With the Grayling season almost over, I may get one last days fishing for them as I like to leave the fish alone when I see the first signs of them spawning, Im not an angler who has got to go out and chase fish which are starting to breed just for the sake of a days fishing.
I decided to spend the afternoon pottering around with a few ongoing projects and tied a few nymphs just to see me through the end of the grayling season & into the trout season. I have to say this Grayling season I have stuck with the nymph tactics, and not once trotted a float for a couple of reasons.
I wanted to improve my nymph tactics which I have done and remembering stuff I had forgotten and also learning new tactics & the weather in my opinion has not warranted me to trot my floats.
There is nothing better than a crisp winters morning with snow on the ground and watching a float you have made yourself trot down the stream, but this year it just hasn't happened, the winter we were promised has not materialised, so the split cane trotting rods, centre pins and floats will soon be stored away for another year.
last of the nymphs.
a few different coloured butt black nymphs, these have always worked well for me and almost always taken early season trout when its still a bit cold for the dry flies to hatch.
and first of the dry flies
a couple of grey jingles a very productive fly for me since I first tied them up a couple of years ago, mainly tied in brown I started experimenting and swapped out the brown cock hackle for a badger hackle and combined with the grey body found them to work well instead of fishing a kites imperial, the partridge hackle adding extra movement to the flies.
George the Jinglers work over here. I have been fishing them for a couple of years now.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear Alan, Yep been fishing Jinglers for a few years now, I tend to experiment with them and tie up some different ones, the original brown cock hackle with badger works early on in the season but as the seasons goes on i like to try others, hence you will see a few different ones over the next few weeks from me on the blog.
DeleteHi George. Might I ask when you first start to see signs of the grayling spawning? I keep wanting to try and get pictures or video of various species spawning, but invariably manage to get the wrong day, or the wrong place. I assume fast shallow gravelly runs?
ReplyDeleteHi Jayzs,
DeleteIts all dependant on weather and temperatures around the country, varies between rivers.
But generally I start to see the Grayling turning black at the end of February here in Yorkshire and when I see this then its time to quit fishing for them in my opinion, others will continue till the fish are totally black & spawn dribbling from them as they are heavy and think this is an opportune chance to catch a fish of 3lbs+ not sport in my books, personally I would rather have a 3lbs fish when they are at there fittest in the middle of winter not when they are about to spawn.
I generally have a 3 week lay off before starting for the trout and looking back at past diaries I keep its about a week difference, in 2015 my last trip out was 19 Feb and last year was 28 Feb but I never caught any last year on my final trip it was all trout.
Generally /medium/fast gravel runs you will find them spawning, I know of a few places where I can sit high on the bank & look down on them without disturbing them which is nice to sit & pass sometime watching them.
regards
George
Cheers George. I had no idea that they become very dark/black as spawning approaches. And I did not know that anglers deliberately seek them out when gravid as an aide to a 3 pound fish. I know this happens with tench a great deal. I don't like to catch any fish when heavy with spawn for their sakes ( and in the case of bream for my sake too!) Suspect I might have to seek them out in the Dove, my own rivers being not really clear enough most of the year. First grayling I ever saw was on the Dove whilst I was walking up Dovedale. Never forget it. Not far off three pounds and a foot from the bank in gin clear water. A stupendous sight. It was getting on for 40 years later that I caught my first lady.
DeleteYour welcome mate, Yep it actually happens folk just dont know when to stop and will willingly chase the Grayling when they are heavy in spawn...not sport in my book and they are desperado's!
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