The Grayling are still proving hard to catch in certain middle beats of the Eden despite some good waters and good conditions from time to time, especially taking into account the really bad conditions we have witnessed of late. After saying this, if you are prepared to search the water thoroughly then there are some very good quality fish to be found, but if I am to be totally honest at this moment in time, they are still few and far between. To find these illusive fish we are having to fish deep and slow with bites being very tentative and hardly noticeable at times.
The likelihood that these very enigmatic fish have migrated to new areas of the river is a distinct possibility as they most certainly do this from time to time, possibly to seek food or maybe even better potential spawning areas, I remember reading an article once on Norwegian Grayling, where it was found that they had migrated up to 75 miles within the river system, so anything is possible, but with Christmas almost upon us, and visits to the river becoming fewer, almost certainly due to the much lower than normal temperatures and poor conditions, apart from the die-hards, people are not so keen to venture out, so to find out if the Grayling have migrated elsewhere will be difficult to prove, except by anecdotal evidence. It has to be said though, that if you wrap up warmly, layer your clothing and don your neoprene waders it can be very bearable as well as being good fun.
I have had reports of good catches in places higher up the Eden, but I was not sure what the lower beats were producing, so yesterday I intended to find out for myself, but upon arrival, most of the water was frozen over and the rest of it was made up of rafts of ice (known to some anglers as grue) that you just couldn't get your line to navigate through, even the ducks were finding it difficult. Even though I was itching to have a go, common sense prevailed and I returned home. Maybe after Christmas!
