©

The Journal of The Grayling Society

Volume 27 - Number 12 • Winter 2019

© CONTENTS

The Official Journal of Editorial Bob Male 2 The Grayling Society Review of Symposium Rod Calbrade 4 ISSN 1476-0061 Chairman’s Speech Rob Hartley 7 Free to all our Members in Australia Lithuania Instant Karma Steven Murgatroyd 8 Austria Luxembourg Belgium Netherlands Malcolm Greenhalgh and Geoff Haslam Canada New Zealand Obituaries Rod Calbrade 9 China Norway Czech Republic Poland A Northern Grayling Mystery Robert W. Milne 10 Denmark Portugal Eire Scotland Stolen Moments Steen Ellemose 11 England Slovenia Finland Sweden Area 6 Fishing Day Glyn Williams 13 France Switzerland Germany U. S. A. Dirndltal Delights Andreas Schumacher 14 Italy Wales Isle of Man Review of the Maxicatch Semi-automatic Fly Reel Dave Southall 19 Editor - Bob Male Telephone: 01722 503939 Is it worth fishing? You bet! Robert W. Milne 21 e-mail : [email protected] It’s Autumn Again K.M. Andrews Advertising - Rod Calbrade 24 Subscriptions per annum: Panning for Silver Robert John Frazer 26 Full £28.00, Joint £47.00 Senior (over 70) £22.00 Grayling Notes from 2018 and 2019 Stanislaw Cios 33 Junior (under 16) £5.00 Details available from the Conversations with an Otter Stephen Dicken 36 Membership Secretary Tim Taylor Bosnian Red Tag Brian Clarke 86 Rushmore Road, London E5 0EX 38 Tel: 0207 2543704 Mob: 07818 427350 Crossword Dr. Iain Gibb 39 Email: [email protected] Bookshelf Bob Male 41 Design and Production Peter Silk Symposium Minutes, Treasurer’s Report and Accounts 42 e-mail: [email protected] Officers of the Society 46 Society Web Site www.graylingsociety.net © The Grayling Society, 2019 The copyright of all material in this edition of ‘Grayling’ remains with the Authors, or the Printed by Cambrian Printers Grayling Society, and may not be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without the copyright holders written permission. The Grayling Society and members of the Executive Aberystwyth SY23 3TN Committee accept no responsibility for the accuracy of any article or advertisement herein and no guarantee is given for any product or service being offered. Contributions, including Cover Illustration photographs or illustrations are always welcome, but the Society assumes no responsibility Autumn on the Wylye for the safety of contributions, although all reasonable care will be taken. Views expressed Bob Male by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Grayling Society. All enquiries about articles in ‘Grayling’ should be addressed to the Editor.

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 1 Editorial Bob Male

It was quite a few years ago that I edited entitled his posthumous autobiography my first Journal for the Society. This one, “Some of it was fun”, and I know what he sadly, will be my last. It is with real regret meant. I would amend this to read “Most of that I am standing down, but, objectively, it it was fun”; I took on the Editor’s role with a is time to make way for another person, flying start from Rod Calbrade, and a clear another voice, to draw together and oversee track ahead. There have been a few the many valuable contributions that make disasters, mea culpa, but only a few. up the Society’s publications. I am happy to I have enjoyed receiving all kinds and hand over to Nigel Hudson, whose experience conditions of articles, photos, poems and and skills in this field will surely make him puzzles from our very diverse membership, a very fit person for the role. and tried to knit them together into a To make things even harder, I was not able coherent magazine. The Committee have to get to this year’s Symposium, for all sorts been splendidly supportive and positive, and of reasons that I will not bore you with. By many members have expressed their happy chance I met Pat Stevens, our Vice satisfaction with the Journal, and the other Chairman, a few days before the meeting, Society publications, when I have met them. and he was able to present me with a Thank you all. The Newsletter has mutated a couple of times as the Society has kept up, cautiously, with new ways and new communication media, and the GAG is now fully digital, but the Journal, “Grayling” is still our publication of record, and stays, I hope, true to our values and aims. We seem to be getting more articles now from our European members, and serious scientific and conservation topics are becoming a regular feature. The standard of photography is, I think, very good, whether from amateurs or from seasoned pros like Rod! Overall, I hope that the articles and features reflect our respect and affection for our chosen quarry/obsession, and our desire to see the grayling family thrive and multiply wherever they may be found. I must reiterate my sincere thanks to Peter Silk, our layout and composition expert. I “inherited” Peter and all his great skills splendid print by David Millar, to mark the from Rod, and have never considered occasion of my “retirement”. changing – he regularly converts sow’s ears I want to thank everyone involved for this into silk purses, and always listens to my very kind thought - it’s a lovely image and suggestions, as well as occasionally making has a place of honour above my tying desk. some of his own – he is always worth Had I been at the Symposium with you all listening to. to say farewell, I should like to have said Feedback from you, the members, suggests something like this: that the Journal is a very important part of That fine angler and writer, Hugh Falkus, your membership - you enjoy reading it and

2 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 feel it is one of the Society’s most important changes in population may signal subtle expressions of identity. I am sure that Nigel shifts that, unchecked, may go on to affect will continue to provide this service to all us all. Environmental protection should be a our members, and take us to new heights. highest-level priority for any new On to a rather broader issue; down here in Government, and I wish I could feel more the Wiltshire Avon catchment we are seeing confident that our current crop of a serious drop in grayling catches over the politicians will be up to the task! last two years. All the five rivers seem to be New Area 1 Secretary affected, and the anglers’ impressions are reinforced by electrofishing data. The 2+, 3+ Welcome to Ian Elford, who is taking on and 4+ age groups seem to be greatly the Area 1 Secretary role, and many thanks reduced when compared to previous years. to Mark Hamnett, who has had to stand The data is not yet complete, and we know down, for all his good work. I’m sure that that grayling do have a “boom and bust” Ian and the members will soon be in touch, population pattern on many rivers, but and planning good things. experienced river watchers are worried that Malcolm Greenhalgh present figures cannot be accounted for by the usual suspects – spring floods and poor We are all very saddened to hear of recruitment. Are we seeing damage caused Malcolm Greenhalgh’s death. He was a great by rising water temperatures? Is the supporter of the Society, a fine angler and a cormorant problem rearing its ugly head fighter for conservation. Rod Calbrade has again? What effect can river improvement paid tribute in this edition. measures have on grayling populations? All In closing may I reiterate my thanks to all, of these questions, and others besides, can past and present, for advice and support only be approached and eventually and general good fellowship over the years. answered by some serious research and May we all enjoy clear waters and good study, and we face another question – who fishing for a very long time to come. will do this? At local or national level, the EA is starved of resources, and barely able to Copy deadline for the Spring/Summer issue is engage with such concerns. Grayling are an Monday March 16th 2020 important indicator of river health, and big

Action from the Area 6 Fishing Day - more on page 13

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 3 REVIEW OF SYMPOSIUM Rod Calbrade 43rd Symposium, and they said it wouldn’t last!

Geoff Bevan, standing in for Chairman Rob Resources Wales, Joel Rees-Jones showed the Hartley who was chasing penguins in devices and modus operandi for tracking fish Antarctica, welcomed the assembled with the latest image making equipment that delegates to this year’s Symposium in they hope soon to use on grayling. The Llandrindod Wells. He mentioned specifically digital displays using both overhead and Martin Murray and Hazel Slowey our annual underwater drones were remarkable. overseas visitors from the land without Lunchtime saw the Trade stands of Coch y grayling or a G.S. area, Ireland. He wished his Bonddu, FLYTEK, Durham Flyfishing, and predecessor Roger Smith well after his recent Brian Clarke all busy. operation, as well as giving best wishes to After lunch Simon Evans, CEO of the Wye Malcolm Greenhalgh who had been and Usk Foundation updated us on the work undergoing heart surgery . his organisation is doing as well as his thoughts for the future. Immediately following was Simon’s good pal Will Millard, the BBC TV presenter who admitted that his dad was a G.S. member and he had been castigated for not joining – yet! Will gave us a superb presentation on his angling career and his thoughts for the future of angling as well as a background to the recent recovery of many Welsh “coalmine” rivers, particularly the Taff. His talk was illustrated by a couple of film clips that

Signing in

First on was Paul Morgan – the very well known bibliographer and owner of Coch y Bonddu Books. After a background by Paul on his career so far, the session turned into one of questions and answers. Paul gave his thoughts on books of old and why they largely kept their prices and then moved into the digital age and the effect that was having on his world plus many other book / publishing topics. Secondly Ray Lockyer, Dave Mee’s flytying night school tutor from Swansea demonstrated both his love of things entomological and his tremendous ability and patience in capturing them, in great detail, on camera. Chairman John Walker opens the proceedings A colleague of Rich Cove from Natural 4 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Simon Evans

Paul Morgan showed both the state of the Taff 60 years Coordinator who occasionally had “all the ago and these days when grayling are caught right slides but not necessarily in the right outside the Millennium Stadium. He also order”! showed, most poignantly, an image of his Whilst this was going on at the hotel our young daughter gazing at a clownfish in an group of partners had spent a very pleasant aquarium – maybe a fisherlady of the future? few hours at Powis Castle although we lost a Rich Cove of the GRT firstly provided us couple who decided to stay at the hotel, once with the current finances of the GRT and they learnt that Will Millard was speaking! went through the many projects that the GRT Dinner was a superb meal and many have currently underway and in the pipeline. members complimented the hotel staff on After the he AGM Steven Murgatroyd was the quality of the food and its serving. awarded the Righyni Roose trophy for his The “Exauctioneer” Pat Stevens took the “Written Word” piece “Instant Karma”; well done Steven. Les Jervis was the very deserving winner of the President’s Reel; how had it taken so long for him to receive it? Congratulations to Les who has written so many fine articles for “Grayling” over the years. We had a very varied group of speakers as we always try to, all giving excellent presentations – our thanks to them all. All that and we were only 5 minutes over time! The only problem was Trade stands are tempting the new Symposium

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 5 The usual attentive audience

Will Millard...... and his daughter Grace “finding Nemo”

Fly tying tools, a rod and a splendid fly collection were among the fine auction items

6 Grayling – Winter 2019 Catching up on the Coch-y-Bonddu stand stage to extract money, in his own inimitable style. Some new members not knowing the rules of not scratching your head or making Good news from the treasurer any arm movements at all as it may result in a bid. We had a vast array of goods - washout were rife, but several hardy anglers everything from a Halford first Edition to a set out and some actually caught grayling! Fish species chess set, a Rod Dibble special It seems that all beats on the Ithon and rod, and a variety of Days on rivers. A table of Lugg were unfishable as were most beats members from the West Country added a good downstream of Builth. The Irfon was few laughs to the proceedings as well as being definitely the place to be, while the Wye very generous with their wallets. Thank you upstream of Builth Wells didn't look too bad. lady and gentlemen, we hope to see you again. So, unfortunately, some anglers did not get And Ceri Morgan went home a happy lady to fish but those who were lucky enough to as the Wales Rugby team had annihilated have been given fishable spots enjoyed France 20 – 19! themselves. Friday had been very wet with torrential Overall it was a very successful Symposium; downpours encountered by many members many thanks to all who organized and took on the trip and expectations of a complete part in it. CHAIRMAN’S SPEECH 2019 Firstly, my abject apologies for missing this from being treated as river vermin, we are year‘s symposium. I am confident that Pat failing to protect its habitat. We do give will make a better job of presenting this than grants to clubs wherever possible to improve I would’ve done anyway! the environment but this problem is a I have begun drafting this well before we national one and as a small society, we are know the outcome of the negotiations with almost powerless to affect it. However, we the rest of Europe. I genuinely believe that have been and will continue to reach out to we have a golden opportunity after all the other concerned bodies regarding water dust has settled to persuade DEFRA to quality. develop subsidies and grants to farmers and On a more cheerful note, I am sure you will landowners to benefit the state of our rivers. all have an absolutely wonderful weekend I’m sure we have all seen the damage that and look forward to seeing you at next years spraying cow manure when you are too close symposium, if not before. to the river has caused to gravel beds. Whilst the society may have succeeded in Regards, its original ambitions to protect Grayling Rob Hartley

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 7 Instant Karma Steven Murgatroyd

This article won the Righyini Roose Trophy for the written word in 2019. Ed.

In an old ex-GPO Morris Minor van – still its close encounter with, and pending painted pillar box red – Mike The Milk and I, abduction by aliens from another world. under cover of darkness, followed a tight and It was only when, with one swift movement twisting track deep into the Welsh hills. of his net Mike The Milk scooped the fish With unfamiliar tackle – no rod, just waders, from the stream, that the trout came to life. a landing net and a torch – the destination Briefly. remained, at least to me, unknown. Recently, I revisited the area and was For the last quarter mile, and despite the saddened to learn of the death of Mike the fact he was blind in one eye, Mike The Milk previous season. Sorry to have missed him, dimmed the headlights. For what seemed I ventured once more to the stream where like an age, we cautiously edged our way he said that he felt most alive and where his down an old farm track before finally killing ashes were now scattered. It was late in the the engine. The new silence revealed the day and, as the sun sank towards the sound of a stream close by. Few words were horizon, both dusk and I crept slowly over spoken. Mike the Milk led, I followed. We the landscape. made our way through the damp grass, A fish rose where years before we had down the bank and then into the stream. poached. The icy water gripped my legs and the Despite numerous casts my fly was refused darkness filled my heart. The torch was only until a sudden gust of wind caught my line switched on once the riverbank obscured and deposited the fly on the other side of the the horizon. fish. Immediately it was taken. Shadow upon shadow we slowly waded After a short fight I netted a young Grayling. upstream – Mike The Milk heron-like, probing As I turned the fish over I discovered the the water with the thin beam of light. reason for the earlier refusals - the fish was Suddenly, he stopped. There in the watery blind in one eye. glow was a trout! Mike the Milk held the I left the river with the uneasy feeling that beam on the gently undulating fish. The trout for Mike, his spirit and the fish, the karmic seemed oblivious, almost serene, unaware of wheel had just turned.

The Righyni-Roose Trophy 2020

The theme of next year’s Trophy competition will be announced in Grayling News in the Spring

8 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Malcolm Greenhalgh and Geoff Haslam

Malcolm Greenhalgh, one of the Society’s was Lancashire and particularly the Ribble most stalwart members sadly died on valley. His encyclopedic knowledge of the October 25th. valley resulted in his book “RIBBLE, river and Born in Bolton in April 1946, he was raised valley”, whilst his “FISHING FLIES A guide to in Kirkham and in Preston. Whilst at Kirkham flies from around the world” showed his Grammar school Malcolm was awarded the thorough knowledge of flies to catch virtually Prince Phillip Prize by the Zoological Society any fish that swims. This book was published of London for his essay “Ruff Migration on in various European Languages. the Ribble Estuary”. He completed his Biology A lover of food and drink, he was a keen degree at Lancaster University, which led to gardener and grower of vegetables and those his PhD at Liverpool University. who knew him will have known also of his After University Malcolm wrote his first love of bird watching, particularly in the book in 1975 “Wildfowl of the Ribble Estuary”. Autumn when the Ribble estuary is full of He continued to write whilst following a waders of all sorts. career as a lecturer, he retired at the age of He attended our Symposia each year with his 40 to become a freelance writer and an wife Yvonne and was often quite vocal and author of many books. Malcolm was a well constructive in his comments about the Society. known contributor to fly Fishing, Shooting Malcolm became a Trustee of the Grayling and Wildlife magazines and also an author of Research Trust in 2016 and was very active in various scientific papers. that capacity with a great deal still to Malcolm was a naturalist, a conservationist, contribute. Over the years he had also been a fly tyer, fly fisher, writer and author and a guest speaker at several of our Symposia: whilst he travelled extensively, his first love on one occasion many years ago, with his

Grayling – Winter 2019 9 good pal Oliver Edwards, they tried to teach revolutionized his fishing and catch rate. He the assembled members the intricacies of became a total convert to what Malcolm had Czech Nymphing! considered to be “the Black Art”. They went Tragically, his great fishing buddy and G.S. on trips to Norway and other parts of the member, Geoff Haslam died on the same world together, which Geoff carried on with weekend. in later years. Geoff, also Bolton born and bred, had been No doubt Malcolm and Geoff are now an industrial chemist and his favourite, if not having a laugh and a fish on an ethereal river sole fly when he took up fly fishing, was the somewhere. Greenwells Glory. The photo shows the two of them at the hut However, the persistence with the dry fly on the Wilton F.F.C. Reach 9a, in 2016 at the did not produce enough fish for Geoff and, spot where G.E.M. Skues probably had his last much to Malcolm’s dismay, he took up cast. On the day they were guests of Steve nymphing under the expert eyes of fellow Skuce who took the photo and who, at the Bowland Game Fishing Club member Alan suggestion of Malcolm, had given Geoff his Davies. He was tempted to try the French first chalkstream flyfishing experience. Leader by Chris Hosker and that Rod Calbrade

CORRESPONDENCE A Northern Grayling Mystery Robert W. Milne From Chris Thomas Hi Geoff, Rod, John How do the Grayling spread their fins Just to note my thanks for a really Across this wonderful watery Isle excellent Symposium. I very much Some rivers have the Lady enjoyed the speakers and I thought And some rivers don’t the hotel was excellent - good food, But why I ask the question? a nice room and very helpful staff. To top it all, Alan S and I had a good In North East England Grayling in places abound day on the Irfon, managing three Tees and Wear have them aplenty, Northwards grayling to dry fly this afternoon, Tyne does not except it’s tributary Derwent against all expectations, it would While other Tyne tributaries don’t seem. Alan had two nice fish and I But why I ask the question? had a really lovely hefty fish that was over two pounds. Alan also had Northumberland Rivers Pont and Blyth are blessed two tiddlers on nymphs. The river Further North the Wansbeck and Font not so fell a bit through the day, which The Coquet and Aln are similarly bereft helped. The setting is beautiful at Then Till has them large in number Cefnllysgwinne - a great place to But why I ask the question? round off the weekend. Thanks again to all involved in In rivers Tweed and Teviot they swim in profusion the organisation. Northwards of the Borderlands they dwindle Cheers Until in Scotland North of the Mighty Tay Chris You would struggle to catch a glimpse But why I ask the question?

ARTICLES WANTED! Historical stocking in days gone by The Editor welcomes all Still it is a very puzzling situation contributions to Grayling Why some rivers have the Lady Don’t just leave it to others! While rivers close by don’t A Northern Grayling Mystery? Indeed !

10 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Stolen Moments

Steen Ellemose

"One must steal time for fishing, whenever the middle of the river. At a distance I could possible". That is the first sentence on a page see rising fish, but rain was approaching. At in my fishing diary. It was that summer, first it was just a drizzle, ignored by both where too much collapsed at once, new job, upwinged flies and grayling, so I did the relocation, death and birth. The hours for same, but suddenly someone was "turning up fishing were few, so I made a virtue out of the shower" and it was raining cats and dogs. a necessity. I hid under my oilskin coat and held the dry This day was one of the early days of fly in my hollow hand, to prevent it from autumn, with alternating sun and heavy getting wet. Despite the fact that I, like a showers, a day where it's not really summer, beast, turned my back to the heavy rain and but it's neither really autumn. For various reasons, I had full discretion over the last hours of the afternoon, and when my road fell by the little grayling stream in Jutland that I then fished a lot, I paused. The first grayling rose under some branches close to the opposite bank, but I failed to set the hook. I continued downstream towards my favourite place, a typical grayling spot, a place where the creek forms a hollow in an otherwise straight line, with a pair of well-sized ranunculus in A rise

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 11 Danish grayling rivers - here and on the previous page

Baetis

wind, the inevitable happened; the rain and moisture began to creep under the jacket, which became heavy and stiff. When the first cold drops started to run from the throat and down to the nipple, I did consider to call it a day and go home, but I had barely had the thought before the rain suddenly stopped and the sun shone. As both flies and graylings also responded, the first by hatching, the last by rising, I had to stay. The first cast was taken off by the still strong wind, but first time the little Funneldun came drifting quite right down the end of the ranunculus, it was taken by a Funneldun nice grayling that was reluctant to surrender to the net. The grayling was about 16 inches (40 cm), and was offe red its freedom right away. I stayed at the rest of the afternoon, but I was just enjoying the nice weather and the lovely river. Any fish would become an anti-climax. Members Area on the Grayling Society Website We recently added a members only Members Area to the Grayling Society website. This secure facility allows members to access: N Personal Details - view and update your personal contact details. N Events - view details of upcoming events, make bookings for the annual Symposium. N Payment - pay annual subscription. N Publications - access Grayling Society publications. We are in the process of adding back copies of Grayling. N Membership Card - print your membership card. N Change Password - change your password. You can access the Members Area by clicking on the Member Login button found on the left hand navigation bar of the Grayling Society website. You will need your login details to access the Members Area. Many thanks, Kris Kent

12 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Area 6 Fishing Day 18th July 2019

We met at the Berwyn Arms on the A5 on a grayling were not too hungry on the day and bright day and were fortified with a quick lots of smaller trout made up the bulk of the snack of teas, coffees and large Bacon catches. I suspect some compensation water Sandwiches. may have chilled things a little. After saying our hellos and introductions and Everyone caught fish and at the ‘de-brief’ at the obligatory Health and Safety briefing, we the pub afterwards everyone seemed to have made our way in convoy down to the river to enjoyed their day. tackle up. Thanks to Corwen club for allowing us use of Our Chairman, Rob Hartley kindly offered to the beat. Any proceeds on the day were donated call on us for a while to take some photos and to the junior section of the club. Thanks to Rob experience the wonderful Welsh scenery and Hartley for his photographic skills, the Berwyn the river. Dylan Roberts of Corwen Angling Arms for their hospitality, and finally thanks to club also came along to offer his expert help the members for their support. and guidance where needed. A number of the Glyn Williams attendees were members of the Corwen club and others not. However a number of members who were familiar with the beat offered to take a visitor under their wing to give guidance. Thanks to Steve Whitney, John Walker and Dylan for being willing helpers. Here is the group just about to launch themselves on to the river. We suffered a blustery downstream wind, which made some methods tricky and most resorted to swinging spiders and nymphs to catch fish. Louis Noble fared well with a number of grayling on Tenkara at the bottom of the beat. Sadly the decent Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 13 DIRNDLTAL DELIGHTS Pielach Grayling Days, October 2 019 Andreas Schumacher

I have probably had the Pielach on my fishing and who I like to introduce with “rivers-to-fish-before-I-die” list for almost a “The man who can catch a 20 inch grayling decade. in a phone booth”. He had fished the Pielach On a business trip to Vienna this April, my many times before and knew Ewald but friend and Austrian member of the GS, hadn´t met with Michael before. Florian had Michael Rzepa, took me out for a day on his always raved about the special colour of the home river “Fischa” to fish with him. Just Pielach fish, arguing that for the after we hit the Autobahn he casually prominence of bronze and golden tones in mentioned that he could have also taken their dress they should actually rather be me to the Pielach but as the weather called “goldling”. forecast hadn´t been good, he had decided To already fish the day Florian drove in to do the Fischa instead. He must have from Imst, Tyrol early on a Friday in late sensed my anxiety (not disappointment – September while I flew into Vienna from the day on the Fischa was actually great) Berlin. I knew that he would be on the river and it wasn´t long until he urged me to by around 10 am and before I left my house come and fish the fabled grayling river in in Pankow, he sent a couple of photos via Lower Austria. He had told the head river WhatsApp. One of them had him releasing a keeper Ewald Hochebner, who manages the massive grayling. That What´sApp came in river for the ÖFG (Österreichische at 10.10 am. Fischereigesellschaft) about me, my interest Michael picked me up at Vienna Airport in grayling and the Grayling Society in early afternoon and we headed out to general. Ewald insisted to introduce me to Hofstetten in his truck. A pleasant drive of a “his” beloved river in person. bit over an hour. Anticipation grown to the The fourth wheel on this lucky cart of a extreme by then. But we weren´t supposed fishing trip was my old friend Florian, a to fish that day, so he just showed me a few young fisherman from Tyrol (I happen to be spots on the river while we rolled in. Very half-Tyrolean myself), who grew up grayling low water, not unusual that time of the year.

14 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Advantages and disadvantages, to be discussed later. A cold Märzen beer at Strohmaier’s Gasthaus finally did help to ease my strain. A quick parenthesis about Stohmaier's Gasthaus: Apart from being a friendly, well-managed countryside hotel with an in-house, old- fashioned butchery, Ernst Strohmaier´s Gasthof in Hofstetten is THE meeting point for Pielach fishermen from near and far. It´s one of those magical places An evening spent with excellent traditional where fishing is a part of the history and Austrian dishes (think Wiener Schnitzel DNA of the establishment and where the galore!), great stories, laughter and a couple walls can tell so many tales of big fish more Märzens, a few hours of sleep, a quick caught and lost over decades. You just have but also delish breakfast and I was finally on to listen closely… the water. Well, on the edge of the water that is. I am glad that my friends had already informed me about a most unusual regulation strictly practiced on the ÖFG stretches of the Pielach: It reads “Wellies only!” Depending on water levels, the river is medium to small and the idea is to leave the fish room and not galumph on their heads and spawning grounds as is the norm on most other waters, where I often find myself baffled by fishermen who are in deep to their nipples while already balancing on tiptoes. So, yes, the Wellies rule actually makes sense to me. In particular on a river where a decent caster will still be able to reach out to the opposite side on most spots. The day had started bright but by the time we were rigged-up clouds and some rain spray had taken over. The water was crystal clear and low. Between where we left the cars and my first spot we had already lost Florian to a huge fish that he had detected but couldn´t catch the day before, closely pursued by Michael (a professional photographer by trade) and his SLR. Ewald explained the stretch to me, a deep run on the far side below a riffle and pointed

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 15 out fish near and far. I started to cast my #18 grey CDC dun to where I was told but had problems to present it as intended. A new rule entered my book of things NOT to do: Never again use rod/line/leader combinations for the very first time when in such special situations. It may have been my over excited anticipation but everything was in a mess on every cast. Cursed with bad eyes I also did not really see the fish that Ewald constantly saw rising to my off presented flies. I guess I reached my personal low point when took my line off the water for a new cast and ripped off my When we changed spots I set up another fly on a rising fish I had overlooked and rod that I had brought with a line/leader which took my fly the moment I lifted it. that I knew worked well with the rod and Bang! this made all of a difference. NOW I was in Ewald never lost his patience and after a the game tackle-wise and my eyes had also while I caught my first fish. My friendly got used to the flashy, low-water rises of the mentor developed a funny habit of exited Pielach grayling. What followed was one of shouts, giving me a trembling “Whoa!” every the best fishing days of my life. Period. time I was about to miss another strike and The Pielach has a superb population of after a while I simply lifted my rod to his grayling, including a good number of chunky yells. Bingo! Hooked! fish up to two pounds. There are bigger fish too but they are as finicky as the water of this river is clear and it takes the highly experienced grayling fishermen like Florian or local guru´s like Ewald to catch them. And, mind you, all grayling in this river are wild fish! Same as the Huchen (Danube salmon) that you can also catch in this river. The fact that Hucho hucho actually feeds on grayling makes it even harder to comprehend the density of grayling stocks in this river. And should you happen to be interested in the pursuit of up to 60 lbs (!) grayling-fed mega-salmonids, you are welcome there to try your luck, too. Not on the same day tickets that you buy for your grayling fishing (more about this later) but available through the same association (ÖFG) represented by Ewald Hochebner. Just bring a bit sturdier gear than your #3/4 grayling outfits then, please… You will also catch beautiful brown trout and even an occasional rainbow. All of them perfect in condition and hard fighters. The river is gravel and stone bottom most everywhere and walking it´s edges in the mandatory wellies is easy as cake. Just watch the total height of your boots. The

16 Grayling – Winter 2019 once you had your dry fly drift over such a run of water, you were in business before long. But I was reminded by my experienced friends more than once that with higher water it would not be so convenient to make out the fish (I deliberately don´t use the term “easy”, as my bad eyes had problems spotting many a fish even in that low water…). Also, the dry fly that I love to fish so much won´t be as effective then, and a water is pretty cold and when you lose focus weighted nymph may become advisable. on where you are and what you wear on Finally, I guess the wading in wellies will your feet while playing a good grayling, you probably also become a bit more tricky with will find out just HOW could the water is. more water in the river. When we fished the river it was in good So, no fly in the ointment? Nothing to taint shape and obviously the fall low water the sweet picture? Well, not really, BUT, as so situation was accommodating to this here often is the case, paradise actually comes Pielach novice. The fish were relatively with a bit of a price tag. If you are not a massed in the rarer deeper stretches and member of the ÖFG, a day ticket for grayling

Grayling – Winter 2019 17 and trout will set you back a robust €150 introduce you to him, so please don´t (appr. 130 GBP). On the other hand this will hesitate to reach out to me. open around 50 km (!) of river to you, Oh, and what about the strange title of this divided into two different stretches (“Pielach article, you ask? When I first came to the Classic” and Pielach “Huchen”) and with Pielach valley I was surprised to also hear it grayling distributed throughout. Try fishing called the “Dirndl-Tal”. The only meaning of that in 1 day! the expression Dirndl that I (son of an Also, members of the Gesellschaft enjoy a Austrian mother) had known so far was that considerable discount and only pay of the women´s traditional garb/costume €100/day. With a relatively moderate that is so typical for Austrian and Bavarian admission fee and a very moderate annual folklore. But the word is also generally used subscription rate I didn´t need my slide rule for a “young woman” in Austrian. Sorry to to fill out the ÖFG membership application disappoint you here, but I was too absorbed before I returned for a second weekend (if by grayling galore to be able to tell you if this got you interested: there was any significant accumulation of www.oefg1880.at/mitgliedschaft - but you young women there. What I did get to enjoy will have to dig out your old school German is the remaining meaning of Dirndl, namely – no English translations there). the cornelian or cornel cherry which is also Tickets can be obtained at Strohmaier´s very typical for this lovely valley. You have Gasthof: (https://www.gasthof- Dirndl jam for breakfast, Dirndl juice with strohmaier.at/) or at Klejch´s tackle shop in your lunch (no beer for me then…) and best Vienna (https://www.klejch.at/). of all, fresh Dirndl berries picked from the If you want to go, I recommend that you bushes when you fish the Pielach in fall. contact Ewald Hochebner While I write this, I can still taste the intense ([email protected]) in advance for flavor of the wild cherries. And see a flashy some good advice and perhaps even a bit of Pielach “goldling” rise to a tiny dry fly in my an introduction to the river. I am happy to mind´s eye.

18 Grayling – Winter 2019 Review of the Maxcatch Semi-automatic Fly Reel Dave Southall

I have long been a lover of the Vivarelli semi-automatic fly reel with its capacity to retrieve spare line rapidly, obviating the risk of the line fouling up on bankside vegetation or trailing downstream and tangling with a played fish. Having used a semi-automatic reel for many years I find using a conventional reel tedious since retrieving slack line is so slow and inefficient even with large arbour reels. Just a flick of the lever on the Vivarelli zips up a load of slack. However, the Vivarelli has one big drawback, the gap between the molded carbon fiber frame and spool is large enough to allow any line of 3 weight and thinner to get jammed, damaging the line and potentially resulting in a lost fish. Since I now rarely fish for trout and grayling with a line over 2 weight this has been a problem for me. Carefully sticking thin strips of Gorilla Tape along the edges of the frame has resolved the problem. Another minor drawback of the Vivarelli is that the only way to alter the drag is with a small Allen key. The line capacity of the Vivarelli is a little limited if you fish DT lines: it will just take a 5 weight DT line with no backing. One plus is the ready availability and ease of fitting spare spools on the Vivarelli. My friend Steve discovered an alternative reel.

The Maxcatch Semi-automatic fly reel is Chinese, made from aluminium and machined to very high tolerances. The gap between spool and frame is so fine that even 0.5mm diameter monofilament will not go through it. Furthermore it has a superb drag system controlled by a disc surrounding the screw that attaches the spool to the frame. The main limitation of the Maxcatch reel is its low line capacity: being a medium arbour reel it will not take DT lines above a 2 weight. Nevertheless, if like me you are an advocate of Tom Bell’s Sunray Microthin weight forward Vivarelli reel (note the gap between spool & frame!) lines you will have no worries about this

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 19 reel’s line capacity. Another limitation is that spare spools are not advertised on the Maxcatch Maxcatch website and changing spools involves loosening the retaining screw with a Semi-automatic Reel suitable tool. Specifications: Having fished with this reel for several With Vivarelli comparison months I have nothing but praise for its quality and value for money. Body & Spool Construction: So what about costs and availability? Vivarelli = Molded graphite At the time of writing (September 2019) the Maxcatch = Machined aluminium Vivarelli is available from: https://www.fishingmegastore.com/view.php Weight: ?module=productsnew&search=Vivarelli&se Vivarelli plus line & backing = 5.0oz archbutton= Maxcatch plus line & backing = 5.9oz at £169.99 (October 2019) Spool size: It is also available from China (or via ebay): Vivarelli diameter = 25/8”/7cm https://www.aliexpress.com/item/323472554 width 7/8”/2cm 93.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7b5e4c4dcG Maxcatch diameter = 25/8”/7cm KFKz width 7/8”/2cm at $139 (£112 approx.) post-free (October 2019)

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20 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Is it worth fishing? You bet! Robert W. “Bob” Milne The Grayling Society 43rd Annual General on the River Irfon, a tributary of the River Meeting (AGM) and Symposium was held on Wye, while John, Iain and Ross were to fish Saturday 19th October 2019 at Llandrindod the Gofynne beat on the same river which Wells (affectionately known as Ken Dodd was further downstream nearer the Wells) in mid-Wales. This was a return to the confluence with the Wye. On arrival at the same venue last visited back in 2012 and beat John decided not to fish and Russ and based at the same venue as it was then, the myself headed to the river to at least give it a Metropole Hotel. “The Northern Lads Who try. The river was high, pushing through hard Like To Hold Hands” were again in evidence and very coloured. By some miracle myself although unfortunately one of the regulars, and Russ managed to winkle out a trout each Bob Lomax, could not make it on this fishing close to the nearside bank on heavy occasion and new Grayling Society member Ross Watchorn Fabian’s Kitchen. L-R: Bob Milne, Roger Walker, Iain Gibb, Russ Pittham, came into the group for the Ross Watchorn, John Mycock first time, and this was to be Ross’s first GS AGM. It was decided to travel down to Wales early so we could fish the Friday as well as the allocated beats on the Sunday. Ross Watchorn, Roger Walker and Iain Gibb travelled in one car with Geoff “Russ” Pittham and John Mycock travelling in another and myself coming independently. It was arranged to meet at The Horseshoes Inn, Welshpool, for a spot of lunch and a catch up to break the journey to Llandrindod Wells which we did all nymphs. After a couple of hours we decided arriving within 10 minutes of each other, no enough was enough and headed back to the mean feat considering the distances and car. What happened then was an amazing directions travelled. After some of us had a sight as two farm workers moved a herd of spot of lunch it was back on our way to The cattle from one field across the lane to the Metropole Hotel. After checking in I used the field we had just come out of using two four hotel’s marvellous leisure facilities having a wheel drive vehicles to round them up with swim in the pool’s warm water and a Jacuzzi, plenty of shouting as well. Immediately my Sauna and Turkish then we met up again and mind sprang to Rowdy Yates (show your age had a wander around the town. In the evening and say you remember him, played by a it was to Fabian’s Kitchen for our meal and young Clint Eastwood in the TV series afterwards back to the hotel for a quiet night. Rawhide in the 60’s) and the song “Rolling, Friday arrived and after a lovely buffet rolling, rolling, though the streams are breakfast it was time to head to the river. To swollen, keep them doggies moving – Rawhide”. say we were not too optimistic was an Well the streams were swollen alright! Once understatement as there had been very heavy the cattle where corralled into the field, the and prolonged rain over a couple of days and gate of which was right next to our car, it was the rivers would certainly not be in the best of time to head back to our base. The guys who condition. Myself, Russ and John were to fish had fished downstream failed to get so much the Colonel’s Water which was quite high up as tickle – hardly surprising in the conditions, Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 21 and their section of river would doubtless have been in worse condition than ours with other feeder streams pushing more dirty water into the Irfon. After a wash and brush up we went to our booked table at the Zeera Indian Restaurant for the evening meal and it was as good as we remembered it from back in 2012. We then had a stroll around the town’s hostelries including our favourite 16th century pub the Llanerch Inn before hitting The Log Cabin for our traditional Jagerbombs and Skittlebombs rounding off the night at the newly opened Temple Bar. Iain amongst the marvellous Welsh countryside Saturday was the AGM and Symposium itself with the usual array of the Gofynne beat under the circumstances interesting speakers, as a book collector I and Iain contacted the Colonel who owned found the Paul Morgan slot very informative the water to ensure there was not a problem and thought Will Millard, fisherman and TV with a slightly enlarged fishing party on his presenter, was especially good. The evening beat and he said no problem, which was very brought the dinner and the auction. Pat good of him. However he said he had put a Stevens ran the auction in his own inimitable bull in the field with the cows which went style with his volunteers, the money raised into the field on Friday but he was a “nice old going to the Grayling Research Trust to help boy”. Five of us travelled to the beat myself with their invaluable work. and Russ had fished on the Friday and when At breakfast on Sunday the word went we saw the river I could not believe it. It was around that the rivers were totally unfishable like a different river entirely from Friday. The so a waste of time going to wet a line. Many river had gone down at least a foot (there was people decided to go home however with The no rain on Saturday), the flow was still Northern Lads made of sterner stuff we reasonably fast but slower than it was, and you could actually see the bottom; the difference was amazing. I got into the water and waded out to a likely looking spot (this would have been impossible in the flooded river on Friday) and was casting away quite happily when I sensed a presence behind me and turned around to see a beast with horns and the very large “nice old boy” directly behind me waiting to cross the river! I eased along the river to allow them to pass keeping a Fun and frolics at the Llanerch Inn very close eye on their progress! We all started out with nymphs decided to have a go anyway. Our party had as you might expect and fish started coming been allocated the same beats that we fished to the flies on a sporadic basis but at least on the Friday with a simple swop of people they were coming. In my own case I had a between locations however we thought that Grayling on which came off as it neared my the Colonel’s Water would be a better bet than hand then a little while later as I cast

22 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Russ netting a fine Grayling Roger returning a real beauty upstream the line suddenly ripped off the of the pub sign, it was just so evocative. reel, my fly had been taken by a big fish. After As that pub had closed we went onwards to a short while a very large trout leapt from the the pub myself, John and Russ had called into water and threw the barbless hook. After this, on the Friday, The New Inn. Now if ever there myself and Roger, who had already had a was a genuine Welsh pub this was it, Yaki couple of Grayling and Salmon Parr, decided Da’s were flying everywhere, I later discovered to explore the beat and headed downstream. this “Cheers” or Lots of the water simply screamed Grayling “Good Health” however nothing was forthcoming so we greeting actually returned to the section of the beat where we had the spelling had enjoyed success earlier in the day, well Iechyd Da so that is success in Roger’s case, and nearly apologies to our success in mine. By this time it was early Welsh friends. afternoon and fish started popping up. I saw a Another sign few rises and swiftly turned to dry fly and had caught my eye a Grayling 2nd next to the pub which I thought was another cast, this time cracker about basically saving our bacon, or successfully theirs in this case, although the sign seemed brought to hand. A to be slightly conflicting itself, certainly a lovely Trout conflict of interest about saving the breed but followed shortly also putting on pig roasts ! afterwards. In the On our return to the hotel the few people end we all caught who had stayed to fish had enjoyed the day, fish with Russ some with great success on the main River doing really well Wye around Builth Wells which continued to with Grayling and clear as the day went on. It just shows you Trout and Roger can never tell how rivers will fish until you had another lovely actually give them a go. Grayling. So yet another marvellous Grayling Society As we headed AGM weekend drew to a close and on Monday back to the we headed for home dreaming of the next Metropole Hotel after a marvellous day on the one. Thanks to “The Northern Lads Who Like river against all the odds spotting Red Kites as to Hold Hands” for your great company and we travelled we decided to stop to celebrate also the Committee and other members who our success at The Trout Inn unfortunately it made it such a memorable and wonderful was just closing but I had to take a photograph few days.

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 23 It’s Autumn Again and Splendid Grayling Weather

K.M. Andrews

It’s autumn yet again, the nights are drawing of fun and satisfaction to both the angler and in and pike are on the hunt, the drop in the the fly tier. Most flies can be classed according temperature and the change in the weather to the ease or difficulty of tying them, and I has made the grayling a fish of a different have included two of my favourites, one is an character. When I was out last weekend, the easy pattern and second is more difficult. grayling where out on mass and I soon found that a light fly rod with a fine line and single fly made for a real good days fishing, never mind putting out an array of flies in tandem. I would say to anybody the best sport is the single fly, fished from the bank on a clear river in Yorkshire . I know I am going to offend some anglers from the south who say chalk streams and trout are the bee’s knees, but I say you can keep your chalk streams, give me the Princess of the river in a good northern stream and good scenery. When I came home, I got to thinking, it’s a The Red Tag is a little fly and a very traditional good time of the year to be a fisherman, nice winter pattern used to catch grayling, it works fishing during the day and fly tying on a night. well on rivers and lakes. It can be fished either as Say what you will, commercial flies have their a dry fly or as a wet fly, with the red tail formed place, but nothing and I mean nothing beats from red wool adding to an otherwise dark drab tying your own fly and catching a fish. To this fly. The only difference between the wet and dry end I would direct the reader to the fact that fly is the hackle, which is softer in the wet fly. most fly fishermen know, the grayling like a bit Dressing of red, and flies with red built in catch the Hook: 10-22 D/E. (Barbless) grayling. Why I do not know, perhaps they Thread: Black 8/0 (I use Kevlar) associate it with their favourite food, but it is a Body: Peacock Herl fact that red triggers an attack by the grayling. Tail: Red Wool I have therefore decided to write this piece on Hackle: Red-brown cock hackle how to tie a couple of flies which catch grayling in northern rivers. Some will say they are easy Method to tie, but, the fly patterns are aimed at the Place the hook in the vice and test the beginner and also the advanced fly tier. I hope temper, this is important as you do not want that this will fill the gap in the Journal of the the hook breaking with a fish on. If it is barbed, Grayling Society by bringing the tying of flies to remove the barb. Start the black thread one the attention of fellow members. third of the way down the shank, this is to Fly tying is as everybody knows is an art allow for the hackle and head, trim away the form, which give an immense number of hours waste thread. Continue to wind the thread in 24 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 close turns towards the bend, after five turns Method catch in 4cm of red wool using the pinch loop Place the hook in the vice and test the method and continue the thread turns towards temperas you not want it to fail at the wrong the bend of the hook. Trim the red wool and moment, if it barbed, remove the barb. Start tease out the tail. Catch in three strands of the black thread behind the eye and wind down peacock herl at the base of the tail and to the bend in close touching turns. Next form continue catching in the peacock herl as you a loop in some red poly yarn and catch in using wind on the thread in close turns towards the a pinch and loop, continue with the thread eye. Take the Peacock herl and twist gently turns towards the eye, tying down the yarn on together, coat the close turns of thread with top of the shank until you reach half way along wet varnish for strength and wind the twisted the shank. At this point lift the poly yarn loop herl down the shank in close turns to produce and pass the thread in front of it, take four a thick body. Secure the herl at a short distance turns around the base of the wing to form a from the eye at the point at which you started stub. The thread is then taken behind the stub the thread. Clip of the excess herl and tie in a and wound down the shank in close touching selected red-brown cock hackle with a fibre turns. Cut the poly yarn at a slight angle to length one and a half times that of the hook allow the body to tapper perfectly. Catch in a gape and wind the thread forward allowing length of silver wire and continue winding the enough space for the head. Wind the hackle thread down the shank tying down the poly forward three times towards the head in close yarn and the silver wire as you go towards the turns and secure with the thread. Cut of any point stopping just short of the turn. Apply excess hackle and construct a head from black some dubbing wax to the thread and apply a thread. Finish the fly with a whip finish and small amount of Hare Ear dubbing. Wind the cut of the thread. Coat the head with wet dubbed thread towards the eye forming a small varnish and allow to dry. slim body and stop at the top of the bend where the hook shank straightens. Bring the silver wire forward towards the eye in the opposite direction to the dubbing between 6 and 7 turns. Lock the silver wire and dubbing with two turns of thread and break of the wire and remove unused dubbing. Catch in two strands of Peacock herl by their tips and secure with two turns of thread, continue the thread forward to the wing stub. Twist the two strands of Peacock herl in to a strand and bring it forward to the The Klinkhamer Special is tied on a curved stub in tight close turns, secure the Peacock herl hook and when tied with red yarn is a killer for with two turns of thread. Tie in the prepared the grayling fisherman. The design of the fly is cock hackle with the good side towards you supposed to represent an emerging caddis fly and in the same orientation as the wing. Bring with the body of the pupa just under the the thread forward to the eye and make a small surface, the hackle and wing makes sure the head, cast of with a whip finish and varnish. fly float, the fly is tied on a curved Klinkhamer Reposition the hook in the vice with the wing hook and the body colours varies from tan to parallel to the vice, and the bend uppermost. olive and black. The wing can be tied from CDC Catch the black thread carefully on at the base or polypropylene. of the wing and leave to hang. Catch the tip of Dressing the hackle in the hackle pliers and wind down Hook: 10-18 Klinkhammer five turns to the base of the wing stub. Cast off Thread: Black 8/0 (I use Kevlar) with two turns of thread and bring the Peacock Wing: Poly Yarn herl to complete the thorax clip away any Rib: Silver wire waste hackle cut the wing loop and tease out Body: Hares Ear Mix and final do a whip finish and varnish. Thorax: Peacock Herl The red wing really appeals to the grayling Hackle: Grizzled Cock and both flies are well worth the effort. Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 25 PANNING F 1959) to the town of Ennis (which has an Grayling Fishing in enormous statue of a fisherman reeling in his catch at the top end of the main street, Red Rock Creek, Montana, underneath a Stars’n’Stripes big enough to September 2019 drape over a house) can all be fished uninterrupted on a single state license. The Robert John Frazer “blue ribbon” water of one of the finest fishing rivers in America is staggering just for Everything is bigger in the You-Ess-of-Ayy, its sheer size, for within those many miles is and nowhere shows it better than Montana’s an even larger variety of terrain: from lethal Madison County, the “Big Sky Country”. It’s a white-water rapids to boulder-dash streams land of extremes: plains shaved as flat as a and languid back-eddies around reedy billiard table stretch out for miles before islands. It will take years to learn every slick suddenly jutting up into the wall of the and hole. Madison Range with nary a bump of a Despite all the superlatives piled up in the foothill between them – and the range’s last two paragraphs, however, there’s a lowest peak of Table Mountain is 9,851feet, problem cracking the Madison like a flaw in already more than twice the height of Ben gemstone… it’s not a great river for grayling! Nevis. Under the razed horizon of open Arctic Grayling native to the continental ground you become dizzy when spinning Missouri River catchment were once around looking up, trying to find the edge of widespread but had all but died out from the what is indeed a Big Sky. Upper Madison by the mid-1930s, largely due The immense scale is not just true of the to competition from trout – there have been terrain, but what you find in it too. Most attempts to restore grayling to the river and places in dear old Blighty, you can barely they do exist in small numbers but Madison walk a mile before needing to buy a new day- fishermen have no realistic prospect of pass – yet no less than fifty miles of the targeting grayling; hooking one’s as likely as Upper Madison River running south to north coming across a nugget. from Quake Lake (a natural dam formed by a When I understood that fact I came to an massive valley-filling seismic landslide in important realisation on the need for a 26 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 OR SILVER different perspective on fishing in America, distinguish our Montana fishing holiday. Red for Big Sky Country is also Gold Rush Rock Creek itself is only barely a survivor – it Country - west of Ennis sits a Wild West actually once held a substantial population boomtown that was ambitiously christened of grayling but it was tragically devastated by Virginia City (today hollowed into a dreary catastrophic government conservation tourist trap). Just as those prospectors spent mismanagement. The sorry story is too long their lives peering down for tiny gleaming to tell here and will have to be saved for flecks in the river, so is the devil in the detail. another article in a later issue, but it will A lot of people when they start fishing in suffice to say for now that after cack-handed North America become overwhelmed at the environment officers nearly rendered the distances on a map and they start to panic, grayling extinct, numbers have recovered to rushing hither and yon feeling forced to some degree so it can still be freely fished. cover as much ground as possible without Red Rock Creek is located inside the Red absorbing the places that they do reach. Even Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the locals fixate on catching the fattest Centennial Valley, tucked into the south- whoppers in the biggest channels, western corner of Montana where it pinches overlooking plenty of fishing where the Idaho against the town of West Yellowstone catches may not break the scales but still (note that if you’re looking it up on a map, offer superb sport. So, even if the Madison is Red Rock Creek is a completely different the famous river that is the focus of whole place to Red Rock River, which feeds the guidebooks, when you visit this area it’s Clark Canyon Reservoir a hundred miles worth spending time in the smaller channels away). Unlike Yellowstone National Park, you too to discover a treasure that’s quite special. don’t need a special license to fish in the Hunting for treasure led us to Red Rock Wildlife Refuge and the standard Montana Creek: barely a trickle compared to the state fishing license works. mighty Madison but still one of the few Our base for exploring the region has water-courses in Montana which holds a always been the punnily-titled Slide Inn, a natural population of Arctic Grayling (today set of Madison riverside lodges run by Kelly reduced to just 5% of their historic extent) Galloup (such a distinctive location it often and the possibility of a unique specimen to gets its own section in the Madison

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 27 Terrain in the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge guidebooks): from here, it’s only a short hop other direction. While the river looks tiny at to Red Rock Creek, via the Idaho village of a glance it disguises almost as much terrain Staley Springs heading towards Lakeview diversity as you would find in the Madison. inside the Wildlife Refuge. Soon after Staley The creek is flushed by snowmelt every Springs you will rumble onto a graded dirt spring, creating a see-saw riverbed – one half road and return to nature – taking it slower scarcely wets your toes with a film of water on the rougher track gives you more time to running over flat beds of small, round loose appreciate the scenery. It once again gravel (you can feel the water-flow scooping impresses with the vastness of Big Sky it out from under the soles of your waders as Country – you can see so far that the land you stand in it), but the other half is looks piebald as clouds stretch far enough to pockmarked with flood-gouged holes make individual patches of light and shadow reaching to eight or nine feet deep and are on the ground. Red Rock Creek is easy to certain to have monsters lurking in their miss – it’s only signposted with one wooden depths, alongside deep long scars of board by a concrete bridge that crosses it on undercuts for shady shelter. Any reader who the refuge road to Elk Mountain Resort – but is friends with a Geography teacher should there’s a parking layby to get tackled up. The advise him to visit Red Rock Creek because journey should take you around an hour – and while an hour doesn’t sound like a “short hop”, remember that everything is bigger in America! Access is easy via a stile next to where you park and you can fish both upstream and downstream of the bridge. Downstream goes towards the lakes, which promises big fish swimming up, but another fisherman who had arrived just before us was already heading downstream so we turned in the

28 Grayling – Winter 2019 it’s a textbook-perfect stream of meanders, also had obstructions, particularly tough swan-necks, deposit and erosion banks – willow roots, which made casts more likely to after walking up it I felt sufficiently revised end in a hard wrap-around snag that to retake my GCSE! couldn’t be pulled off like a simple tug on All this appeared promising for a high- weed or a wiggle around a stone, and it scoring day but Red Rock Creek proved to be required wading in to deep pools to extricate a challenging river. Due to the small size of them. The pools were deep, but they were the river (no need to cast twenty yards!) we also small, so it was difficult to switch our rig also fished light: to weighted flies to reach the bottom a four-weight because the current would carry them into rod, a French another snag before they descended far leader and a enough. Critically, it was also a bright hopper-dropper bluebird day – and while that glorious setup including a sunshine makes for lovely photos of the pink hopper and countryside, it doesn’t encourage rising fish! a silver-beaded Indeed, we didn’t see so much as a single rise pheasant-tail. the entire time that we were heading up the However, strong river. gusty wind Our strategy was to drop the hopper in overcame the around the edges of the banks with the hope light line and of tempting a sheltering peckish grayling to regularly spoiled our casts. Currents were dart out and snatch a quick bite. Truth be also deceptively complex – in one memorable told, though, the conditions were simply place turning a practically geometric right- unsuitable – we were fishing in bright angle, throwing water flat against the bank sunshine, in the middle of the day, with no before sliding along with the stream hugging hatch. With no rising fish we were casting the edge – making it difficult to get a good blind, and the only fish seen even in the drift in several spots. The banks of the creek clear mountain stream-water were a couple

Fishing short up the creek

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 29 Some of the tough bank obstructions that needed to be fished around. by the bridge which were easily spooked and we’d travelled little more than a hundred went to ground after just a couple of casts. yards as the crow flies and a minute through At the time we were fishing the grayling the brush took us back to the road. While our simply weren’t looking and we travelled own fishing was unproductive, I have every upstream for over two hours without a single confidence that other visitors to Red Rock rise to the hopper. We eventually reached an Creek would fare better in the evening when eroded cliff-face under which we hoped to longer shadows, cooler air and an evening find a long deep stretch but the river hatch should make the fish a lot more active. underneath it actually turned out to be All this sounds like fairly thin gruel filled-in and quite shallow. At this point we (downstream wasn’t much better – the other gave the expedition up as a bad job and fisherman reported only hooking a single scrambled back onto the bank – Red Rock trout in the same time), but the claim we Creek veritably squiggles, so much so that had staked on this patch of Montana hadn’t

Example of a difficult stream – note how tightly the current turns right into a congested bank.

30 Grayling – Winter 2019 The cliff where we ended our journey been thoroughly excavated quite yet. I was off my one chance of a catch by splashing looking over the meander below the car, into the smooth water too closely. While dad sedulously munching through an apple with called directions from the bank, I cast my waders down to my knees, when I straight upstream from directly beneath it – suddenly spied a plip on the water, in the and fluffed it on the first try, as rather than middle of a lazy corner that almost had no just dropping the flies over the fish’s nose I current trembling its surface at all – even cast too strong and long and big obvious more surprisingly, an open patch of water colourful flyline was plopped into the water which had no cover from riverside trees and above it. I drew the line back in, disconsolate, well into the river far from any bushes. I convinced that I’d spoiled myself – but then called over my father, who thought that it the fish rose again. It was still game! A more might just have been a leaf dropped by the careful cast followed: it landed in the right breeze – he might have been right, as arctic place, the fish responded in the right way, grayling are well camouflaged and almost and took the nymph. I excitedly hauled it indistinguishable from the riverbed when back in and what should turn up in the net seen from above, even in this clear mountain Example of the changing riverbed – see the shallow gravel on the right which steeply drops off into a deep hole on the left. water. Nonetheless the ripple rang out again, and then a third time. There was definitely a fish there! Thank Heaven I’d decided to eat lunch before taking down my rod. I quickly pulled my waders and vest back on and took as wide a circuit as I could manage to get downstream of the fish, paranoid about scaring

Grayling – Sprin g / 31 The car park and stile access to the river. The pool where the grayling was caught is also in this shot – see the flat water at the rear-right.

but the object of our desire - an Arctic Grayling! was proud that I’d been able to study the Truly the devil is in the detail and even in environment and been skilled with my hands enormous America it pays to keep focused to find the combination that finally unlocked on the smaller things – the day had been the puzzle of a river that we had never fished decided in a second. I could see mountains before. The grayling may have only been 9” twenty miles away but if I hadn’t been long, but that rare specimen was enough. looking at the water ten feet in front of me at The gold rush of Montana has long since that very moment I wouldn’t have spotted dwindled into history, but there are other the fish and I’d have headed back to the Slide riches glistering under the clear sun of Big Inn feeling dispirited with a day wasted. Sky: I departed Red Rock Creek with my head Instead, just two casts had unlocked the held high, feeling pride in the prize of seeing treasure chest in the deep dungeon, and I my shiny bar of silver. THE PRESIDENT’S REEL The trophy is presented to an individual, or group, whether members of the GS or not, from any worldwide location, who have carried out outstanding works for the Society or the benefit of Grayling. The idea is to recognise the efforts of the ‘unsung heroes’ – members, conservationists, students etc. It is also a great opportunity to promote the Society and its aims. Any member can nominate, so long as he/she is not the sole participant or beneficiary. Once again this can be a member or not. The nomination should be in writing, with supporting evidence, in order that the President can make a credible decision. The submission should be to Robin Mulholland, the President and, if he considers he needs to discuss the merits with anyone, or with the Committee, that remains his sole decision. The trophy will be presented at each AGM. The trophy will be held for ONE YEAR then returned to the PRO of the Society for safekeeping and all applications must be received by 31st July in the year of award. Robin Mulholland OBE, Knapp Cottage, 38/3 9 Corton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 OSZ

32 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Grayling notes from 2018 and 2019

Stanislaw Cios

Fishing trips in Sweden in the last two appearance of the wasps, which were years offered new insights into the biology of abundant even on my table with food close grayling and its relations with the to the river. environment. In August 2019 I revisited River Lögde. The In the River Lögde I have found two interesting water level was again extremely low. My items in grayling stomachs. On July 14th 2018 attention was drawn to the nursery channels the remains of a lizard (Lacertidae ) were found for 0+ salmonids constructed in 2017 (the are in a grayling 38 cm long. The fish was caught a few of them by the river, each about 100- close to the bank. It seems that the lizard 200 m long). This year there was no water in made one step too much or too long. The them (compare the two photos from 2017 grayling didn’t miss such an opportunity to and 2019). I am afraid they have become get a big meal. To my knowledge this is the ecological traps for small salmon, trout and first lizard reported from a grayling stomach grayling. During drought probably almost all (in Italy I have once found a lizard in a pike fish are doomed to die there. caught under an old mill). In the River Kaitum, where I stayed on July On August 8th-9th 2018 I collected two 15th-22nd 2018, I found 3 small grayling in stomachs of grayling from the same river. the stomach of a grayling 36 cm long (see my Due to the hot summer the water level was text on cannibalism in vol. 27(1) of Grayling). extremely low, while the water temperature This time I have found a few small grayling was high. There were only 6 edible items also in trout and pike stomachs. I consider together in the stomachs, which is unusual this good news, since it is an indication of for this time of the year. To my surprise three good spawning and a large young-of-the-year of the items were wasps. So far I have rarely grayling population. found these insects in grayling stomachs in Another interesting item in three grayling Europe and then only in small numbers. Now stomachs were four adults (the sex could not they constituted 50% of the food. Evidently be determined) of the dragonfly Aeshna the warm summer favoured a mass juncea (additionally there were also two

Nursery channel in August 2017 The same nursery channel, August 2019

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 33 females in one trout). All the dragonflies were partly digested, broken in pieces, twisted or folded, so their determination was no easy job for Dr. Paweł Buczy ński, a dragonfly specialist at the UMCS University in Lublin. The presence of females seems to indicate that the insects were on the water in connection with oviposition. This year there was an exceptionally large number of dragon- flies by this river. On a section of the river about 20 m long I saw about 10 Ants flying adults. They were close to the shore, probably feeding on blackflies in Now I move to the River Skellefte (the spot shaded areas. Their large number may be due called Bergnäsdammen near Arjeplog), where to the exceptionally warm summer. This is I stayed on July 28th-30th 2018. This time the my second most interesting case of the focus is on the ants Myrmica ruginodis (det. occurrence of adult dragonflies in fish Gema Trigos-Peral from the Museum and stomachs (the first one was the presence of Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of 14 males of Cordulia aenea and 2 males of Science in Warsaw). In a sample of 7 grayling Enallagma cyathigerum in the stomach of a I found 43 ants, which is quite a large 53 cm brown trout caught in Lake Valkeisjärvi number (in 29 grayling from this water, near Oulu in Finland on June 22nd 2001). caught in the years 2015-2017, there were Before finishing the part on the River only 9 ants altogether). This was due to the Kaitum, I would like to draw the attention of mass appearance of the winged form. There the Readers to the grayling on the enclosed were thousands of these insects on my tent photo. It survived the attack of a pike. I rarely by the water, which acted as an attractor, as find such scars on grayling in Swedish can be seen on the attached photo. This is an waters, though pike are abundant there (I interesting case of the role of a mass don’t recall ever finding such scars on fish in appearance of ants as fish food, though it is a Poland). The previous such case from the far cry from such phenomena in the United River Skellefte. Probably few grayling are States (see: Kannowski P.B. 1971. Unusual lucky to escape from the pike’s jaw. occurrence of winged ants in beach drift. Prairie Naturalist, 3:61-64; Wahtola C.H. 1971. Winged ants as fish food. Prairie Naturalist, 3:57-58). My stay by the River Piteå from July 31st until August 6th 2018 was not only a memorable fishing excursion, but also Grayling with scar from the River Kaitum provided new insights into the relations between grayling and the leech parasite Acanthobdella peledina. On August 4th a 50 cm grayling was caught with a dorsal fin devastated by the leeches (see the photo). I have never encountered such a Gayling 50cm with scar from the River Skellefte (2015)

34 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 This issue merits further research. I encourage anglers fishing in the Nordic countries to pay special attention to such phenomena and report them. In the River Piteå there was another interesting grayling. In its stomach I found a big stone (the one on the right side of the coin). However, in the intestine, close to the anus, there was a larger stone (the one on the left side of the coin). Beyond doubt it would be soon extruded. In my Destroyed dorsal fin with leeches chewing into the soft tissue (2018) article in Grayling (vol. 27 no. 7) I drew attention to the presence of large stones in grayling stomachs and raised the issue whether they can leave the stomach through the narrow posterior part. This stone in the intestine clearly indicates that large objects can pass through the stomach, though it is unknown how long this process takes place. This case clearly points to the need to study also the contents of the intestines, something that very few researchers (if any) ever did, including myself. Dorsal fin probably destroyed by leeches a year or more ago (2019) I would like to draw the case, nor have I found any reference in the attention of the reader to the shape of these scientific literature to such a phenomenon. two stones. Both are long. It seems that they These leeches not only suck blood, but also were mistakenly ingested as cased caddis, chew into the soft tissue. In this respect they which they superficially resemble. This issue are different from other fish leeches. The merits special interest and in the future I will destruction of the dorsal fin has a strong collect all stones from grayling to see if there negative impact on grayling, since the fin are any regular patterns. Within a few years I plays an important role in the act of hope to collect about a hundred stones, which spawning, as well as during feeding and should be sufficient for an in-depth analysis. swimming in strong current. On July 22nd-29th I revisited the River Piteå. I carefully inspected all grayling caught by my friends. On one fish (49,7cm) I noted a partly destroyed dorsal fin (see photo). Probably this is again the effect of the leeches from the previous year or earlier. It seems that the soft tissues between the bony rays are never fully reconstructed and remain destroyed for the rest of the life. These two cases seem to indicate that the leeches destroy only the fin of the large fish.

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 35 Conversations with an Otter Stephen Dicken

It is 7 am and I am crutch deep in the dreaded Signal Crayfish that pollute the River middle of the river Ribble in Yorkshire. The Wharfe, as there are none in the Ribble. Grayling are just stirring, with the odd one or Could be fresh water mussels of which there two rising, although it might be an hour or so is a supply in the Ribble? I decide to see if I before they really start feeding and begin to can get a little closer, so I stealthily get out of rise all around me. For me late May, June and the river and using a big old Oak tree that July are the best months of the year. I’m an straddles the bank as cover, walk quietly early riser and at this time of the year I am towards this elusive mammal. I take my phone awake at 4.30 am. Today is no exception; after out to see if I can get a sneaky picture before it a cup of tea and a couple of pieces of toast will inevitably get wind of me and disappear. I’m in the car at 5.15 am and parked up at Appreciating the river environs Cow Bridge by 6.15am, my first cast was at 6.25 am. I’m using a Treacle Parkin size 16 I started fishing on a lake with my dad as and take a small finger Brownie rising for it at an 8 year old in Walsall in the Black Country 6.35 am. The conditions are excellent, it is 14 and from there we progressed to barbel and degrees centigrade and overcast, with plenty chub fishing on the River Seven and then of fly life already on the water. I’ve already further afield to the beautiful River Lugg in seen two deer and a hare as I’ve walked Herefordshire where I caught my first across the fields to get to our waters. (Settle Grayling on fly as a teenager. Like most Angling Club) I’ve only fished the River Ribble anglers, I fish for a number of reasons. For for a couple of years but having fished the me, it is not only to catch fish but to be at River Wharfe for most of my adult life, they one with the river environs, which has are subtly different but have a common brought me to appreciate everything from the feature, they both rise very quickly with any insect life to the deer I saw this morning. rain and subside just as quickly. Otters as many of you know are elusive creatures and were almost extinct in most Most effective fly parts of Britain until a few years ago. I have Today the height is perfect for wading. I take been fortunate enough to see a few on the a small Grayling at 6.45am again on the same Isle of Mull some years ago but usually at a Treacle Parkin. It is proving to be a most distance. I heard about Otters returning to effective fly this spring. I’ve taken a good the river Wharfe about six years ago and number of trout on it, including at least four have had one or two pass me whilst fishing at 2 plus pound wild Brownies. Having returned Addingham. So as an Angler, should I loathe it safely I hear a big splash just down river. them and wish them culled? Well, we know Too big a splash to be a Trout or Grayling, they take fish but in this article I will raise, I certainly no reports of Salmon yet as the feel, two important points of discussion that I water hasn’t been of the right height long can’t scientifically prove, but which come enough. I hear the noise again and stop from observations, not just from myself but fishing to see the source of the noise. As I from many anglers I talk to. Point one, in suspected - an Otter. Not sure at this stage if defence of this highly efficient predator they it is a dog or bitch but it is oblivious to me a take a wide range of other prey. Goosander hunting just 50 yards away in mid river. I chicks, for one and the Signal crayfish for watch carefully, it is staying in the same spot, another. On the Wharfe they are hoovering coming clear out of the water on the spot and up large numbers of crayfish and the diving to the bottom of the river about 3 feet evidence of this is seen in the piles of claws deep at that point. What is it hunting? Cleary and shell they leave on the banks. It was the not fish as it has dived on the same spot case three years ago or so that I would see about a dozen times already and not the large Crayfish every time I fished the Wharfe

36 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 but I have not seen any recently, and with the the Long Preston Deeps, which has few places Environment Agency doing nothing to get rid of cover for fish of any size. On the Wharfe, of them, maybe the Otters are doing us a numbers have exploded over past few years. favour? As you might all be aware, we have a It was the case that whilst always present in serious problem with predation on Britain’s the Mid Wharfe, over the past 10 to 15 years rivers from the cormorant, goosander and they were declining and rare to catch. otter, to name but a few. A month ago I was However, down at Otley these days the match walking the dog along the Wharfe in Ilkley men of the Otley Angling Club are catching and watched a mating pair of Goosander 20/30 lbs of Grayling in competitions swim down a Trout of about a pound, they regularly. In the past few years Grayling are swam in parallel to each other like two certainly thriving up at Ilkley and Addingham. torpedoes to catch the fish and the female let Again, I’m not sure why they are doing so it slide down her throat with ease. In January well in this mid -section of the Wharfe but 2017 I took photos of 17 Cormorants in a maybe the large and regular floods we are flock, fishing the Long Preston Deeps on the having are creating better breeding conditions, Ribble. Needless to say the fish returns from with new gravel beds appearing along this the Staincliffe Angling Club, who own a long stretch? Is the Grayling able to avoid stretch of the Long Preston Deeps, show a predation better than other species of fish? huge drop in trout numbers over the past So back to the Ribble. Half expecting my three years. I don’t believe this is a quarry to disappear I was surprised when it coincidence. However my second point is; are became aware of me but instead of Grayling surviving better than Trout from this disappearing, it came under the roots of the onslaught of predation? Certainly they are oak tree that protruded into the river and surviving in numbers on the Ribble, even on came to have a look at me. It huffed and

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 37 snorted at me, so I snorted back. This seemed to make it more curious of me, so it ventured out into open water no more than 8 yards away, came to the surface and snorted at me again. So I retorted and over the next 15 minutes our conversation went on, with the Otter diving, swimming a few metres then coming up and snorting, I would reply with a whistle or a snort. At one point it swam to the opposite bank, got out for a minute or two watched me, got back in and came back across to me, lying on it’s back in the river and having this two way conversation. I was Bosnian Red Tag even able to blatantly take photos whilst this Brian Clarke conversation went on. After, as I say, about 15 minutes or so it At this year’s Chatsworth Country Fair must have either got bored or hungry, as it Alan Davies (a member of the Society from the other site of the Pennines!!) demonstrated decided to move up river. I decided to have a this fly to me. The fly, which I call the cup of tea. Within 10 minutes of its departure Bosnian Red Tag because I don’t think it has the Grayling were rising again. Over the next an official name, is used to great effect for two hours I caught 8 Grayling and 2 small grayling when Alan visits Bo snia. trout. The shoal of Grayling I got into Tying included 4 fish over the 1lb mark. I always Hook: TMC # 19 or 21 (Smaller if required) leave the river reluctantly, regardless of my Thread: Brown Silk success or not. This morning I had seen Roe Deer, Hare and Otter and caught some Tag: Small amount of Red Antron stunning Grayling. Body: Single strand of Peacock herl At heart, like most anglers I’m predominantly Wing: One or two small CDC feathers a conservationist and naturalist. depending on hook size

38 Grayling – Winter 2019 Crossword N o. 5 Dr Iain Gibb

Solution on P.49

Grayling – Winter 2019 39 ‘Friends’ of The Grayling Society Please give our TRADE MEMBERS be low your full support when considering making a purchase of fishing tackle, clothing and accessories or fly tying materials. TRADE MEMBERS DEVON SCHOOL OF FLY FISHING THE DURHAM FLY FISHING COMPANY Fox and Hounds Hotel, Eggesford, Devon, EX18 7JZ 14 Claypool Farm Close, Hutton Henry, Co Durham,TS27 4QZ Tel: 01363 82786 Mob: 07904 278889 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] web: www.devonschoolofflyfishing.com web: www.durhamflyfishing.co.uk FUNKY FLYTYING COCH-Y-BONDDU BOOKS Funky Products Ltd, Unit 1 Old Engineers Workshops, Heol Pentrerhedyn, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8DG Taunton Station, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1QP Tel: +44 1654 702837 Tel: 01823 617373 email: e-mail: [email protected] email: [email protected] web: www.anglebooks.com web: www.funkyflytying.co.uk COOKSHILL FLY TYING ALBA GAME FISHING Tel: 01782 388382 Tel: 07734 810706 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk web: www.albagamefishing.com FLY TEK FLY FISHING THE LONDON FLY FISHING FAIR The Owl Business Centre, 47 School Lane, Upholland, Lancashire, Tel: 0208 347 8145 Mob: 07860 887447 WN8 0LW email: [email protected] Tel: 01695 359 935 web: thelondonflyfishingfair.co.uk www.flytek.co.uk WODENCROFT FARM COTTAGES VENIARD LIMITED Wodencroft Farm Cottage, Cotherstone, Barnard Castle, County 69 Gloucester Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 2DD (Philip Varney) Durham, DL 12 9UQ Tel: 0208 684 2288 Tel: 01833 650909 email: [email protected] Mobile: 07595758668 web: www.veniard.com email: [email protected] FLY ONLY LTD web: www.wodencroftholidaycottages.co.uk The Willows Business Park, Nr Bank, Shelley, Huddersfield, SCOTIA FISHING West Yorkshire, HD8 8YB Tel: 07415974879 Tel UK: 01484 600555 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] website: www.scotiafishing.com web: www.flyonlyonline.co.uk THE ESSENTIAL FLY KEATONS Rowan Lodge, 35B Bondgate, Selby, North Yorkshire,YO8 3LX 84 Tor O Moor Road, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, LN10 6SB Tel UK: 01757 333003 Tel USA: 212-796-0874 Tel: 44 (0) 1526 353933. Tel International: +44 1757 333003 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] BARBLESS FLIES www.theessentialfly.com 14 Lanhill View, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6XS TUNGSTEN BEADS PLUS Tel UK: 078767 50828 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] web: www.tungsten-beads-plus.com web: www.barbless-flies.co.uk CORPORATE MEMBERS PENCOED ANGLING CLUB WILTON FLY FISHING CLUB Tel: 01656 863699 Hon Sec: Mike Tebbs email: [email protected] Tel: 01985 841192 web: www.padac.org.uk email: [email protected] NORBURY FISHING CLUB web: www.wiltonffc.co.uk Tel: 01245224883 CORWEN & DISTRICT ANGLING CLUB email: [email protected] Secretary: Paul Ainsworth web: www.norburyfishingclub.co.uk Tel: 07716 489620 TEWIN FLYFISHING CLUB email: [email protected] Tel: 07599 511733 web: www.corwenanddistrictanglingclub.co.uk email: [email protected] PRINCE ALBERT ANGLING SOCIETY web: tewinflyfishingclub.wordpress.com Tel: 01477 533999 WALTONIAN ANGLING CLUB web: http://www.paas.co.uk Tel: 0114 2582163 Mob: 07870 423960 FENTON AND DISTRICT ANGLING SOCIETY email: [email protected] Tel: 01782 870767 web: www.thewaltonians.co.uk web: www.fentonanddistrictanglingsociety.co.uk CAERSWS ANGLING ASSOCIATION Tel: 01686 688196 BUILTH WELLS ANGLING e-mail: [email protected] Dan Graham, Secretary www.caersws-aa.co.uk email: [email protected] www.builthwellsangling.co.uk DERWENT ANGLER'S CLUB Tel: 01723 374755 FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS DENMARK email: [email protected] email: [email protected] web: www.derwentanglers.com web: https://fffd.dk Full details of Trade and Corporate Membership can be obtained from the Editor

40 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 get to the heart of the matter; 28 patterns, dries, wets and nymphs, all shown step by step with fine clear photographs, and well chosen instructions. Barry is a much respected professional photographer, and, although it doesn’t actually say so in the book, I think the photos are his. The skill levels required vary from basic – many of the flies could be tackled successfully by a The Feather Bender’s comparative beginner - up to seriously Flytying Techniques challenging, with such flies as the USD Wally-winged Mayfly. Barry Ord Clarke In his Foreword, Marc Petitjean compares Published by Merlin Unwin. Barry to a good jazz musician, capable of Hard cover 256 pp. Large format (276mm x playing the classics, and of improvising 216mm) with full colour illustrations and QR successfully as well – surely a fine tribute, code links to videos on line. £25. and a very good description of the book. Faithful stand-byes, like the PTN, the If anyone were to scroll through my Klinkhamer and the John Storey are there, YouTube subs, they would know at once as well as highly original flies like the All- that I love fly tying, and they would see Hackle Dry. Tie ‘em and try ‘em! “the Feather Bender” in a prominent place. An excellent book, well worth its place on I have admired Barry’s skills and inventive- any tying bench. ness for quite some time now, and this Bob Male book is very welcome. The idea of having a QR code for each pattern, so that one can, given a suitable app , go straight to the video demonstration, is inspired, and I think this may be the first flytying book to include such links. There are clear instructions on how to use the links at the back of the book – all very simple and clear. To be able to watch an expert tying a fly before you tackle it yourself is not new, but it is now much easier to find the right video, and get it up and running quickly and conveniently. Barry begins with a Tips and Tricks section which is worth anyone’ time to read, and some excellent advice on materials and tools. We then

Grayling – Winter 2019 41

Minutes of the 43rd Annual General Meeting of The Grayling Society held at the Metropole Hotel on Saturday 19th October 2019

1. Apologies stand as Chairman for a further year. There Apologies for absence were received from were no other candidates and thus, Rob Hartley Apologies received from: Robert Hartley, Alan was duly elected on the proposal of Pat Stevens, Ayre, Anthony Wilson, Tom Cowing, Bob Male, seconded by Robin Mulholland. Malcolm Greenhalgh, Tim Smart, Howard Brown, Jon Pepper, Philip Kay, Steve Rhodes, 8. Election of Officers Mike Mee. As all Officers had indicated their willingness to remain it was agreed to elect them en bloc and 2. Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting this was duly actioned on the proposal of Roger The Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Walker, seconded by Greg Payne. Meeting held at Redworth Hall, Newton Aycliffe were approved as a true and accurate record 9. Any Other Business and duly signed by the Vice Chairman on the To revise the Constitution and Rules to include: proposal of Robin Mulholland and seconded by 1. Section 3 - Omit Sales Officer and add Rodney Cartwright. Symposium Coordinator in the list of Officers of the Society 3. Matters Arising 2. Section 3 paragraph c) - add upper case ‘T’ at There were no matters arising. the start of the sentence 3. Rewrite, including sections 5 & 10, and under 4. The Chairman’s Report ‘ Membership’ heading to reflect our online The Vice Chairman presented a written report, membership system and the membership on behalf of the Chairman, reproduced along application instructions found on the website. with these minutes as Appendix A. On the 4. Add an additional section to say All proposal of John Walker, seconded by Steve members of the Society will comply with the Skuce, the Chairman’s Report was accepted by Society’s privacy policy that can be found on the meeting. the website. 5. Treasurer’s Report and Audited Accounts 10. Date and Venue of Next Meeting The Treasurer presented the audited accounts The 44th Annual General Meeting will be held of the Society for the financial year ending at 4.00 pm, on 17 October 2020 at the 2019. The accounts were duly approved on the Mickleover Hotel, DE3 0XX. proposal of Geoff Bevan, seconded by Greg Payne. Steve Skuce suggested that some of the Society’s surplus funds be distributed to Other Items: conservation organisations instead of waiting for grant applications. It was agreed this would Righyni-Roose Trophy be discussed at the next committee meeting. This year the trophy was for “Written Work”. Greg Payne asked that there be a report from The trophy was awarded to Steven Murgatroyd the Membership Secretary. Whilst this is not a for his piece entitled “Instant Karma” – well requirement of the AGM as constituted it was done Steven. considered a valid suggestion and will be The Broughton Trophy discussed at the next committee meeting. The Broughton Trophy for Conservation and 6. Election of Honorary Auditor work on behalf of the Society was awarded to Nick Totham ACA has been retained as our Dr Les Jervis for his work with the GRT and for auditor. Proposed by Bill Beddows and the articles published in the Grayling magazine seconded by Rod Dibble. raising awareness of many important issues. Many congratulations Les. 7. Election of Chairman Rob Hartley indicated that he was prepared to The meeting closed at 16:55

42 Grayling – Winter 2019

Th e Grayling Society Treasurer’s Report 2019

The accounts are presented today for the special needs children to the sport of angling. year ending 30th June 2019. The net results for The running costs expenditure of the Society the year is in excess of income over was £21,426 and even this included some expenditure of £5,631, which has been added monies spent on educational purposes and to reserves carries forward in the balance representing the interests of the grayling at a sheet. local level through rivers trust. This Please note that the 2018 accounts expenditure is lower than any of the previous comparatives have been amended. years going back as far as 2014 – the last Subscription income in 2018 was overstated by accounts I have ready access to. £1991 which should have been carried in the I am pleased to be able to report that balance sheet as payment received in advance committee expenses and associated overheads for the 2018 AGM from members and an are kept to a minimum and have decreased adjustment has been made to correct for this. over the past five years -the same period of Although subscription income is down by just accounts I have ready access to. over £2,000 on 2018 that year was a very good The Grayling magazine is now issued three year for subscriptions with Tim Taylor times per year with the newsletter reduced to collecting overseas arrears as was mentioned one per year. The annual costs year on year in my report last year. reflect this change. The Society’s income for 2019 was £34,057 At the end of the year to Societies assets compared with £33,049 for 2018. An increase were £ 68,961. We hold £ 66,432 in bank of £1,008. The decline in subscription income balances a 30 June 2019 to support our future was more than compensated for by other activities. The balance sheet therefore components of income. The year 2019 was a continues the year on year trend of increasing very good year for the donations with the total strength. The committee will continue to seek figure of £5,928 including a legacy donation of opportunities to use these funds to achieve the £5,000. Clearly the Society is finding favour aims and objectives of the Grayling Society. with some supporters. Steven Kavanagh Grayling Society merchandise sales Treasurer contributed a net of £674 to Society funds 1 October 2019 which was a marginal increase over the previous year’s £646. The AGM in Durham was held at a net cost to the society of £944 compared with a surplus from Wrexham of £1,475 in 2018. The total expenditure of the Society was £28,426. This includes £7,000 spent on conservation and development projects. There was a £3,000 grant to Pencoed & District A.C. for habitat improvement (mainly canopy management) and £4,000 was awarded to “Get Hooked on Fishing” for the introduction of

Grayling – Winter 2019 43 The Grayling Society Accounts for the year ended 30th June 2019

44 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30th June 2019

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 45 OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY President Scientific Officer Germany and Austria Robin Mulholland OBE Ross Gardiner Andreas Schumacher Knapp Cottage, 38/39 Corton Scottish Government c/o Spiess Schumacher Schmieg & Partner Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 OSZ Marine Scotland Science Märkisches Ufer 34, 10179 Berlin Tel: 01985 850450 Freshwater Laboratory Tel: +49 (0)30 440 133 00 Email: [email protected] Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5LB Fax: +49 (0)30 44 01 01 44 Telephone: 01224 294400 (work), Email: [email protected] Chairman 01796 472157 (Home) Holland Rob Hartley Email: [email protected] Hans van Klinken Hartley House, Galveston Grove Wormgoorlaan 33, Fenton, Stoke on Trent Conservation Projects Officer 6732 CB Harskamp, Holland Staffordshire ST4 3PE Richard Cove Tel: +31 (0)318 456474 Tel: 07976 222227 20 Peel Crescent, Ashton Hayes Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Chester, Cheshire CH3 8DB Tel: 01829 759376 (home) Italy Vacant Vice Chairman Tel: 03000653897 (work) Norway Pat Stevens Mob: 07867 908700 Ole A. Bjerke Taenross, Orchard Close, Email:Richard.Cove@cyfoethnaturiolc Johan Bojersveg 8, 2816 Gjovik, Wrea Green, Preston ymru.gov.uk Norway Lancashire PR4 2NH Mobile: +47 40 43 61 76 Tel: 01772 684003 Public Relations Officer Email: ole@gamefish.no Mob: 07788427560 Kris Kent Poland [email protected] Flat 1, Church Road, Dr Stanislaw Cios Nether Wallop, Stockbridge, ul. Stryjenskich 6 m 4 General Secretary Hampshire, SO20 8ET 02-791 Warszawa, Poland Mob: 07793 652039 Email: [email protected] John Walker Email: [email protected] Ty Cerrig, Fron Spain Caernarfon Dr. Vincenzo Penteriani, Gwynedd LL54 7PT Marketing Officer Karl Humphries Research Unit of Biodiversity - UMIB, Mob: 07900 844752 Edificio de Investigación – 5th floor, Email: john@flyfishinginstructors.co.uk 3 Cheswardine Road, Bradwell Newcastle, Staffs ST5 8SG C. Gonzalo Gutiérrez Quirós s/n, 33600 Mieres (Asturias), Spain Symposium Coordinator Tel: 01782 615780 Mob: 07724 461450 Email: [email protected] Rod Calbrade Email: [email protected] Sweden 19 Sherwood Way, High Crompton Harry Salmgren Shaw, Oldham OL2 7LX Email: [email protected] Tel: 01706 842890 Mob: 07749 917667 USA Email: [email protected] Chris Terry 5237 E.41 Ave, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA Treasurer Tel: 907-764-6044 Email: [email protected] Steven Kavanagh OVERSEAS SECRETARIES Aeolian House, Piccadilly Belgium Llanblethian, Cowbridge Pedro Guridi Vale of Glamorgan CF71 7JL Land van Waaslaan 84 Bus 201 Tel: 01446 771326 9040 Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium Mob: 07814 518467 Tel: +32 486 559898 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] UK AREA SECRETARIES [email protected] Membership Secretary Area 1 - Devon, Cornwall, Dorset & Czech Republic Tim Taylor Somerset Jitka Rutkayova Ian Elford 86 Rushmore Road Email: [email protected] London E5 0EX Tel: 07715 277001 Tel: 0207 2543704 Finland Email: [email protected] Mob: 07818 427350 Matti Rantanen Area 2 - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Email: [email protected] Tohlopinranta 25C 12, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, FIN-33270, Tampere, Finland West Sussex & Wiltshire Editor Tel: +358 3 3441 931 Alex Adams Nigel Hudson Mobile: +358 40 501 5212 62 Cressex Road, High Wycombe 2 Mareilian Avenue, Marford, Email: raitane@sci.fi Bucks HP12 4TY Wrexham, Clwyd LL12 8LL France Tel: 07730 203382 Tel: 01718 634458 Jean-Pierre Coudoux Mob: 01494 521801 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

46 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Area 3 - London, Kent, Essex, Area 11 - Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear Dr Les Jervis Middlesex, Hertfordshire, East Sussex & Northumberland 38 Village Road Geoff Wood Stuart Wardle Heswall, Wirral CH60 0DZ 89 Charles Street, Berkhamsted 14 Claypool Farm Close, Tel: 07837 628588 Herts HP4 3DJ Hutton Henry, Co Durham TS27 4QZ Email: [email protected] 07769 2144444 Tel: 01429 836793 Hans van Klinken [email protected] Mobile: 07904 278889 Wormgoorlan 33 Email: [email protected] 6732CB Harskamp Area 4 - Hereford, Worcestershire, The Netherlands Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Area 12 - Scotland Shropshire & Powys, Dyfed, Gwent, Tel: 0031 318 456474 Chris Thomas Email : [email protected] West, Mid & South Glamorgan 9 New Winton Cottages Geoff Bevan New Winton, nr Tranent Dr Martyn Lucas Fishweir Farm, St. Mary Church East Lothian EH33 2NH School of Biological and Biomedical Cowbridge,Vale of Glamorgan CF71 7LT Tel: 01875 613861 Sciences Tel: 01446 774223 Mob: 07508 602 529 Durham University, South Road Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Durham DH1 3LE Area 5 - Leicestershire, West Tel: 0191 334 1345 Midlands, Staffordshire, Email : [email protected] Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire Steve Rhodes & Suffolk TRUSTEES OF THE Paul Deaville GRAYLING RESEARCH TRUST Apple Tree Cottage 21 Beckenham Close 9 Moorber Lane, Coniston Cold Chairman North Yorkshire BD23 4EA off Caverswall Lane Richard Cove Stoke on Trent Telephone: 01756 748378 20 Peel Crescent, Ashton Hayes e-Mail: steve@goflyfishinguk.com Staffordshire ST3 6HW Chester, Cheshire CH3 8DB Tel: 01782 396806 Tel: 01829 759376 (home), 03000 Robin Mulholland OBE Mob: 07805 823488 653897 (work), 07867 908700 (mobile) Knapp Cottage, 38/39 Corton Email: fl[email protected] Email : Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 OSZ Area 6 - Gwynedd & Clwyd, Wirral & Richard.Cove@cyfoethnaturiolcymru. Tel: 01985 850450 Cheshire gov.uk Email: [email protected] Glyn Williams Secretary John Roberts Horizons, 5 Parc Bach, Trefnant Ross Gardiner 64 School Lane, Fulford Denbighshire LL16 4YE 3 Knockard Avenue York YO10 4LS Tel: 01745 731761 Pitlochry Tel: 01904 400720 Mob: 07970 775592 Perthshire PH16 5JE Mob: 07724 049145 Email: [email protected] Tel: 0131 244 0467 (work), Email : [email protected] Area 8 - Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, 01796 472157 (Home) Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire & Email: [email protected] Dr Michelle Smith Norfolk 246 Moorhouse Road Treasurer Hull HU5 5PL Brian Clarke David Mee 21 Corve Way, Holme Hall Mob: 07527 405204 61 Stepney Road, Cockett Email : [email protected] Chesterfield, Swansea SA2 0FT Derbyshire S40 4YA Tel: 03000 653280 (work), Dr Steven Weiss Tel: 01246 271324 01792 589504 (home) Karl-Franzens University Graz Mob: 07711 905776 Mob: 07770 435339 Institute of Zoology Email: [email protected] E:[email protected] Universitätsplaz 2 Area 9 - West, East & North Dr Jonathan Bolland A-8010 Graz, Austria Yorkshire Hull International Fisheries Institute Tel: 0043 316 3805599 Steve Rhodes University of Hull Email: [email protected] Apple Tree Cottage,9 Moorber Lane Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX John Wieja Coniston Cold Tel: 07815 064735 Burnierstraat 28 North Yorkshire BD23 4EA Email : [email protected] 2596 HW The Hague Tel: 01756 748378 Rob Dings The Netherlands Mob: 07717 533177 Telephone: 0031652000380 Email: steve@goflyfishinguk.com Bunderstraat 21A 5555CM Valkenswaard E-Mail: [email protected] Area 10 - Lancashire, Merseyside, The Netherlands Cumbria, Greater Manchester & Isle Tel: 0031402045766 of Man e-Mail: [email protected] Alan Swann Cross Fell View, Brampton Paul Frid Appleby 1 Riverside Cumbria CA16 6JS Wellington, Somerset,TA21 8LJ Mob: 07879061268 Tel: 01823 664084 Email: [email protected] Email : [email protected]

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 47 Area 12 - Chris Thomas Scotland

Area 11 - Stuart Wardle Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear & Northumberland

Area 10 - Alan Swann Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, Greater Manchester & Isle of Man

Area 9 - Steve Rhodes West, East & North Yorkshire

Area 8 - Brian Clarke Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire & Norfolk

Area 6 - Glynn Williams Gwynedd & Clwyd, Wirral & Cheshire

Area 5 - Paul Deaville Leicestershire, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire & Suffolk

Area 4 - Geoff Bevan Dyfed, Gwent, West, Mid & South Glamorgan

Area 3 - Geoff Wood London, Kent, Essex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, East Sussex

Area 2 - Alex Adams Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex & Wiltshire

Area 1 - Ian Elford Devon, Cornwall, Dorset & Somerset

48 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Crossword N o. 5 Solution

Not switched to online membership yet? In line with most other Angling and Conservation requirements to comply with new Data Protection organisations, we are in the process of putting our laws, guaranteeing you control and security over Membership database online. This will make your personal data. Most of you have successfully administration and re-joining far easier for you and switched from our old system to the new on-line the Society, as well as keeping us in line with one, but there are still some who have not. The switchover took place in December 2018 and if you have NOT made the switch, we will need you to take the following action for renewel a. Your current standing order at your bank for the Grayling f. Every year we will send you an email asking you to confirm Society needs to be cancelled by you. We cannot do this for you. your details to “LoveAdmin.com.” and stating that on January b. We need your email address, as this will be your username 1st you will be debited your membership fee. for the membership system. g. You will get notification from GoCardless that the Grayling c. There is a guide on logging in to the system for the first Society well take funds. You are given a grace period if you time in the news section of the website. wish to cancel. * If you have problems setting up a password for the first h. You can also set up a Direct Debit through Paypal, but the time and it says “Invalid Username or password” then the money is taken immediately we issue renewals. Society hasn’t got the correct email address for you. It really is as simple as that. Contact the Membership Secretary to fix this. d. Ideally we would prefer you set up a Direct Debit with the Paypal payments will appear on you statement as Payhere Ltd. Society as this again makes our administrative job much Direct Debits will appear as Gocardless Grayling Society – easier. You can also use credit or debit cards via Paypal, unfortunately many banks only display 10 characters on the though this is more expensive for the Society. However, if you statements, you often can see more if you look online. don’t wish to use any of these methods please just send a cheque to the Membership Secretary. If you have any queries either contact your Area If you struggle with computing... Secretary or the Membership Secretary, Tim Taylor, email: e. If you struggle with computing please call the Membership [email protected] Secretary; he can set up a Direct Debit for you, you just need your Account number, Name and Sort Code. or phone him on 02072543704

Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 49

Chalk Stream Dreams Guided fly fishing for Trout and Grayling on the English chalk streams and beyond. Tailored guided trips on the English chalk streams. Come and discover the beauty and splendour of the chalk streams and the fish that swim in them. Pike on the fly and trotting for Grayling also available. Let us know what you are looking for and we will tailor a package just for you. Chalk Stream Dreams Guiding on the chalk streams and beyond Flat 1 Church Road, Nether Wallop, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO20 8ET Mobile: +44 7793 652039 [email protected]

Wilton Fly Fishing Club If you would like to fish for wild trout and grayling on a beautiful Wiltshire chalk stream, the Wilton Fly Fishing Club has spaces on its waiting list. For further information, please contact Mike Tebbs, the Membership Secretary, at: [email protected] Tel: 01985 841192

For all your Fly Fishing Guiding, Tuition, Specialised Tackle and Holiday/Breaks in the North of England. Get in touch with The Durham Fly Fishing Company and let me ‘exceed your expectations’

Stuart Wardle www.durhamflyfishing.co.uk Tel: 07904 278889 Email: [email protected]

Grayling – Winter 2019 51 Tungsten Beads GUIDED TROTTING ON THE W ELSH Special Offer for Society Members! DEE, SEVERN, ANNAN, TEVIOT NEW Colours now available. and other rivers by arrangement Round beads in gold, copper, nickel, with George Ashton black (gunmetal) and now in white, bright green and hot orange. One to one or two person share Sizes from1.5mm up to 4.6mm (depending on colour). Tackle & bait provided Packs of 50 are only £7.50 inc. p&p. Full day or half day tuition State quantity, size and colour. Advice on tackle, rigs & tactics ALSO - mixed 10 compartment box containing 200 beads (see image). Tel: 0151 548 5741 Just state your choice of size and colour – only £28 inc. p&p. Email: [email protected] To order or for more info email to [email protected] or ring 01543 689117

Till Fishing Holidays Go Fly Fishing UK Specialists in the best of the UK’s Northumberland River Brown Trout and Grayling fly fishing 1 mile of grayling, sea trout and salmon fishing ONE-TO-ONE GUIDING/TUITION AND on the River Till. TAILOR-MADE SHORT BREAKS 4 star centrally heated orchard cottage available. Tel: +44 (0) 1756 748378 Contact Lucy Carroll: 07974 416692 Email: [email protected] Email: fish@till-fishing.co.uk www.goflyfishinguk.com

52 Grayling – Sprin g / Summer 2020 Protect the future of your shing.

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