There is something magical about trotting a float for grayling as the air grows colder. Whether it's their majestic appearance or the wonderful surroundings and rivers they inhabit, fishing for the "lady of the stream" is hard to beat.
Unfortunately, there are times in life when other priorities take over, and we simply can't spend as much time on the bank as we would like. This has been the case for specimen ace Matthew Fernandez, who has been battling health issues recently, forcing him to miss out on his beloved angling. Thankfully, with an improvement in his health, he managed to return to the banks of the River Frome this week and the grayling welcomed him back in style, with Matt banking 20 over 2lb in a short session.
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"Unable to fish for a while, I've been desperate to get out but haven't wanted to rush my recovery, which meant missing out on fishing," Matt explained.
"Thankfully, I’ve been feeling slightly better recently, so my cousin Connor joined me for a day’s angling on the River Frome."
When the pair arrived at the river, conditions were less than ideal, with the water level higher than they had hoped. This meant some of the better areas weren’t accessible, but that didn’t bother Matt, who was simply happy to be back on the bank after such a long break.
"Sometimes it’s just meant to be, and although conditions weren’t great, our perseverance paid off, resulting in the most grayling I’ve ever caught in a single session," he said.
"Of the 20-plus fish I landed, only two were under 2lb. It was remarkable, really, and we were thrilled with the result. Connor managed to land a couple of good fish up to 2lb 5oz, cementing it as the best grayling fishing I’ve ever experienced."
"Due to the extra water, we used a heavy 8g loafer float, with all the shot bulked down the line so we could hold the float steady in the areas where the fish were feeding. We were both using trusty red maggots boosted with krill groundbait on the hook."
"I used my MAP Parabolix 13ft light float rod, coupled with my little MAP Carptek reel. They are a joy to use, being super light in hand."
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