Off the Log #2 The Grayling, not.

So, (my English teacher will be spinning in her grave after that start), my first serious attempt at Grayling fishing of winter 2019/2020 brings me to an Association water on the River Itchen, just south of Winchester. Now, several miles further downstream, on the Lower Itchen Fishery, there are some monster Grayling, even some members of the Grayling Society have seen them, yet none of the really big ones ever seem to want to play ball. Furthermore, about half a mile from today’s beat there is a carrier where I’ve seen some eye-widening Gs fleeing my clumsy footsteps – so hope raged in my heart, drowning out the traffic noise from the M3.

I tackled up a ten-foot rod for an attempt at Euro-nymphing, heading downstream to fish back up; [Rule: single fly, upstream dry or nymph only]. Have to say it was a bit of an obstacle course, despite some clearance efforts in order to put up a new stock fence. Why is it that dog rose and brambles can be so hateful? When they’re not trying to ensnare your rod and line, or landing net, they go for your clothing. It’s bad enough that they lurk along the path and banks, ready to catch the unwary, but they also climb trees to let down long strands of trouble, an aerial battle to supplement the land assault. Cursing doesn’t make them let go, but it seems to absolve one’s own clumsiness … for a while.

An intermittent down-stream wind added a further dimension of difficulty, from which it soon became obvious that the four fly boxes in my vest didn’t hold any heavy enough jig-hook patterns to get deep and stay there in the strong flow. After two hours of fishing up I knew I was in for a struggle day, but at least I was fishing. During my travails I didn’t see any Grayling, there were two splashy rises, a pod of fry in an eddy, and a ten-pound Pike holding in an undercut beneath my wellied feet.

I tried my favourites from summer fishing the Meon and all the heaviest patterns in my boxes. Nowt. Couldn’t buy a bite, as they say, until a drift close to my bank produced a take on a #10 disco-shrimp … from a Minnow! I took a photograph for evidence, then fished on with hope renewed, and more importantly, skunking avoided. Nowt else to relay. Obviously, Mercury’s gone retrograde again, whilst Saturn and Jupiter can’t be more misaligned, so it’s my own fault really. Even the Casio Fishing Watch showed a blank. Don’t start me on superstitions!