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© The Journal of The Grayling Society Volume 27 - Number 4 • Spring 2017 &2&+<%21''8%22.6&2&+ < %21''8%22. © CONTENTS Machynlleth,Machynlleth, Powys SY20 8DG Tel:Teel: 01654 702837 www.anglebooks.comwww.anglebooks.com [email protected] The Official Journal of Editorial Bob Male 2 )/,(6)25*5$</,1*E\6WHYH6NXFH)/,(6)25 *5$$<</,1*E\ 6WHYH6NXFH The Grayling Society Robert “Bob” Milne’s Hampshire & Wales ,QFOXGHVJUD\OLQJÀ\SDWWHUQVQ\PSKVGU\ÀLHVDQGZHWÀLHV,QFOXGHV JJUUDD\\OLQJ À\ SDDWWWWWHUQV QQ\\PPSSKVGUU\\ÀLHVDQG ZHWÀLHV ISSN 1476-0061 Fishing Tour Bob Milne 4 ³%HDXWLIXOO\SURGXFHGDQGH[FHOOHQWYDOXHIRUPRQH\7KHSKRWRV³%HDXWLIIXXOO\SURGXFHGDQG H[FHOOHQWYDOXHIIRRU PRQH\ 7KH SKRWRV Free to all our Members in - RIWKHÀLHVDQGWKHW\LQJLQVWUXFWLRQVDUHH[WUHPHO\FOHDU,WLVRIWKH ÀLHV DQG WKH WW\\LQJLQVWUXFWLRQVDUH H[WUHPHO\FOHDU,W LV Australia Lithuania The Catgut Bug 11 DERRN,ZRXOGKHDUWLO\FRPPHQGWRDQ\JUD\OLQJ¿VKHUDQGLVDERRN, ZRXOGKHDUWLO\ FRPPHQGWR DQQ\\ JUD\OLQJ¿VKHUDQG LV Austria Luxembourg Belgium Netherlands VXUHO\GHVWLQHGIRUFODVVLFVWDWXV´ .HLWK+DUZRRG VXUHO\GHVWLQHGIIRRU FODVVLFVWDDWWXV´ .HLWK +DUZRRG 13 Canada New Zealand Reflections on Skues John Davison FirstFirst edition hardback - signed by thethe authorauthor.author. Price £19.95 China Norway Czech Republic Poland Shotting for Trotting Louis Noble 14 Denmark Portugal Eire Scotland Area 2 - A Tale of Two Rivers 16 FLYFISHINGFLLYFISHINGYFISHING THETHE WELSH BORDERLANDS England Slovenia by Roger Smith Finland Sweden France Switzerland Bears, Bullocks, Bats & Sub Machine Guns! Steve Skuce 19 (YHU\WKLQJ(YHU\WKLQJ \RX\RX FRXOGFRXOG ZLVKZLVK WRWR NQRZNQRZ DERXWDDEERXW WKHWKH ULYHUVULYHUV RIRI WKHWKH Germany U. S. A. :HOVK%RUGHUODQGV'HH6HYHUQ:\HDQG8VNDQGWKHLUPDQ\::HHOVK%RUGHUODQGV 'HH6HYHUQ ::\\HDQG 8VN DQG WKHLUPDQQ\\ Italy Wales Grayling & Adult Caddis Dave Southall 22 GHOLJKWIXOEURRNVDQGVWUHDPV7KHHFRORJ\RIWKHULYHUVWKHLUGHOLJKWIIXXOEURRNVDQG VWUHDPV7KH HFRORJ\RI WKH ULYHUVWKHLU Isle of Man 24 KLVWRU\DQGWKHERRNVWKDWKDYHEHHQZULWWHQDERXWWKHPIDPRXVKLVWRU\DQG WKH ERRNV WKDW KDDYYHEHHQ ZULWWHQ DERXW WKHP IIDDPRXV Editor - Bob Male Challenging Nordic Grayling Kris Kent DQJOHUVRIWKH%RUGHUODQGVWKHLUÀ\SDWWHUQVDQGWHFKQLTXHVDQJOHUVRI WKH %RUGHUODQGVWKHLUÀ\ SDWWHUQV DQG WHFKQLTXHV Telephone: 01722 503939 e-mail: [email protected] 33DSHUEDFNZLWKÀDSV3ULFH DSHUEDFNZLWK ÀDSV 3ULFH Poet’s Corner 31 Signed limited edition hardback. Price £50.00 Advertising - Rod Calbrade Subscriptions per annum: Area 4 Fishing Days Roger Smith 32 Full £28.00, Joint £47.00 FLYFLLYY FISHING OUTSIDEOUTSID THE BOX: EMERGING Senior (over 70) £22.00 HERESIES by Peter Hayes Junior (under 16) £5.00 Fly Line Design Tom Bell 34 Details available from the “This“This brilliantbrilliant bookbook challengeschallenges assumptions, shows why Membership Secretary A Day Won at the Auction Steven Kavanagh 37 PDQ\WLPHZRUQSUDFWLFHVQHHGWREHUHWKRXJKWDQGSURYLGHVPDQ\WLPH ZRUQ SUDFWLFHV QHHGWR EH UHWKRXJKW DQG SURYLGHV Dyfan Morris 58 Ffordd Estyn, Garden Village parameters for new action, all based on logic and a raft of Wrexham LL11 2TB A Short Stretch on the Itchen Chris Thomas 41 Tel: 01978 310790 Mob: 07939 814081 FRPPRQVHQVH´ 7LPRWK\%HQQ FRPPRQVHQVH´ 7LPRWK\ %HQQ Email:[email protected] Bookshelf 44 FFirstirst editionedition hardbackhardback - signed- signed by bythe theauthorauthor. author. PricePrice £25.00£25.00 Design and Production Peter Silk Design e-mail: [email protected] Officers of the Society 46 THE NORTHNORRTHTH COUNTRYCOUCOUNTRUNTRRYY FLFLYLYY by Robert L Smith Society Web Site www.graylingsociety.net %HDXWLIXOO\%HDXXWWLIIXXOO\ LOOXVWUDWHGLOOXVWUDWHG ZLWKZLWK H[DPSOHVH[DPPSSOHV RIRI DFWXDODFWXDO ÀLHVÀLHV DQGDQG © The Grayling Society, 2017 The copyright of all material in this edition of ‘Grayling’ remains with the Authors, or the mmaterials,aterials, andand with images from the original manuscripts, this Printed by Cambrian Printers Grayling Society, and may not be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without the EERRNWHOOVWKHGH¿QLWLYHVWRU\RIWKH1RUWK&RXQWU\À\RRNWHOOVWKH GH¿QLWLYHVWRU\RI WKH 1RUWK&RXQWU\ À\ Aberystwyth SY23 3TN copyright holders written permission. The Grayling Society and members of the Executive 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 ³³$VKHHUMR\WRUHDGVWDQGLQJKHDGDQGVKRXOGHUVDERYHDOO$VKHHUMR\ WR UHDGVWDQGLQJ KHDGDQG VKRXOGHUVDERYHDOO Cover Illustration photographs or illustrations are always welcome, but the Society assumes no responsibility RWKHUVRQWKHVXEMHFWRIVRIWKDFNOHGÀLHV´ 3DXO3URFWHU RWKHUVRQ WKH VXXEEEMMHFW RI VRIIWWKDFNOHGÀLHV´ 3DXO 3URFWHU Steve Skuce fishing the Wye for the safety of contributions, although all reasonable care will be taken. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Grayling Society. All enquiries FirstFirst edition hardback - signed by the authorauthor.. Price £25.00 about articles in ‘Grayling’ should be addressed to the Editor. MastercardMasterrcarcarrdd / VisaVisa / PaypalP UK POSTAGEPOSTTAGEAGEAGE EXTRAEXT UP TOTO A MAXIMUM OF £5 Grayling – Spring 2017 1 and national organisations like the Wild Trout The hotel had 20 room bookings over the first Trust, are all doing a great job. We should feel few days, so please make your bookings, both for Editorial Bob Male some pride, nothing sinful, when the rivers show the hotel and the Symposium as soon as you can. real signs of recovery and improvement. There’s We are still preparing our plans for the newly a long way to go yet in so many places, but we introduced “Partner Days”, so tick the box on the can take heart from small successes. form if you feel your partner could be interested in one or two days out. Welcome to the first Journal of the new Wessex our grayling season has been affected Symposium Update schedule. From now on we shall be producing by the very low water levels that have plagued Many apologies for the slip up in the price Another correction three Journals a year, at roughly four-monthly us since the end of July. Exceptionally low rainfall quoted on the booking form, I hope that we The Red Tag Bug shown on page 5 isn’t that intervals, instead of the previous two. locally and higher than average temperatures caught a good number of you with follow up at all, it’s a Purple and Pink Peril! Must get these The new Journals will probably be a little have put the rivers under great stress. emails before you sent the booking forms to things right for the Dee grayling! smaller, but if I get plenty of contributions, I can All the usual suspects were present; diffuse Barrie Davidson. Anyone who has paid the extra promise that they will not be ignored. The pollutants become more concentrated – the money will be re-imbursed at a later date. Copy deadline for the Summer Journal is Newsletter will now come out once only, and same amount of chemical in less water, more Just to re-iterate, the price of the fishing day is Saturday July 1st that early spring edition will be devoted, as it organic material in the river to decompose, £15.00. was this year, to the AGM and Symposium. higher water temperatures. Sensitive plants, especially Ranunculus species, failing to thrive, Committee changes A proper winter morning on the Itchen - see Area 2’s Fishing Day report The committee has changed since last year, and more silt settling out, clogging gravels. with Dyfan Morris as our Membership Secretary, All doom and gloom then? Amazingly, no it and Rob Hartley as the Chairman. We welcome wasn’t. The fishing has not been easy, but the three new Area secretaries, Chris Thomas to river has, once again, surprised me by its sheer Area 12 in Scotland, John Walker to Area 6, resilience. By the end of the trout season the Gwynedd and Clwyd in Wales, and Alan Swann river was very low, but good grayling fishing to Area 10 in the North-West of England. If you continued until Christmas. I noticed that there are in their areas, I’m sure they would be glad to was a healthy spread of age and size among the hear from you. fish that I caught, and others agreed. Plenty of On that topic, may I remind members that our 1+ and 0+ fish suggested that the 2015 and 2016 communications as a Society are very important spawnings had been successful, with good to our smooth running and effectiveness. If our survival rates, and there were enough bigger fish Area Secretaries can reach members quickly to keep us happily hopeful. and easily, then events can be organised, Fresh water opinions sought and all kinds of useful The brief surge of fresh water following the exchanges can take place. first named storm had the salmon leaping for joy If your Area Secretary doesn’t know your (or something), and our trout spawning went telephone number , and/or your e-mail well if the number of visible redds is anything to address, PLEASE TELL THEM. If you aren’t go by. Last week (w.b. Feb 21st.) fellow sure, contact them anyway and check – it’s a members commented to me that the grayling good reason to get in touch. looked really fit and well, as water levels at last We never share your private information or began to rise and stay up. contact details with anyone, unless you give It would be so nice to be able to claim that this written permission, so your details are secure. It resilience, this ability of the river to cope with just makes communication so much quicker and, stressful conditions, is entirely due to careful it must be said, less expensive, than “snail mail”. management and