Peter Gathercole learns a radical new grayling technique that northern match anglers Paul Davison and Howard Croston say has improved their take detection by up to 500 per cent.
SNOW and ice freeze the banks and hoar frost still gilds the stark branches at midday. It's minus five degrees and most creatures with a pulse are well and truly tucked up somewhere warm - except for a few well-insulated fisherman brave enough to try their luck at catching that 'Lady of the Stream' the grayling.
Perfectly streamlined with that huge dorsal fin, the grayling is one of the most attractive fish in our rivers. The River Teviot in Scotland's Border region meanders from the hills to join the River Tweed at Kelso and is famous for big grayling, sometimes over 31b, and that's the mission today.
Despite the conditions, confidence is high due to a revolutionary new technique that improves take detection and thereby catch rate. The secret is braid - its non-stretch quality enables the angler to feel what's going on as the fly rolls across the riverbed.
With the fly line looped round the index finger, every rock and pebble can be felt as the heavily-weighted fly trundles along the river bed with the flow. Each obstacle creates a tapping sensation through the short leader, braid, fly-line and finger. As far as sensitivity in concerned, this has to be the ultimate. But then the tapping stops and a simple lift of the rod sees it bend and the tip jolt savagely. It's a good fish, possibly over 2lb.
This ground-breaking new technique also sorts out the better fish. And during the short days and fluctuating water levels of Winter not to mention the sub-zero temperatures today - grayling anglers need all the help they can get.
Coarse and sea anglers have been using braid for several years now and, given the increasing tendency towards innovation in fly fishing, it was only a matter of time before someone came up with an application suited to the fly arena.
While presentation and pattern choice are always vitally important, actually detecting takes is probably the most important skill that a grayling angler must develop. This is especially true on rain-fed rivers. When there is no rise occurring it is almost impossible to see the fish you are trying to catch until you are on top of them and even then, only when the river is running low and clear.
On clear chalk streams the problem isn't an issue. Unless the river is in real flood the fish can be easily seen and the reaction, or lack of it, to any artificial nymph observed. The most noticeable thing when fishing in clear water, though, is just how readily a grayling can pick up a nymph and spit it out again without registering any movement on the line. Spotting these takes is part of the skill of clear water-nymphing, but where the water is more turbulent or where the angle of the light is such that fish aren't visible, it is all too easy to miss those very delicate takes.
In normal Autumn and Winter levels on a freestone river, visibility through the water is virtually nil and, with the sun staying low in the sky even at midday, light penetration is minimal. Instead, the angler must rely on experience, intuition and simple hard work to determine where the fish might be lying, concentrating on well-known or likely-looking spots and working them thoroughly with a variety of flies and drifts before moving on. Until now.
WARM WATER TAKES
Grayling takes come in a variety of forms. The classic and usually unmissable one is where a fish swings across the current, grabs the fly and then returns to its original position. This large movement is normally registered as a definite pull on the line and even if the grayling isn't hooked, it is obvious to the angler that this effect was caused by a fish rather than simply by the fly snagging the bottom. Grayling are, by nature, shoaling fish and even if the individual that took the fly has been spooked, the obvious sign that there are fish in front of the angler makes this is an area worth concentrating on. Locating fish is always important and when this happens, persistence and maybe a change of pattern often results in other members of the shoal being caught.
In the right conditions, especially when the water is relatively warm, this positive type of take is quite common. But as the water cools, fish become much less inclined to move any distance to intercept anything drifting past. Instead, grayling will sit close to the bottom and normally only respond to a fly that drifts very close by.
"Effective as the Czech Nymph method is, like any other where the fish can't actually be seen taking the fly, takes are not only going to be missed but often the angler will be unaware they were occurring"
COLD WATER TAKES
The rate at which the fly drifts downstream is also crucial, particularly when conditions are cold and wintry. Here the fly is at its most effective because it can be bumped along close to the bottom just a little slower than the speed of the current. Any quicker and, although some fish will still take, the catch rate - plus the chances of picking up any of the larger specimen grayling - are greatly reduced.
While even on the coldest day it is possible to see grayling feeding on the surface, if a hatch of midge or small olives occurs Winter fishing normally means using weighted nymphs. Where once we relied simply on a weighted Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail Nymph, today we have far more specialised methods and patterns that have made Winter grayling fishing far less hit-or-miss. In fact, you could go so far as to say that techniques such as the one we know as Czech Nymphing have actually revolutionised grayling fishing on rain-fed rivers.
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With the line looped around the index finger, the vibration of the heavy fly moving across the river bed is felt. When the tapping stops a fish has probably taken the flies in an arc, covering more water and more fish. |
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CZECH NYMPH METHOD
This ruthlessly efficient method involves using two or three heavily-weighted nymphs, casting them out on a very short line, then allowing them to drift downstream almost under the rod tip. By holding the tip of the rod two or three feet above the water's surface, the line and leader can be watched for signs of a take. Sometimes these takes can actually be felt as a definite pull or tightening, but normally they are registered simply as a draw on the line or just by it pausing in middrift. And as with any other technique employing a slack line, any indication of a take needs to be met with a firm, though never vicious, lift of the rod.
NEW TECHNIQUE
Effective as the Czech Nymph method undoubtedly is, like any other where the fish can't actually be seen taking the fly, takes are not only going to be missed but often the angler will be unaware they were occurring in the first place. This was the realisation that struck Newcastle angler Paul Davison when he watched fish taking his nymph on the clear waters of the River Test.
Like others before him, Paul - a current rivers and loch-style international - had seen a number of grayling take his fly then spit it out without registering any movement on the line. As a keen sea angler, he had always been impressed by the fact that> when using braided line from the beach, it was possible to feel the lead bouncing over the seabed or when a fish picked up the bait even at distances in excess of 100 yards. So what if he used a leader made up of the same material for fly fishing? Would it, too, give the same sensitivity in registering a take? His first experiment came a few weeks later back on the Test when he added a length of Amnesia, a nonstretch braid, to the front of his fly line.
PUT TO THE TEST
The most fascinating moment came when he watched the fish's response. Casting out, he could feel a tapping sensation through the line as the heaviest fly bounced along the riverbed. When he watched a fish take there was still no pull or visible movement of the line, but what he did notice was that the tapping stopped. It started again soon after the fish let go, a phenomenon that repeated itself each time a fish took the fly. It soon became obvious to Paul that he had discovered something extremely important, in fact the very thing that makes this method such a radical advance in bite detection. He had found a method of detecting very subtle takes not by what he could feel on the line, but by what he couldn't feel.
Since then, both Paul and regular fishing companion Howard Croston - a true all-rounder and current loch-style international have experimented with and refined the technique and now it is also being used by a growing number of top anglers. All swear by its ability to detect takes that would otherwise be missed. Paul says: "Even now we are still astonished at how well it works. When fishing as a group, we often have two anglers fish through a pool first with standard tactics and they might pick up two or three fish apiece. Fishing behind them with the braid invariably results in a much better catch rate - sometimes as much as four or five times higher."
Today's conditions mean fish are proving difficult, but Howard finds a steady run close to the bank that looks a likely grayling hideout. In front of a backdrop of frozen trees and bushes, he flicks out the flies and fishes them downstream and across in an arc - with the rod held out in front and pointing slightly down. The rocks and stones on the riverbed send a throbbing sensation right to his fingertip and Howard waits eagerly in anticipation of a take. The tapping stops, and Howard lifts the rod. The rod is bent double and he immediately knows he's into something substantial. Despite the cold water, the fish certainly takes some beating but eventually a beautiful bar of muscle comes to the net. This near-31b grayling is the reason why the Teviot is renowned as a grayling river.
Cheered by his catch, Howard smiles and walks towards the bank for a break. But Paul fishes on and enjoys smaller grayling around the pound mark. Catching anything at all on a day like today reflects the technique's prowess.
"It soon became obvious to Paul that he had discovered something extremely important. He had found a method of detecting very subtle takes, not by what he could feel on the line but by what he couldn't feel"
THE SET-UP
The leader itself consists of two 6ft lengths of braid plus a short length of fluorocarbon, onto which the flies are tied. The first six feet, connected to the tip of the fly line by knotting it to a braided loop, consists of a length of bright orange Fox's Magic Marker braid, coloured with a black marker pen every three inches to create a banded effect. This highly-visible part of the leader helps determine just where the flies are in relation to the angler. It is also used to detect takes if the standard `under the rod tip' method is used when fishing around large rocks rather than over gravel or sand.
The second half is made up of 10-121b breaking strain Fox's Mega Silk Super Fine Braid connected to the Magic Marker braid with a simple double blood knot. The clear fluorocarbon tippet, which is just over 40 inches long, is then tied to the Super Fine braid. The breaking strain of the fluorocarbon ranges from 4-6 lbs depending on the water conditions. Interestingly, the distance from the braid to the top dropper is only two inches, though Paul finds this doesn't put off the fish at all. More importantly, this very short distance ensures that any stretch in the fluorocarbon that might deaden the feel in the line is kept to a minimum.
Because of the low-stretch properties of braid, any movement is transmitted through the line like the taps in a Morse code message. Every tiny bump and tremor the fly makes as it progresses along the riverbed can be felt and interpreted by the angler. In fact, the technique is so sensitive that after a while it is possible even to judge the type of bottom being fished over by feel alone. Of course, because touch plays such an important role with this method, it is crucial to always keep a slight tension on the line and to have the fly line looped over a finger so that contact is maintained.
HEAVY FLY
For the technique to work properly, it is important that at least one of the flies on the leader is heavy enough to sink right to the bottom. If all three flies drift without touching the riverbed, the feel of where they are is gone and with it the sensitivity that sets this method apart.
Although this very heavy nymph does catch fish, its normal role is as a sacrificial pattern, there to control the other lighter flies on the leader and get them into the right position.
Because a heavy fly and a short length of relatively thin line are being used, it is actually possible to work the fly round in the current far more slowly than is possible with other methods.
Although fly rather than bait is being used, the method has many similarities to using a rolled leger when coarse fishing.
The advantage is that instead of simply covering a thin strip of water with every downstream drift, as is the case with standard Czech Nymph tactics, it is possible to work the fly in an arc across the riverbed and at a controlled speed so the fish will still take. It also means the flies can be worked further across the stream than is possible with the standard set-up.
Once you have really got a feel for the river bed in front of you, it is possible to determine the po any rocks or weed patches are. And if you should snag any of these, a gentle lift of the rod top usually allows the fly to pull free and continue its drift. That said, the method is not infallible and, as when using any heavily-weighted nymph, you have to be prepared to lose a few flies to rocks and submerged timber.
As when fishing the standard Czech Nymph method, Paul and Howard use three flies on the leader. Paul quizzed Czech anglers over which type of flies to use and where to position them on the leader.
He said: "Where many British anglers think Czech Nymphing involves using three heavily-weighted flies, this isn't really the case. Often only one is heavily-weighted and is placed on the middle dropper to control the other two flies, which are usually much lighter. In some cases, they are even tied with buoyant materials so they sit up off the bottom and work more naturally in the current."
WEIGHTING THE FLY
Tungsten forms an important part of many of Paul and Howard's nymphs because they do need to be tied with plenty of weight. Both beads and sleeves are used, the latter fixed to the hook shank before being covered with the body materials. The profile is usually that of a stage in the caddis fly's life cycle, be it the larva or pupa. Both allow a lot of weight to be accommodated under either body or thorax and, in the case of the pupa-style patterns, the covering over the weight is smooth so that it cuts through the water and gets to the bottom as quickly as possible. Often the dressing consists of little more than a thin strip of coloured plastic such as Nymph Skin for both the body and the thorax cover, though for all its simplicity the finished fly performs its intended role perfectly. To give some idea of how heavy the Controller Fly can be, their most popular pattern is affectionately known as the House Brick.
THE LIGHTER PATTERNS
Of the lighter patterns, which are used both on the top dropper and the point of the leader, they include a simple Goldhead Hare's Ear with a Mirror Flash tail, various colours of Czech Nymphs, an Oliver Edwards Cased Caddis Larva and the deadly Pink Shrimp. While Pink Shrimps are not new, they seem to work well even when the water is cold and clear after a series of sharp frosts. Paul Davison's version is particularly effective, incorporating a short length of pearl Fritz secured along the underside of the body to act as legs. While it might look out of place against the subtler, natural-coloured flies, its record speaks for itself - it has accounted for a large number of very big grayling, some well in excess of 3lbs.
BALANCING THE FLIES
While both Paul and Howard are keen to stress the importance of combining a heavily-weighted pattern with two lighter ones, it is vital to get the balance right, matching the team to the prevailing water depth and flow rate. Rivers in Winter aren't always in flood and at times the weight of the heavier controlling fly needs to be reduced so that it still drifts along with the current. If it continually catches on the bottom rather than tapping gently over it, it needs to be changed for a slighter lighter one. In fact, it is the pattern both Paul and Howard change most often even from run to run. Conversely, if the river is high and really pushing through, one or both of the lighter flies may need changing for a heavier pattern.
Both anglers have also found that rod choice is important. With the non-stretch properties of the braid, and the short-line tactics, it is vital that the rod has a gentle middle-to-tip action. For this reason, they use a Grey's Missionary rated for a 4/5 line. At 10ft 3in length, it gives plenty of reach and its softer action provides a cushion for the light tippet both when setting the hook and playing a fish. For this method, stiffer-actioned rods are to be avoided, as far too many fish are either bumped-off or lost through the line breaking.
Paul and Howard have been using the method for five or six months now and the results have been impressive. Much of Paul's fishing has taken place on the Tweed system, rivers such as the Teviot and the Till as well as the Tweed itself. These rivers all have a reputation for big grayling, especially the Teviot, which has produced a large number of specimen fish for Paul. His tally of big fish is incredible and includes over 20 fish of more than 316s in weight, the largest an awesome grayling of 31b 12oz. While the method does seem to sort out the big fish, it has proved effective on a whole variety of rivers and in a wide range of conditions.
RIVER FACTFILE
River Teviot, 20 miles of river near Hawick, Day-tickets £5, season £30 (including four hill lochs). Tickets from Hawick AC, tel.: 01450 370010.
