Big Grayling - Attempt No 11 (River Dee, Wales)

Yet another go at cracking a grayling PB today on the Dee and another learning day after trying out all the methods I have picked up so far.

The water had dropped a bit and looked spot on - weather also good with nice bit of cloud cover and the odd warming ray coming through. Surprisingly, it was tough initially though going through the runs with heavy czech nymphs without a peep then eeking out three small grayling and a salmon parr over four hours on a Prince Nymph goldhead; a grey Klinkhammer and two on a Coachman dry. The small fish rose again and again to the "Klink" but just kept nudging the big fly. A change to a much smaller size 14 coachman did the trick and the first grayling I think I've ever caught on a "Proper" dry fly.

Still, even with four fish, it had been hard going and they would all have comfortably sit in a sardine tin!

A change to a big indicator with the team of a hydropsyche; raco green thing and a cased caddis cast upstream into the faster water on the very edge of the seam produces a take straight away which I contrive to miss. It's hard work wading the fast water and staying in contact with the indicator straight upstream but a few casts later and I'm into a much better fish in the fast water. A nice grayling of just over 0.75lb goes back and not being used to this type of fishing I miss a few more before the hard graft drives me to the bank to think it all through again.

With only 45 mins or so till dark and despite it being late October; I go for a team of three spiders - Waterhen Bloer, Stewarts Spider and a Partridge & Orange to finish the day with a nice pleasant run through.

I was just being lazy in honesty but it's a revelation, with one run through producing five fish, four grayling and one parr, with one of 0.75-1lb and a good larger one of about 1.25lbs. Three to the Stewarts Spider; two the Warterhen Bloa and one on the Partridge & Orange. Good stuff...

Tricky day, but I've still banked nine fish so I must finally be getting half decent at this game but I'm still not even threatening the PB of 1lbs 8oz. I've booked a guided day with Gwilym Roberts on the Dee at Corwen though to see how a top drawer river fisherman does it, while hopefully putting me on to a big rascal so I can finally move on and get the pike fishing gear out!

Mr Fish