THE biggest grayling of the season has been reported at a whopping 3 lb 7 oz.
Neil Maidment targeted the specimen from his local River Frome and it ended a near decade-long quest to beat his old personal best of 3 lb 5 oz.
Neil, 62, explained: “It’s taken nine years to beat my previous best from the River Itchen but finally did just that with this River Frome fish.
“It was from a local stretch that only opens to coarse angling from November 1 to February 28.
“I retired back to Dorset last year and now live near Wareham so the river is very local to me.
“The middle Frome is renowned for the quality of its grayling and I specifically targeted them most of last winter. I’ve had a few fish to the upper 2s but this is the first confirmed three-pounder.
“It fell to double maggot on a size 18 hook trotting a 5 g balsa with a centrepin and was the first grayling of the day. A few more to around 1 lb-plus followed.
“The fight was typical of a big grayling in that I could see almost every twist and turn as soon as it was hooked. I ended up landing it several yards downstream as it would not easily come up through the faster water to me,” he concluded.
This is just a short version of the full story that appeared in Angler’s Mail printed magazine. Get the magazine every week for top tips, big news, best products, and venues that are in form.
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