1st Grayling Outing of 2012 Dancing ladies

After sitting since the 27th December which was the last time I managed to get onto the river & waiting on the river to finally drop to a fish able level, today was the first outing in 2012, the river was still high and dirty but within the limits of being able to trot a float down so with anticipation and eagerness the first trip of 2012 started.

After nearly 40 minutes of absolutely no bites I was beginning to wonder if the fish were playing or not, then I happened to glimpse a silver flank as I dropped a couple of loose fed maggots in, they were indeed there but they were sitting so close to me that I was actually fishing the bait behind them, so with 1 step back and a small alteration to the depth of the float the first Grayling of 2012 came to the net.

After sighting that first Grayling there was no looking back after that and the ladies started to dance for the 2 or 3 loose fed maggots that were put in on alternate trots coming right up to within my legs to take them as they dropped through the water, a beautiful sight to see at any time. A further 10 Grayling of no considerable size came to the net before they dropped back into the depths of the river

I altered the tackle again to suit the log trot hoping that the grayling had dropped back down the swim and sure enough first trot through the float disappeared, but this time it felt different and I knew it had to be a trout, and sure enough it was but what immaculate condition this one was in considering the others I had caught 2 weeks ago were well into spawning this fish showed no signs of it at all and was fitting fit.

a few smaller Grayling followed before I finally succumb to hunger and thirst pangs, time for lunch. and the old saying where you throw your hat is home, mine was on the branch of a low hung willow.

During lunch I observed the river drop by some 2" in just under an hour, which was looking good for the afternoon session and hopefully some more dancing ladies, and it wasn't long before I was back amongst them

 I connected and lost a couple of fish which I suspect to have been trout as they took off in the opposite direction at speed but nevertheless the day was turning out to be an ideal start to 2012 with 21 Grayling and 1 trout safely returned. 

The next two Grayling were crackers for the river, as its mainly a smaller stamp of Grayling caught so a quick slip onto the scales and one came out at 2lbs 1oz, the other I didn't bother to weigh as it was slightly smaller.

 As the day grew older the fishing started to dry up again so a walk along the bank to a new swim discovered that nature thinks its spring already, with the daffodil bulbs poking through & the snowdrops in flower already.

Another few small Grayling were landed in the new swim before I decided to call it a day and walk back to the car and reflect on the days fishing, 31 Grayling and 1 trout what a start to 2012 and hopefully the rest of the year will be just as fruitful.