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Grayling And Dry Flies

Our November 2000 contribution from Dry Fly

"On a river which has grayling, autumn dry fly fishing is a thing not to be missed." Bernard Venables

As it never once crossed my mind that I might go up to Oxford to read classics - and nobody I can think of was even remotely surprised that I did not - Latin was always particularly high on my list of least looked forward to subjects at school. The prospect of yet more useless verbs on a wet winter morning was unfailingly met with less than unbridled enthusiasm.

Around the same time though, I was reading more and more fishing books and as we all know, the use of Latin is much in evidence in anything to do with the species of the natural world. So it was that I came across Thymallus Thymallus . A moniker not easily forgotten and one which somehow suits the grayling very well. Whether or not you agree that they possess that hint of thyme the name would suggest is one thing but they do have a distinctive aroma and certainly make for very good eating. Some would argue that in this respect they are superior to trout.

I have never quite been able to make up my mind about grayling and I strongly suspect I am not alone in this. They are very beautiful to look at, demand clean, well oxygenated water, provide good sport to the fly throughout the trout season, often obliging when trout are sulking and they cook well into the bargain. Not only that but they can be fished for on the fly on most trout waters, where they are to be found, until the end of the year. But despite all this good news there is an ambivalence toward the grayling which I can at least understand if not unreservedly support .

The grayling is comparatively rare, yet where they occur they tend to do so in large numbers. They are a shoal fish and as their diet is pretty much that of the trout they can literally take over complete stretches of river, making it difficult for the trout to establish and maintain territory. For this reason many trout fishermen kill grayling that beat the trout to their fly simply in order to keep down the numbers. Some fisheries remove many grayling during the trout close season by electro fishing or by allowing coarse fishermen access to the water during winter to the same end. Some believe that a trout stream should be just that, others - myself included - feel rather uncomfortable with such drastic piscatorial prejudice. After all, even though its season differs, the grayling sports the badge of the salmonids - the adipose fin.

Grayling have provided gentle sport on hot summer days when no trout worthy of the name was prepared to do anything other than maintain that familiar dispiriting torpor until the cool of evening. With one notable exception most of my grayling have been of modest size with a decent one being around a pound or so. The exception was a fish of some twenty plus inches which removed a size 16 Hendrickson from the surface as delicately as any trout might have done. I make this point since the rise of the grayling is quite different from that of the trout and is usually detectable as such even at some distance. There is something about the sound of a grayling rise which is very distinctive. It has something of a slap and a plop about it. It usually happens faster than that of a trout and often there are bubbles to go with the rings. Once you have seen and heard a few you'll know what I mean. A trout rise tends to be somehow more convincing .

The reason for the difference in rise forms and therefore the sounds that go with them is largely due to the fact that whereas the trout, when surface feeding, sits high in the water fairly close to the action. Grayling on the other hand lie deeper, hugging the bottom of the stream. When a grayling rises to a surface fly it does so with a rapid dash, often in an arcing manoeuvre and returns rapidly from whence it came - unless hooked of course. Together with the bellows - like mouth, this characteristic rise is responsible for the difference in surface disturbance.

Although capricious they are free risers and because of the greater depth at which they lie, their window is generally larger than that of the trout. This gives them a better look at a wider selection of goodies and it also means that they get to see more of your leader. For this reason it is sometimes suggested that casting across and downstream is a more effective approach for grayling. But of course, this method is not permitted on many rivers where dry fly is the order of the day. So if you want to catch a good one make sure it sees the fly before the leader. In the larger models they are very wary and all are very quick to eject a fly.

If you are in any doubt about whether you are casting to a trout or a grayling this uncertainty will be dispelled the instant the hook is set. The grayling fights in a manner like no other fish I know. The nagging, insistent tug and the shaking and rolling are unmistakable. The use of that great dorsal fin like a sail to catch the current and provide leverage, along with the sideways - on arching of the body are unique to the species in our waters. It can feel as though you are dealing with a submerged propeller blade from a large model aircraft. I am bound to say that for me this aspect of grayling fishing is the least attractive. Others will doubtless disagree.

The flies for grayling fishing? In my experience they will take anything that is offered to trout and that is largely the way I have fished for them. Autumn and winter fishing would see me trying my luck with an Adams Midge, Black Gnat and maybe a Griffiths Gnat. None of these would be larger than size 16 and preferably tied to wide gape hooks. The belief that Grayling have soft mouths is something of a fallacy and many shake the hook as a result of their twisting and turning.

There are of course many well known traditional flies associated with grayling fishing and one would have to be completely soulless not to be just a teeny bit fascinated by some of their names alone. Who could resist for example John Titmouse, Sturdy's Fancy, Grayling Witch, Treacle Parkin or Double Badger. Almost all of these are variations on a theme. A peacock herl body would seem essential to the success of a grayling fly tied in traditional style. There are others of course and if you want to be a little more certain of your catch then that uninspiring little sub surface job courtesy of a certain Mr. Frank Sawyer is perhaps your best bet. But if you are merely happy to be by the river on a crisp day at the back end of the year with a fly rod in your hand and the prospect of rising a fish or two, try the dry fly. One fish hooked at the surface is worth a dozen hooked below it. If you fail - so what? - there's always another day.

First class photographs and tying instructions for all the flies mentioned above and more besides can be found in the grayling sections of John Roberts' excellent Guide To River Trout Flies from Crowood Press. His book Flyfishing For Grayling is reviewed on Fish & Fly by Simon Lewin.

You may also wish to visit the website of the Grayling Society at http://www.graylingsociety.org

Dry Fly

'Dry Fly' is a passionate fly fisher who, unusually, fishes dry fly exclusively and with no exceptions. This practice is born out of simple preference and despite his many protestations, fully acknowledges and respects both the skills and historical significance attached to traditional alternative styles and the absolute rights of others to employ them. He enjoys fishing dry fly in all types of running water. Fishing not fish is his priority.

He does, however, have a number of piscatorial bees in his bonnet !!

With a background in marketing and a nodding acquaintance with members of the tackle business both here and abroad he lives in deepest chalkstream country from where, unsuccessfully, it is insisted, he attempts to eke out a living from a variety of commercial and investment ventures.