Just before Christmas 2005, I got a phone call from Alan Parfitt to the effect. “I am going stir crazy and I have to get out away from Christmas shopping lists and jobs to be done before the festive season starts. Let’s go grayling fishing on the Wye”

I didn’t need much persuading and I knew that a group of us together would really start Christmas off in the right way so in agreement with Alan we went to the phone book and got busy.

Some were called and with a quiver in their voice and a sob of regret they had to say no as she who must be obeyed had other plans or they were still working shifts before the break. It is unfortunate but some were working right through Christmas.

After a hectic hour or so on the phone our band of brothers were rallied and Tom ‘Begger the shopping’ Rivers, John ‘The Galvinator’ Galvin, Richard ‘I’ve driven up from Devon for this’ Stevenson, Alan’The Parf’ Parfitt and myself Mark ‘The peg’ Roberts all agreed to either meet at my house or the layby in Builth Wells in two days time.

The day arrived and the majority of us travelled down in one car only for the journey only to be interrupted by mobile calls from wives wanting to know this and that. One of them even stated that she had never heard of ‘growling’ fishing anyway. Yes, I did spell it right and it kept a smile on the face all day.

All these ladies soon gave up the ghost as the banter in the car prevented any sensible conversation taking place.

We arrived Mid-morning and John immediately poured each and everyone a glass of Bushmills whiskey which was most welcome.

He made it known that if we drank it now it would all have been soaked up by the sandwiches by the time we leave.

Good thinking that.

I just wish I had remembered those sandwiches!!!!!!!

Fee’s paid we made our way down to the river and set up base camp.

The idea was to try all the legal methods available to see what would work with the overriding preference to be the fly.

To explain you can fish for grayling with the fly or bait.

Effective fly methods are Dries and emergers. Czech nymphing, upstream nymphing and wet fly fishing/nymphing.

Bait fishing is normally by trotting with maggot or worm( Preferably small braddlings)

Tom and Richard had never fished Czech nymph style before and were keen to try the method out.

Tom was taken upstream by Alan for instruction and I looked after Richard.

The set up is simple in that a floating line was fitted to the reel and the longest rod available was used. The best length is 9’6″ to 11′ depending on the river and depth.

The leader was then measured for the length of the rod and a point fly and one dropper were tied on about 18″ apart. You can use three flies if you want but I suggest two until you are used to the style.

The point fly was Parf’s Peeping Caddis and the dropper was a Czech nymph.

Both the dressings and instructions on how to tie these flies can be found in the fly patterns area on the site under flies.

The idea is not to cast the line but to flick the flies upstream of you and allow them to drop down to the river bed and maintain contact with the flies as they trundle along on the bottom.

As they pass you, you maintain contact by lifting the rod higher and then lowering it as it reaches behind you.

It is all about delicate touch and you must strike at the slightest deviation of the leader or when you feel any resistance no matter how slight it is.

You will be amazed at how soft and subtle grayling takes are with this method.

Finish every run with a short strike.

It is amazing how many fish are caught when you do this.

Tom stepped into the water and immediately jumped out as a salmon swam from under his feet.

We all giggled and enjoyed his shock. Well, what are friends for anyway?

Parf explained what he was to do and the second cast the first fish of the day was landed. The fly was surprise, surprise Parf’s Peeping Caddis.

That’s the way to do it.

It wasn’t a giant but welcome all the same. The important point was that it gave Tom the confidence in the technique.

I have to say that the conditions were not good for the fly that day. It was bright, cold and the water was gin clear with little if no wind.

For that reason, once we had Richard and Tom fishing I decided to set up a stick float trotting rig with a float rod and centrepin reel.

I can hear the sighs of disgust from here but I went to enjoy myself and catching grayling like this is really good fun.

I went to an area just below John who was fishing hard with the fly but was getting no response.

Alan did the same further downstream but fished an Avon float rig with the majority of the weight a foot from the hook.

The secret of fishing these centre pins it to be able to cast the lines out without tangles and to make sure that the line is taken off without any resistance by the pull of the current.

When casting hold the line in the weaker hand and swing the rod out releasing the grip on the line as the weight of the float rig pulls it out over the river.

This picture of Parf may fool you but remember he is left-handed.

When you get a fish on I prefer to play it off the reel, unlike Parf who likes to keep some line in his hand to release in case of a late run.

I started to trickle feed maggots a few at a time and trotted through the deep water where the fly was hard to fish.

It took some 15 minutes to start the fish feeding but once they started it was a fish a trot through including trout as well as grayling.

The trout were all well mended and looked good for the spring fishing. I was hoping for a chub but was not lucky enough.

I did, however, land a nice fish just before lunch.

There were others through the day for everyone on both the fly and bait but for me, the important thing was to be fishing with friends at Christmas in a beautiful part of the country.

The day ended with some 50 grayling coming to the bait rods and about 10 or 12 to the fly.

Grayling fishing is all about putting the bait/fly in front of the fishes face. They will only take the bait/fly where to expect to see it.

Each method will out fish the other on different days at different times of the year.

If you fancy it, give it a go. There is no greater joy than a good day out with friends who enjoy a giggle and the sport of winter grayling fishing.

Tight lines