Grayling fishing at Timsbury

Today I went grayling fishing at Timsbury Fishing. In preparation, I picked up some tips from an old hand at the fly fishing forums and also found a helpful blog on Czech nymphing.

I caught nothing all day, so perhaps "grayling fishing" isn't strictly accurate. However, I must say the setting was idyllic and another fly fisherman did catch a couple of fish, so I think my skills were to blame, or possibly the temperature which was around 4° C, rather than the fishing.

One dicey patch was when I managed to get my line knotted round a high branch while fishing the carrier. Don't ask me how I managed it! Thankfully the knot eventually came loose.

Carrier weir pool

Next beat upstream

Sunset

Carrier - clearer later in the day

Meon Springs

Last week I fished at Meon Springs trout fishery. This was quite a bit cheaper than Avington, but I was delighted by the quality of the water: the top lake was crystal clear.

Soon I missed setting the hook after a strike. Later I hooked a rainbow and played it for a while before losing it after bringing it in to the side. I guessed I hadn't played it for long enough. Not long after, I hooked a 3 lb rainbow using a small black nymph and played it for about 10 minutes before successfully landing it.

I checked out the other lakes and they weren't quite so clear. I was also interested in the stream, but this seemed incredibly shallow and, from what I could see, devoid of fish. I'd be interested in anyone else's view of the stream, especially if they have fished it successfully.

I had to leave to get back to Winchester, but fortunately Meon Springs carry over uncaught fish to my next visit using a voucher system.

Avington Trout Fishery

Towards the end of January I tried my hand at lake fising for the first time, at Avington Trout Fishery. It was a cold day with ice on the edge of one of the lakes. Plenty of fish were in evidence, mostly cruising past near the bank.

After a couple of hours, one of the fisherymen came and gave me some tips on casting further into the lake, gave me a lure which would show up more clearly, and even lent me a 9' rod to try (instead of the 8'6" rod I'd purchased for grayling fishing).

With this instruction and after moving to another lake and being shown by him where to cast, I landed a 4.5 lb rainbow. A few minutes later I landed another of the same weight using my own rod. They were reasonably easy to dispatch with a priest and the fisheryman kindly showed me how to clean and gut them. (Filleting at home was quite another matter - must do better next time!)

Before heading off home, I tried fishing in the carrier but nothing was doing as it had apparently been fished hard the previous day.

Grayling fishing on the River Itchen

A few weeks ago, Ian kindly invited me for some grayling fishing on the Itchen. I made ready by purchasing first of all Tom Fuller's excellent "Getting started in fly fishing" and then the basic equipment: rod, reel, line, leaders, a few flies, nippers, forceps, and sunglasses for eye protection.

On the day, after I had bought an Environment Agency license , Ian showed me the ropes of fishing a downstream nymph on the same private beat we'd fished in the Autumn. Unfortunately I caught a trout, but released it carefully without handling it, using the forceps to remove the hook.

Over lunch at The Bush in Ovington we enjoyed the open fire and discussed local fishing, the resources available on the internet, and the angling directory "Where to fish".

The high point of the day came later after Ian had left to watch the rugby: I caught and released a handsome, medium-sized grayling. Later the encroaching darkness ended another great day of fishing.

Trout fishing on the River Itchen

My introduction to fly fishing was last Autumn after my wife bid for a charity rod on the River Itchen as an early 50th birthday present for me. My host was a seasoned fly fisherman whom I'll simply call "Ian" to spare his embarrassment. He kitted me out, taught me to cast on his lawn, then took me off to get started on an idyllic private stretch of the Itchen. Ian's friend Steve also gave me some help in the water.

At the end of the day, I hadn't caught a single fish, but I'd stalked several fish with a dry fly and had one strike although I immediately lost it. However, I was well and truly hooked, mainly due to Ian's enormous encouragement.

Ian summed up: "Not much surface activity" and "Difficult fish". Who can blame them?

I left happy and relaxed, but wondering if I'd been spoiled by fishing such a lovely stretch of river.