The River Beckons

I joined Bjorn Annegarn for a day's fishing on a carrier of the Itchen, in the last week of May.  Such is the way with chalkstream bookings that days are reserved well in advance - especially the prime days in the mayfly period - and you take your chances not only with the hatch but also with the weather. In May, that usually means a fairly even chance of rain, and you take along a rain coat.  But now we found ourselves in the midst of a late spring heatwave.  When I arrived at the river at 10am, the mercury had already reached 27 ℃, and by noon it topped 30 ℃. Without a hint of wind the air felt like an oven. Elsewhere in the country, the day would set the record as the hottest ever recorded in May. All in all, it wasn't the best day to go about stalking the exquisitely beautiful wild brown trout of the Itchen's carriers, where even on a 'good' day, when all the material factors point in the angler's favour, it can provide an exacting small water test. But try ...