Part One. Profil Mike Connor , born in Liverpool in 1952, moved to Yorkshire with his family, at the age of four, began fishing seriously at the age of nine, and has fished ever since. Mike is well known as a skilled fly-dresser, his knowledge of traditional flies and history is rightly famed, and he is a first class caster. In mainland Europe, where he now lives, he is a well known instructor, working in honorary positions for various organisations and fishery authorities. He is the only "foreigner" possessing ALL relevant instructor certificates! He also contributes to various angling boards around the world, and his opinion on angling matters is very highly regarded. Thymallus thymallus, the European grayling, a fish surrounded by contradictions. Although most definitely a salmonid, as clearly demonstrated by the presence of an adipose fin, in many places classed, and indeed treated more or less as a coarse fish, due to its spawning times. Although many anglers now consider it a worthy quarry, and travel a long way for the opportunity to catch them. Unique among salmonids, grayling spawn in late spring and summer. All other salmonids are autumn and winter spawners. Grayling require clean water to survive, although they prefer well oxygenated water, they can in fact withstand relatively low oxygen levels if forced. Even minor pollution can wipe them out, and in many places, precisely this has occurred. They require relatively cool water, less than 18°C in summer, although they can also withstand somewhat higher temperatures for short periods of time. Much better eating than trout, and a real delicacy when smoked, winter grayling are also a very worthy adversary, and not to be compared with the slow lazy fish of summer. Best after the end of September, many anglers extend their fly-fishing over the winter months by targeting grayling. Many trout anglers who catch grayling in the summer months consider them poor fighters. In summer, grayling are not in the best of condition, and even larger fish will put up a relatively poor fight. They are also liable to die rather easily when released. Some time and effort is required to resuscitate grayling before release. They will not stand much handling either, and should preferably be brought to hand and released as soon as possible, without touching them at all, if one can help it. Assuming one wishes to release them in the first place of course. Often found in small shoals, grayling may be caught using a number of methods, one of which is of course fly-fishing. Large grayling tend to be solitary creatures, and require rather special methods. Relatively shallow streamy gravelly runs are a favourite haunt of small to medium sized grayling, and they will often be found in such places, in various sized shoals. Older, larger fish, will be found at the head of a shoal, and one may pick these fish off, using the right methods. One such method is to use largish "Klinkhammers", size 12 or even 10, and fish them downstream! Location Usually, the single main problem when grayling fishing, is finding the fish. Shoals move about quite a lot, and what was a good spot one day, may well be empty the next. This does not apply to the large solitary fish of course, but these may require considerable effort and planning to catch. Such large fish do not get large by chance, and they are very wary, and usually in extremely well protected places. There are a large number of "grayling" flies extant. Peacock-herl-bodied flies are especially popular. These flies will also take trout of course, but many are better known as grayling flies. I have never had any remarkable success with them myself, and have little faith in all the variations. Apart from the "Klinkhammers", which really are exceptional flies, I like a "Grey Duster" variant, with hares ear body, no tail, and a fairly sparse badger hackle. One really effective and little known fly for winter grayling fishing is a simple "buzzer" (chironomid) pattern. These will often take fish when other patterns fail, but are not in common use on running water. On occasion, the only flies hatching at all in winter will be midges of some description. Using very small flies, like size 20 "Griffiths Gnats", and similar, as our American cousins often do, will often prove successful. Personally, I almost never go below a size 16, but I have a few friends who use the extremely small flies very successfully. to be continued

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