Lower itchen fishery - fm fish’in 2014

[dorsetandchub]

Mick,

Thanks a million, that's really kind of you. Chatting with Tim about it earlier. Will PM you shortly.


Phil.

 

[Neil Maidment]

A day on the Itchen | Video | Watch TV Show | Sky Sports

 

[greenie62]

A day on the Itchen | Video | Watch TV Show | Sky Sports

Thanks for that Neil,
Nice to see John B lose a few fish - don't feel so bad now with all the ones I've lost!

Why do you reckon he had so many 'bump off'?

I know from fly-fishing I used to lose less grayling using a 'plaited' braided mono leader which had a certain amount of stretch - acting like a shock absorber! Perhaps someone's idea of using a short section of pole elastic to attach the hook-length may also cure the problem!

 

[Ray Roberts]

Nice exhibition of fish losing By Mr Bailey, makes me feel almost competent, lol. I only lose them when Skippy is looking and scoffing over my shoulder.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

A day on the Itchen | Video | Watch TV Show | Sky Sports

Not nearly sufficient feed going in, . . . . . was there Neil

 

[sam vimes]

A day on the Itchen | Video | Watch TV Show | Sky Sports

I suspect that most regular grayling anglers know that you are always going to lose a few, it's the nature of the beast. However, that was something else. Rather than being one of those days, looking at the bend and action of the rod, I'd have it down as a modern progressive action with a bit too much beef. I'd put that down as the rod being a poor choice for the job in hand. The snag is that there aren't too many modern rods that are spot on for grayling. Many are too powerful for playing the fish yet too through actioned, when under no load, for good float control and line pick up, especially at distance, when striking.

Old fashioned stick float rods were usually ideal. Really fast actioned and tippy, until they were loaded when playing a fish. Decent old style match waggler rods can do the job, but there are less and less of those about these days too. I suspect that many younger anglers will have a totally different image of what a match rod is when compared to their older brethren.

I'm sure that it'll have been a good (expensive and well regarded) Hardy rod that John Bailey was using, but that was an excellent demonstration of why even quality float rods are not necessarily suited to every task.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Old fashioned stick float rods were usually ideal. Really fast actioned and tippy, until they were loaded when playing a fish.

Totally agree on that point.

When I fish for Graying I still use an old Kevlar Diawa Tommy Pickering Connoisseur Stick Float rod

A spliced tip rod I find is much better for when Grayling twist and rotate in the water as it absorbs much more than a hollow tip rod would.

 

[barbelboi]

I generally use a 12' 15 year old Titan 2000, my favourite trotting rod for many species - not a spliced tip rod but the first rod series to be able to use the 'new hollow carbon thin enough' technology to retire the spliced tip. Also still have a soft spot for a mid 90's 15' spliced GTI if extra length is required .....

 

[S-Kippy]

On Tuesday the Keeper, his assistant and myself were discussing why some anglers use a seatbox when trotting, we never did come up with a sensible answer
.

I was using a centrepin for trotting. The seat box was to sit on. Its not hard.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

I think the hook choice is very important for grayling roach etc.

I find losses are negligible when using a drennan green packet match hook micro barb in size 16 to 3lb.


Probably lost 4 fish all day. Used the drennan classic IM9.
A fantastic rod and one that will handle decent chub and trout and will not bump smaller fish.

My preferred float is a shouldered stick. I also prefer to fish shirt button shotting rather than bulk tail. Only changing if its a powerful flood water or targetting barbel.

Graham

 

[sam vimes]

I think the hook choice is very important for grayling roach etc.

I find losses are negligible when using a drennan green packet match hook micro barb in size 16 to 3lb.

Yep, the Drennan Wide Gape Match, as I brought up in the linked thread.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

I suspect that most regular grayling anglers know that you are always going to lose a few, it's the nature of the beast. However, that was something else. Rather than being one of those days, looking at the bend and action of the rod, I'd have it down as a modern progressive action with a bit too much beef. I'd put that down as the rod being a poor choice for the job in hand. The snag is that there aren't too many modern rods that are spot on for grayling. Many are too powerful for playing the fish yet too through actioned, when under no load, for good float control and line pick up, especially at distance, when striking.

Old fashioned stick float rods were usually ideal. Really fast actioned and tippy, until they were loaded when playing a fish. Decent old style match waggler rods can do the job, but there are less and less of those about these days too. I suspect that many younger anglers will have a totally different image of what a match rod is when compared to their older brethren.

I'm sure that it'll have been a good (expensive and well regarded) Hardy rod that John Bailey was using, but that was an excellent demonstration of why even quality float rods are not necessarily suited to every task.

Well the Free Spirit Hi'S" does the job spot on, I didn't drop a Grayling all day, lost one trout, and got smashed by a couple of fish, Not sure what.

Great pick up, and playing action. I found this rod the best since the Normark Titan 2000 series.

 

[mick b]

: ............

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

I couldn't understand why some fish with 16,18 or size 20 hooks.

I use size 12 or 14, and don't have a problem of maggots masking the hook point.

 

[sam vimes]

I couldn't understand why some fish with 16,18 or size 20 hooks.

I use size 12 or 14, and don't have a problem of maggots masking the hook point.

I might go to the bigger sizes if using two or more maggots. I'm generally using a 16 for a single maggot, occasionally dropping to an 18 if they get particularly finicky. However, I'm not fishing the Itchen. In much the same way as I'd not expect to catch much if I fed the quantity of maggots talked about here, I'd not catch much with a 12 or 14 hook.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

I might go to the bigger sizes if using two or more maggots. I'm generally using a 16 for a single maggot, occasionally dropping to an 18 if they get particularly finicky. However, I'm not fishing the Itchen. In much the same way as I'd not expect to catch much if I fed the quantity of maggots talked about here, I'd not catch much with a 12 or 14 hook.

I agree Sam,

On the Itchen you can get away with a 12 or 14, if it gets hard then maybe a 16 at tops for me.

If i was fishing the Kennet, i would start with a 16, and maybe have to go to a 18 if i had to, but not any lower.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Thats why I use, as Sam does, a wide gape hook on the Itchen and at Britford.

The wide gape allows use of 2 /3 mags, bread; tares without much masking of the point.

The match format ensures a fairly fine hook for good penetration and hook hold.

Graham

 

[nicepix]

Many thanks Neil,
I had been told about it by the keeper (whose laughing in the background was edited out) but it still had me in stitches.

It is not the rod, I also use a Hardy (Specialist Float) its was his Norflolk slow river method.
Ive watched so many anglers fail to hook fish when using small hooks and maggots Im surprised not more anglers have realised what the problem is

Grayling eat very hard food items, Caddis grubs are their absolute favourite and they eat everything including the case which is made of bits of wood and gravel bound together and added to by the grub as it grows.
The Caddis case can be up to 1.5"long x 1/4"diameter so a decent Grayling has a pretty big mouth and everything is very robust indeed.

Using a dainty little hook, half masking it with a couple of maggots, regularly bouncing it along a gravelly run and then trying to tap the hook gently and its a sure fire recipe for lots of missed fish.
Because the 'missed' fish are not being pricked by the hook, the flicked bend in the rod tip is the baited hook coming out of the fishes mouth without touching the sides!!!

mg:

.

Chub and barbel have even bigger months pro rata yet you can still hook and land them with 18's and 20's. Ivan Marks rarely went below a 20 when amassing huge hauls of bream averaging a much larger size than your Itchen grayling.

A 20 or 18 hook is what I used on the Don and Wharfe in colder weather with single maggot and I didn't lose that many fish or miss too many bites.

When grayling do get off it is usually, in my experience, towards the end of the fight on a short line, not the first few seconds. Doesn't happen nearly as much when fly-fishing due to the softer action of the rod and cushioning aspect of the thick line in the water. The answer is as Peter C, Greenie and others have suggested is to have some give in the rod and / or line.

 

[Neil Maidment]

Horses for courses.

I'll happily use wide gape huge 12's - 14's on the Itchen and now don't tend to lose too many grayling. Used to go much finer and smaller and lost/bounced far too many for my own sanity.

Often go the other way when chub are the target on the Stour/Avon where I'll probably start off using a 14 at most. Very often will go down to a 20 or even a 22 and single red even when they appear to be feeding well. It is often the only way to keep the bites coming even when you know the chub are present. Taking it down that small and fine has accounted for many big chub on the float to over 7lbs and the odd barbel.

 

[aebitim]

Possibly would go with presentation, bait and river conditions rather than being careless enough to make a definitive statement.