Handwarmers, Snowdrops & Grayling

With it being my weekend off I decided weather permitting & if I could get there with what the weather reports were saying I was definitely heading up the Dale for a day at the Grayling. The alarm went off this morning and I looked out the window, hard frost overnight and -5 temperatures, water was looking good according to the online gauging station so it was a go for my second trip of the year.
As I defrosted the car my fingers were already nipping so not liking fishing with gloves, the hand warmers got fired up and put in the pocket of my wading jacket.

The roads were clear all the way up the Dale which I was really surprised at and the snow was minimal and patchy which was even better and I was soon parked up and walking to the river with views across the Dale as it was just beginning to wake up.

As I approached my chosen starting point I was given another fantastic view to remind me why I love fishing in the winter.

I was soon tackled up and trotting and it didn't take long to get the small grayling having a go at my bait. This one even decided to ensure it wasn't getting away to lasso itself around the mainline and tie a Knot!






It was steady sport with the small Grayling, capturing 14 in the first hour or so, but like my first trip out this year the larger fish were being a bit elusive and after a move downstream and some tackle adjustments I finally started to get a better bend in the rod.

It was nice to see a bigger Grayling finally come to the net, although the smaller Grayling gave great sport they are more than welcome to come visit me in a few years when they look similar to this one.

I thought that I had finally located some bigger Grayling but alas this was to be a lone fish as no further Grayling came to the net from that area, so after a short move through what was now virtually a whiteout with the snow falling I arrived at my second spot hoping to find some better fish and after a few smaller Grayling again the fish started pulling back.

I bumped off a couple of nice Grayling, stupidity on my part but it didn't spoil things as a few trout came to the net amongst a few other smaller Grayling, I have to say the trout were in mint condition and fighting fit, but it seemed that every other trot through produced a trout so a move away from the area and a sit down behind a tree to get out the wind and have a coffee & thaw out was called for.

It didn't take long to find the Grayling again in the new spot and although slightly leaner they made up for that in length with a couple coming in quick succession.

All went quiet again so a move to keep the circulation in my feet going and have a bit of a warm up I decided to have a walk to the top part of where I was thinking of fishing then I could fish it back down to the car. As I was walking up the side of the river I came across my first sighting of this years snowdrops almost in full bloom.

At this rate it wont be long until we start seeing the daffodils which are already poking through the soil.

After the walk which done me the world of good and warmed me back up again, I started trotting at the deepest part of the runs anticipating that the Grayling may have gone deep with the cold, to my surprise I didn't find grayling but trout again and after 2 trout again fighting fit, I hooked what I thought to the bottom only to find it moved, slowly at first then at a rapid rate of knots once it realized it had been hooked, a 10 minute fight ensued and I finally slid the net under a beautiful big trout. ( I dont normally take pictures of the trout but this was a bit special as the anglers who know where I fish will confirm)

Unhooked safely and supported it showed no evident signs of spawning and a few quick snaps and it was on its way back to where it came none the worse.

I only noticed afterwards when the fish had swam away & in this photo it had regurgitated its last meal which when examining it further was crushed up crayfish mixed with particles of sand.







Back to where it came swimming very strongly and I hope we meet again one summers evening.

 With all the commotion that the trout had caused I started heading back downstream and after watching a couple of battling cock pheasants in the field I got back to looking for the Grayling, I waded down the deep steady runs and picked off smaller grayling as I went some better fish showing amongst the smaller ones.

Like the very first fish of the day this guy decide it was not content with just taking the hook but twisted itself around the line to form a lasso and in the end I had to cut the hook length as it as in so much of a tangle.

None the worse for its ordeal it swam away leaving me to re tie the hook length sat on the bank supping a coffee.

As I got back towards my starting / finish point the snow was once again falling thick but the temperatures had increased and the wind had died away which was very welcoming. After a few smaller Grayling falling to the bait, I thought it was going to be a repeat performance of earlier in the day, but thankfully the bigger Grayling had taken up residence again.

And it didn't take long to get the first of them to the net.

followed quickly by this one.

But that was to be it for the larger Grayling the next half hour produced no fewer than another 10 smaller Grayling but nothing of any size, so with the snow still falling I decided to call it a day and make my way back to the warmth of the car for the journey home.

Now sat back at my desk writing this and sampling some of this years sloe whisky I made, it just reiterates why I love Grayling fishing so much with the sights and fish like the ones from today, the amount of fish although totaling over 40  is irrelevant, the whole  experience is what matters and that was magnificent.