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Grayling fishing season.

C

Colin Gordon

No Longer a Member
I am sure that its correct to say that a grayling is a member of the Salmonidea group of fish. Therefore making it a true game fish the same as brown trout.

So does this mean that it is subject to the same closed season as river trout i.e Season starts on 22nd March and ends 30th September?
 
colin, you will still accidentally pick up graying whilst fly fishing for brownies
 
Food for thought there Ian..... What about stickfloat fishing with maggis for trout or in the game season is it mandatory to use hooks dressed up in pheasant feathers and badger hair??:D:D:D
 
I guess you'd get away with a hook dressed in artificial red maggot provided it is cast with a fly rod
 
Nearly. Same neighbourhood. But polyballs, floating tufts of polypropylene yarn etc are what the Americans call Strike Indicator Fishing.
 
Paul Boote said:
Nearly. Same neighbourhood. But polyballs, floating tufts of polypropylene yarn etc are what the Americans call Strike Indicator Fishing.
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The usage of which, like fishing for trout with worm or maggot deliberately, is a sign of a lack of soul and for those who cannot cope with trotting.
 
Pete Marshall said:
The usage of which, like fishing for trout with worm or maggot deliberately, is a sign of a lack of soul and for those who cannot cope with trotting.
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Almost on a par with the disdain some may place on fishing for barbel with hair-rigs, boilies and such carpy like tactics, I'd suggest.:p
 
I love trotting for trout with worm but only on the upper reaches of rivers where the only other species that you are likely to encounter are minnows and bullheads.
 
Chris Jones said:
I love trotting for trout with worm but only on the upper reaches of rivers where the only other species that you are likely to encounter are minnows and bullheads.
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But dependent where you are, bait fishing usually banned between 15th March and 15th June and on most decent upper rivers stretch until 15th September. (other than for Eels using a really big hook)
 
Pete Marshall said:
But dependent where you are, bait fishing usually banned between 15th March and 15th June and on most decent upper rivers stretch until 15th September. (other than for Eels using a really big hook)
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And in no way am I suggesting that anyone do anything that's against the law, I won't. It's perfectly legal to use a single worm for trout on many decent rivers. (I'm talking Swale and Tees if I'm honest but know that most of the Dales rivers are fished this way if the controlling club allows). I only ever do this on the very upper rivers where the chances of catching anything but trout is virtually zero. Sadly, there are many that hide behind this exemption to fish middle and lower reaches where the chances of catching trout are pretty slim. Legering a lob on areas of river that chub and barbel predominate is well out of order but I know it goes on, not by me I hasten to add.
 
I know that worm is still legal in some regions during the close season. Not here in the Midlands where the bylaws state...
ii) in fishing with rod and line for trout or any fish other than
freshwater fish during the annual close season for freshwater
fish, use any float or bait (which term includes ground bait)
other than artificial or natural fly (which term excludes
bloodworms, jokers and other midge larvae), spinners,
minnows, worms, prawns or shrimps.
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Which personally I think is a by law that could be adopted in other regions although I take the point about upper reaches of rivers. The problem that led to its adoption was anglers doing as you suggest goes on and using worm on the Teme or the Severn in places where, whilst there are Trout, they are not the predominate species and you had far more chance of catching Barbell or Chub. It is always difficult to make rules for mixed fisheries, but a simple fly only rule during the coarse close season seems to me a sensible option.
 
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No person shall -
i) in fishing with rod and line for salmon in the Severn area use
any float in conjunction with any lure or bait.
ii) in fishing with rod and line for trout or any fish other than
freshwater fish during the annual close season for freshwater
fish, use any float or bait (which term includes ground bait)
other than artificial or natural fly (which term excludes
bloodworms, jokers and other midge larvae), spinners,
minnows, worms, prawns or shrimps.

I read this as you can use artificial fly,spinners,minnows,worms,prawn or shrimp,which is as i have always believed, the method of float fishing and any bait within the closed brackets are the ones excluded

of course the controlling club may have its own rules banning bait

mike
 
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Mike, reading it carefully I can see you may well be right! I must admit I wouldn't use bait during the coarse close season and on many water I fish on the Teme the club insists fly only until 15 June (and on some fly only until September). As float tactics with a worm are going to take more Chub, Barbel and Grayling than trout on more or less anywhere below Ludlow on the Teme it seems strange to me that it is allowed at all by the EA...but then logic and angling restrictions have never gone hand in hand!
 
Pete Marshall said:
Mike, reading it carefully I can see you may well be right! I must admit I wouldn't use bait during the coarse close season and on many water I fish on the Teme the club insists fly only until 15 June (and on some fly only until September). As float tactics with a worm are going to take more Chub, Barbel and Grayling than trout on more or less anywhere below Ludlow on the Teme it seems strange to me that it is allowed at all by the EA...but then logic and angling restrictions have never gone hand in hand!
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I don't ever fish worm in the closed season where there's more than a minuscule chance of catching anything but trout (we're talking bullheads and minnows). Naturally, there's no guarantee that there won't be the odd stray course fish but I've not had one in the best part of thirty years of fishing this way. I never fish anywhere that is otherwise deemed fly only. That means the amount of water available to me is tiny. On the vast bulk of English (lowland) rivers, I'm including the Vale of York, the vast majority that hide behind the dubious legislation to fish worm for "trout" are extracting the urine.
 
Pete,
i also would'nt fish the Teme in the close season with anything other than a fly,but i do fish some small brooks which are tributries of the Teme with a worm,upstreaming of course.These brooks are just about unfishable with a fly as they are not managed fisheries just happen to hold a good head of wild brownies,a few grayling and the odd eel,i have never had a course fish form any of them in over 40 years of fishing them on and off

mike
 
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