Can anyone recommend any nymphs for Winter Grayling? I've just started fishing the River Don, near Sheffield and just managed to catch my first three Grayling on Friday, on a tungsten bead Pink Shrimp - after six previously fruitless attempts! - it seems like hard work.

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
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Hi

For me the best nymphs for grayling or just plain hares ears, PTN's and black nymphs. It is more important to get the fly to the right level then to worry about the pattern to much.

The best patterns for me are also normally tied on jig hooks so as not to catch the bottom and are heavier because of the slotted bead over the drilled bead.

the best advice i can give you is use what you have confidence in and make sure you get them on the bottom!

If you want to experiment in flies however, the best ones are Flash back caddis, and the Sisak Jig. Or any of the flies at Unique Flies: Welcome.

James

Cheers James.

__________________
*
How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

~~*~~~~~
*****©(

Location, achieving the correct depth, take detection are the 3 things that make the most difference in terms of success with grayling I reckon.

Fly choice is important - but a simple case of trial and error until you get a take is a good way forward, and the best flies still don't work very well in the wrong part of the river or at the wrong depth.
A guide to what to start with:
In early autumn, there are still olive nymphs around. Later on in autumn with lots of leaves in the water is the time for shrimp, hoglouse (in organically enriched rivers) and caddis. Winter proper is a mix of shrimp, caddis and midge - with the coldest parts of the year the best for midge patterns (often in the slowest pools).

We are having a bird box and bat box installation event on the 27th November at Livesey Street bridge on the Don. Some free guidance/tuition will be available after the Blue Peter stuff is completed (quite a quick and fun job anyway). Feel free to come down (and apologies if you already do - as I haven't linked the screen name to "real life"!)

Paul G

I'm no great Grayling angler (yet ) but reading Reg Righyni and others recently I picked up on the importance of water colour. Sounds rather obvious but if the river has some colour in it go for more flashy. And of course vise-versa. Like you, I recently had some success with a pink beaded offering, the water was far from clear. How was it when you caught yours compared to the previous trys?

As above putting it in the right place is more imp perhaps than actual flavour but I believe they will not take what they can not see. This time of year there's typicaly going to be many days when the water will be coloured and I for one am happier with a bright nymph in those conditions.

Chris.

Thanks for the help guys. I am off to higher water tomorrow looking for my first ever grayling

If you are fishing water where Trout outnumber Grayling do you think pink bead heads and shrimp patterns are more likely to attract the Grayling than the Trout or is it simply a matter of getting the flies down on the river bed where the Grayling will be this time of year?

SharkeyP

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Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

Mr Ruffe,
the link is paulG's of Sprite (trout in the town), he kindly put it in answer to a question I put about what to use at Bolton Abbey. Weather was bad so I went on The Don at Thurgoland instead. His video was more than helpful.
I caught plenty of grayling on czech nymphs, the pink one and the standard one worked in the shallows and a black goldheaded PTN caught one in a deeper pool.
Lovely river we are lucky to have local, hope you enjoy it.

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I don't subscribe to this flies bouncing along the river bed
thing well not at this time of the year anyway,fish will take a fly on the way up not on the way down,I was fishing the trio last week & was catching most of my fish on a size 18 nymph set around 1ft above my point fly
fish take flies on the way up not on the way down,I think it's probably more
important to get your flies down deeper In the colder months,thats just my personal opinion,craig.

Thanks Craigie,
That's handy info. Apologies to the OP for going off at a slight tangent.

SharkeyP

__________________
Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.