How I wish these were available today

It was a day of bright sunshine and blue sky with a temperature about 80°f, perhaps even higher. A day when animals, birds and sensible anglers sought out a cool shady place to rest or fish. I chose the spreading branches of an oak tree that conveniently leaned out over the river, I couldn’t have wished for a nicer place on a very hot day to laze around drink lemonade and hopefully catch a suicidal fish. As I sat there cooling off after a long walk I was surprised to see the occasional fish take something from the surface, so I decided to fish a dapped insect. This is a method I greatly enjoy and one that has proved very successful on many waters over the years. Moving away from the waters edge, I spent half an hour or so in a frantic search for a bait and I was well rewarded with a dozen or so grasshopper. (Try doing that today) Tackle was a 15 foot cane rod, centre pin reel, 4lb line with a small bored bullet, stopped by a small split shot some two feet from a size 10 hook. These weren’t your common spade or eyed hook, they had a small spring on the back of the shank and were known as the ‘Ayrbro’ hook, which allowed us, in those far off days, to fish live insects as bait. How I wish these were available today. After carefully baiting with a hopper, I pushed the rod slowly out over the water, lowered the bait to the water surface and waited – though not for long. As a pair of white lips engulfed the bait and turned downwards, chub number one was hooked. In the next five or six hours I had a few of them, all around the 2lb mark. Then, a long bite-less session leading in to the cool of the evening. I suppose I was on the point of calling it a day when a fish sipped something from the surface. Time to re-bait. Slowly pushing the rod out over the water I gently lowered another hopper to the surface. Ten minutes later the hopper was taken very delicately. I tightened into a fish that was so different from the chub. It dived and twisted under the rod tip, making no attempt at getting in the tree roots, then it was ready for netting. As I lifted the net, I could see I had caught my first grayling. I was over the moon, my eyes must have been as big as a dinner plate as I admired the fish with its big dorsal fin and beautiful colours. Having wet my hands, I gently released the fish back into its watery world. It was a very happy angler who trudged through the fields in the cool evening air. I made my way back to the local waterside tavern for a cooling pint of shandy. I must mention at this point that Grayling are not at their best during the summer months and I would suggest that you don’t fish for them until October. Since that first grayling, often called the ‘Lady of the Stream’, I have fished for them far and wide, including for the Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus)in Canada and the North West Territories up towards the Arctic circle. My opinion of the Arctic grayling is, it’s a more colourful fish with a larger dorsal fin and a much more powerful fighter than its European cousin. These Arctic Grayling will often roll on the surface and with their dorsal fin erect, they are a magnificent sight. I have had some thrilling scraps with these fish. When they stick that dorsal fin up in a fast flowing river, your heart misses a beat as you try to control the fish. There are times when you will have to follow the fish downstream for several yards before you regain control. Many Canadian and American anglers spin fish for the grayling with a 6 lb to 10 lb outfit – which I think is far too heavy for such a delightful game fish. The more experienced anglers will use a light 3 lb test outfit. Most anglers will be found using a small spinner, a size 0 Mepps being the favourite. For me, Canada is all about fly fishing and whenever possible, it’s floating lines and dry flies but there have been the odd occasion when I have had to use a sink tip line and a team of nymph to get down in some deep, fast flowing river. One of the best wet fly or nymph pattern I have used for the Arctic grayling is the Teal blue and silver, a well known sea trout fly, I cannot understand why this should be. Its use came about by accident. I had arrived at Collins Creek in Northern Saskatchewan with Mark Monsabroten, my guide, to find I had left my box of nymph’s back at my Cabin, so I had to make do with what I had. In my other fly box was a selection of dry and wet flies. I spotted a size 12 Teal blue and silver and decided to give it a try. I reckon the Teal blue and silver used that day must have accounted for two dozen fish, with three weighing in at about one and a quarter pounds. It was certainly super fishing that day in a true wilderness atmosphere, where we also had the pleasure of watching a family of black bears some fifty yards downstream. It seemed that Mum was teaching the youngsters to fish. From a nearby lake we heard the call of the Loon, a magnificent bird of wilderness Canada.Strange as it may seem I have only taken the odd European grayling on this pattern of fly. Sedges have proved successful in Canada, such as the Tan, Elk, Olive, G & H and streaking sedge. These are usually tied up on size 12 Partridge hooks, code YL3A. When I feel there is the chance of a big fish, I will use a size ten hook. Some other dry fly patterns which have proved successful are Medium Olive, Black Gnat, Red Tag and Coachman. At dusk, if you can bear the midges you will often get some better quality grayling by retrieving a surface fished sedge across the current. Make sure you have some 6lb tippet and, a word of warning. The takes will often be very savage, unlike most grayling takes. That fishing session on Collins Creek was only the second time I experienced the delight of catching a brace of grayling on the same cast, fishing a dropper. I can assure you there were a few heart stopping moments before that pair of grayling were in the net. The first time this ever happened to me was on the Fon Du Lac river which flows into Hatchet Lake. This is a magnificent area of water to visit if you wish to cast a fly for big pike or Lake trout, and on the Fon Du Lac river you will have some great grayling fishing. I am certain that when I caught that first ever brace of grayling my American guide thought I was working magic. He had never seen this before. One of the great delights for me when fishing in wilderness Canada are the lunch breaks which are something special. Around noon, the guide will usually ask what you would like for lunch; trout, pike or grayling. Whatever you choose, it’s your job to catch the fish! Usually I choose pike but I do spoil myself with one grayling lunch during a weeks fishing. As I get the fire going, my Cree Indian guide will clean and prepare the fish which, cooked along with fried potatoes and sweetcorn, will taste wonderful, all washed down with a mug of good Yorkshire tea. When travelling abroad in search of grayling, I use Sage or Greys multi piece travel rods in 5, 6 and 7 weights. I can take my rods aboard the aircraft as hand luggage where they will be out of the reach of baggage handlers. Sometime you will meet an officious member of staff who will tell you your rods cannot be taken aboard the aircraft. Ask to see a supervisor and it will be sorted out to your satisfaction. The airlines need our service and I have found them very helpful. When fishing in northern Canada you will often be travelling by boat or float plane and when you do, you will realise why the multi piece travel rod make common-sense. When fishing small streams and still waters, I use a 5 weight and on the bigger waters my choice is a 6 weight. Should I be fishing rivers or lakes where there are big rainbows and Lake trout, then its a 7 weight. There have been many occasions when I found myself fighting it out with a four or five pound rainbow trout (or an even bigger Lake trout) as I have found when fishing above Yellow Knife in the North West Territories. Other tackle requirements are a well made reel with a reasonable check that will hold fifty yards of 20lb backing and a double taper line from 5 to 7 weight – this being dependant on the water being fished. The Young’s Jubilee range of reels produced by J.W Young of Redditch are well made, choose either model Y5300 or Y5350. Both have a pawl drag and I don’t feel you need to pay the extra cost for disc drag reels. If more pressure is needed then I use the palm of my hand. When it comes to the picking for fly lines, we are spoilt for choice. Scientific Anglers, Masterline or Cortland, pick one of these three and you cannot go wrong. For leader material, I use fluorocarbon and have no complaints. The tapered leaders by Masterline International in 9 and 12 feet are excellent and I fish with them full of confidence. When fishing a five weight outfit I use a tapered leader with a 3 or 4 lb tippet On the six and seven weight outfits I will often go up to 6 lb tippet. Fishing nymphs in the fast swirling waters associated with Canada and Lapland, I often use a cork sight bob for bite detection and make sure I have a good selection of sight bobs in different sizes and colours. Polarising glasses are a must, not only for seeing into the water but also for eye protection. You should never fly fish without some type of glasses. When I am wading rivers and lakes in search of the grayling, I always wear a flotation jacket. It makes common-sense. Grayling fishing waters are usually fast flowing, very cold and dangerous. Both the Arctic and European grayling are lovers of cold, clear, clean water with plenty of oxygen. They will not tolerate the slightest pollution. One of the nicest areas of the world I have fished is Swedish Lapland with its many excellent grayling fishing rivers, lakes and streams -including the Baltic sea. You also have the chance of catching grayling weighing 4lbs plus. This year I was lucky to be in the country at the time of the Midsummer Festival. Apart from attending a big party that evening in Umea, I was extremely lucky to be taken grayling fishing to the Rickle river by Greger Jonsson, who can only described as a fanatical grayling angler. Rickle river is a forested river, 50 km long, situated some 50 km north of Umea. Sea trout, salmon, grayling, whitefish and pike inhabit this river. It also has both resident grayling and a sea-migrating grayling which will come up to the river in May for spawning. Tackle was an 8 foot, 5 weight rod, double taper floating line, a 12 foot fluorocarbon leader and, with no sign of fly life, I decided on using a size 12 medium olive. This is a dry fly pattern that has helped me catch fish from many waters in different parts of the world. It was one of those great days to be alive, sunny and warm with a blue sky that had scattering of white clouds which can only be described as looking like pieces of cotton wool. A few midges annoyed me, nothing too troublesome. As I stood on the wooden bridge looking upstream, I realised how beautiful the scene was. The river at this point is some fifty foot wide with lots of fast, white, turbulent, boiling water with a few big rocks, some the size of a car door. There were however, enough smooth looking glides where I could expect to find a few fish. The banks were lined by a variety of trees which I would guess were Pines, Larch, Spruce and Cedars with a few Silver Birch. It’s interesting to note the Laps cut the knobs off the birch trees, then spend the long winter nights turning those birch knobs into drinking mugs. This wasn’t a wading river of small pebbles and gravel but one of rocks, ranging in size from half a house brick to those of football size and bigger. Some two hundred yards upstream, I spotted a smooth looking glide which had to be fished, so made my way upstream through the trees and came out on a promontory. I could easily cover the water. First cast, the fly landed lightly, then drifted downstream for about three yards. A slight dimple appeared, the fly was gone. I tightened into a fish and soon landed a nice brown trout of about 14 inches. I fished that first glide for about thirty minutes without another take. Then slowly moved upstream fishing all the likely looking water without another take. Time for a lunch break. After lunch, I moved across to the opposite bank then, pushing my way upstream through the trees for about three hundred years(!) I came out on to a delightful looking stretch of water. It was about 80 feet wide with a glass smooth surface and a steady current. There were masses of flies dancing over the water yet no fish were rising or swirling. After some two hundred yards, the river swept to the right and disappeared through the trees. Ten yards downstream, the smooth glass-like river gave way to one of fast, swirling, rock strewn water, with the occasional smooth glide. Looking downstream about twenty yards I could see an area of quiet water that looked promising and moved off downstream to a position where I could cover all the water. I cast a dark olive upstream to the edge of the fast water. There was a swirl – the fly had gone. I tightened into a fish, a grayling of some twelve ounces. Bringing the fish close to the margin, I bent down, unhooked and watched it swim off to the safety of the fast water. Over the next hour or so, I had ten casts and landed eight fish – the best probably weighing about a pound, then swim died. It was a happy angler who arrived back at the bridge for a lift back to Umea and the Midsummer Festival party, where everyone joined in the singing of Ten Green Bottles under the midnight sun.

Next month part 2 Grayling fishing in the United Kingdom and more stories from Lapland.