Successful Grayling Techniques - Go Small, or Go Home
Morning, I had a bit of a 'light-bulb' moment over the weekend ... it was sparked by the Javi Nymph Selection which I emailed about last Tuesday. Here in our little corner of North Yorkshire, we just caught the edge of Storm Éowyn on Friday - it was pretty windy, but thankfully we had very little rain, so my local rivers held up pretty well. So, on Saturday I thought I would blow off the cobwebs and venture to a local Grayling haunt which had proved successful for myself (and friend Andy) last month. TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are sometimes sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me). I've put this section at the beginning, so you can grab your flies now - and save reading my musings for later, safe in the knowledge that you have already secured your 'Match The Hatch' fly selection. This email is all about a few different techniques used to fish a small nymph at depth - which is especially useful when targeting Grayling. We are launching our Light(ish) Grayling Nymph Selection - a selection of 16 small nymphs which the Grayling seem to love and are perfect when used with the techniques below. We've only 20 sets available - so grab yours now, and read my musings later! I didn't want to be out for too long - as it was freezing! So I thought, just a few hours over midday would be perfect. On my previous trips, the pattern of choice (and the only ones the Grayling would look at) were our Pixie Nymphs, so I tied a gunmetal-beaded size 12 to the point and a white-beaded size 14 on a dropper and set about scaring the fish in the known 'hot-spots'! Safe to say, I must have really scared them, as I didn't even get a touch in the first hour, which was very unusual - so, I retired hurt to the car and pondered the situation over a Glaves' Pork Pie and a hot flask of coffee. I checked my leader configuration. It was something like this: The river in question, which I'm not going to divulge, is quite a small beck. It's not stocked and insect life is pretty sparse - even during the Spring & Summer - so the fish are all pretty small. As with all fish, 99% of their diet is provided sub-surface, and with this beck not supporting a vast array of insect-life, their diet consists of lots of small nymphs & grubs. I eventually came to the conclusion that I needed to get a small (size 16 or 18) nymph to the bottom (the feeding zone) - quickly (as the water did have a fair amount of flow to it). I decided to take note of a trick I learnt years ago - to switch the patterns around on my leader - i.e. put the heavy Javi nymph on a very short dropper and a light (very small) nymph on the point: Having my leader setup this way allowed me to get a very small nymph (a size 18 Duracell Jig in this case - see full pattern details at the very end of this email) down to the feeding-zone really quickly - it also has the added advantage of taking the odd fish on the heavy 'dropper' nymph - with both flies in the feeding-zone at the same time. I re-rigged and set off for those same 'hot-spots' and to my joy I returned to the car about an hour later having notched up 5 Grayling - result. This got me thinking, there are small patterns which most angler overlook, especially at this time of year when the conventional wisdom is to 'go heavy or go home'. So - I've put together a set of small flies which are perfect for Grayling (and early-season Trout) when fished in the same way as above. I've called it the Light(ish) Grayling Nymph Selection and we're making it available to you today for only £22 (including FREE delivery): Our Light(ish) Grayling Nymph Selection includes 16 different patterns: Duracell Jig - 2 each of sizes 16 & 18 Olive Copper John - 2 each of size 18 Regular Copper John - 2 each of size 18 Ginger Tom Jig - 2 each of size 18 Olive Quill Nymph - 2 each of size 16; and Utah Killer Bug - 2 each of size 16 & 18 A total of 16 small 'Grayling specific' nymphs, shipped for free, all for only £22. We only have a small quantity of these selections available (20 to be precise, with some set aside for sale individually), so you will need to be quick if you would like a set. Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to - at £22 for this selection, it will not hang around for long! These nymphs are an ideal compliment to the Javi nymphs we emailed about last week: The Duracell Jig Without doubt, the star of the show - as far as my Grayling fishing this season is concerned - has been the Duracell Jig: Artisan Duracell CdC Tungsten Jig £1.95 These are very high-quality flies tied on high-quality barbless VMC hooks and are available individually in sizes 12, 14, 16 & 18. The Duracell Jig fly was created by Craig McDonald, a highly regarded member of the competitive fly fishing scene. It was originally designed for Euro nymphing and, for me, has been a game-changer this season. I believe, due to its ability to sink quickly and maintain a really lifelike movement (with its sparse CdC) in the water. The name 'Duracell' comes from the fly’s signature Hareline Ice UV Dubbing body, which has purple highlights reminiscent of the colour of a Duracell battery. This pattern has gained widespread popularity in the competitive fly fishing scene and among us mere mortals because it performs exceptionally well in a variety of water conditions. From shallow riffles to deep pools, it's a versatile pattern that consistently produces results. Tight lines & have a great week.
