The Psychedelic Furs Had The Right Idea - They Are Pretty In Pink
They had the right idea - although I doubt they were thinking of Grayling flies at the time they wrote it!
After the success last year of our Black & White Tungsten Herl Selections - which you can find here and here - we also spent the early part of the Grayling season testing some flies which are their equivalent, but in shades of Pink.
But first ...
Special FREE Flies Offer
Take a look towards the end of this email for a special 'today only' FREE flies offer, we've also included some top tips on fishing single-nymph Grayling rigs - you'll find all the details at the end of this email.
Our pink beaded nymphs are tied with Peacock Herl bodies (with a wire rib) and use tungsten beads in two different shades of Pink - we've got Baby Pink and Hot Pink.
Peacock Herl comes from the tail feathers of a peacock and is one of the most used materials in fly tying due to its fantastic fish attracting blue and green colours.
It is perfect when used for bodies of nymphs, peacock feathers naturally shed water (see image below), and when tied in the body of a nymph this traps air around the nymph when underwater - making it very realistic of a nymph about to ascend the water column to hatch.
I had some fantastic success testing these out and now the colder weather is upon us these will really come into their own.
I fished them on my local River Derwent and found that the Hot-Pink version was great for our 'peaty' coloured water - especially in the slower, deeper flows.
These nymphs are tied on smaller hooks than you would normally expect - which are ideal for targeting those late season Grayling in the slower, more sedate water - which is where they like to hang out at this time of year.
The key to fishing for Grayling in this late part of the season is actually finding them - they will be shoaled up, so when you do find them - keep still and keep casting!
By contrast, the Baby Pink ones seem to work better when the water is clearer - and, as I was told last week, seem to do pretty well when suspended under a bushy klinkhamer on stillwaters!
So we've put them together as a selection ...
Here we present our Pink Tungsten Herl Selection, the selection contains two different patterns:
- Hot-Pink Tungsten Herl
- Baby Pink Tungsten Herl
For each of the above patterns we are supplying 3 each of sizes 14, 16 & 18 - that's a total of 18 tungsten nymphs at a heavily discounted price of only £24.00 (bought individually these would be £27.00), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery + FREE flies (see below).
*** We only have a small number of these available (40 to be exact), so you will need to be quick ***
Special Free Flies Offer ...
SPECIAL OFFER: For today only - we are including 3 of these (worth £4.50) with every order received:
The Grayling Pink Nymph
This is one of the most successful of the Grayling nymphs I've used. Fish it tight to the bottom and try to let it bounce!
*** Go on, fill you boots - and your fly boxes ***
Single Nymph Grayling Rigs
I always find it very difficult to detect takes when fishing a single nymph at longer ranges (which is why I seldom do it), but I always fish a single nymph at short range using a tight-line method. To fish this you need to use the downstream water load cast, it's an easy way to send your flies back upstream for another drift without making a back cast.
How to perform the downstream water load cast:
- Cast your rig out as normal
- At the end of the run, let your nymph drift all the way past you so it hangs in the current (and the fly line and leader tensions up).
- In one smooth motion, lift your rod up and use the built-in tension to flip your nymph back upstream.
This simple cast is really efficient (especially in competitions) and ideally suited for short-line nymphing techniques. With the downstream water load, your flies spend more time in the water.
Tight Line Nymphing
Tight-line nymphing is one of the best techniques to use when searching for Grayling. Here’s how it’s done:
- Cast your nymph upstream, then
- As the nymph comes back towards you keeping the rod tip just ahead of the nymph and lead it back towards you keeping the line tight (this where you will detect your takes either by feel or by watching your in-line indicator for any abnormal movement).
- Stop the rod tip just in front of you and let the flies drift downstream, feeling for takes all the time.
- As the nymph drifts past you and downstream, it will start to rise in the water column, this is where lots of Grayling will be caught (known as the induced take).
- Then use the downstream water load cast to make your next cast and repeat the process.
Get out there, lob around some tungsten and have fun!
P.S. To read more about Grayling fishing, click the image below to view our River Master - Grayling series: