I suspect that most of you Winter Fishers are far too sensible to venture near the river in this exceptionally seasonal weather, but if it ever warms up a bit, you may be pleased to know that the Grayling are now showing a bit more interest than they have been for most of this year. No doubt they like the cold weather, and will also be starting to feed up for the Winter, so it's a good time to give them a go.
The biggest Grayling will probably be caught on nymphs, and once again the pink Grayling Bomb can be effective there (as it was for the trout this year), as well as your own favourite nymphs (PTNs and GRHEs etc).
For me, the challenge of catching Grayling on dries is irresistible, and it certainly is a challenge. There are certain spots, such as up from the 'Landslip Pool' on 3b, above the new deflectors, where rising Grayling can usually be seen. The narrow section above the shallow pool has been known as Grayling Alley for a few years, though hasn't really lived up to its name this year. Spotting the rises, and catching the Grayling, are a very long way apart however, as you'll know if you've tried recently. My outing last week saw me miss them, or completely fail to attract them, for a frustratingly long spell, even on my favourite Grayling fly, the Double Badger. After exhausting many other usually effective dries, even resorting to plume tips, I had a suggestion from my friend Tony (who had discovered the pink Grayling Bomb's effectiveness with Trout earlier in the year). He decided to go down to a size 20 Double Badger (strong glasses needed for tying on this one, let alone tying them), and Bingo he had two quite quickly. I then switched to size 18 Double Badger and had another two in about 15 minutes, just before we needed to pack up.
Of course it might not be the same next time, or you may prefer your own go-to Grayling dries, but if you're having trouble, try down-sizing. I will be taking my 5X magnification glasses with me next time, and see if going small makes a difference to my catch rate.
Meanwhile, the Reservoir continues to improve in terms of the weed disappearing, and there have been reports of shoals of trout seen cruising around (thanks David). They seem to be as difficult to catch as the Grayling however, so I wonder if the same trick might work there?
Do let me know if you crack that one.
Tight Lines
PeterB
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