A Low Blow To Calm A Squirming Grayling
Shooting Times & Country|December 16, 2020
Formerly reviled by trout anglers, the sweet-scented ‘lady of the stream’ makes for a fine sporting challenge, says Edward Barder
- Edward Barder
A Low Blow To Calm A Squirming Grayling

Fly-fishing for grayling is very much at the hipster end of the angling spectrum at the moment. You’ll need a special beard and an 11ft fly rod rated for a #2 line to join the club, and a degree in engineering to understand the composition of the special leader to which you’ll be attaching your flies.

This style of fishing is known as ‘Euro-nymphing’. It sounds like a Belgian extramarital activity but it’s actually an effective and absorbing way to fish, especially in winter. I love it but before getting into the minutiae of grayling fishing and my lack of a beard, let’s consider the fish.

Often referred to as the ‘lady of the stream’ — a slightly twee name as plenty of them are males — grayling are at their peak in autumn and winter. Compared with the trout, which conforms more to a fishy interpretation of the mathematic golden ratio, the grayling is quite a strange creature — lovely but odd, like the hare, the goat and the Citroën DS.

With their under-slung mouths, turquoise-tinged pectoral fins and outsized dorsal sails, grayling have an almost exotic appearance out of the water. Their Latin name, Thymallus thymallus — so good they named them twice — suggests they smell of thyme but, to my nose, it’s the scent of cucumber that coats my hands when I’ve held one.

Forty years ago, when I started to fly-fish in earnest, the mysterious and beguiling grayling was viewed with suspicion at best and, more often, as vermin. This was especially true in the south, where the chalkstreams teemed with these unwanted, unappreciated fish.

この蚘事は Shooting Times & Country の December 16, 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Shooting Times & Country の December 16, 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 分  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 分  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 分  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 分  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 分  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 分  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 分  |
August 02, 2023