Introduction to Grayling Fishing in Scotland

In Scotland, we have 30,000 lochs filled with wild brown trout and hundreds of salmon rivers, including The River Spey, River Tay, River Tweed, and River Dee. There is, however, another jewel in the Scottish Rivers, the wonderful, enigmatic and intriguing Grayling. God I love these fish…!

This is the story of a Fishing guide in Scotland, who sees opportunity at the end of the trout and salmon fishing season, to switch to a different quarry. To brave the elements and target the Lady of the Stream. the Grayling.  Overseas guests might find it hard to believe that Scotland has some of the finest Grayling rivers in Europe.

What do Fishing Guides in Scotland do in the Winter?

As a fishing guide, Winter is a time of year when firstly I get a chance to unwind and secondly, my thoughts always turn to the rivers and the quest to catch Grayling. There are two main rivers we target. The River Annan in South West Scotland and The River Tweed system in The Scottish Borders region. Both of these rivers hold massive stocks of wild Grayling and are within easy reach of my hometown of North Berwick (near Edinburgh).

I caught my first Grayling when I was 11 years old. That was 47 years ago. I was a skinny wee lad, standing on a bridge on a tributary of The River Tweed, called the Leader Water. I spotted a huge trout moving upstream.

I was new to fly-fishing. I had inherited my Uncle Jimmy’s 11ft 6inch Daiwa Whisker fly rod. The Whisker was too heavy for trout and designed for sea trout and small salmon rivers. I loved it nonetheless, and its length proved useful when flicking bugs and nymphs into awkward spots, as little casting was required. I had a secondhand Leeda LC100 fly reel, bought from F&D Simpson tackle shop in Edinburgh, with money I had saved from washing cars. A small plastic 35mm film case was my fly box, and it was filled with home tied weighted shrimps, all very crude, but highly effective.

Here I was now staring down at that trout, watching it move slowly upstream. I ran down to the riverbank and positioned myself upstream. In those days that bank was free from undergrowth, Ive since been back and you wouldn’t get down there now, its as wild as the Amazon, thick with scrub. I began to fish my way down to where I thought the fish might be and pretty quickly I hooked into something very big, certainly bigger than I was used to.  Heart thumping and all senses working overtime, I was delighted and surprised to see a huge Grayling shimmering in the net. This magnificent silver and olive fish, out of his element, huge dorsal, remains a memory that will stay with me forever and laid foundations of a lifetime fascination. It weighed a few ounces under 3lb, my first ever grayling! A specimen when you consider the UK record is 4lb 4oz.

Techniques For Grayling Fishing

The Grayling is soft mouthed and it pays to play them carefully. They fight doggedly and with great determination, and are adept at shaking the hook.

A 10-11ft rod 2 or 3 weight rod is ideal. You are upstream nymphing, using tungsten-weighted bugs, and fishing a close distance. Wading carefully upstream and pitching the nymphs upstream and letting them float down on a dead drift. As the nymphs drift downstream you try to maintain “zero-drag” for as long as possible and this is where a longer rod is useful. Keeping the rod high minimizes the amount of line in contact with the water, and this too restricts drag and helps to control the depth of the nymph.

One, Two or Three Flies when fishing for Winter Grayling?

I prefer two flies in winter, though I will go to three flies in calmer days. I would space them about 12-18 inches apart from the dropper to the tail fly. I use dropper rings, 2mm Rio’s. They are fiddly to set up, but save time by avoiding less tangles. A good tippet with diameter of 0.16mm for heavy flowing rivers is my choice, I switch between Rio and Orvis, supple nylon is the best. Naturally the greater the diameter of the tippet, the more drag in the current and therefore the more difficulty in getting the flies to sink, so sometimes it pays to drop down to 6X which measure in at a paltry 0.13mm diameter. A heavy tungsten jig head goes on the point and the dropper is lighter. A shrimp pattern or nymph works well. These Grayling stay close to the bottom in the winter, so fly choice is not as important as depth. If your fly isn’t heavy enough and bouncing along the gravel bed, you’re not in the game.

My preferred method of nymphing is “Euronymphing” and my preferred set up is detailed below.

Waders, Boots, and Clothing

You need to travel light. A front pack is ideal and all you really need is tippet, flies and spare indicators. I use a small landing net, clipped to my Orvis Pro Wading jacket via a magnet.

Many Grayling anglers swear by neoprene waders for winter fishing. I prefer lightweight waders and good thermal leggings. The Patagonia thermal leggings are unbeatable and I wear on top of them a pair of Patagonia Nano puff leggings. Both are very lights and allows easy movement. This gives you greater movement when walking to the next pool. I cannot see past the PosiGrip Tungsten studs on wading boots with Vibram soles. You need to be surefooted in the Winter months, as a dip in the icy water can spoil your day.

It’s rare when fishing in Scotland for Grayling to see another angler in your day. There is an abundance of water and the fish are spread throughout the river. Take a look at the photo below and your probably looking at ideal Grayling habitat. In an even current like this, these Grayling can use their dorsal fin in the current and put up a hard fight.

Grayling will shoal, and yet sometimes bigger fish can be found on their own. When you hook a big grayling it will surprise you the power it has, using its large dorsal fin and the current it can be hard to shift them. As they have soft mouthes, it’s best to try and steer them towards slacker water (see photo above), and if relevant, away from the shoal.

Techniques for Euronymphing for Grayling

As you are relying on the nylon to project your flies upstream, it can be tricky getting comfortable with casting two or three flies and avoiding tangles. Find a technique that works for you and try to get into a routine that works. When trotting the nymphs down a run, strike downstream, this will have a greater chance of more secure hook ups. Fish face upstream (obviously) so as the nymph is hoovered up, a swift downstream strike sets the hook often on the scissors rather than the front of the mouth (precarious)

This is why I prefer a 2 weight 10ft rod, firstly because I can feel everything as the nymphs tack down on the bottom. Secondly I find casting easier, and thirdly, when into a big fish, the rod is very forgiving and sudden lunges by a running big fish are soaked up in the blank.

I highly recommend the Orvis Clearwater 10ft # 2 weight. It’s a real gem of a grayling rod.

Many people ask me how to read a river? It’s very subjective, and dependant on both the river and the water levels and conditions. I try and draw a map in my minds eye of where the fish are likely to lie. I then cover every square in the grid, a bit like searching for a hidden destroyer in a game of battleships.

Be aware also that as the river level rises fish are less likely to stay in the same runs. Often in higher water, the fish will drift into the seams where slacker water is. Try to think like a fish, where would you go to get food, look at the way the river channels flow, and food often gets channeled in the same flow.

An Ideal Grayling Leader Set up

When nymphing there are various methods of leader set up and I’m not saying mine is better than anyones, but this rig works well for me (and guests) and catches fish. It also offer a real touch experience, you can really feel what’s going on as the nymphs track down on the bottom.

First of all I use a low diameter fly line, like Rio Nymph line. It’s rare that I have any fly line out of the end eye, and if that happens, its because I have a big fish on, and its headed off on a run. If that happens, (firstly I’m a happy man) and secondly, I want the fly line to be low diameter, so that it doesn’t drag in the current and add more problems to an already tricky situation.

On the end of the fly line, I tie using a perfection loop to 20ft length of Amnesia 8lb memory free nylon (available in three colours). This is attached with a three turn dropper knot to a 18 inch length of indicator tippet. I use the Rio indicator tippet or simply a length of Amnesia (fluro colour which is marked at intervals with a permanent black marker) both work well. Where the three turn dropper knot (attaching indicator tippet to 20ft length of Amnesia) I snip off only one of the tags, leaving the visible tag sticking out. I then tie the again with a single granny knot so the short length of tag sticks out at 90 degrees. This is another useful sight indicator. The sight indicator is then terminated with a 2mm dropper ring. To that, I then tie the leader, which varies in length according to the conditions. usually about 10 ft with two flies. the heavier jig fly on the point. I tend to fish tippet about 0.16mm for heavy flows/ rivers/ fish and 0.10mm diameter for finer fishing. Naturally the finer tippet has less resistance, so gets the flies down quicker.

The best rivers in Scotland for Grayling

The best grayling rivers are located in the south of Scotland. The River Tweed has a healthy stock of grayling throughout the system, and the tributaries like the River Teviot, River Leader, Gala Water, Ale, Jed Water, River Ettrick and The River Whiteadder all hold stocks of grayling. I have caught grayling in all of these tributaries, and sometimes they are worth exploring when the main River Tweed is in spate.

In the South West, the River Annan is a superb grayling river. It rises Annanhead Hill and flows through the Devil’s Beef Tub, Moffat and Lockerbie, reaching the coast at Dumfries and Galloway.  This is a smaller river than the Tweed both in size and flow, it holds a good population of grayling and some real specimens. Whilst down in Dumfries and Galloway, the River Nith is a great salmon river, but holds grayling too and in my opinion gets less grayling pressure than the Annan.

Further North, the River Tay and River Tummel hold good grayling shoals, as does the River Earn

The River Clyde holds a good population of Grayling, though it’s not a river we focus on, the spoils on the Tweed, Tay and Earn rivers keep us and our guests occupied.

Summary

Winter in Scotland can be a dark and dreary affair. The devastating effect Christmas has on your wallet, the weather, lack of sunlight and following a football team as mediocre as I do.

Take my advice, get out in a Scottish Winter and fish for grayling it’s good for your soul, mental health and keeps your angling skills sharp!

I hope this article helps you and whets your appetite to target the Lady of the Stream. Tight Lines and keep those grayling wet when releasing.

If you are looking to join us for a grayling trip, please go here.

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Written by Stewart Collingswood founder and Head Guide of Alba Game Fishing

Alba deliver fishing trips and bespoke fishing vacations throughout Scotland for the last 16 years.

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