Hi all, i will be heading out for my first Grayling session of the year later this week on the river Derwent. I know the flies, i know the techniques, but what i dont know is where to find the fish!. On a not so clear river/stream how can you spot grayling holding areas and the likely places to find them?

Cheers.

Whenever i fish for them during the colder months i find that they tend to be sitting in the slacker water alongside fast runs. I would guess that it all depends on the conditions on the day though. If the river is low they may well be in the fast water or if its in flood then they will probably be seeking shelter in a quiet spot.
On a small river like the derwent i would use searching tactics with an upstream nymph casting to the edges of fast water.
Thats just my opinion though, im sure somebody else will tell you something completely different.

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“Where the footprints end the fishing begins”

You need to get to know the river you're fishing a bit - go and look for the features of pools and search out pockets and slack water in them as discodazz says. A single grayling doesn't need a big pocket to fit into - behind a lump on the bottom in fast water is big enough, so don't neglect a fast run if it has features, run a nymph through it a few times, you might be surprised. Anything you learn - store away for next time. You'll gradually build up a picture of fish holding spots that other anglers may have missed.
If they're shoaled up, then the deeper slower pools will hold them. Don't neglect the tail of the pool though. A lot of my best grayling I've spotted sitting in 6-12" of water right in the tail. A great buzz when that faint shape materializes into a big grayling with that huge dorsal... and eats you're nymph or dry.
Shoaling - remember they move around a lot. So where they are one day, doesn't mean they'll be there the next - they may have moved to a different pool entirely.

Good luck - and don't freeze your nuts off.

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Cheers for the help guys. All taken on board. It sounds like they prefer similar areas to where tout can be found.

hi MattK, I fish the Derwent on a fairly regular basis and will go along with Discodazz, just off main currents and also at tail end of pools, I know you said you were happy with fly selection but I have found cochybhondu to be pretty sucessful over the last couple of weeks...things not livening up until about 1pm - 4pm.at Winlaton Mill anyway!

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No problem, let us know how you get on. Ive been meaning to catch a derwent grayling.

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“Where the footprints end the fishing begins”

The Derwent is now at its ‘low average’ for winter, a couple of inches up on the normal summer level, so slacker areas will be at a premium. The river is relatively narrow, so typically it tends to up its pace all the way down at this time of year; however you should still find a few ‘channels’ in the more likely spots that you can probe. Here are a couple of places to have a look, where you’ve got a good chance of finding a grayling.

On the Winlaton Mill beat, go down to the river from the car park in the village (next to the traffic lights on the A694) and turn right. Keep on the path that follows the river on past the new butterfly bridge (don’t cross) and on beyond the fork in the paths. After the little stone bridge where the metalled path crosses the outflow stream from the park pond, turn left down a track to the river bank. There’s a far bank run there which usually holds grayling, with the odd specimen up to about a pound at times. If you find yourself in a spot that looks similar to the third photo down in Stephen’s feature on the Axwell Park & DVAA site, (I think) you’re in the right place.

Another place that always has grayling in residence is Points Pool – the weir pool immediately downstream of the bridge on the Burnopfield Road going out of Rowlands Gill (B6314). It’s at the top end of the park on the Gill side, but the better side to fish the pool is from the Gibside bank. Either go in through the gate for Gibside Estate and walk through the trees down to the river bank, or climb over the fence on the immediate opposite side of the bridge to the Gill and follow the narrow track down to the bank. This pool has a fairly constant 4-5ft deep run of quite swift water, which comes predominantly down the Gibside bank but can vary a bit if the water is also going over the weir under the arch on the other side. You can park very close to here in the car park for the Derwent Walk – turn right off the B6314 just before you cross the bridge (heading for Burnopfield) and the car park is 50 yards on your left.

The grayling round here are predominantly on the small side, but you will get the odd decent fish. The little uns have been present in considerable numbers throughout the Rowlands Gill area since September, although I haven’t been out since the cold weather truly hit home a couple of weeks ago to see whether they’re still showing. There were definately lots of small and a few med-sized grayling about at Points in mid-Nov.

Tight lines,
W_n_d
The Lambton Worm: The Definitive Guide to Angling in North East England