Well! What a season! Back in February, what now seems a life time ago. I spent a very cold afternoon chasing grayling on the Calder with the late Gary Hyde. I’d never seen or caught a grayling until this day. And I will forever be grateful to Gary for taking me out that day because it was the day I got hooked on river fishing!

After that day I spent most of my free time practicing what Gary had taught me on the river. Even though I wasn’t catching anything I was having a blast!

So when the trout season came about I was eager to try my hand at catching some! The first couple of outings resulted in blanks until I finally caught my first brownie! A very exiting moment. After that My catch rate was going up. Juggling fishing between work I would get home and take the dog out and head straight for the river.

I started the year, very un-experienced at river fishing and was setting my leader up with a single jig nymph. I was catching fish, so I must have been doing something right! I was using this method up until I was shown how to use the ‘duo’ on a trip out with Lisa Isles. A nymph on the point with a dry fly, such as a sedge pattern on the dropper. How does this work? it works by you casting up-stream and letting the flow of the river bring your flies back towards you, The whole time you should concentrate on your dry fly, watching and waiting for a sudden stop or it disappears under the surface, at this point you strike! hopefully there will be a fish on the end. other times you might have caught the bottom of the river.

this year I have met some amazing anglers and fished with some of them too! I can’t wait to get back at the trout next year and go and explore new rivers. But for now.. It’s time to get at the grayling!