Lower itchen fishery

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Hi folks

I believe a few on here have visited the LIF in the past (i think it may have been used for a fish in once or twice). I have a birthday treat coming up there in a week or so, a day's trotting with a very good old mate for company which I'm very much looking forward to.

Just wondering if anyone has any general pointers? I believe there's supposed to be a mix of coarse and game fish there, though if it's anything like the "mix" at Barton Court on the Kennett, i'll just catch trout all day!

Main idea is to spend the day trotting maggots. Is it best to move around a lot or would staying put be more productive? I have to say my normal inclination whilst fishing in this style is to move around and never assume too much that one fish caught in a swim means there's many more.

Also, whilst i hope it will stay in the car, i will probably put a small amount of "static" tackle (seat, brolly etc) in the car just in case the weather is rubbish. Again, any pointers from anyone who's fished that style there gratefully received. I'm aware that a colossal barbel came off the stretch recently but I'd be just as happy with a 2lb roach if such a thing could be found!

cheers
Jim

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Hi Jim

We're down there on the 25th November, shame you couldn't have made that.

Generally the higher beats hold the larger grayling, you will need to establish how far up you can fish though as some are restricted. I don't recall a barbel coming out on a fish-in (although Graham Elliot did have eleven species, including a flounder two years back!)

The lower stretches from above the motorway bridge down to the mill pool usually seem best for course fishing and I believe decent roach have been taken on trotted bread.

We normally use maggot and the fish seem to like them, wherever you fish there's always a chance of a brownie or sea trout wrecking your swimmg:

If you go to the "Events and Fish-ins" you can look back at results from the last few years.

Last year
LIF Fish in

Have a great day, it's a superb venue

Ian

 

[S-Kippy]

In my experience the place is stuffed full of grayling and trout but a bit hit and miss when it comes to anything else. If you can find the chub they can give good sport but I've fished it several times and I'm yet to catch a roach of any size. They are there but are very elusive.

Generally speaking I'd agree the lower beat is your best bet for coarse fish....though the very top beat can produce too.

Last Fish In the place was heaving with grayling but the average size as low. They are not very long lived fish so maybe the big girls that the river seemed full of a few years back have died and we need a new year class to come through. Barton Court went through exactly the same cycle.

 

[Neil Maidment]

LIF has developed into a very good mixed fishery (more's the pity)

Used to be a very typical southern chalkstream opening up for grayling in the winter months. It was pretty much grayling or spotted others with a good chance of some nice roach.

Plenty of grayling to be had with a chance of a 2lber, anything up to 1:08 is the norm at the moment but it's definitely on the upward cycle for grayling. Trotted maggot or maggot feeder (fished properly, not as a bolt rig) will catch.

Quite a few barbel are now present and started to appear several years ago. I love barbel and have had a few from the Itchen but they shouldn't be in there! Suddenly decent sized fish appeared which can only have been introduced by misguided, idiotic hands, but they are in there and not much can be done now.

Bream, perch, roach and chub are widespread but seem to do disappearing acts quite often, so expect anything.

If you're on the day ticket, only the lower beat is open to you. Plenty of water to go at and I would leave the car in the car park and work your way upstream from the sluices. If you want a barbel then walk down from the sluices and park yourself opposite the buildings, you may find a queue for the lower swims mg:

 

[tigger]

you may find a queue for the lower swims mg:

...not my scene man, if the place is like that I woludn't go if I had a free pass!
For the biggest part I go fishing to get away from it all (people) and am particular about who I fish with so fishing there sounds like a nightmare mg:.

 

[Neil Maidment]

...not my scene man, if the place is like that I woludn't go if I had a free pass!
For the biggest part I go fishing to get away from it all (people) and am particular about who I fish with so fishing there sounds like a nightmare mg:.

To be fair it's only the very short length of a few swims opposite the houses/offices below the sluices. I first saw barbel in the Itchen down on the free stretch immediately below LIF so in the early days the sluices were an effective barrier. They have since been introduced around the Winchester area so are now well spread out but most are still down that end.

Plenty of room on the rest of the fishery.

 

[theartist]

Hi folks

I believe a few on here have visited the LIF in the past (i think it may have been used for a fish in once or twice). I have a birthday treat coming up there in a week or so, a day's trotting with a very good old mate for company which I'm very much looking forward to.

Just wondering if anyone has any general pointers? I believe there's supposed to be a mix of coarse and game fish there, though if it's anything like the "mix" at Barton Court on the Kennett, i'll just catch trout all day!

Main idea is to spend the day trotting maggots. Is it best to move around a lot or would staying put be more productive? I have to say my normal inclination whilst fishing in this style is to move around and never assume too much that one fish caught in a swim means there's many more.

Also, whilst i hope it will stay in the car, i will probably put a small amount of "static" tackle (seat, brolly etc) in the car just in case the weather is rubbish. Again, any pointers from anyone who's fished that style there gratefully received. I'm aware that a colossal barbel came off the stretch recently but I'd be just as happy with a 2lb roach if such a thing could be found!

cheers
Jim

Without meaning to throw a spanner in the works i'd say that Barton Court is every bit as diverse as LIF with big pike, perch and dace to be found there, although the roach did a disappearing act a few years back.

There's a few big roach at LIF but there's quite a few roach anglers who go down and don't catch but they are there, if you can hear road noise you got a decent chance Further up get's more game although grayling should outnumber the trout. Your idea of moving around is best, i'd leapfrog swims with your mate, it's not like Timsbury as it's a very long stretch so whilst you'll see others they'll be plenty of vacant swims, doubt if you'd be able to rove the whole river fishing every spot available and some folk even hop in the car to try a different end.

Despite there being a few anglers, cars and the odd aircraft it's very scenic and a terrific present

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Thanks for all the replies! Fingers crossed it's not too packed, and I will also be looking forward to seeing some details on how the fish in goes.

Neil, you're right about it only being the lower beat, however I think that's still the best part of a mile. So hopefully some room can be found somewhere.

Its also looking like I will be guiding (loose word!!) my mate a bit as he's never used a pin before. I had hoped to get him an hour or two under his belt before this trip but it's looking a bit unlikely now.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

It's certainly a nice fishery Jim and well worth a visit.

I managed a few decent roach the time before last, not quite 2lb though.

There are some very big 6lbish chub showing lately, but getting through the 8oz grayling is a problem.
I caught about 80 last time with only 4 over the lb!

As others mentioned, I actually tend to prefer the bottom end even with the road noise, for coarse fish.

You could catch a minnow followed by hooking a 25lb salmon next cast.
Personally after fishing it with Veralum a few times, as well as FM I always feel sad not to see my pal Keith Speer there as well. Mixed emotions.

If you want some detailed info pm me.

Graham

 

[Mark Wintle]

I hope you have a good day, Jim. I can't say I'm enamoured with the place having had two bad days on there, partly due to poor conditions - a dirty flood the first time, -10C the second - and too many sharp elbows, and not much to show for it. Leave the camera in the bag for the game fish. Not sure a centrepin is a necessity on there, I didn't feel any need for one.

I found out the source of the barbel stockings earlier this year, and simultaneously solved how they got into the Exe, Test and Dorset Frome.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Mark.
One would assume its Hampshire led?

 

[Mark Wintle]

Mark.
One would assume it's Hampshire led?

Indeed it is!

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

I hope you have a good day, Jim. I can't say I'm enamoured with the place having had two bad days on there, partly due to poor conditions - a dirty flood the first time, -10C the second - and too many sharp elbows, and not much to show for it. Leave the camera in the bag for the game fish. Not sure a centrepin is a necessity on there, I didn't feel any need for one.

I found out the source of the barbel stockings earlier this year, and simultaneously solved how they got into the Exe, Test and Dorset Frome.

I'm not sure a centrepin is ever really a necessity? I had a lovely session this weekend fishing with a waggler and a fixed spool on a nice deep section of the thames near me; first time I'd done that in what seems like a very long time and I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it. There was a bit of a disconnect in my brain for a few casts about leaving the bail arm open and then dabbing a finger on the spool to strike, but somehow it all came back to me and I had a great session.

HOWEVER.... there's something rather hypnotic about trotting a nice quick bit of water with a pin that I connect with, in a purely aesthetic way. Could it be that symbolically, the unwinding spool reflects an internal unwinding, a sort of fishing yoga? I'm not sure that any other method has quite the same effect on me.

As I live in the thames valley, there's not a tremendous amount of this type of fishing for me to go at (which I'm not complaining about, there's all sorts of other waters to make up for that).

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Lambourne not too far away Jim in Newbury. Some free bits and good grayling big roach and odd very large trout.

 

[greenie62]

.....I believe a few on here have visited the LIF in the past (i think it may have been used for a fish in once or twice). I have a birthday treat coming up there in a week or so, a day's trotting with a very good old mate for company which I'm very much looking forward to.......

Hi Jim,
The LIF (as sampled on a Fish-In a couple of years ago) is a lovely fishery - beatiful water - and the banks are nicely kept - you can fish right on the end of your toes without having to fight your way through chest-high invasive vegetation!
Makes a wonderful change from having to battle through 6ft HB or GH to find the edge of a 8ft mud-slide onto a pile of boulders or broken-down walls to climb over before you can get near the water! (But thankfully not all of the Ribble is like that! )

The 'nuisance' fish are beautiful Grayling which you have to feed-off with pints of maggots - as per Neil M.'s tactics - or switch to trotting sweetcorn for the better stamp! Occasional Sewin snaffling your bait - not knowing that they are out-of-season - provides a bit of excitement thinking it's a Chub - but you can usually tell through the clear water that it's not!

The biggest drawback is that it spoils you for other fisheries! Probably needs more than the odd day to find other coarse fish - but what's not to like about catching Grayling 'a fish a chuck'?

Hope you have a great day there! I'll make it back one day - when I've saved enough pennies!

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Hi Jim,
The LIF (as sampled on a Fish-In a couple of years ago) is a lovely fishery - beatiful water - and the banks are nicely kept - you can fish right on the end of your toes without having to fight your way through chest-high invasive vegetation!
Makes a wonderful change from having to battle through 6ft HB or GH to find the edge of a 8ft mud-slide onto a pile of boulders or broken-down walls to climb over before you can get near the water! (But thankfully not all of the Ribble is like that! )

The 'nuisance' fish are beautiful Grayling which you have to feed-off with pints of maggots - as per Neil M.'s tactics - or switch to trotting sweetcorn for the better stamp! Occasional Sewin snaffling your bait - not knowing that they are out-of-season - provides a bit of excitement thinking it's a Chub - but you can usually tell through the clear water that it's not!

The biggest drawback is that it spoils you for other fisheries! Probably needs more than the odd day to find other coarse fish - but what's not to like about catching Grayling 'a fish a chuck'?

Hope you have a great day there! I'll make it back one day - when I've saved enough pennies!

You make it sound very nice indeed, and I can't wait. I know what you mean about spoiling it on other fisheries, I have similar moments when I come back from fishing on the wye and find that the next session is on a much more pedestrian river thames fishing for generally much smaller fish!

Fingers crossed! Hope some grayling come my way, what a terrible "nuisance" species they are

 

[tigger]

Fingers crossed! Hope some grayling come my way, what a terrible "nuisance" species they are

I feel guilty about the post I made now after realising it was a gift to you.....anyhow I hope it goes well for you and you have agreat time!

 

[greenie62]

You make it sound very nice indeed, and I can't wait. I know what you mean about spoiling it on other fisheries,.....

Hope you have a great time and the weather's kind to you. Let us know how you get on and what you managed to catch.

PS: You'll need a 'clicker' for the Grayling! - I lost count at 30 - ran out of fingers, toes and other body parts to count on!