River San · fly box
The last big wild grayling river in central Europe, with a fly-only reach above Sanok.
| Pattern | Imitates | Size | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Woven Nymph | Stonefly nymph | #10-12 | Tight-line upstream through the rubble runs; the local standard. |
| Klinkhamer, olive | Emerging olive | #14-16 | Hang it in the film where the current breaks over gravel. |
| Grayling Pink Tag | Shrimp | #14 | Short-line nymph for shoaled grayling in the pool tails. |
| Wolly Bugger, black | Leech | #6 | Swing it through the deep bends at dusk for brown trout. |
The dressing plate
On this river
The upstream nymph drift
On the San the standard grayling method is a long upstream drift with two tungsten nymphs on a 5-metre leader and a highly visible indicator. Grayling take on the drop, not on the lift, so keep the rod tip following the indicator and strike downstream rather than upstream.
Evening dry fly for grayling
From June the olives and caddis bring grayling to the surface in the last two hours of light, and they rise more confidently than trout. Use a single #16 Klinkhamer or a small CDC emerger, cast across and let it drag very slightly — a subtly dragging fly often out-fishes a perfect dead drift for grayling.
Wading a big mountain river
The San's bed is made of rounded Carpathian cobbles, which move underfoot. Wear studded soles rather than rubber, use a staff in anything above knee depth, and cross only where you can see the bottom. Most accidents on this river happen on the walk back in the dark, so plan your exit before you start fishing.