If
you're a purist, look away now
I'm not a morning person.
Whilst I very rarely hit the pillow before midnight and have no
problem staying up till the early hours, the prospect of getting
up before 8.00am does not excite me in the slightest. I used to
travel overseas a lot and this invariably involved a 3.30am rise
in order to catch an early plane from Birmingham airport to mainland
Europe, where I would then take a flight to some far flung destination.
It was never the jet lag that I had to cope with over the first
couple of days but the early start. And with the days now being
short and a grayling fishing session on the cards, I knew that
I had to be on my way at a time that would give me sufficient
hours on the bank. So with the alarm waking me at the absolutely
ungodly time of 6.30am, after much deliberation and inner struggle,
I finally rose and started to load the car.
| Winter
weather in autumn
What
had prompted me to target grayling was a sudden and dramatic
change in the weather. With conditions that were more familiar
to January and February, a bitterly cold wind from the Arctic
brought with it snow and ice. I run a midweek football league
and whilst we have weather issues in the previously mentioned
months, we have never had a pitch inspection in October before
due to snow.
And
with the cold snap extending into November, I had no hesitation
at all in switching to the lady of the stream, as the grayling
is affectionately known. I don't have grayling water on the
doorstep, but the River Dove isn't that far away and so that's
where I headed. I'm usually driving there with a car full
of barbel gear, so it made a change to have no boilies or
bait runners loaded with 15lb line on board. However, my tackle
was far from what you would describe as traditional grayling
gear.
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A
decent grayling from the Dove
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If
you're a purist, look away now
When people think
of grayling fishing it is usually in terms of flies or trotting
a float, not cage feeders and quiver tip rods. Yes, you
read that correctly. However let me point out that my approach
has nothing to do with wanting to upset the purists, far
from it. As I often write, as long as we are within rules,
other anglers are not being affected and the welfare of
the fish is not at stake, then I have no issues with alternative
ways of pursuing our quarry.
If you like casting
a fly or nymph to grayling or you think that the joy of
running a float through a swim cannot be bettered, then
I won't raise a single objection. I am firmly in the 'live
and let live' camp as far as angling is concerned. I do
my thing and others can do theirs. Whatever floats your
boat and all that stuff.
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Tip
of the week
Match
the species to the weather.
And
providing they are within distance, when it gets really
cold then target grayling.
They'll
never let you down, even in minus temperatures, when everything
else pretty much stops feeding.
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Arriving
at the river I chose to set up in a nice looking swim on a bend.
With fast water along the far bank, I aimed to cast to the merging
of that and the slower nearside flow, anticipating that fish wouldn't
be that far away as food being swept in the main current would find
its way into the gentler water where the fish would hopefully be
congregating. Our analyses don't always work out but I'm happy to
say in this case mine was absolutely spot on. From the first cast
to the last, and with no real lull in between, it was action all
the way. In fact the only quiet times came were when I moved swims
to test the potential elsewhere. And apart from one solitary grayling,
the numerous fish I caught were on the 'big bend' swim.
No
fish is a nuisance
Grayling
are superb fighters and from the initial bite right through
to trying to hold them still before the camera, they never
let up for a second. I feel it's a tragedy that they are
seen by some game anglers as 'nuisance' fish, because in
my book no fish deserves that title, not even the three
minnows I caught.
I fished 4lb reel line to 2lb 8oz hook length, presenting
two red maggots on a size 16 hook. Whether it be on fly,
float or leger, the grayling certainly announces its presence
by the way it takes the bait and I had some pretty savage
takes, particularly from the bigger fish. Some of the smaller
ones I was able to lift from the water but I'm pleased to
say that I needed the net on numerous occasions. Whether
it be a gigantic carp, a double-figure barbel or the smaller
grayling, there is something very satisfying about lifting
the net into a fish. Like other anglers I enjoy the fight
but there's a definite sense of relief when a fish is finally
yours.
A
male stonechat in the area
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Another
good fish on an enjoyable day
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Although
my eyes were on the rod tip a lot more than if I were fishing for
barbel with bite alarms for example, I still managed to spot a few
birds in the vicinity. The best sighting was a male stonechat that
was around all day long, as well as a pair of grey wagtails that
were very regular visitors to the swim. Not in huge flocks, rather
lots of smaller groups, but nevertheless there were large numbers
of fieldfare passing through, occasionally dropping into an ash
tree behind me before taking off again. I thought I may have seen
goosanders but none passed my way. But as far as the fishing was
concerned I thoroughly enjoyed it and although I take a float rod
that remained unused, who knows, next time I may use it. On the
other hand...
Click
on the icon for this week's video clip
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The
week ahead
I
fancy doing some roach fishing on the local canal network
over the next week. With short 'afternoon into evening'
sessions I will be able to manage three outings. It's unlikely
the venues I intend to fish will yield any monsters but
I am looking forward to catching some roach - and angling
first and foremost is not about the size of the fish you
catch but the pleasure you get from it.
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