21/01/2022 - Grayling Sport On The Fence Line -For A Special Lady
The average size of grayling
For sometime I have been looking at a swim on that borders on the fence line of a local fishery, every time I past the area, I’ve often said to myself “I should fish that swim sometime” Today I chose to try the swim, having made up a bowl of ground with a mixture of dead gentles and casters with some chopped worms, I put together my Acolyte float rod, with a centre pin reel that my family had given to me for my 80th birthday with 3lb line, I then attached with double rubbers a balsa and cane float to take 4 AAA shot as the river was carrying a foot of extra water, then with a loop to loop attached a size 12 hook. Into the tackle bag I put a box of gentles, a box of lobs also, a small bag of corn. The weather was over cast with a light SW wind, , I felt everything had the making of an interesting angling session, with seat and bag over my back.
I picked up rod rest and landing net, before heading off across the field to the river, checking the water temperature I got a reading of 42 degrees F, further upstream I had to pass a copse which was full of rubbish from the floods over the years, lots of barbed wire along with a steep sloping and slippery bank, the high light was seeing three Roe deer, who just stood watching me go past. Once through the copse, it was a pleasant walk across the meadow, disturbing a covey of partridges a rare sight these days. Half an hour later I’m at the fence line, with its big oak, I can see the thick roots going deep into the water. No doubt a good holding area for a big fish. On my next trip I will come armed with some bread and sausage meat, as I reckon it could hold a good chub. Today I am fishing some fifteen feet downstream of the Big Oak where a woodpecker was hammering away. My first job was to plumb the depth through the length of the swim to see if there was an area of deeper water, having checked out the depth, I found the swim averaging around six feet with little variation of the depth. I started off by putting in six large bait droppers of gentles, then three droppers of ground bait, I use the dropper to make sure the bait is on the bottom, not pushed out by the flow.
Bites From The Off
The weather was very spring like, the sun would often breaking through the cloud base giving a feeling of warmth, it was my daughter in laws cremation today at 1100 hrs, in Inverness Scotland, my son had asked me to go and catch a fish for her as she was always saying “I reckon your dad will be fishing again fishing again” that was my aim, if possible during the service, baiting with 4 gentles I made a Wallis cast sending the float out over the ground bait line, then held the float back allowing the bait to proceed the float ten perhaps twelve yards then the float drifted out towards the far bank, striking I connected with what I thought was a grayling, after a few minutes I got the fishing coming towards the net where I could see a nice grayling which was soon netted. After putting in small dropper of bait, I rebaited then cast out on the same line, ten feet the float dipped, another grayling was hooked, my second fish was soon netted. In the next four casts I had four more fish. In the four hours I fished I had probably fifteen or more grayling along with several nuisance trout. It was a lovely peacefully solitary day where I was able to remember Tracey and many of the days enjoyment as a family we spent together, also the nice cakes she often baked for me without sugar. I thought it would be a tough day, but by Nigel asking me to catch a fish for Tracey, my mind was in Inverness, also at the waterside. RIP Tracey we want forget you.
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