I fished a small stretch if itchen last night i have never tried before..., we arrived there at about 6.30 in the evening there was good mixed hatch happening, BWO, yellow mays, danicas and lots of iron blues and sherry spinners
my fishing buddy alan bagged up there last weekend, it is a small bit of urban river that i bordered by solid trees on one side and a road on the other which is 6 foot higher than the river... you have to wade... the other thing is you can only get in at the upstream end as the bottom of the stretch is deep and has a fearsome looking weir.. My fishing buddies approach was to use a single spider and fish down through the diminutive weed channels, i tried this but couldnt get on with it... the biggest problem i found was the weed held so much silt that the second you moved the water coloured up... also because this is wild chalkstream the crowsfoot was outrageous

Alan took a small brownie on his first case which fell to a partridge and orange, i decided to go on the dries and see if i could tempt the fish that way. i tied on a size 14 Adams and picjed out a likely looking bit of slower water on the opposite bank.. o found that if i worked my way down the road side of the river the silt didnt colour up the far side . i had barely a rods length of fly line out, real up close and personal fishing.

I cast the fly for the first time, it had barely travelled 2 feet when it was taken by a nice brownie of around 8 ounces, second cast.. brought me a second fish from the same area but of about a pound this time. satisfied i had fished the hole out i moved further down stream, trying my best to avoid the weed and thus colouring the water, i could see Alan 50 yards downstream of me an every so often i heard him chuntering to himself.
as i got closer to him i could see there was a pool where a carrier broke away on the far bank..

"get yourself here and have a go he said to me.. they are rising like hell but the takes are so quick i cant hit them ..." he said...

first cast put my fly on a low hanging branch, which is where it remains .

i looked in my box... no more adams , i had a look at what i did have, greenwells, klinks in various colours, grey dusters.. then at the bottom corner a flash of red caught my eye.. iron blue duns....
i set about fishing the pool methodically, casting upstream short , drifting through and slowly working out to the far bank... within a couple of casts i hooked into another fish easily a pound,

"told you" said alan grinning... i flicked the fly out again , producing another fish, and so it continued.. i spent a good 2 hours fishing the pool..

i stopped counting at 14 and stopped fishing when the fish stopped biting, about 10pm...

a day i will NEVER forget, i will be back very soon

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Sounds like a day you'll never forget Ikypimp. One of those days that make all the blanks seem worthwhile. Well done mate.

Kenny

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If you learn something new in a day then It's been a good one.

Kendo

Nice report Icky, I love fishing the weed channels, can be very productive on occasions. Good fly the old Adams, wouldn't leave home without one.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.