Recently, fly fishing has become popular again. This is a very old fishing method. It is mainly distributed in European countries. There is a lot of information about flies, about what shape they have, how they fit. But in fact, it turns out that artificial fly fishing lures are spoken about in general terms. In fact, grayling flies have specific characteristics. They are separated by size and shape, besides, the fishing season is important. At different times of the year, fly fishing has its own small nuances. But first things first.
What is a fly?
An artificial fly, or streamer, is used as a bait for predatory fish species. It can be used when fishing with fly fishing and spinning gear. Sometimes this bait is effective during fishing for bream and other peaceful species of fish, but this is more an exception than a pattern. Fishermen who are not experienced in fly fishing gear are always interested in the question, why do predators such as trout or grayling prefer artificial flies? Perhaps the whole secret lies in their accessibility and attractiveness. Currently, flies are known for grayling, chub, lenok, char. In general, you can catch almost all types of fish living in mountain rivers on such an artificial bait. But the king's trophy is always large trout. Although every experienced fisherman who knows how to use a fly fishing rod will say that you can catch any fish on the fly, the main thing here is experience. Indeed, recently you can see fly fishing on lakes and lowland rivers catching roach and even crucian carp.
What is the advantage of an artificial fly?
Almost everywhere, fishermen, using fly fishing gear, abandoned the natural bait: grasshoppers, beetles, moths, wasps. This is because grayling or trout flies are easier to tie or buy than hoping that the right insects are found and caught. And where to look for them in the spring or late fall? And it’s inconvenient to mess with them. The body of the insect is unlikely to withstand more than two bites. Where to find so many wasps or bloodworms? Artificial bait is primarily practical. In addition, the fish does not matter what to grab. During a shortage of feed, she pecks on the principle: "first we grab, and then we'll see." Secondly, many species, including grayling, are known for their vagaries. Today there are bites on one fly, and tomorrow she wants another. Why this happens is unknown, but this is a fact noted by all experienced fly-fishing. Therefore, in their boxes there are always from a dozen or more different artificial baits.
Flies on grayling
Choosing a fly for grayling, you need to consider a number of features of the behavior of fish. This species prefers small insects. It is they who make the fish rise to the very surface of the water surface. Therefore, most of the warm season grayling will be missed by a medium-sized “dry fly” with brushes and wings. The colors of the bait are selected bright, catchy - yellow, orange, red. Catching flies on grayling almost always have a large golden bead head. Feather wings are welcome. In the early spring, before the insects fly out, “wet flies” imitating larvae show themselves well. Oddly enough, it is most effective to use hooks wrapped in colored threads.
Fly fishing gear for grayling
Fly fishing for grayling requires certain gear. First of all, it is a light rod. Its length is selected depending on the distance over which casts will be made. And this factor, of course, is determined by the width of the reservoir. The wider the river bed, the further the cast.
When using the "dry fly" during fishing on grayling, it is better to use floating cords. But not more than seventh grade. If fishing is done with a “wet” streamer, then a floating cord with a sinking end is taken. However, you need to navigate by the nature of the current and the width of the reservoir. You should only beware of drowning along the entire length of the cords. They will negate all casts and wiring. They are not suitable for grayling. Recently, a cone ten-meter cord is gaining popularity among fly fishing. Fishermen among themselves often call it a “torpedo”. It is best for them to catch in deep areas using a nymph.
Nuances related to the thickness of the leash
For a leash, a piece of fishing line in diameter up to 0.2 millimeters is almost always used. But here it should immediately be stipulated that the thickness of the leash should correspond to the hook. For example, with a hook number 2.5 fishing line with a diameter of 0.12 mm will be ineffective, and ridiculous. It is reasonable to set a leash thicker than 0.2 mm only if fishing occurs in water bodies with adverse conditions or if a large specimen of fish is expected as a trophy.
Features of seasonal grayling
In the spring, grayling flies are often used not in fly fishing, but in spinning gear. Thus, the chances of waiting for the predator to bite increase. The fly fishing method becomes effective only when insects fly out massively. During this period, grayling literally grabs any bait from the water surface. As a rule, this is the end of May or the first decade of June. At such a time, it is best to catch "dry flies." Grayling responds well to the imitation of butterflies, beetles and grasshoppers. However, a very reliable resemblance is not at all necessary.
In the summer period, dry flies are used more often. But in some reservoirs it makes sense to experiment with drowning nymphs that look like larvae. But with the advent of autumn, everything changes dramatically. Water gradually cools, and grayling falls into the lower layers, closer to the bottom. Catching surface lures makes no sense. Here you can reveal one secret of experienced fly fishing. They do not change the summer "dry flies", they make them "wet." How? Very simple - cover with fat. Those nymphs that appeared in July and early August as surface flies now become flooded.
Knitting flies on grayling
Fly fishing is considered very creative. Largely because almost all people who are passionate about this fishing themselves knit flies on quiet evenings. Of course, this is due to the fact that baits are by no means cheap. But more often self-made flies more satisfy the vagaries of grayling. So, the bites will be more fun, and the catch - more. By the way, knitting flies is a simple process. True, it requires certain materials and tools, but all of them have long been sold in fishing stores.
Material for
knitting flies is very diverse. These are wool, fur, bird feathers, hair, lurex. Often, anglers notice that grayling is better caught on flies with its head - a bead. Both fish and winged lures like this fish. So it can be argued that the grayling flies (photos of which you see in this article) are still very specific. They differ from baits for other types of fish, such as trout or chub.