Mega Grayling

As you'll have seen below, Wednesday was Grayling day on the River Teise. Unfortunately nobody told the Grayling. While fishing for trout on beat 3b, the evening prior to the 16th, I managed to hook and land a lovely Grayling on a black nymph that measured 16” from nose to fork of the tail (the Grayling, not the nymph). We estimated the weight to be at least 1 1/2lbs but it could easily have been a bit more. This is the largest Grayling that I have caught on the river over many years of trying, and came just a couple of weeks after my previous best, also an accidental out of season capture on a nymph.

Longstanding members will remember that it was just a few years ago that the weir at Harpers Farm was removed. That has proved to be beneficial to the trout, but it has been a complete game changer for the Grayling. It has opened up the river to them as far upstream as Stonebridge weir, and has created a lot more water suitable for mature fish as well as for spawning. As a result, the numbers overall and the size of the more mature grayling seem to have increased. If you haven’t tried fishing for the Grayling yet please give it a go. It is well worth it.

Nigel F