FM Grayling Day

Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt · Mar 10, 2008

"but Warren 'Wol' Gaunt did seem to have a very large tent in his boot. "

Leave it out, that was Mike Townsend.

Great Barbel, wish i had stayed a tad longer.

Have you booked the next one Nigel? Coco and crew from DVSG fancy it.

And i owe the pot a fiver, nice sausage rolls mate /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Graham Marsden (ACA) · Mar 10, 2008

What a great day, well done to all, but a special well done to Andy - what a great fish!

I hope they all bought you a drink, like what I would have done/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

sash · Mar 10, 2008

"but Warren 'Wol' Gaunt did seem to have a very large tent in his boot. "

He did. I saw it fly out and self-erect as Wol bottomed his car out on the track..........ouch /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt · Mar 10, 2008

lol

I like the stroke Townsend tried to pull

"what you mean there's no fishing on this section i have all to myself Wol"

NO FISHING, gawd, those DVSG lads eh!

sash · Mar 10, 2008

I thought it was a lovely touch that you let him unpack his car first before telling him though................./forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Mithrandir · Mar 10, 2008

Well done again Andy on a cracking fish, I still remember the comment when I asked you if you were having a little go for the roach and you said "rude not to!"

It was a great day and crown by your river record.

honslow · Mar 10, 2008

Top dangling! Jammy git!

Graham Whatmore · Mar 10, 2008

Cracking fish to finish off the day Andy, rivers are full of surprises and the Itchen is obviously no exception.? It was good to meet all the guys again, these fish-ins are such a great way to meet other anglers and put faces to names and?it underlines what makes angling such a special and friendly sport.

Michael Townsend 3 · Mar 10, 2008

I wanted to fish away from you Wol because I knew you'd start welling up watching me catch loads, one peg away from you!

That self erecting tent was ace. You drove little too fast up that track though. The clowns looked bemused with their buckets of glitter as you raced by before they could throw them on you. Still, the big shoes stopped you sinking in the mud!!

Top fish Andy. You had me worried though....................................I thought you'd caught a good roach/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Scott Whatmore · Mar 10, 2008

A cracking day with a cracking end to it.

Well done all, especially to Andy./forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Fred Bonney · Mar 10, 2008

Ah, there were some Grayling caught then./forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Well done all.

Bryan Baron 2 · Mar 10, 2008

Sounds like a wonderful day.

Well done Andy thats a cracking fish and excellent angling on light tackle.

Mark Wintle · Mar 10, 2008

Andy,

Avon fish or Stour fish? I find it hard to believe its parents lived in the Itchen! Cracking fish though. Like the Wye, the Ribble etc. the fish movers have been at work!

The four months pressure on the lower beats certainly take their toll as far as grayling are concerned, as is the case wherever grayling fishing is allowed in the trout close season. I was watching them ignore my bait on Saturday in some extremely clear water whereas a week earlier with the tiniest tinge and no pressure it was possible to catch them.Memo to self - don't forget the Fluoro next summer.

sash · Mar 10, 2008

I wouldn't Mark. I had one of 7lb 9oz the previous day and I was chatting to the keeper on the beat further up who also mentioned 3 to 8lb barbel being caught which I can't imagine being originally 'stocked' fish.

The lower Itchen fishery certainly gets more pressure than it used to but the fish are still there to be tempted and a good day can be had if one is willing to rove around and chop & change tactics to keep fish coming.

I take it that Neil's "trout" was labelled in jest Nigel?

Alan Campbell · Mar 10, 2008

Thats a cracking fish Andy

Well done

Mark Wintle · Mar 10, 2008

Sash,

This suggests a breeding population but for how long? A 12lb fish must be close to ten years old if not more? Stocked as a five pounder that would be enough time for another generation coming behind.

I'd be surprised if the EA is behind this stocking!

Claudia Crowther · Mar 10, 2008

superb write up gentlemen....another awesome day at the Itchen with great company.

Thanks again Nigel for organizing it again and for the all the hard work you put in to it.

Andy,

How on earth did you manage to stay so calm after catching the barbel which was in mint condition!? Well done again/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Steve Spiller · Mar 10, 2008

Well done guys and gals andanother fantastic day Nigel.....you're getting rather good at fish-ins mate, shame I missed it. I will be heading for the top beat next year, I'll raise the shocks on my car just in case I have to race Wol /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

I had a phone call from Andy that evening as he was driving home, it lasted even longer than normal! He was almost histerical, understandably so. I can however remember him telling me how special it was to catch the fish in front of all his FM friends and the deafly silence when the fish first hit the surface!

Brilliant fishing Andy, let's hope Coco and his mob (whoever they are?) don't rob you of the title for a few years to come.

Neil Maidment · Mar 10, 2008

Thanks for yet another excellent day Nigel. Once again, organisation was spot on, food and drink most pleasant and the social side first class.

Plan "A" for me was to also head upstream but I was maybe a bit slow. By the time I was ready, I was left in a deserted car park, coughing and spluttering in the cloud of dust as the "circus" departed./forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

So I stayed around the lower end in search of grayling (or was it roach!) but only found trout and chub (and more trout). I fished "the barbel swim" for about an hour so primed it well for Andy!/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

I managed to make my way up to the hut by mid afternoon and did get a few grayling with the best around the 1lb mark. But the chub were something else! Before that day, I had only ever had a single chub from the Itchen, yet they are obviously there in good numbers.

A stunning end to the day from Andy, who despite (or because of) his big fish experience,was genuinely elated at such a capture. I thought he was going to burst into tears at one stage!/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

God knows what would have happened if Wol had been there to actually witness it?/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Morespiders · Mar 10, 2008

Glad you all had a good day and enjoyed it, what a fish Andy, not often you catch many decent ones is it?. I see your still sporting the dirty filthy waistcoat that looks like it's not been washed for years. Hope you wash it before Sywell. Once again, well done to you all, wish i had been there.

FM Grayling Day

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