GRAYLING

For many fly fishers, this is the 'grayling season'. Grayling have somewhat different habits from trout. They are less solitary and in order to catch them you first have to find the shoal. Constant gentle rises are the key - unless, of course, they are not rising in which case you simply have to search for them and get to know where they hang out.

However, in spite of the differences, one must bear in mind that the natural insect food is the same for grayling as it is for trout. In other words, 'special' grayling flies are not necessary. For rising fish I find that they will rise readily to the flies that I would use in similar circumstances for trout, although perhaps there is a bias toward smaller size. Where wet fly is concerned, I have caught grayling on spiders, notably the Snipe & Purple, but generally a weighted nymph is more popular and in this category a pink shrimp is probably favourite (well, not strictly a nymph but you know what I mean...)followed by latex-bodied nymphs and beadheads.

True, a touch of red is reputed to be attractive to grayling and some red-bodied flies are said to be 'grayling flies'. Sturdy's Fancy was certainly designed as such. Personally, I find that red can be equally attractive to a trout. Hence my Red Ant, which draws plenty rises from both species.

In spite of the fallacy that the grayling 'comes into its own' in autumn, the fact is that like all fish their metabolism slows down in winter and they become more difficult to catch. But don't let that stop you trying!