Big Grayling - Attempt No 4 (River Dee)

Very mixed day yesterday. Arriving at the River Dee at 8.30 am to see 2-3 feet of additional water running through and a tingle of colour set the confidence back at bit. However, I've researched czech nymphing to death now and armed with braided leaders painstakingly marked with permanent market pen every 2 ins and a team of the heaviest nymphs I could find on-line, I do fancy my chances for once.

I pick the neck of a streamy pool to start and first run through the leader twitches but nothing on the strike. Second run through and the braided leader on the surface darts away and we're in (!), a little 6 ins grayling has taken the super weighted hears ear nymph. At last, a fish after 4 blanks on the run and my first grayling on a fly. Thanks to Karel Krivenec - not the easiest reading of fishing books, but the rigs have worked straight away.

The next hour or two is slow with a few twitches before the leader stops again and I'm into a better fish at the tail of a pool. It fights a lot harder than I would have expected before I hand in a 9 ins grayling, which again has taken the weighted hears ear. Nothing more in this stretch so back to the car to try another beat before I'm back to the family to have some fun "Launching" a boat I've just boat on to my brother's farm pond.

Next stretch and into the neck of the main pool again. Second run and we're off again, a much bigger fish though. A grayling of about 1.5 lbs rolls on the surface and runs with the current before the hook pulls. I'd tightened the drag to put the rod in the car, so a schoolboy howler loses probably a second pb for the diaries. Another hour passes with not much happening - this is hard fishing with constant lobbing of flies and to be honest not the most enjoyable I've ever done. My neck's killing 24 hours later.

I'm totally goosed now, but put three super heavy flies on to try one last run through the main pool. Just as I'm finishing the tail, the leader stops dead and I'm in to something big. The drag is right this time and is immediately tested as the fish tries to run straight over the rapids at the end of the pool. It's about 3-4 minutes before I see the fish and it looks like I've snared a good sized Rainbow Trout of 3lbs, or so, which has somehow escaped in to the river. I'm up to 5-6 minutes with the rod bent double before I ease the fish in to shallower water to see it's actually a monster grayling of every bit of 3lbs. It's fighting more like a bonefish in the shallow water and keeps trying to go out of the back of the pool. I have to really put the pressure on to try to guide it towards me and..........the hook pulls.

Five minutes of top quality swearing to myself/kicking rocks on the bank and I'm back in the car, totally gutted. I know my tactics are spot on now, but I've lost pound for pound one of the best fish I've ever had on, including sharks; marlin etc. I may have blown my chance of a fish of a lifetime but on the flip side, I know where he lives!

Bank holiday next weekend so I'll be back, again...

Mr Fish