13 Grayling flies for December out on the amazing Dee

My grayling flies for December are selected to cope with the extreme river conditions often encountered on the Welsh Dee at the beginning of winter.

In North Wales, December is usually a wet month, and the Welsh Dee is often in flood. For example, in six of the last seven years, the river level was 0.7m and higher (Manley Hall gauge) for the whole of December. 

In 2015, December was extremely wet, and the river level stayed above 1.3m for the whole month, thus…

Fishing on the Welsh Dee was a complete WASH-OUT

Usually, fly hatches are sparse on the Welsh Dee during December and grayling are, more often than not, searching the riverbed for food: nymphs, larvae, worms etc.

So, how does all of the above affect…

My “Go-To” Grayling Flies for December?

Well, first and foremost, I have a smaller data set in my fishing log for December compared to other months. December fly selection is, therefore, derived from data combined with the experience of fishing in extreme weather conditions.

A) Grayling flies for December when river levels above 0.8m

More often than not, the Welsh Dee is likely to be above 0.8m (Manley Hall gauge) in December. These high river levels and dropping temperatures cause grayling to school and seek the shelter of large pools offering pockets of slower flow.

Pools on the Welsh Dee at Llangollen, where grayling school during December, include the following: Horseshoe Falls, Duncans Pool, Pipe Pool, Dee Farm, and the Cottage Pool.

Grayling flies for coloured water:

When the Welsh Dee is high and coloured, it’s necessary to fish a team of brightly coloured nymphs close to the riverbed.

To quickly get down through deep water, I often use the “BOMB” as the point fly, in bright orange or pink:

Orange BOMB

• Hook: Partridge CZ size 10
• Beads: 4 mm TB & 2×3.5 orange or pink
• Thread: Orange or Pink UNI 6/0

For the middle and top droppers, the following flies often consistently catch grayling in coloured water conditions.

Hot-pink Squirmy Worm

• Hook:  Kamasan B175 #14 & 12
• Bead:  3.5 mm metallic pink tungsten
• Thread: pink UNI-Thread 8/0
• Body: Hot pink squirmy

Tying instructions for squirmy worms

Hare Ear shell-back nymph 

• Hook:  HENDS B124 #16
• Bead:  3 mm tungsten (pink, gold)
• Thread: red UNI-Thread 8/0
• Body:  Hare Ear
• Back: medium copper tinsel

Orange Collar Pheasant tail nymph

• Hook:  HENDS BL124 (#14 & 12)
• Bead:   2.5mm tungsten (gold or silver)
• Thread: orange UNI-Thread 8/0
• Tail:       3 pheasant tail fibre
• Body:     pheasant tail fibres
• Rib:        Fine copper wire 

Grayling flies for clear water:

If there are no signs of grayling feeding at the surface, I fish a team on nymphs (Euro / Czech nymphing). In high and clear water, the flies used closely resemble natural insects.

I use heavy tungsten jig-back nymphs as the point fly in high water so that small nymphs are dragged quickly to the riverbed.

Olive Tungsten Jig-back

• Hook:   HENDS BL124 (#12)
• Weight:   XL-tungsten jig-back
• Thread: Claret UNI-Thread 8/0
• Tail: badger cock hackle fibres
• Tag – orange UNI-Thread 8/0
• Body: Olive synthetic quill
• Coating: UV – Varnish:     

For the middle and top droppers, I’ve found the following flies consistently catch grayling in clear water conditions.

TB Quill nymph

• Hook:  Hends BL154 (#14 & 16)
• Bead:    2mm tungsten
• Thread: Grey UNI-Thread 8/0
• Tail:       Iron Blue cock hackle fibres
• Body:     Stripped Peacock herl
• Thorax:  Hare’s Ear Dubbing

Quill Nymph Tying Instructions

TB Claret nymph

• Hook:  Hends BL154 (#14 & 16)
• Bead:  2mm tungsten
• Thread: Claret UNI-Thread 8/0
• Tail: Coq De Leon fibres
• Body:  Claret UNI-Thread 8/0
• Thorax:  Hare’s Ear Dubbing

B) Grayling flies for December when river levels between 0.4 to 0.8m

If the river is coloured and is closer to 0.8m, I use the flies described in the section above for coloured water. The only change would be reducing the weight of the point fly so that it still bounces along the riverbed.

Finally, when the river runs clear and close to its summer level, the ‘best’ approach often varies with the time of day.

At the start of the day, fishing nymphs close to the riverbed is usually the best approach. The nymphs described above for clear high water conditions work well but with a lighter point fly. A good point nymph example is the purple collar PTN.

Purple collar black PTN

• Hook:  Hends BL154 (#14 & 16)
• Bead:   3 or 3.5mm silver tungsten
• Thread: Black UNI-Thread 8/0
• Tail: CDL fibres
• Body:   Black pheasant tail fibre
• Rib: Red wire
• Collar: Purple glister dubbing

As the day progresses, be vigilant for signs of grayling taking flies near the surface. If that happens, switching to fishing either spiders, wet flies, or a small dry fly is often a good move.

Grayling flies for December – spider/wet fly selection:

My default Welsh Dee wet fly recommendation for December would be a three-fly cast on a 3lb copolymer leader (point: #14 black hopper; middle dropper: #14 pearl-ribbed March Brown spider; top dropper: #16 Pearly butt Waterhen Bloa). 

Black Hopper

• Hook:    Kamasan B170 #14
• Thread:    Black UNI-Thread 8/0
• Body:  Black Seal fur substitute
• Rib:       Pearl Mylar #14 (1/32)
• Legs:     Black pheasant tail
• Hackle:  Black Hen

Tying instructions – Black Hopper

Pearl-ribbed March Brown Spider

• Hook:    Kamasan B170 #14
• Body:    Rusty orange UNI-Thread 8/0
• Rib:       Pearl Mylar #14 (1/32)
• Hackle:  Brown partridge neck

PRMBS – tying instructions

Pearly butt Watehen Bloa

• Hook:    Kamasan B170 #14 & #16
• Thread: waxed primrose silk
• Body:    lightly dubbed mole fur
• Hackle:  Waterhen wing slip (or startling)

Waterhen Bloa tying instructions

Where best to fish the wet flies?

When the Welsh Dee is close to its summer level (<0.5m Manley Hall gauge), I focus my fishing in the following areas:

• the fast water leading into pools; 
• alongside weed beds, large rocks, ledges, and snags;
• the glide leading into the tail of the pool

For more on how I fish wet fly, check out the page dedicated to wet fly fishing.

Grayling flies for December – dry fly selection:

On mild days (ca. > 8^oC), you might see grayling taking dry flies at the surface. When that happens, definitely try a spot of dry fly fishing. It is best to match the hatch, failing that trying either of these flies should tempt a few grayling:

Griffith’s Gnat

• Hook:      Kamasan B170 size 18
• Thread:   Black UNI 8/0
• Body:      Peacock herl
• Hackle:   palmered Grizzle cock

Tying Instructions

Crumpled Iron Blue emerger

• Hook: Kamasan B170 #16 & 18
• Thread: Grey UNI-Thread 8/0 
• Tail: Grey Anton yarn
• Body: Mole fur
• Indicator: Orange Anton
• Hackle: Crumpled Iron Blue cock

The above fly suggestions come from my records of flies that have reliably caught grayling. Thus, they make a great starting point for a newcomer to the Welsh Dee. Also, they may improve the catch results of the more seasoned angler.

Further reading on grayling fishing

• Winter fly fishing for grayling: Great tips for beginners

Finally, I hope you’ve found this post interesting, and please share any of your favourite grayling flies for December in the comment section.