Hardy & Greys - Alnwick, England

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1. Flyfishing
   1. Flyfishing
   2. Coarse

I just couldn't be without my winter Grayling fix. Grayling have been part of my angling diary for just on thirty years and I couldn't let a December pass without meeting up with them again. January and February, too, are great months but there's just something about the tingle of a December Grayling.

I'm going to tell you exactly how I see it. No frills. No fancy stuff. This is what I think. I don't see Grayling as a massively difficult target species. Providing you find them, you will probably catch them. At least the smaller ones. Larger fish in very clear water are a different proposition though. More later. I think it's the use of the strike indicator that has really revolutionised Grayling fishing for me. Before them, you were lucky to hit one grayling bite in twenty. Now, you probably miss one in twenty. They're that good.

It's true that a ten foot rod makes for perfect control - I use either my Hardy Marksman or my Greys XF2 Streamflex Rod and they've done me well all this century. I suppose, in truth, you're fishing the Czech Nymph style, or bugging or whatever you like to call it. It's a method that does require skill but it's not rocket science. In all probability, you'll know that yourself. There's so much written on the subject, I'm not going to add to it. All I'd say is keep things short and tight at least to begin with and that's where breathable chestwaders come in. You can't do without them. Remember what I said about location? In all probability you will have to walk to find your grayling and then, probably, wade at least a little to get close to them. If it's absolutely freezing then make sure you've got your base layers right and you'll be fine.

December Grayling days are very short. In an ideal world, I like to get out for an hour or so before a late breakfast. Then you can fish 10.30 till lunch, say, at 1.30. Warm up again and be out for that cracking period between 2.30 and just after 4.00 p.m. As darkness begins to settle, very often the big fish move. So break your day up. Keep warm. Keep on the move.

Where to go? These are my own happiest memories.

The River Tummel up at Pitlochry in Perthshire has seen my very happiest grayling fishing of all. The Tummel is a majestic, rolling river that in December can be heart-stoppingly beautiful in a menacing way. There are seriously big Grayling in the Tummel. Fish of two pounds are relatively common. I personally like to fish the serious, big glides that are often five or six feet deep. Grayling just hammer off in conditions like this. Your contact is the Pitlochry Angling Club who run a very good website where you can book online for £10 a day, would you believe? They have miles of fishing and, as I write, all thirty-five tickets are available so you're hardly going to be fishing shoulder to shoulder!

Dropping down the country, I just love Tweed fish. They're not the big, steely-blue brawling fish of the Tummel - at least in my opinion - but they're stunning. And the Tweed in December, again, takes your breath away. Again, like the Tummel, I like the glides but I've also done well in deeper, stiller pools and back eddies. The Peeblesshire Trout Fishing Association has its own website that advertises day tickets. Once more, they cost next to nothing.

I've had brilliant winter days in the Yorkshire Dales. The rivers, of course, are smaller, more intimate but that doesn't mean to say you don't have to work to find your grayling. Bolton Abbey has always been a favourite of mine on a really frosty morning. The Wharfe, then, looks like something out of a fairytale. I guess Hardy & Greys Academy Instructor, Stuart Minnikin is one of the guys to contact if you want a bit of guided fishing which I'd always recommend. Stuart is a great guy and a short winter's day with him will pass as fast as blinking.

December. Cumbria. Appleby. The Eden. Magic. Day tickets are pretty easy to get in the town but my advice always up there would be to see if you can fix up a day with Hardy & Greys Academy Instructor, Jeremy Lucas. Jeremy and Grayling are like Hardy & Greys! I don't think anyone understands Grayling better than Jeremy. I've fished with him on several occasions and he never fails to take my breath away. You know, if you're new to an area, it's always a great idea to be guided for you first session or two. If you've made the effort to travel and you're paying for accommodation it certainly makes commonsense to me to splash out on that last missing link. Your time is precious. Use it catching!

Still up north, if you fancy a real treat, book yourself into the Isaak Walton Hotel in Dovedale, not far from Chesterfield. (01335350555). The hotel offers day tickets on the River Dove and this is grayling fishing better than anywhere on the planet. The river, generally, really is crystal. That's what makes the fishing for the whoppers there so difficult, so intimidating, so hugely satisfying when you succeed. I once pursued a single, easily-recognisable fish of three pounds over three different Decembers. I never really came close and I guess its old age denied me in the end. My tips here are to get up really early, as I said in my introduction and fish before breakfast. Be prepared to walk and be prepared to stay out late. You can always get back to the hotel and warm up in front of the fire.

Down south, you can't do an awful lot better than contact my old mate Howard Taylor on 01425403209. He has his own Grayling fishing on the Test and he's an absolute whizz with the species. Howard is just one of those guys who fishes like a dream. He'll sell you a day ticket in all probability but do contact him for a chat and see if you can secure his services.

Or try Fishing Breaks - 01264781988. My goodness, they've got water to die for and Simon Cooper is full of advice. A bit like the Dove, but fishing on his rivers like the Lambourn, the Test and the Wiltshire Avon can be very demanding. You're often fishing for grayling that you can see in just a couple of feet of gin-clear water. The extraordinary thing is, though, the fish really will go on the rampage. It's like you can't put them out of their stride. Other times, though, they have me tearing my hair out and that, I suppose, is the huge pleasure and excitement of it all.

Me? My ultimate, absolute winter favourite? Well, I suppose in December, its' got to be the Wye, especially the upper river in the borderlands of Wales. You're talking about beauty beyond compare and providing the river is well within its banks the grayling fishing can be gob-smacking. As ever, the Wye and Usk Foundation is your port of call. (01982560788) The guys in the office really do know their stuff and will be hugely supportive when it comes to giving advice and pointing out the best locations. The lovely thing about the Wye is its variety. You can catch grayling in the runs, in the pools, in the eddies and just about everywhere. Stunning landscapes. Stunning fishing. See you there!

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