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Grayling

Ian Crook

Senior Member
Had a superb day on a local free stretch on Saturday, around 30 Grayling. I love trotting for Gs at this ytime of the year, I feel it is the perfect change from Barbel fishing when the conditions are not right for my favoured species..
 
Lucky you, I was hoping to recently get a day or two after grayling up in Yorkshire but the flooding put a stop to that idea.... Hopefully over Christmas and the New Year I'll get a chance. Nothing finer in my opinion!
 
Crooky, well done on that catch. I'm off to the Itchen Wednesday woth Geoff for a pre-Christmas bash. Must get some of those pomegranate seeds!
 
Nothing can quite beat the joy of playing a decent Grayling on light float gear ! Even better on a cold frosty day !
Looking at a Xmas Hols bash myself !
I also have heard of a couple coming from The Marden ! A Grayling of any size from there or The Bristol Avon would mean more to me than a 2lber from a chalkstream !
 
Paul,

Have seen them in the Stanley stretch of the Marden from time to time and I recall there being plenty upstream of there. As for BA grayling, I've had 2 or 3 from the bath area, but I think I've told you about that before :)

Cheers
Adam
 
Crooky, well done on that catch. I'm off to the Itchen Wednesday woth Geoff for a pre-Christmas bash. Must get some of those pomegranate seeds!

Pomegranate seeds?...... am I just about to learn something here? Come on someone, spill the beans?
 
Chris it relates to an article in the Dangler's Mail. I think it was Bob James and Ian Welch fishing the Test and they tried out said pomegranate seeds and they worked rather well.

M&S sell them loose in a packet for about £1.50.
 
Chris it relates to an article in the Dangler's Mail. I think it was Bob James and Ian Welch fishing the Test and they tried out said pomegranate seeds and they worked rather well.

M&S sell them loose in a packet for about £1.50.

never tried them as yet (but intend too soon) ,but can see the appeal ,being red and corn/maize esque in shape and easy too hook ,they look promissing ,it may take a session or too for the fish too become comfortable with taking them ,should make a good change bait

pomegranate_seeds.jpg
 
Adam,
Yes, I remember you telling me about the Avon Grayling now. Never see or caught one on The Marden, but have had a fair few Trout.
I like the idea of the Pomegranite Seeds, but think I will just dye some Sweetcorn and give it a bash......
 
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pomegranate_seeds.jpg
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No coincidence that a good few grayling are stationed not too far from spawning brown trout from the late autumn through to February (and from spawning salmon on the Avon, Test, Frome and Itchen). Clearly, the pomegranate seeds, to their eye (and not just to mine), look a lot like gamefish ova. I love grayling, caught a lot of the beauties over many many years, but nowadays only fly fish for them. So it's no coincidence that Fluorescent Red and Orange Spot, leaded, shrimp and nymph patterns, some tied with translucent, hot orange, shocking pink, and firey red beads bought from a dressmaking shop or a craft outlet, have worked for me since the early 1980s.
 
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Nail on head Mr Boote... the roach, chub and perch on our trout syndicate go positively ga ga on them.. the key I've found is not to loose feed too many or they go off the boil when they realise they're not eggs! That said, they fall for it again the next day :)

Back to the grayling after that slight digression: A beautiful 2.10 grayling from the Frome.. underwater release shot.. too damn cold to get funky with the pictures :)

underwatergrayling.jpg
 
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A very pleasant albeit chilly days out (thanks to Crooky's advice) for grayling. No big ones, but 20 plus to just over the pound in a nice flow, great sport. A roach and a few small to 12oz brownies.


Paddy. that equals my best from the frome. Ok, tis my best!
Graham
 
Had a couple of hours for the grayling late on Tuesday at Gaters and really struggled. In all the years i've fished there I have never known it so hard, the only grayling I caught were from the carriers and they were few and far between. To cap it all I bumped what felt like a good fish at last knocking in Pump House. :(
 
Adore Grayling fishing!

It's long been an ambition to fish the southern chalk steams like the Frome, but very content fishing local rivers & streams, which are a plenty around these parts (South Cheshire) and into North Wales.

Simply trotting a chubber with a light float rod & pin, pouch full of maggots and mile after mile of pure heaven.

Darreyl.
 
Today...

Always fancied catching a grayling in the snow and today I got my chance to have a go. Popped down to my local brook armed with some corn, floats, a piece of cane and the 'pin. A nice hours trotting resulted in a couple of grayling and a trout - nothing huge and maybe not ideal conditions but there's something about fishing in the snow! A few photos below...
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Thats probably me done 'till the new year.

Cheers
Adam
 
You really do post some cracking pics Adam !
Fair play to you ! Didn't make it out this weekend due to a heavy Saturday night :eek:
Did you fish the same venue as the other week ;)

Paul M.
 
Same river Paul, slightly different location :) There are grayling to 2lb and probably beyond in there, just cant locate them at the moment, although havent given it a 'proper' go yet!

Adam
 
Never mind the Grannybonnet seeds, you can't beat a couple of pints of red maggots :)

I was planning a session for tomorrow but I've done something to my back and now I'm just saying Ouch! a lot - and swearing quite a bit too:(

Never mind, the Test, Itchen and Wyely all beckon for the new year.
 
But the fly...

It - they - a few of my home-tied patterns - took me seven two-pound fish in October - November (five trips) this year, largest 2-15.

I have had many many thousands on bait - certainly 10,000-plus, maybe nearer twenty thou. I reckon, knowing I had plenty of days of 150-plus and then stopped counting, for a twenty-year spell beginning thirty-five years ago - but big grayling, purposely fished for with the fly... Now, they stay in your memory.
 
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