Bobber's or Trotter's.

Over the last week I've had correspondence with two anglers via email, one an experienced Grayling angler like myself and the other a relative newcomer to Grayling fishing, we have been discussing the advantages & disadvantages of bobber floats and trotting floats for Grayling fishing, quite relevant seeing as the trotting season is now upon us and a lot of anglers will be switching across to a float setup.

Like always things have got to start somewhere and the very early float anglers used whatever they could to act as a float, quills, sticks, but predominately cork shaped into an egg shape what we have come to know as bobber shaped, floats designed to carry a lot of weight and made to be very buoyant to allow bigger baits to be suspended below them, such as heavy lob worms for Perch. This then transpired across to Grayling bobber's as at the time this was what was mainly used for float fishing because this was what was readily available, but is it the correct float for today's Grayling anglers?

This is roughly what the Perch bobber/Grayling bobber looked like.

In these examples bulbous bodies mounted on porcupine quills, but the stems could be made from wood, such as in the next picture down.

My personal opinion I would say not anymore in MOST cases but keeping an open mind I would say you have to use the correct float for the appropriate water your intending to fish. And the Grayling bobber is not always the preferred float of choice, although some would have you think otherwise.

Here is my personal views for not using a Grayling bobber for all of today's Grayling angling.

1. Do you really need to have such a bulbous and buoyant float to suspend 2 maggots, a piece of sweetcorn or a small worm below, in gentle slow glides? Not all Grayling are found in fast turbulent water.
2. The disturbance they cause when retrieving them creating a wake behind them on some of the larger bobber's I've seen used for targeting Grayling.
3. If using a centrepin reel you exert more energy and become tired very quickly reeling in a bobber which you are trying to retrieve back upstream against the current.
4. Distance of long trotting, these floats sit low to the water in most cases and at greater distances are less visible than other floats.
5. Smaller fish, such as par and fingerlings don't always register bites on a more buoyant bobber float and this results in unnecessary deep hooking of smaller fish.

The list could go on but for me these would be my top 5 reasons not to use a bobber float in all your Grayling fishing you intend to do.

I prefer what has become known by a lot of anglers as a trotting float, or Avon style floats depending on which part of the country you fish, specifically designed to be used on rivers where sight at distance is the main factor, not too dissimilar to a bobber except in the fact that the body is less bulbous and more streamlined,  such as the examples below.

More cigar shaped than the bobbers,they sit higher in the water using less weight allowing greater distances to be fished, I've used these floats to long-trot in excess of 50 meters and still see the float clearly.










Not always fitted with long stems such as the examples below to be fished in shallow water.

Reg Ryghini a founder Grayling angler and advocate of today's Grayling Society nailed it in my honest opinion.

Reg a Yorkshire-man made it his life long ambition to fish as many Grayling rivers as he could and up to his death in 1987 he had accomplished 142 separate rivers in search of Grayling.
Reg describes the bobber float as sufficient for fishing small pools but you need to know what your looking for as fish will not always register bites on the float, and of no use for trotting, in the fact that it is too difficult to see at distances and unless it is over shotted  (which makes it more difficult to see) is not sufficiently sensitive to register bites quick enough. The fish feels the resistance of the float and lets go of the hook before it can be driven home.

In my opinion it cannot be explained any better than that.

Reg experimented with a multitude of float designs and settled on a long balsa body with a wire stem.

something not too dissimilar to these.

Streamlined, very visible at distance, easily retrieved along the surface with the minimal of resistance and very sensitive to bites.

So is the Grayling bobber still relevant today as a float for all occasions? Personally I think the answer's are above, but you can decide for yourself, whatever your views enjoy the Lady of the Stream and treat her with the respect she deserves.

Thanks to Mark & Tony for an interesting topic of discussion.

Leaf Stew

All week I have been boosting the nymph box for the Grayling to try and get a couple more trips in before I switch over to trotting completely, as I don't do nymphing in the dead of winter, but seeing the weather forecast on Saturday and the reports from some friends who ventured out onto Border rivers it looked like today was going to be a complete wash out, so in anticipation of this I had decided it was going to be another day on the worm. The water was rising when I checked the charts last night but this morning they were dropping again, although still a bit higher than normal it was quite fish able but I didn't know what colour it would be so stuck with the worm option.

Some of the nymphs I've been tying up midweek to top up the box, all patterns from last year which worked well on the local rivers.

and some squirmy worm patterns a bit like marmite, you either love them or hate them, but they do work.

As I got to the river I could see it was the colour of coal, black and running just a bit higher than normal, what struck me the most though was the amount of leaf debris in the river, it was like a leaf stew and I knew instantly it was going to be a tough day, probably hooking more leaves than fish.

Sure enough for the first hour I never seen much in the way of fish but plenty of leaf action, from horse chestnut to sycamores. Positioning myself upstream and trotting in the slack water below me started to pay dividends with a couple of smaller fish taken as I made my way downstream

The emblem of the Yorkshire Dales Nation Park came and paid me a visit on my walk downstream.











As I got into the deeper slack water the worm started to work its charms with a couple of better fish coming to the net.

But as quick as they turned on they were soon off again and it was back to the relentless leaf stew and moving to try and find water where there weren't as many leaves.

The trees look lovely in their Autumn colours but I will be happier when there is less of the leaves in the river.
On moving downstream through the wood there was a cold wind blowing which definitely had a chill to it as the temperature dropped considerably.

I found this small fungi sheltering on the downwind side of the tree.

It was a slow day in the terms of fish but still a joy to be out observing the wildlife around with the dippers on the stones searching for insect life  and a quick glimpse of a kingfisher as the blue flash flew downstream.

Another fish just before I decided to call a halt and get the kettle on.

A warm brew and 20 minutes sheltering behind the tree made a world of difference out of the wind as it was bitter. I decided to fish on for another hour then call it a day and was soon rewarded with another grayling for my efforts.

Again another grayling in quick succession before it went quiet again and returned to the constant leaf bites.

With the time marching on I decided to brave the cold water for the last two smaller fish of the day and grab a couple of underwater shots before heading back to the car.

Another session over and although not many fish around, still a great day to be out in the countryside observing the sights and sounds mother nature has to offer, now can we have high winds to get rid of the leaves before the next trip out.

UPDATE

I have uploaded a short video to accompany the day, 2nd video I've produced and still learning the in's & out's of things but managed to attach some music to the video, so just for the auld hillbilly's out there.......Grayling

To Flee or to Float

This week I had all intentions of going out with some fresh nymphs I had tied up midweek.

A copper Pheasant Tail Nymph

White Beaded Pheasant tail Nymph

But by the time Friday came, I was undecided, to be perfectly honest I think it was boredom, (if I can call it that) was setting in as I've fly fished all year and I really needed a change, so on Saturday I had a change of mind and decided that I would have a break from the norm so decided the trotting rod would make an appearance.

I headed up the Dale and made my way down to the river, it was relatively low but very dark in colour. As I sat for a few moments absorbing my surroundings something caught my eye on the opposite bank, a Stoat. I've not seen one of these little creatures for a long time and sat and observed him moving from rock to rock before finally ascending a nearby tree and out of eyesight.

Before I started fishing I did a quick intro for the video I wanted to try and put together today, more for me to try and learn how to use it as well as the software I had been recommended and so the first flee & float short intro had been done, now it was time to try and get some fish.

The chosen bait was worm as I had some fantastic results on it last season with no need for maggots and it was a challenge, unlike loose feeding a few maggots into the swim from time to time this was more river-craft and thinking where the fish might be without any free helpings for the fish.

For the first 40 minutes or so I never seen the float dip once so moving downstream a few steps at a time I had positioned myself in some deeper water and the first signs of fish movement as I seen a solitary fish break the surface sipping down a fly from the surface, just my luck!

Thankfully though it wasn't a sign of things to come and soon afterwards the float dipped away and the first fish of the day was on.

Thankfully the species I had come for.

Continually moving a few steps at a time seemed to be paying off as it wasn't long until the next fish drifted over the net.

Again another decent sized Grayling.

The Grayling kept coming with the odd out of season trout thrown in to the mix. A lot of smaller Grayling showing which is always nice to see but the bigger Grayling kept appearing also just to keep things interesting.

Before I knew it the morning had slipped past with the odd shower from time to time, am so glad that I wore my jacket despite the advice of the weather forecast earlier in the morning and it was time to find a suitable place to get the kettle on for lunch.

No matter what anyone says you cannot beat a fresh cup of coffee on the bank and the 1 pint storm kettle makes that possible, small & light enough to fit in my vest or bag and there is something about brewing up over pouring it out of a flask.

I really do love this time of year when natures colours are amazing, looking upstream after lunch this tree just stood out amongst all others with its autumn colours.








The afternoon started off as the morning had ended, with small fish to start with.

I actually lost count of how many small Grayling came to the net in the next couple of hours, and as before the larger fish kept my attention.

The amount of fish coming to the worm with no loose offerings proves that bait fishing doesn't always need to be...get to the river and catapult as many maggots in as you can fit in the pouch, with some thought and knowing the river you can still quite easily enjoy trotting a river knowing that you haven't fed off all fish and if other anglers are in the vicinity you haven't spoiled it for them either, thoughtful angling!

I purposely left this underwater photo to last as the new camera the wife bought me I've been tinkering and getting to know it better so hopefully I can achieve better results and add a new avenue of interest into the blog, as well as still photographs I've been brushing up on my video skills, even though I did feel an eejit doing the intro and ending for it but I hope it will bring a smile to your face and you enjoy the short underwater footage that I took, I can safely say David Attenborough's job is quite safe, and as I said the last time, they can only get better.....viewer discretion is required....lol



To view the video I have uploaded it to YouTube for ease of access and to save space on the blog, please click the link below.

Flee & Float Video....Dales Trotting

Fingerlings & Numb Fingers.

I was restricted for choice this weekend with several planned events happening on the river's around my normal haunts and being unable to attend this years Grayling Society Symposium at Lockerbie I was determined to get a few hours away from the mad crowds, so opted for a short stretch up the Dale which normally with the trout season being over wouldn't bother with but I know there is a few Grayling around so decided to spend a few hours there.

The river was a nice height and slightly coloured which made things a bit easier so I opted for a couple of nymphs to start off with and the very first cast captured an out of season trout, a bad omen or the signs for a good day to come I wasn't quite sure.




The view back upstream to where I started from, not a sign of any fish movement at all.

I came across a few small fish rising slightly downstream on a large bend but couldn't see what they were rising too as nothing was evident at the time so opted to stick with the nymphs and headed downstream through the wood.

The wild blackberries were everywhere and in prime picking condition. a visit during the week to harvest some was duly planned. I love this time of year as nature is in a giving mood with many wild fruits and berries readily available to pick if you so desire, and nothing better than spreading homemade blackberry jam on your morning toast on a cold winters morning.





I got to the part of the river I had been looking forward too and within a few moments the first Grayling fingerling succumb to the nymphs, and over the next hour 15 other fingerlings followed before I decided enough was enough and break for a brew.

This year I have scaled down my storm kettle to a smaller 1 pint version which I fitted in the back of my fly vest with ease, primarily for later on in the Grayling season when trotting takes over and I carry a small rucksack, so the inaugural coffee was made and a break admiring the view of natures autumn colours.

A small hatch of flies had started to appear and the fish started to rise to them so I decided to switch over to dry fly and see if I could tempt a couple. The rises were very sporadic and the one fish would rise to a particular pattern but nothing else would, so changing fly the same thing happened again, one fish rises to the artificial the remainder just totally ignore it, thankfully though a slightly better size of Grayling than previous decided not to ignore the fly I presented to it.

Safely returned as always to give sport another day. ( Yes, the water was freezing cold! )

Walking back upstream via the other side of the wood, I found the mushroom ring still present that I discovered last year, not quite as prolific as last year but still very clear that its a circle.

I was almost back at the car when I seen a couple of Grayling smutting just off the end of a branch that was dipping into the water so got a few casts as close as I could to them hoping that one might ease further out and take the fly and after a few casts one did just that.

Similar in size to the previous Grayling, but very welcome and great fun on dry fly.

Numb fingers as it swam away.

and that was it a few hours away from everything, recharging the batteries and taking in the wonderful sights and sounds around.

This is the first video I've made & edited so as the old saying goes...."Things can only get better"