An Introduction

Phil Price

The British Isles is home and host for four of natures most fantastic river game fish. These fish are all members of the Salmon family. It is easy to recognise this family as they all present with an adipose fin. This fin is situated between the dorsal fin and the tail.
The Atlantic Salmon the Brown Trout (migratory and none migratory) the Rainbow Trout and the Grayling.
These fish all require well oxygenated fresh clean water with a gravel bed in which to reproduce. During their life cycle these fish digest large amounts of protein rich food. Thankfully for the fly fisherman the majority of this food comes from aquatic life forms, primarily in the case of Grayling and None-Migratory Trout aquatic fly life almost certainly in the form of lava and nymphs.
The Salmon and Sea Trout gain the majority of their weight whilst feeding at sea, but during their early life in the rivers and streams they will eat the same aquatic fly's nymphs and bugs as their cousins.

The strength and agility gained from this protein rich diet, enables excellent sport for the brotherhood of fishermen from these most magnificent game fish.
Fly-fishing to me is the most exciting method, available to the angling fraternity. Don't preconceive fly-fishing as a sport only for the elite fishing on warm spring and summer days casting romantic loops onto a river or lake. Fly-fishing is a hobby enriched with a wide variety of methods, that the angler could use as conditions dictate and is available throughout the whole year.
The fly angler is spoiled for choice and even when local water conditions prevent fishing a river. A still water is usually not to far away in order to cast a line. Even fly -fishing for some members of the coarse fish family Roach, Chubb, Dace, if it takes a fly enjoyment can be had. Sometimes to the wonderment of my coarse fishing buddies. The fly angler also has another hobby tucked away for those really awful days when he can make and repair his beloved armoury of fly's nymphs and bug's.

Grayling Hunter will concentrate on in our opinion the most magnificent of the salmonoid family the Grayling often referred to as The lady of the stream or The shadow of the river. This lady title is a little misleading I feel she is spicier and is indeed (Scarlet O'Hara) or Laura Croft of the river. Just packed with punch and attitude, these babies don't come in without a fight and wont just take the first thing that's thrown in front of them.
We will cascade our knowledge to you of the skills and methods needed to pursue this most worthy of quarry. Regular updates of day fishing tickets and local accommodation will be published to our link pages. We will discuss our tackle and why we have chosen these tools. As well as bringing you ideas and areas which you may want to reflect on. Fly fishing tackle is evolving all the time but the basics principals necessary to catch our beloved quarry remain constant. My old departed grandfather used to say to me as a child 'fishing shops have caught more fishermen than fishermen have caught fish'.
So use this site with an open mind. We want what you want and that's to enjoy and share the enrichment fishing brings into our life.

Danny Bennett

Sadly Passsed away this year. (1933-2008)

Phil and myself have been fishing together for over Ten years covering thousands of miles in our search for fish , and after many long discussions during our travels we have agreed that our favorite fish was the Grayling.

The lady of the steam is a most exiting fish with the finest colored dorsal fin in the fish world It uses this large dorsal fin its advantage when hooked in a fast flowing river, the Grayling breeds in March to April laying it eggs on course sand or fine gravel, it feeds on aquatic larvae, fresh water shrimps, flies and the like.

There are many likes for the Grayling but number one is the clarity of the water and the gravely runs are also essential.

The old days when it was said that grayling shoal in the deeper pools especially in the colder weather does not seem occur to the same extent today after much time spent on the river banks we feel that the possible cause for the change in habit is down to the fish eating birds such as the cormorants and the mergansers are specialist fish eating birds called sawbills they have serrated edges to their long beaks and are streamlined , propel themselves with their webbed feet so these diving birds can soon damage the shoals.

I have recently had a Grayling of about two pounds that was badly speared and a large scale loss to both flanks, this fish was photographed and returned to the river, the heron is different in its habits and relies on stealth and wading so it does not have the same impact as the other two fish eating birds.

To catch Grayling it is in my mind a must to look at the water, to see the likely lies but you will not very often take the grayling from the calmer gentle runs and hours can be spent watching for the sign of fish, I fish the dry fly most of the time whilst Phil as worked on the wet fly and the Czech nymph to great reward.

Danny Benett