Keith Arthur’s
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THERE’S an old adage that goes: “The end justifies the means”. It’s one that can be regularly applied to angling.
Reading between the lines of Martin Bowler’s wonderfully evocative piece about grayling (see pages 34-37) he concedes that fishing a feeder for grayling would best be described by John Wilson using a phrase often quoted in my youth as meaning something completely different – but it still works!
Now, I could quite easily step aboard my high horse and canter off decrying such methods – it wouldn’t be the first time. However, I then thought about the very big roach currently lurking in the Tidal Thames, and how a heavy coated braid hook-length is required to catch them instead of the usual cobweb-thin monofilament.
Then I thought about the biggest grayling I’ve ever seen... and indeed I caught it.
I was salmon fishing on the River Nith in Scotland and had my only bite of the three days. The fish came up immediately and swirled, and I thought I was attached to either a decent brownie or sea trout. The fight was different, more eel-like than trout, and when I eventually brought the fish to the net I found a grayling to be the culprit.
It was enormous... and I am well aware that, unlike human females, these ladies tend to weigh under what they look.
Ten years on, I still reckon it was close to 4lb – very dark, almost black on its flanks. I unhooked it in the water and watched it swim away, almost with disdain... mostly because it had taken a 3.5ins Flying C lure!