We can usually expect the weather in December to be quite a reliable mix of a week or so of low pressure with wet and windy weather from the south west, followed by a few weeks of extended high pressure. It is during the high pressure period where we get those beautiful picturesque, windless, frosty but sunny days that the conditions settle to eventually give good fishing. In that period the water drops and clears rapidly, the grayling start to shoal tightly, when you find one fish good sport soon follows. The optimum time for grayling is the warmest part of the day, there are not many takers before 11am on cold mornings when the temperature has been well below zero all night. Flies are fished quite hard on the bottom at this time of the year, it is a matter of searching for grayling methodically in the smoother runs. It is often the case when the fish have been located and are having a go that they suddenly "go off", it could be that the shoal has moved on, in many cases all that was needed was a change of pattern or colour of fly.
This month however has been very mild with the majority of the weather coming of the Atlantic. One wet and windy front after another keep piling in and I think that we may have had two or three days of settled weather which is not enough to sort the fishing out before the next rise of water happens. Bait fishers have done very well both trotting and swim feeders near the quieter edges of the river, for the fly fisher the conditions have been far from favourable and cabin fever is now prevalent.
I would like to wish you all the very best of health and happiness for the coming season! I hope that you all have a peaceful Christmas. I look forward to seeing again the people and friends I know and those who I have yet to meet. A big thank you to all that have joined me on the rivers this year, it has been an absolute pleasure to be with you, stay lucky!
Salmon season begins January 15th.
