Top Tips for Winter Grayling Fishing!

Having spent 2 weeks without going fishing, I could not take it any longer. So yesterday we hit the river Dove for some much needed therapy in the form of some beautiful winter grayling.

Grayling are a fly fishers dream, providing superb river fishing during winter. Even on the coldest day's it is possible to enjoy having your line pulled by this most majestic fish.

Here are a few pointers about how I go about fly fishing for grayling: -

1. Make sure you fish the warmest part of the day during winter, usually 11am - 3pm when peak feeding activity will take place.

2. Stay mobile, quickly searching through deep runs & pools. Even try the odd shallower, faster run if you don't contact grayling in deeper water. They can be shoaled tightly together during winter, leaving much good looking water devoid of fish, find one and you will often catch several.

3. Wade slowly and quietly as always, to get close to the fish holding lies without spooking the grayling.

4. Do use czech nymph style tactics. Close contact with your flies is a must to detect the often very gentle takes. Watch your leader like a hawk!

5. I like to fish 2 flies using czech style rigging. Try swapping the position of your heaviest fly between point and dropper positions.

6. Ensure your range of nymphs and bugs includes various sizes and weights to cover varying depths and flow rates. In addition to fishing flies grayling want to eat, you must ensure your flies get down to the fish as much of their feeding is bottom based.

7. Do try fishing a bright attractor grayling fly like a pink shrimp or egg fly with a natural pattern such as a peeping caddis, olive shrimp or czech nymph.

8. Ensure your rig is light weight and balanced. I tend to fish a 3 - 4 weight outfit with a leader of 9-10 feet tapering to 4 - 5lbs fluorocarbon. Fishing a tippet any lighter is just asking to loose a lot of flies!

9. Watch for rises, most day's see a hatch of midges and sometimes large dark olives during milder spells. It makes a great change to swap to dry fly in mid winter and can be highly productive for as long as a hatch lasts.

10. Put it all together and you can catch, just like we did yesterday!



Best Fishes

Steve