction order and the appliance is commandeered for Christmas duties. As usual for this venue it was a case of starting at the top and working my way down - fishing every likely look run - resulting in a remarkably similar return to my last visit here (see 23 November). Unlike last month though the fish were a bit more spread out - though all the 'pound plussers' came from just 3 spots - the 2 biggest from the same swim - one devoid of fish last time out though equally last months hot spot was empty. It really pays to travel light!

River Frome - Wool 0830 - 1645 Overcast, mild and breezey (rather too breezey at times). River clear and quite low. 16 Grayling; best 3 1lb 11oz, 1lb 10oz, 1lb 9oz. The rest mostly small. 5 Brownies - most small with a couple of pounders. Ever since my first visit here in November I've been bending Paul's ear to come and join me - and the premise of a belated birthday trip was the perfect excuse. However work (his) threatened to get in the way and we only decided to go yesterday. Fortunately DDAS are rather more forward looking than a lot of angling clubs - and a simple paypal transaction resulted in Paul's Guest Ticket being emailed to me within 5 minutes of payment - I was very impressed. So a quiet day by the river in deepest Dorset!! You gotta be kidding - the morning was as if Armegedon had started. Numerous fire engines, dozens of police cars and a ruddy police helicopter hovering overhead for 2 hours. We were checked out a number of times - with police cars pulling up - and in one case crossing the field towards us. Most surreal was when we moved 400m upstream and the helicopter followed us!!!! Once home it all became clear! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-16650234 The morning's fishing was pretty uneventful - at least for me. We started off in what I'd boldly said were banker swims - as they had produced 2lbers on my previous trips in November - so of course we struggled. I was really keen for Paul to catch as I'd persuaded him into this jaunt - and thankfully he scored the only success of the morning with a very fat lady of 2lb 3oz - A fish that made fools of both of us as we estimated it at much bigger. There was no mistaking the size of Paul's next biggie though!! After lunch we had moved downstream and whilst I was saying we might have a chance of dace here Paul started to catch grayling. A tiddler was followed by a 1-10 fish. He then connected with something that he annouced was a trout. However from my vantage point I could see from the first flash of the fish in the clear water that this was a grayling - and a rather special one at that!!! Acting as netsman I managed to net it first pass - And we were quickly guessing its credentials - a 3? My guess was a modest 2-14 - I was an ounce out; both sets of scales registered an ounce below the magic 3lb mark. Still an awesome grayling and a new PB for Paul. Things then started to look up for me too - and I started to get amongst the grayling - they had obviously moved down into the deeper water. Paul had the last say though with a third and final 2lber. I don't think I'll need tooooo much persuasion for a return visit next year!!! The 'Banker' swim - no fish here! Top of the fishery looking down to where Paul got off the mark! Paul's First 2 of the day... Woolbridge Manor (Wellbridge House in Tess of the D'Urbervilles) Paul's clonker - 2lb 15oz. I get in on the act at last. Paul perfects the ancient art of grayling juggling with his 3rd, 2 of the day. Sunset over Wool Bridge.

River Frome Worgret 0800 - 1130 Wool 1200 - 1600 Bright and sunny after a foggy start - felt positively warm in the sun - had far too much on! River clear and low. 11 Grayling: 10 over 1lb (9 over 1½!). Best 5, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 5oz, 2lb 2oz & 2 at 1lb 14oz. Last trip down to Dorset this winter as the water closes to coarse anglers at the end of Feb. I wanted to give Worgret a proper go this time as it was the colour of milky tea when I came here in November. Some of it looks really nice - lots of long glides with some deep holes on the bends but I fished down the entire length of it for a solitary bite and fish (one of the 1-14s). So whilst I had planned to stay all day here it was a call for an early lunch and off to Wool. Walking back to the car I stopped to chat with another angler who had turned up after me (and was fishing the one spot where I'd caught!) to find he was using the same reel as me - A 1920 Witcher copy! I think most of those that were made have ended up in display cabinets so it was nice to see another angler using one. Being the last Sunday of the Frome season I expected Wool to be quite busy - so was quite relieved to only see a couple of other anglers. I started in the bridge swims but after a biteless ¾hr it was time to move upstream. I had the 2lb2oz fish in the first swim I dropped into - and ended up not moving from that spot for the rest of the afternoon!! In the morning I'd blamed the bright sunshine for the lack of fish - but they didn't seem to put them off here and I had a slow but steady session bringing some fine grayling to the net. The 2-05 and 2-14 were the last 2 fish of a fine afternoon's sport - and seeing the 2-14 twisting in the current I thought this was my 3 at last - alas not to be - but ranks as my 2nd biggest ever - and a grand way to end my first winter on the Frome. Pics of my 2-05 And 2-14 As usual the buggers wouldn't keep still for the camera!

River Lambourn - Newbury 0830 - 1100 Mild and windy with some drizzle in the wind (Storm Dennis approaching!). River VERY full with just a hint of colour which is unusual for here. 8 Grayling; 4 'netters' biggest 2 went 1lb 7oz & 1lb 5oz. 2 Brownies - both around ½lb. This weekend had been pencilled in for months for an IAC fish-in. I'd booked Lower Itchen Fishery and filled all the places with folks coming from far and wide to attend. Unfortunately Storm Dennis had other ideas and the event was cancelled - pity as I was really looking forward to my annual late winter trip here. The day like all fish-ins' I organise these days was a charity event in memory of Paul and with no fishery to pay and most of my rods asking that their monies go straight to the charity - Storm Dennis will at least have benefitted Sue Ryder! So with the storm not quite arrived (the rain at least)and to ward off cabin fever - I sneaked a couple of hours on the Lambourn - so that I wouldn't be denied a grayling this weekend!

Somewhere in Hampshire (guess the river!) 0815 - 1815 Bright and sunny morning after overnight rain. Clouding over after lunch with more (quite heavy at times) rain after 1530. Temps. 11º-14º-11ºC. 26 Grayling; 12 over1lb, best 3, 2lb, 1lb 14oz, 1lb 13oz. 7 Chub between 2¾lb to 4lb 5oz (2,4lbers). 13 Brownies to 3½lb. Enjoyable (despite the late rain) session where persistence was rewarded. Paul and I only found one prolific swim (and that was mainly full of chub) but if you stuck at it and kept trying something a little new you were usually rewarded with a fish or two. Resting and returning was also a good tactic. Most of my fish were caught on red corn - though not all - the 1-14 was on red maggot. Paul had an almost identical return fishing mainly red maggot. 2 doz grayling to 1¾lb, 6 chub - though 5 of these were 4lbers! and he did better than me at shaking off the trout before landing them - only having to net 6! Oh and he also managed to find a few roach - though I don't think they were particularly big... As usually trying to get a grayling to pose for a pic was neigh on impossible - this was my 5th (and best!!!!!) attempt at my 2lber. Chub on the otherhand are much more accommodating - this is the 'smaller' of my 4lbers. and my bigger one>

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury 0700 - 1630 Misty and murky all day, heavy showers for last 2 hours - 7-9ºC. 7 Chub; 5 over 2lbs biggest 3lb6oz. 7 Grayling (!) 4 over1lb (&3 over 1½), biggest 1lb 11oz. 9 Dace; 3 of which were 6oz+. 1 Roach. 7 Brownies to 3lb. Eagerly anticipated trip - nice to see the river full after 4+ years of low water. Of course it meant having to almost completely re-learn the venue! We half expected the fish holding areas in low water conditions might not be the same when the river was full - and so it proved. Our nailed on banker dace swim which has produced really good dace in each of the previous 3 seasons produced not a bite to me today! Paul and I had differing objectives for the trip - Paul wanted to get among the dace - something he achieved with 4 fish over 10oz a couple of which went 12oz. I wanted to get among the chub - preferably big ones - which didn't really show up - though lots of schooly ones for future years is a good omen (Paul had 10 but nothing over 3). The grayling were a very pleasant surprise especially their size. The perch on the other hand appeared to have done a disappearing act. (Maybe they've all moved to Gunters!) As we departed the car park at dawn - in opposite directions - I wished Paul good luck with a cheery 'break a rod' something he'd achieved by the time we met up for morning coffee!! Some Pics...(proabably!) Well that worked with postimage.org - though its now stubbornly refusing to upload any more! At last! Thanks to imageshack! 1lb 4oz dace was once caught here! (alas not by me!) Not a 1¼lb dace - one 8oz lighter! Snaggy dace swim - I had some gooduns from here... I actually don't know where this is - Paul??? Chub & Speedia Where have all the perch gone? Last knockings and not a stripey in sight...

River Lambourn - Newbury 1100 - 1400 Cold with sunny spells. 5ºC. River very full and gin clear looked in cracking nick! 17 Grayling; 2 'pounders' biggest 1lb 7oz Usual catch a couple and move on tactics - venue was rather busy and bumped into that reprobate Rusty who was worming for roach! Had rather hoped to be fishing the Frome this weekend - alas it still has a flood warning out for the river - and here's why - somewhere just behind the tree Rusty and I caught 2lbers last winter! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=101...pe=1&ref=nf Lambourn Lady

Middle Kennet Estate(s) Newbury (am), Kintbury (pm) 0745 - 1615 Breezy with sunny spells. 7º->9º->7ºC. River 'full' and clear - though within its banks after recent (and very evident) flooding. 5 Chub; 4 over 2¼lb - best 2, 4lb & 3lb 10oz. 3 Grayling - 1lb 13oz, 1lb 2oz & 14oz. 5 Dace, 3 over 8oz - biggest 13oz. 2 roach, a gudgeon and 2 Brownies both circa 1½lb plus a 4lb bream which doesn't count as it was hooked in the dorsal - giving the most almighty battle in a fast current and doing a great impression of a huge chub. Bit of a grueller especially in the morning when we covered miles of bank trying to find fish - and when I did find a few - managed to hook one in the backside! More success after lunch and after a second move of the day - this time a couple of miles upstream!!! Paul struggled even more than me in the morning - but decided he would concentrate on trying to catch big dace in the afternoon - something he managed rather well with nearly a dozen over 8oz. Best comedy moment was seeing Paul trying to get into the 'Bob James Position' with thigh waders when really chesties were needed - he never did manage it - but it made amusing viewing! Some pics One of Paul's Dace - looks like a female already in breeding condition. 2, 13oz dace - both Paul and I caught 13oz dace at the same time - mine is the top one and although Paul's looks smaller in the pic it was a lot thicker... A welcome chub - caught 1st cast after the lunchtime move. Followed shortly after by a nice grayling. Paul gets all arty (again) looking upstream toward dace town! The chub that wasn't...

Middle Kennet Estate - Kintbury 0900 - 1630 Cold (-1ºC ->3ºC), bright and breezy. Clouding over somewhat in the afternoon. WT 7ºC (won't stay like that for long). River still very high but quite clear. 2 Chub; 4lb 3oz & 1¾lb, 5 Grayling; 3 over a pound best, 1lb 13oz. 10 Dace - only two of which were below 8oz! . Best 13oz which I achieved twice. 5 Brownies to 4lb and 2 Rainbows to 1¾lb. Club day so the plan was to target dace all day and not really move too far from the likely holding areas. As it happened I had the place to myself as only one other angler turned up! Meant I could give the swim a good rest during the worst of the bright sunshine knowing I would be able to get on them again as it got dark - just as well as 8 of them were caught in the last hour of light. One of the 13oz dace - (note a rare outing for the Witcher Avon Elite ) Fat Chub Wilderness Lady

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!

River Kennet - Newbury 0800 - 1115 3 Chub; 4lb 2oz, 3lb 7oz, 2lb 12oz. 1 Perch 2lb 9oz. 1 Bream 2lb 6oz. A doz+ Dace, 5 Gudgeon, 4 Roach, 1 Grayling and 3 Trout parr. River Kennet - Thatcham 1145 - 1315 1 Brownie - 1½lb (caught twice within 10 minutes!) 1345 - 1600 1 Grayling 1lb 10oz. Bright and cool - with a breeze picking up in the afternoon. WT 48ºC. River in perfect winter nick - good flow (but wadable )and just a hint of colour. First trip of 2015 and the plan was to start at a trusty old favourite, have lunch on a nice eddy and finish on last winter's 'hot spot'. With chub a target from all 3 swims. The morning got off to a flyer and took me back a decade when sessions like this were almost the norm on this part of the river. 8 species (9 counting the 2 minnows I had) and my biggest perch from here since 2010 (see blog of 02/10/10 - http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?/blog/82/entry-576-2-october/ ) really turned the clock back. I only had enough bait for the morning so had to shift off to Tone's for replenishment of gentles and then luncheon by my 2nd swim of the day. I nice eddy which has produced chub on my last 2 visits here - alas the trout - or rather A trout - didn't let them get a look in. I landed it twice - and had it on a third time. The result one totally trashed swim. And so off to my 3rd swim of the day - one I wanted to fish as the light faded as it produced some good perch (as well as chub ) last winter - and I had a 3lb 10oz stripey from it back in November. Again, though, neither species was in residence - I didn't blank though - my only bite - within the first 10 minutes. producing a surprise grayling of 1lb 10oz - I think it's my biggest ever grayling caught on the Kennet 'below Newbury' (I've had a few 2's from the middle river in the past). First fish of 2015 - a 4lb chub! Bonus Perch Surprise Grayling

Lower Itchen Fishery 0830 - 1630. Cool and overcast after a soggy start, rain returning just as we packed up, temps didn't get above 4ºC all day. River quite pacey with a slight tinge of colour. 37 Grayling; 14 over 1lb with half of these over 1½lb. Best two; 2lb 5oz & 1lb 13oz. 1 Brownie and 2 Salmon Parr. IAC fish-in in memory of Paul Goulbourn. A poignant day on the Itchen. Paul and I were introduced to this fishery back in the late 90's - via an IAC fish-in and we made a point of fishing it every season since - always scheduling a trip in mid to late Feb - so today was full of recollections of trips past and a fitting venue for some of his old IAC mates to gather in his memory. The talk on the list this week has all been about otters and blow me if the first thing we saw when we arrived at Gaters Mill at first light was an otter. And not just a fleeting glimpse - we watched as it scampered up the bank, crossed over the track and plunge into the river to head upstream under the M27. After this early excitement the first challenge was to get the cars up the track - we'd been warned that it was in a poor state but everyone made it up safely even if a few cars had to be pushed out for the return journey. The angling was everything I'd hoped it would be (save for the lack of chub). The river was quite 'full' but thankfully the lack of rain in the previous days had meant it had had a chance to fine down. The weather was exactly as per forecast - early rain giving way to a dry, cool, overcast day. I started in a spot where I expected there to be chub but the extra water meant that the slack that is usually there - wasn't. However it wasn't long before my trotted corn was snaffled by my first fish of the day a 1lb 9oz grayling - a super start. It quite quickly transpired that the fish appeared to be shoaled up in a few specific spots - and I ended up catching all my grayling from just 3 swims - rest and return being my mantra for the day. Sometimes at fish-ins you can go all day without actually meeting up with anyone - especially on a large venue such as LIF. Dave had a arranged for everyone to down rods and meet up for lunch - with the offer of freshly cooked sausages, toasted sandwiches and cupcakes! It made for a nice sociable interlude - even if Ed did miss the photocall in his urgency to return to the river! Thank you's to: - everyone who came especially those that travelled some distance to make it - Dave Smith for organising the day and acting as treasurer -£120 (+ Gift Aid) was raised by the event which will be given to Duchess of Kent Hospice where Paul spent his final days. - Chris (Rusty) for offering to give me a lift and being great company. Some the IAC Reprobates! (That's Brian on his knees - praying for a 2lber?) My biggest of the day.

Lower Itchen Fishery 8am - 5pm. Cold and overcast with light snow flurries in the morning. AT never above 2ºC all day. River on the low side for late winter - with a slight tinge of colour and a surprising amount of weed growth. 22 Grayling; 14 over 1lb, best 4 - 2lb 4oz, 2lb 2oz, 2lb 1oz, 1lb 15oz. 3 Chub - all 3 - 3lb 5oz. 1 Brownie 2½lb. 2nd IAC grayling day in memory of Paul Goulbourn. Organised with great diplomacy by Dave Smith and attended by some 17 anglers - raising around £300 for Sue Ryder. A great day out even if sport was a little on the slow side for some folks (I think I was the only one to find any 2lbers ! ). I switched between trotted maggot and red corn all day - which is reflected by the fact my biggest lady was on corn my 2nd biggest on maggot. Also made the most of the opportunity to fish a few new swims as well. Big thanks to Dave for organising & Rusty for the lift to the venue. My biggest two grayling...

River Frome - Wool 0800 - 1630 Very mild (14ºC), overcast and quite breezy with the very occasional drizzly flurry. NOT at all what was forecast - which was pretty much rain all day! River quite pacey (0.97m at East Stoke river gauge) and carrying a bit more colour than I'd have liked. 14 Grayling; 8 over 1lb (6over 1½lb). Best 3; 1lb14oz, 2lb0oz, 2lb1oz. 2 Dace; best 10oz. 1 Roach; 9oz. 9 Brownies to 2¼lb. 3 Salmon parr. A trip that we nearly aborted at the last minute due to an increasingly dismal forecast but because little rain had fallen in the run up to the trip we decided to chance it. As it turned out the river was in a slightly worse state than we expected while the weather was way better - in fact we got the weather that had been forecast on the Wednesday when I bought Paul's guest ticket! As ever though the Frome makes you work hard for your fish - and Paul and I caught slowly and steadily throughout the day. I had way too many trout - many of them doing a good impression of a big grayling in the fast current - so I was repeatedly disappointed to see a spotty flank when I got a fish on the surface. I'd heard of some nice dace showing - and they were very much a secondary target after the grayling. A first for me was one of my grayling (a fish of 1-10) sicking up a half digested bullhead in the net! First time I've ever seen evidence that they predate on smaller fish (and this bullhead wasn't a whole lot smaller than its mouth)! Apart from the brownies I think Paul had a near identical return - a dozen grayling to 2lb 1oz (not the same fish as mine!) and a brace of 10oz dace. As ever grayling will simply refuse to pose for a photo - my 2-01 in mid flick! My other 2 behaved itself just long enough for Paul to get a shot off! Cut off Oxbow. Last year this was bank - from the grasses in the bottom left corner - out to the island - last winter's floods have created a short cut! Compare with this picture taken last December - where I'm standing is now the middle of the river!

River Lambourn - Newbury 0915 - 1215 Bright, crisp and cold. -2º->3ºC. A lovely winter's morning. River low and clear (as always!) 20 Grayling; 3 over 1lb - best 2; 1lb 12oz & 1lb 10oz. 2 Dace. 4 trout parr. A great way to kill time while my car was having its MOT! Had arranged to meet up with Paul (who provided a lift back to the garage) and we leap frogged our way down the fishery - for near identical returns. Think Paul ended up with 21 grayling to 1lb 10oz (6 over 1lb) had a solitary dace and a bonus roach of 13oz. A couple of arty pics from Paul - plus a roach which looks like it's been crossed with a fantail goldfish!!!

River Frome - Wool 0830 - 1600 Cold, and very bright with everything white in a very heavy hoar frost - very picturesque. -3ºC -> +3ºC - though in negative territory for most of the day (certainly all morning) by the way the line was freezing in the ferrules. River looked in good nick - down a few inches on our last trip in Nov (85cm by the East Stoke gauge) 11 grayling: 4 over 1lb - 2lb 0oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 10oz, 1lb 3oz. Bit of a grueller of a session. Bites at a real premium - especially in the morning - though I did get my 2 early doors. 7 fish in the last hour and a half resulted in a slightly more respectable final total. Paid to rest swims and revisit - which resulted in a LOT of walking - good a way as any to stay warm - though in the sun we were really quite toasty for most of the day. We did blame the bright conditions for the lack of action - but then learnt it had been heavily fished the day before - so we're blaming that!Paul struggled too and I think ended up with half a dozen - with nothing over 1¼lb gracing his net. Frosty Frome. Hoar Frost 2lb lady!

River Frome - Wool 0815 - 1515 Cool, overcast with a stiff and very chilly easterly breeze. AT 1-6ºC. River still dropping and a little coloured. East Stoke EA Gauge reading 1.12m. 19 Grayling; 5 'pounders' to 1lb 8oz. 1 Brownie. Penultimate day of the season and at last the river has dropped enough to gamble on a visit. The river has fallen from a high of 1.49m (as measured at E Stoke) in the last 10 days - though was still carrying a bit more colour than I would have liked. As it turned out it was still a bit of a struggle though it got off to a good start with the 1½lb fish in the first 10 minutes - pity I didn't better it and it also turned out to be the only fish I caught on corn all day - all the others falling to maggot. Last swim of the day produced 9 fish in the last hour bringing up a respectable final tally (though I was greeted with 'That's a long way to catch tiddlers!' by my wife when I arrived home!) Spot the Float!

River Frome - Wool 0730 - 1330 Overcast with a cool easterly breeze - brightening up as I packed up. River low with (dropped over 40cm since last weekend) 67cm on the East Stoke River Gauge. 7 Grayling; 3 over 1lb went 2lb 5oz, 2lb 1oz, 1lb 8oz. 1 Bream 7lb 14oz (!), 1 Roach 8oz, 6 Brownies - all quite small. I ummed and ahhhed about renewing my DDAS card this winter - the last 2 seasons have been very scratchy and its a long way to travel to catch grayling that I could catch within 10 miles of home... Reports from this season (the venue opens on 1st Nov) also weren't hopeful - but I reasoned that last weekend's flush through might have livened things up a bit - and so it proved. It's never a prolific venue but thankfully 2 of my first 3 grayling were the 2lbers. Both caught on trotted orange corn that had been soaked in salmon oil, I reason that they're a good imitation for salmon eggs - whatever I have confidence in it as a bait. Bream also caught on it - and not entirely a surprise as a 7lb+ slab came out a couple of winters ago - and I was talking to its captor not 20 mins before landing my bream (probably the same fish!). ps How did the demise of Little Chef pass me by - both of my options for an Olympic breakfast are now Subways - despite still being advertised on the Little Chef website - the Bere Regis one even boasts as having been refurbished. Had to make do with a cheese and bacon melt - not happy!

Lower Itchen Fishery 0830 - 1600. Drizzle all day becoming quite breezy! AT around 8/9ºC after a frosty start. River quite 'full' with a little colour. 18 Grayling - with a dozen or so 1lb or better! Best 4 went 2lb 10oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 12oz X2. 3 Chub 4lb 7oz, 3lb 11oz, 3lb 6oz. 2 Brownies;3lb+ & 2lb +. A soggy day on the Itchen with the IAC. 20 of us getting together for the 3rd Paul Goulbourn grayling day. Raising money for Sue Ryder in the process. Despite the conditions I think everyone caught - I had a real purple patch after lunch when I had 9 ladies over a pound including all my biggest fish of the day (with the added advantage of the wind and rain being at my back!!) Fished mainly with corn in the morning - which accounted for all the chub but switched to maggot on a smaller hook for the afternoon - which seemed to do the trick!!!! My biggest grayling from here since Feb 2009.

River Frome - Wool 0800 - 1400 Dull, overcast and cool - AT around 6ºC all day with a breeze picking up. River VERY full, barely within its banks and that only recently given the state of the field. 1.30m at the East Stoke river gauge - much higher than I'd usually fish it - BUT after a dry week it was reasonably clear. 10 Grayling - only 4 needed the net - biggest 1lb 11oz but that was the only really 'decent' one. 1 Sea Trout (1¼lb and still with sea lice on it), 1 brownie - small. Bit of a gamble - but the river levels have been so high on the Frome since the start of the season (1st Nov) it looked like my DDAS ticket was going to go to waste - and with more rain forecast this week - it was a case of now or never! The venue is never prolific so it was nice to get a few, and would often get a fish first trot when I moved swims. Frustratingly I lost nearly as many as I landed including a large fish which I had on for sometime before the hook pulled (again!) - hope it was just a troot! Resting and returning to swims was the order of the day - all fish coming from just 3 spots (and one of those only produced one fish!) One of yesterday's 'hotspots'.