Duncan Raynor looks at sausages and how they have impacted his winter grayling fishing.
On a drive home from an autumn grayling trip recently, I re-lived the best bits of a great day out. It started, as a lot of these trips do, with a good fry up including some fantastic sausages. The size of the breakfast we order means we don't have to break for lunch and can fish through 'til we are either too tired or the fishing has slowed.
Westcountry grayling can be hard, particularly when you live as far west and south as I do down in Cornwall. I have found them in a few rivers but not in massive numbers. The shoals of grayling one reads about simply don’t seem to exist here, however I have spent some very happy days searching them out with some fantastic company, the stunning colours of the leaves and the nip in the air all add to the experience.
Coming back to my original point; the humble sausage. An integral part of a fry up, Bacon yes, eggs yes, beans (inside breathable waders all day?), tomatoes, fried bread or toast, mushrooms, black pudding and hog's pudding although that might be a Cornish thing.
But actually how humble is a sausage? We live in a time where the choice is bewildering. Even in the most basic form I have to decide from which region. Cumberland or Lincolnshire?
Or what if I want a little extra flavour in my sausage? There is a wide range to choose from, leek, apple, cheese, onion and I can decide how spiced I would like it too. Hell, I can even decide the diameter of sausage I'd like.
There are also some fantastic European types too, every kind of wurst you could imagine. I grew up in Southern Africa, and Boervaus has a special place in my heart. A butchery in my local farming town has a cheesy infused version cooked on a skottel braii. It really is heaven.
I also have a theory about food tasting better when eaten in extreme circumstances and although I have done plenty of this, sitting in a farm shop café isn't what I'd call extreme but of course, it depends on the company you keep and the topic of conversation but the chairs are way too comfortable, the coffee delicious, the staff pleasant and helpful.
Sometimes, after a good breakfast it takes time to get to the river but if you haven’t tried grayling fishing, give it a bash. You might be able to find a bunch of like-minded mates who feel the same - sharing a rod and chatting a bit inbetween pools is fun too, if you’re lucky to live near a river that holds grayling.
If you fish freestone rivers follow the river levels and work out at what height the river is fishable and when it isn't. The rain at this time of year can make a huge difference to the water levels.
Be careful with your wading, there may be salmon and sea trout cutting redds in the tails of pools and slipping in would not only make your mates laugh it would be pretty cold, moving water can cool you quickly, not ideal if hyperthermia is to be avoided.
Grayling are a fantastic fish a new challenge, another set of skills to master, they help you become a better all-round angler and fly tier. If it isn’t for the surroundings, the outdoors, crisp air, time spent with friends then do it for the hero of this yarn- the humble sausage.