Welsh Winter Grayling

The sun shone brightly as I made my way along the cycle path however the biting wind made it feel that spring was still a long way off.  I was on the banks of the River Taff in search of grayling that seem to have flourished over the years with my biggest, a fish of 2lb 9oz.  

Swim choice would be critical in such cold conditions, and like many other rivers over the years the swims change the banks erode due to high water and as I stepped onto the sandy banks, the swims looked alot different when I last fished here a few years ago.  I chose to fish an area that had fast running water which produced slightly slacker water on the near bank.  Grayling enjoy the feeling of water running over their backs.  I would fish the crease, where the fast and slacker water met.

The taff was once an industrial river running through mining villages and towns in the valleys before reaching Cardiff and at one stage ran black with coal waste supporting very little in the form of fish species.  Now the Taff is home to Barbel up to 18lb, big chub and also migratory fish.

It may not be as picturesque as the Wye or as intimate as the Monnow but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for in fishing.  I decided to use the maggot feeder today instead of the float as I only had a short session planned.  I rigged up a medium feeder rod, 5lb mainline with a 3lb hooklink and black cap feeder running on the line, fishing double maggot on the hook.

It didn't take long to build the swim up, I was casting every 2 minutes for the first half hour only filling the feeder half full with maggots and I was soon into my first fish and the familiar twisting and turning of a spirited Grayling fought all the way to the net.  The fish in the Taff average 14oz - 1lb so this was an average fish around the 1lb mark, a beautiful male with its large dorsal catching the bright sunlight.

Larger Grayling do not twist and turn when hooked and my third fish of the session pulled away strongly as I gave a little line as it entered the strong flow.  It was either a chub or a sizable Lady of the Stream.  It soon became obvious as the colourful dorsal fin broke the surface, I readied the net only for it to become entangled in a sunken branch, as I freed the mesh the Grayling swam around in the clear water and I prayed the hook wouldn't pull.  As I slid the net under her I could tell it was pushing the 2lb barrier.

At 1lb 14oz it was just short however it was still a splendid fish, I returned the fish as it swam away strongly.

One important fact to remember is Grayling are very delicate creatures and can take quite a while to recover, especially if deep hooked, even smaller fish.  I have in the past taken up to 10 minutes holding a grayling in the flow before they have swam away.  

The swim went quiet for a brief spell after that larger fish, however with constant casting the Grayling were soon back on the bait and I had a fish a cast for the last half hour of the session.  I did not count but I certainly had over 30 fish in just a few hours.  It was a very enjoyable session that kept me busy on a cold day when many other species would of not fed so v0raciously, the Grayling is a worthy target.

I will try and return before the end of the season and target a slightly larger fish.

Flood Water & Falling Leaves

Autumn is an enjoyable season to be on the bank with its changing moods. It brings us shorter days, normally the first frosts and usually rain, which results in the rivers carrying extra water, however what does not change year from year are the vivid colours you encounter as the countryside prepares itself for the harsh Winter months.  The recent rainfall was the reason I trudged my way along a sodden mud caked track towards a swollen River Wye.  It felt colder of late and every breeze of cold wind sent ever more leaves spiralling to the ground to join the hundreds of others that made up the colourful patchwork.


Autumn Morning

The section I was fishing has a long bend which creates a slack on the inside bank, I intended to fish with 2 rods as I was not expecting the fishing to be hectic.  The inside rod for Chub with usual feeder tactics and a rod cast further out for Barbel, using a heavy lead to hold bottom.  I set up both rods before casting out.  I routinely cast out the "Barbel" rod and watched the tip as the lead settled, then reached for the "Chub" rod.  As I prepared a cast, the barbel rod heaped over, I stared at it for a second in disbelief, surely not a bite that quickly, then the tip trembled, I assumed it must have been weed or debris as I put the 2nd rod back in the rest and struck the arched barbel rod, there was a sudden kick as the tip bounced back leaving me to reel in realising I had just missed my first Barbel of the day! 
I recast, again let the lead settle and waited a minute before casting out the 2nd rod, just in case of a repeat performance!  All was quiet for now.  I managed to cast out the chub rod, just inside the crease in slightly slacker water.  No sooner was the rod in the rest the 1st rod bent over double again, no hesitation this time I struck and was playing a flood water Barbel.  It felt like a bag of shopping in the heavy flow as it glided side to side in the current.  Eventually netting a 5lber!  With the Barbel unhooked and recovering in the net, I noticed the feeder rod tip trembling, then bouncing down, then motionless.  The Barbel was just leaving the net as the feeder rod again thumped down and I struck which met with a residence for a few seconds, I reeled in to find a large scale, probably a Chubs on the hook!  What a mad 5 minutes!

Sport was seemingly more hectic than I had imagined, so I thought it would be best to fish with 1 rod at a time, alternating between the 2 during the course of the session.  I stuck with the Barbel rod first and was quickly rewarded with another, this time around 6lb.


Flood Water Barbel

With no further action on the barbel rod, I thought it was time I tried the feeder rod for an hour.  Having missed the first 2 bites, I hit the third and it resulted in a beautiful Chub just over 2lbs.  Albeit a small Chub, I wish I had taken a photograph of it now,  not only did it turn out to be the only Chub of the day, the iridescent purple and blue colours in the wrist of the tail were stunning.
The feeder rod was clearly going to out fish the other today, as it quickly accounted for a Barbel, biggest of the day at almost 7lb, the hotspot was going to be just inside the crease of the bend, which is normally the case.


Golden Flanks in the Autumn Sun

Above me a flew a flock of Redwing, winter visitors from Scandinavia, in search of berries after their long journey.  A juvenile Cormorant flew down river and a pair of resident Swans struggled to make their way up river against the dense flow.

The sun was now strong and felt pleasant on my face as I waited for the next bite I picked up another Barbel on the outer rod, then for the remainder of the day I fished the feeder rod.  I fished an hour in darkness, having no bites in that last hour, however the last hour of daylight was very productive.  Throughout the session I had landed 7 Barbel between 5 and almost 7b, a bonus Chub and lost another 3 Barbel. 


Into another Flood Water Barbel



The moment you know, its just not gonna happen!

13 - Lucky For Me?

A Red Letter day on the Wye, will update you all on the proceedings very shortly.


One of 13!