Trout Fisherman 486 (Digital Sampler)

E ID U G S IE R E H IS F 0 10 P O T E E R F r experts reveal the UK's best stillwater trout venues to visit in 2016 Ou

FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

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How to tackle a

HILL TARN Tempt stunning brownies at altitude

ON THE RISE

Sedges for summer evenings

CDC DRY FLIES FISHING AT 102 Secret tips you've got to know

Meet Britain's oldest fly angler

ISSUE 486 £3.40 JULY 20 - AUGUST 16, 2016

Beat the heat with carp & pike on fly

THIS MONTH: HEAD TO THE HILLS Words & pictures: Steve Cullen

Wild browns ARE EASY? Many might not agree with him, but Steve Cullen claims that wild browns are greedy fellows and won’t pass on an easy meal

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TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

Hill lochs can be cool and fresh even in summer time.

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THIS MONTH: RESERVOIR TACTICS Words & pictures: Ceri Jones

Points are natural hotspots where food accumulates.

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Get to THE POINT Ceri Jones explains the importance of fishing close to points.

Put simply, they attract fish and big ones too!

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THIS MONTH: RESERVOIR DRY FLY SKILLS Words: Gareth Jones Pictures: Peter Gathercole

A size 16 Shuttlecock CdC offers great hooking potential.

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Size 16 FOR BETTER HOOK-UPS Gareth Jones proves that a small dry has immense hooking potential when catching trout feeding at the surface

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THIS MONTH: SUMMER TACTICS Words: Russell Hill

Carp on THE FLY

Fun with

A FLY ROD

If trout are struggling in the heat, try for a hard-fighting carp

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KAY, they’re not trout. But carp are strong and you’ll know you’re in a fight for sure because they’re basically large chunks of piscatorial muscle and great fun to play on light gear.

Furthermore, with plenty of trout waters turning their attention to carp – especially in the south-east, due to the warm climate and carp being tolerant of low oxygen levels in summer – carp on the fly looks set to become very popular. Although still a peripheral aspect of UK flyfishing it is definitely ‘taking off’.

Flyfishing is becoming widely recognised as offering the best presentation to surface-feeding summer carp and even top ‘carpers’ agree. Deer hair patterns with

Simple ‘carp on fly’ set-up

Floating line 5ft of 15-18lb leader

5ft of 10-12lb leader

Hedgehog fly

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trimmed undersides perfectly resemble half sunken dog biscuits sitting low in the surface film. And what’s more, there’s no controller float to give the carp a clue as to which biscuit to ignore (the one closest to the float of course).

Don’t forget that a fly can be cast beneath overhanging trees, which beats a controller float approach.

But it’s not only top-of-the-water tactics where the fly can score. Some anglers are using Bloodworms, as well as sinking bread imitations such as the Free Falling Fluff pattern and latterly anglers have been having success with hot pink lures.

It’s unusual for fly anglers to tempt carp with fast retrieved lures but these fish will chase when the mood takes them.

Jamie Sandford from Cumbria loves carp on fly and – although he’s had lots of success off the top with G&H Sedge – he’s had most of his success with hot pink lures either retrieved with a brisk figure-of-eight or stripped.

“I’ve always fished for predators and one day, when the carp weren’t feeding off the top, I decided to pull a lure,” said Jamie.

“To my surprise I got a follow and shortly afterwards caught an 8lb common.”

Hot pink He uses an 8wt rod with floating lures work line and Drennan Double for carp.

Strength leader in 8 to 10lb. He also advocates using plenty of backing on the reel because these fish can really run.

“I’ve tried all kinds of colours including orange and olive,” says Jamie. “But the hot pink has all the Jamie Sandford success.” He thinks the reason is a big fan of might be due to pink being a great carp on the fly. trigger colour to the carp but he also feels confident that, if he can see the lure in the water, then so can the carp.

So if the carp are reluctant to take off the top, reach for a hot pink lure. It could change your day.

TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

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RECOMMENDED FLIES Floating Egg Hook: Size 8-10 barbless carp hook Thread: White Body: Egg yarn Back: 3mm foam with 3mm fluo orange indicator spot

Hedgehog Hook: Size 8-6 Kamasan B175 or ESP Raptor G4 Thread: Tan Body: Spun elk or deer hair in natural brown or cream, trimmed on the underside

Close Copy Dog Biscuit Hook: Size 8 or 10 TMC 2499SPBL Thread: White 6/0 Uni Body: Deer Belly dyed ginger, mixed with natural rose deer, spun and clipped to shape Post: Orange poly yarn

White Bread Hook: Size 8 or 10 TMC 2499SPBL Thread: White 6/0 Uni Body: White Deer Belly spun and clipped to shape Post: Orange poly yarn

Fuchsia Tadpole CARP ON FLY TIPS

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Get permission from the fishery before casting a fly. There are safety aspects to consider because conventional carp anglers won’t be used to back casts.

Don’t go too light on leader strength because you want to avoid break-offs, which leave a carp with a fly and leader trailing from its mouth.

It’s not unusual to catch plenty of carp on the fly but remember to respect other

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carp anglers who might not like fly anglers fishing their waters. Don’t gloat!

Protect the fish at all times so invest in a carp mat when unhooking and use barbless or debarbed hooks and an unhooking/release tool or forceps.

Always use a 42-inch wide rimmed landing net and not your usual small trout net. Don’t be a fly angler who is unprepared to tackle carp.

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Hook: Size 10 3153110 FM black heavyweight Thread: White UTC Tail: 1.5in fuchsia pink marabou Body: Fuchsia pink Straggle Fritz (with two turns of white cock hackle) Eyes: Bead chain

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ADVICE SQUAD: Q&A

Advice

Squad Helping you become a better flyfisher

ASK THE EXPERTS Gareth Jones

Robbie Winram

Airflo employee and top competition angler known for fly-line development. At home on rivers or stillwater.

Trout Fisherman tackle tester and Rutlandbased fishing guide.

Experienced caster and expert fly-tyer.

When fishing the 'washing-line' consider the depth the fish are feeding at.

Are Buzzers best for droppers? fishing the washing-line method, Q When are Buzzers on the droppers more

TOP 4 FLIES FOR WASHING-LINE DROPPERS

successful than general purpose nymphs such as Crunchers, Diawl Bachs etc?

Jason Pusey ROB EDMUNDS REPLIES: Quite simply you

should fish with the best dropper pattern that will best meet your needs. Basically Buzzers, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers and Hare’s Ears account for 95% of my dropper patterns when fishing the 'washing-line' method.

Think about what the fish are feeding on and the depth they are holding in the water.

As a general rule of thumb, in April and May the fish are usually feeding hard on buzzers and throughout the water column – it’s logical then that I would fish Buzzers on the droppers and fish almost static, allowing my flies to drop through the water as I cover a range of depths.

In June and July and in the evenings the fish are often very high in the water (top two feet).

In these instances Buzzers (which are slim and cut through the water easily) can drop beneath the fish and out of the feeding zone. It’s often better to fish size 12 Crunchers and Diawl Bachs that will not sink as quickly – the dressing and size of the fly means that they will hold up in the water where the fish are feeding so increasing your catch rate.

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Hare’s Ear Nymph

Diawl Bach

Hook: Size 10-14 wet fly Thread: Brown

Hook: Size 10 wet fly Thread: Black Tail: Brown cock hackle fibres Rib: Fine, red wire Body: Peacock herl Thorax: Peacock herl Cheeks: Red holographic tinsel Hackle: Brown cock hackle fibres

Tail: Hare’s ear guard hair from hare’s mask Rib: Fine gold wire Body: 40% soft underfur/60% guard hair Thorax: 70% guard hair/30% soft underfur

Cruncher

Quill Buzzer

Hook: Size 10-14 Partridge dry fly supreme Thread: Orange 14/0 Sheer Rib: Veniard’s copper wire Tail: Greenwell’s hackle fibres Body: Cock pheasant tail fibres Thorax: Peacock herl Hackle: Greenwell’s

Hook: Size 10-14 grub hook Thread: Black Body: Stripped peacock eye

quill plus a band of red tying thread Thorax: Black tying thread Cheeks: Sunburst goose biots TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

Got a question you would like the experts to answer? Email your question to: beverly.winram@bauermedia.co.uk

Hywel Morgan Successful competition angler and World fly casting champion. Has fished extensively in the UK, USA and Europe.

Russ Symons

Rob Edmunds

South-west contributor for over 30 years. A true all-rounder at home on rivers, stillwaters and in the salt!

Highly successful match angler, reservoir specialist and a former Troutmasters champion.

Use a catch and release tool for ease and safety.

Mike Marshall Hanningfield-based champion tournament caster and imitative angler heading up the British Fly Casting Club.

Peter Cockwill Fishing guide, tackle shop owner and fishery manager with over 40 years experience.

A true all-rounder.

Paul Procter Cumbrian-based AAPGAI instructor and Orvis consultant, preferring the imitative approach on rivers and lakes.

Casting accuracy is key when targeting caenis-feeders you give me some tips on how to Q Could catch caenis-feeding fish? The fish are rising everywhere but don't take any of my imitations.

need to scale back the rest of your set-up to land fish without pulling the hook. My standard outfit is a 9ft 5wt rod with fairly smooth action.

Derek Kean GARETH JONES REPLIES: There are a

Safe catch and release

a fish is caught and is in the Q After net what’s the best way to unhook it so it can be released in good health?

Even when using barbless flies I find it quite tricky.

Sam Brown PETER COCKWILL REPLIES: There are

special release tools available which are essentially a short tube with a side slot, on the end of a shaft.

You engage the leader in the slot, slide the tube down onto the hook shank and then push gently to release the hook.

Alternatively you can use what we know as artery forceps which clamp onto the hook shank so it can then be pushed free.

Using your fingers to remove the hook is a very common method but you do need a bit of confidence and if the fish twists it's all too easy to get minor finger cuts from its teeth – more so with brown trout.

Why not get your fishery manager to show you as it's very much in his best interests that the fish go back with the best possible chance of survival and with minimal damage.

TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 -AUGUST 16

number of factors that make caenis-feeding fish so difficult to catch. Firstly the natural insect is quite small, equating to a size 16 – 18 imitation. Add to this the fact that it hatches in large numbers making the chances of the fish seeing and then eating your imitation quite slim.

However, when fish feed on caenis, they hold a position very high in the water and that in turn reduces their window of vision (see diagram below), so casting accuracy is the most important factor.

Make sure you use a pattern you can see well, a small parachute pattern with a hi-vis wing such as a Klinkhamer will help you see the fly. Then don’t cast too often as repeated casting will only frighten the fish and make them wary of the situation.

One little dodge I use is to make a cast about four feet ahead of where I think the fish is travelling, then as it approaches within two feet of the fly, I can slowly lift the rod and put the fly directly into the fish’s path.

Remember with such small flies, you will

Klinkhamer Hook: Size 16-18 TMC 2487 Thread: Sheer 14/0, black Abdomen: Orvis dry fly Spectrablend dubbing,

No.62 black Wing: TMC Aero Dry Wing Hackle: Grizzle cock hackle Thorax: Peacock Glister or Ice dubbing

l Tie them with different coloured yarn wings for varying light situations; white, pink, orange and dark grey will serve you well.

Fish feeding at the surface have a narrower window of vision.

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ADVICE: PROBLEM SOLVER

How to...

SELECT THE CORRECT IMITATION Paul Procter offers advice on picking the right fly pattern from the huge choice available

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HEN it comes to knotting on a killing fly beginners often feel a tad flummoxed. In some respects the same rings true for those who only get to venture out every once in a while, as keeping up with nature and the changing seasons can be difficult.

It’s made worse too as the list of weird and wonderful flies grows each month to join an already bewildering choice of artificials.

However, by applying a little commonsense and logic, it’s possible to do away with this agonising guesswork.

Outlined here are some pointers and advice that should help newcomers make more informed decisions during fly selection.

With so many flies to choose from how do you know which is the right one?

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TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER TO START WITH DRY FLIES, NYMPHS, OR LURES? When trout are seen dimpling at the surface then some sort of dry fly or emerger should be your initial approach. If these are refused then it might be that trout are feeding on the ascending nymphs/pupae just subsurface.

Stopping to observe the rise form usually helps as these tend to be more subtle disturbances when the trout’s head rarely breaks the surface of the water (diagram 1). In these situations we should present a single nymph static on a greasedup leader.

Understandably, doubt exists when little is stirring at the surface. If insects are still hatching

(buzzers for example) then nymphs should form our front line of attack. Interestingly, where wild trout are concerned on lochs and lakes etc, in more blustery conditions, fish respond best to wet flies with something like a Black Pennell, or Blae & Black worth a try.

Lacking any evidence of fly life, or pointers as to what trout might be taking, then resorting to attractor patterns or lures is often a shrewd move.

Rather than plumb the depths immediately, start by using a floating line first and if no takes are forthcoming then look to intermediate lines, followed by fast sinkers later.

DIAGRAM 1: RISE FORM WHEN TROUT ARE FEEDING JUST SUBSURFACE Trout feeding on emergers barely break the surface.

Side view

Spider’s cobwebs often hold vital clues.

BECOME A NATURE DETECTIVE The moment you jump out of your vehicle at a venue, start using your eyes. Check out hedgerows, fences, gateways etc and see if you can spot any flies or bugs. Always make a point of inspecting spider’s cobwebs too as they contain valuable information about what flies have recently been hatching on nearby water.

If you’re fishing a small, intimate stillwater then make the effort to stroll round to the windward (downwind) bank where foam accumulates. It’s here that both terrestrials and flies that perished during hatching will gather. These provide up to minute clues on what trout might be feeding on.

Finally, if it’s a fishery you haven’t visited before then take a quick glance beneath marginal stones etc, which often contain the nymphs and larvae of various bugs.

Viewed from above Discarded shucks and dead insects.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AN EXACT IMITATION

Scruffy Hare’s Ear (top) and a wispy version (below).

TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

Something else that frequently worries beginners is the apparent need for exact imitations. You know the kind of thing; representations boasting six legs, three tails, paired wings and in some cases, eyes!

As impressive as such creations are they’re more works of art than practical flies. Remember too that exact copies like a Mayfly, will only imitate mayfly.

However, nondescript dressings like a Hare’s Ear for example might pass off as various flies or bugs depending on how you present it.

Typically, a scruffy-looking Hare’s Ear dressed on a weighted grub hook and trundled along at depth is reminiscent of freshwater shrimp or hoglice. By adding a wispy tail with a sparse amount of dubbing fashioned on a straight shank, basically the same fly suggests the nymphal stage of

upwinged flies like lake and pond olives (see pictures, left).

My own fly boxes tend to be loaded with more generic patterns in a wide range of sizes. Flies like Klinkhamers, Hoppers, Hare’s Ear Nymph, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Fraser Nymphs and Diawl Bachs feature heavily.

Various buzzer pupa imitations are evident too with an epoxy version for deeper water work and one dressed using dubbing with the idea of exploring the upper layers.

As for emerging buzzer, I’ve always leaned towards Shipman’s Buzzer in fiery brown, black, olive, claret, orange and a yellow pattern too, which comes into its own during sedge hatches on warm summer evenings. As you can see, aside from the pupa patterns, none are what we’d consider ‘close copies’.

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INTERVIEW: PERCY NORTON Words & Pictures: Jeffrey Prest

Percy relaxes at the end of another productive session.

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Still fishing AT 102!

He’s eaten everything he shouldn’t, seen two world wars and been blown up by his own side in one of them. In our unlikeliest interview ever, we ask Percy Norton about long life and tight lines

TROUT FISHERMAN JULY 20 - AUGUST 16

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