Grayling Fly Fishing

Using Grayling Fishing Flies Through Winter

The grayling is a game fish but it has a different closed season to trout. It means we can fly fish for grayling over winter on rivers when we cannot fly fish for brownies. The grayling provides great sport and can be both challenging and rewarding for the fly fisherman. With it's big sail it produces a very different fight when hooked. Dry fly fishing is decided by the availability of insects and the attitude of the grayling to surface feeding. If grayling are not rising do not expect them to come to the surface. Choosing a grayling dry fly is not difficult if there are naturals simply match the hatch. Wet fly fishing or czech nymphing is the most successful technique for grayling.  The Baetis nymph, Rhyacophilia Larva, and cased caddis are all direct imitations of the most frequently found river nymphs.

Grayling Fishing Techniques

Fly Fishing With Dry Flies For Grayling

If grayling are not rising do not expect them to come to the surface ....they simply will not. Choosing a dry fly is not difficult if there are naturals simply match the hatch, however flies that are really good for grayling include the Red Tag and Klinkhammer's and our Black Magic range of flies are absolutely deadly in all their colours to match the hatching insects. Klinkhammers represent an emerging insect rather than a dun and it is successful for grayling.

Fishing With Wet Flies For Grayling

Wet fly fishing with a team of three traditional flies, patterns such as Greenwells, Snipe and Purple, Partridge and Orange, Red Tag, Hares Ear or Wickhams Fancy work well. We prefer the more modern Baetis nymph, Rhyacophilia Larva, Hydropsyche Larva and cased caddis patterns in teams of 3 flies. These are all direct imitations of the most frequently found river nymphs. Working the flies across and downstream is often a successful way to search the water. These patterns are of course mainly suitable for use in the autumn when grayling fly fishing is at its height. Flies tied to resemble small pink shrimps have also been found to be useful.