Fly Fishing for Grayling

The Grayling is now a relatively common fish, and it is thriving in rivers such as the Wye and tributaries, Taff, Rhymney, Dee, Severn, Eweny, and many more rivers throughout Wales, all of which can be fished on relatively inexpensive day tickets. The Grayling season is open until 16 th of March so there is plenty of time to get out for a few hours and catch some of these beauties, which are in peak condition at this time.

Grayling on a winter's day

Grayling can be caught with a number of fly fishing methods, the most effective of which is called Czech nymphing. This involves the use of very heavily weighted flies such as in our packs of Airflo Di Bugs, combined with a long sensitive fishing rod like our purpose designed Airflo Streamtec XT 10’ #4/5.

The technique involves pitching the flies slightly upstream on a very short line and letting them drift back bumping and rolling across the riverbed. The long rod helps control the drift. We do a hi vis Czech nymph polyleader to complement this technique, which greatly helps with the bite indication.

Grayling in the River Severn

Another very effective method is the use of a pimp indicator with a team of smaller nymphs such as copper johns, fished on a longer line dead drifted through likely looking runs and riffles. On warmer days they can also be tempted with dries such as klinkhammers.

One very important thing is to keep warm with modern hi tech layered fishing clothing. We have a good selection of thermal garments such as the new thermo skin underwear and bib and braces, which provide comfort in freezing conditions. If you combine them with a pair of neoprene fishing waders such as the Airflo Alaska’s you can be pretty much immune from the cold all day.

A successful catch

The common misconception is that if you want to stay warm the answer is to wear something big, bulky and with plenty of padding – the old fashioned one-piece suit being a classic example. They are awful things! When you walk to your swim you sweat like crazy and then, when you arrive the sauna lasts for about five minutes before you start to feel cold.

Why? Well, the answer is body moisture or, to put it more bluntly, sweat. When we move we sweat. Our skin is breathable and can exchange moisture with the atmosphere. If we want to stay warm our clothing should do the same – hence the term ‘breathable.’ The beauty of layered fishing clothing is that it can be made breathable and because the layers trap air between themselves, the result is a warm, comfortable wearer. The other advantage of layers is that you can take them on and off to cope with changing weather.

The art of making breathable clothing is to ensure that sweat can pass through the layers but water molecules can’t. In many respects Gore-tex is the ultimate material but it does not sell well here in the UK because whilst Brits are happy to spend a fortune on fishing rods the same principle does not extend to clothing. We have worked very hard to source waterproof, breathable fabrics at a price that won’t break the bank and we have enjoyed great success with it. Seams are very important too – most clothing is let down by leaking seams. Ours isn’t.

Let’s look now at the layers and what they are designed to do.

Base or skin (second skin): this is a thin, breathable layer worn next to the skin. It forms the base layer and can be worn on its own on warm days or form the first layer on cooler days.

Mid- Layer : this is the layer that builds up warmth, usually in the form of a heavier fleece. Sometimes, if it is very cold, two layers of second skin and then the mid-layer are needed. Primal fleeces are perfect for this layer.

Top (shell): whilst most people love to wear padding, it is rarely necessary. Shell type jackets allow moisture (sweat to escape) but keep rain out. If you want to build up more heat, add more mid-layers. Some people prefer a lined or padded jacket and pants for the top layer and for less active styles of fishing this is OK.

At the end of the day, in addition to keeping you warmer and drier, there are other advantages to properly layered fishing clothing – notably that it is more comfortable to wear and makes you look less of a plonker.