Not too long ago, the chalk streams of southern England were the go-to place for big grayling.
While there are still specimens to be caught down south, recent years have seen an increasing number of anglers head to the wild rivers of Scotland to target the species.
You can see why, when this week alone six fish over the 3lb mark were reported from the region.
They cap a scintillating winter for the species as more anglers than ever make the pilgrimage north of the border to join in the bonanza.
All the big fish reported this week fell to maggots trotted under a large loafer float.
The first, and biggest, of these was Simon Ashton’s 3lb 2oz personal best. The Durham rod also had a grayling of 3lb 1oz, plus a pile of others over the 2lb mark.
“What a session it was, and on my birthday too!” he told us.
“I had the 3lb 1oz fish just minutes after starting – it shot off downstream, forcing me to backwind.”
GET THE TACKLE YOU NEED FOR GRAYLING FISHING WITH OUR BUYER'S GUIDES.
A few days later Simon returned, this time with his friend Richie Martin. Having landed another three-pounder, he put Richie in the hotspot, where he was in for a memorable day’s sport.
“I managed to land seven fish over 2lb, plus one weighing 3lb exactly and another at 3lb 1oz,” Richie told us.
“Spending time in a such a wild and rugged landscape alone makes the 16-hour round trip worthwhile.”
WANT TO CATCH A GRAYLING YOURSELF? HERE ARE SOME EXPERT TIPS AND TACTICS.
Next up was York angler Harry Waudby, who managed a fish of 3lb on a two-day trip.
“That three-pounder is my dream grayling, and I also had a fish of 2lb 11oz the day before,” he told us.
“I’m still on a big-fish high!”
GET THE BEST RODS FOR FLOAT FISHING IN THIS IN-DEPTH BUYER'S GUIDE.
This page is a free example of the amazing content Angling Times Members get every single week. Becoming an Angling Times Member gives you access to award-winning magazine content, member rewards, our back issue archives, bonus content and more! Join our fishing community and find out more today!