FishingMagic’s First Grayling DayNOT TOO MANY years ago, trotting a maggot on the upper reaches of our Southern chalk streams would have been unheard of.
Daring to even fish the wet fly or nymph, let alone using bait, was enough to incur the wrath of the dry fly purist. On most stretches of these rivers this remains the case and the fishing is strictly preserved. Some more enlightened fishery owners however are now opening their banks at the end of the trout season to allow coarse anglers access to some prime fishing for dace, roach and especially grayling. It was to one such stretch that 11 FishingMagic members gathered for the site’s first Grayling Day on the 4th November.
An offshoot of the River Kennet just outside Hungerford, it comprised of three narrow carriers, in places not more than a rod length across, which criss-crossed woodland and long neglected water meadows before joining together and flowing back into the main river. It was ours for the day. Unlike similar fisheries where the banks are manicured for the benefit of the fly angler, its natural character had been preserved. I had scraped hard frost off the car before setting off and on the journey west the temperature reading fell to minus 3. My normal winter target are river roach and in similar conditions I would have struggled for a bite never mind a fish. For once though the angling gods had smiled on us and delivered a perfect day for grayling fishing. On arrival, white frost covered the ground which would be burnt off later in the morning as the sun rose slowly above the trees into a cloudless sky.
When I visited the fishery in September, the carriers were in a poor state. Low summer flow had led to the build up of blanket weed and it covered most of the gravel in the slower sections. The heavy rains of October had cleared much of it away and as we gathered by the fishing hut next to the car park and main carrier, I was relieved to see a much healthier river. Nigel Wilson, the owner, had agreed to back up the levels by lowering the hatches at the bottom of the stretch so the that there would be a decent depth. As to the fishing itself, there was no need of a complicated approach to fool pressured fish here. Trotted maggot underneath a small stick or loafer was enough. Most of us opted to use a pin although personally I preferred a small fixed spool reel as sometimes the current in such small streams is not sufficient to pull the line from even the smoothest of pins and the float is dragged off line.
The fish were not line shy although a cautious approach was needed given the clear and shallow water. Unsurprisingly , the bigger fish came from the deeper spots. Often a depression of just a few feet contained a number of good fish.
The beauty of this style of fishing is its simplicity. Travelling light from swim to swim , knowing that if a bite is missed, another trot down will bring another. For me, it was fishing at its very best and I think others shared that view. Everybody caught well. The grayling were not big. Most of us had fish around the pound mark but few had bigger. What the fish lacked in size however they made up for in appearance. Is there a better sight than the colours of a grayling, dorsal fin erect, picked out by winter sunlight? Plenty of trout were also taken but somehow the large rainbows, in contrast to the smaller wild browns, seemed out of place here.
November days are short and by 4.30 dusk had fallen along with the temperature, freezing my landing net to the bank. It was time to pack away and reflect on what had been one of the most enjoyable days fishing I had had for some time, spent in the company of some fine anglers. I had been a little worried that there would not be enough room for us all. As it was, the fishery’s size was ideal. There was space not to feel crowded, but it was small enough to bump into others for a chat from time to time.
Many thanks for all who came along and made it such a great occasion. Particular credit must go the Matt Brown and Michael Townsend who had made the long journey from South Yorkshire. Congratulations to Bully and John Huntley who caught their first grayling and my apologies if there were others who also broke their grayling duck who I have not mentioned. With luck the big girls may show on the next trip to the Itchen in February.
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