Trout Fisherman 488 (Digital Sampler)

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TACKLE ON TEST

FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

l Wychwood T2 rod l Scierra C&R jacket l Airflo copolymer l Sage Click reel

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SEPT 14 - OCT 11, 2016 | £3.40

ISSUE 488

ACTION

Our experts guide you from boat & bank

FRED BAINBRIDGE

STALK A RIVER Low, clear water tactics

RUSS SYMONS

TIE A TOP FRY Then catch a fry feeder

ROB EDMUNDS

NICK HART

GRAFHAM TIPS STRONG LINKS Try our top autumn areas

Fly-line and leader

BE INSPIRED RIVER TYNE Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest

The Tyne of YOUR LIFE

Forever linked with shipbuilding and Shearer, the River Tyne is also one of our great ďŹ shing hubs, and it just became more accessible. James Stokoe shows us around...

6 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

BE INSPIRE D

Affordable fish on a great ing northern r iver

James Stokoe tries out Bend Pool on the Fourstones beat.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 7

TACTICS UPLAND RESERVOIRS Words: Phil Dixon Pictures: Peter Gathercole

12 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

TACTICS Catch m

ore w late summ ith stillwater t er ips

Surface SOUP

On nutrient poor, upland waters the fish look up for their food. Phil Dixon fishes top-of-the-water at Llyn Brenig...

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 13

TACTICS RIVERS Words: Russell Hill Pictures: Peter Gathercole

Low water PRIME TIME Stalking ďŹ sh in low, clear rivers can lead to bumper catches, even in a town centre. The editor watches Fred Bainbridge at work

32 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

Fred Bainbridge stalks wary trout in clear, low water on the Skell.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 33

What’s in YOUR BOX?

NEW SERIES

Fred Bainbridge reveals the inside stories behind his deadly patterns...

4

2 1 3

1 The Schnymph

3 PTN variant

A fly to use in flooded water with colour. It’s a fly that went wrong at the vice – I overlapped the collar – so it sat in my fly box without being used. Then one day, on a flooded river, I gave it a swim – where it was immediately nailed by a big trout. I use them in a team of three. There’s a video on my Facebook page showing me jigging Schnymphs in flooded water. The fly has made a huge difference for me during competitions on a flooded River Ure, Yorkshire. I caught 20 fish to win with Simon Robinson second with 16 – third place managed six fish. That’s how productive the Schnymph can be. But it’s a trout fly, and not really for grayling.

Whenever I’m fishing second hand water in competitions (meaning an angler has already fished the area), I place this fly on the top dropper. It’s my ‘go to’ pattern in these situations 99 per cent of the time. It’s never a point fly, always on a dropper. Don’t ask me why, it’s just that some flies have earned their place over the years as we gain experience. It has that classic deadly combination of being drab with some flash and the fish just pick it out.

2 Hot Collared Silver Bead This is purely a middle dropper pattern that has served me very well on the Welsh Dee during competitions. It’s always helped me to qualify and is a true all-round fly – perfect for the middle dropper.

4 Pink Squirmy Wormy Honestly? For general use, it’s overrated. When you consider the hype surrounding these worms you’d think it was the be-all and end-all. It sat in my box for two seasons without ever being used.

Then one day I found it’s purpose. I only ever fish it when a river is in flood or when stalking in low water and always on the point. Not many anglers have used it stalking on rivers but it’s deadly!

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 37

Where to fish AROUND THE UK

Venues in this issue 1

xoxoxox k Loch 1 oxox 1 Blac ll xox xox ewe 2 xoxo 2 Blak xo xoxongs er Spri 3 ooxo 3 Dev Lake e xo s rdinooxo 4 oxox 4 Elle oxer Wat oxox ham 5 oxox 5 Graf - (see p50)

1 2

A spotlight on top waters worth visiting this month

4 5 2

3

5 4 3

BLACK LOCH

FisThHeEry OF Month

A

TRIUMPH of restoration, this 124-acre fly-only water glitters amid former mining land, south of Falkirk, at the heart of central Scotland.

Now a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, Black Loch is a boat and bank fishery, run very much by anglers for anglers, with managers and local flyfishers alike keen to see this new venue succeed.

Blended nicely with its local past and present, landscaped former spoil mounds undulate on its southern shore, while School Bay brings boats so close to the small local primary school that the bell can be heard ringing across the loch, summoning in vain those older ‘truants’ on the water, waiting for trout to emerge from sunken weedbeds they call home and rise through the clear water.

Black Loch is stocked weekly with several types of trout including browns, rainbows and

hard-fighting blues, and rewards a broad range of imitative patterns – with summer Sedges something of a speciality.

Uncharacteristically for Scotland, the loch’s horizons are low rather than hilly, so be prepared for regular changes of wind direction.

In the main, fish here prefer the edges, spurning the loch’s middle, where the water is around 25 feet deep.

They do stay reasonably high in the water, though, so fishing deep is rarely called for.

Slower retrieves also seem to prosper over the quicker variety.

Individuals and clubs alike are welcome at Black Loch and while bank fishing is permitted, the managers encourage you to book a boat in order to enjoy the venue’s fishing at its best.

Black Loch offers a tuition package for beginner/ improvers that not only covers casting but also insect life and boat management.

Black Loch fish are full finned and well conditioned.

FACTFILE ADDRESS Caldercruix Road, Limerigg Falkirk FK1 3BT CONTACT 07527 254811 email via website www.blacklochfishery.co.uk OPEN 9am-dusk PRICE RANGE £15-£50 SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 41

FOCUS ON LEADERS & LOOPS Words & pictures: Nick Hart

Love your LEADER!

Well thought-out leaders can present flies via a near invisible link to the fly-line, improving the chances of a wet net.

Nick Hart explains how to get a seamless bond between fly-line and leader to improve turnover and presentation PERFECTION LOOP

O

N MANY occasions I’ve met anglers fishing less than five feet of high diameter leader attached to the fly-line with a gargantuan loop. No wonder their bass bag remains stowed away in the tackle bag!

Just a few simple alterations to the leader could change their fortunes.

Problems can begin with the leader to fly-line connection. In the past this necessitated bulky needle knots (fiddly to tie) until braided loops appeared on the scene. This ingenious system relies on the constriction of the fly-line by hollow braided nylon; although anglers are often lead to believe that it’s the plastic tubing that provides the security.

Just recently I bumped into Dan, trying his luck on the fishery I manage, Exe Valley. A keen convert to flyfishing after many years targeting carp, Dan’s line to leader connection is not an uncommon sight. An oversized loop and several inches of tubing result in an unwieldy link that’s sure to splash when casting and sink his floating line below the surface. Not much help when dry fly fishing!

A few minutes with a needle and a fresh

length of braid was all that was needed to transform Dan’s loop, finished off with a short one centimetre section of tube, designed to stop the braid from fraying.

For safety, add a drop or two of Superglue next to the tubing (on the braid side of the line) and the result is a near seamless bond between fly-line and leader. This improved connection will assist turnover and improve overall presentation.

Oxoxoxox

Leader to fly-line connection The next aspect to consider is how the leader will be attached to the fly-line loop.

The most common method is a simple loop-to-loop connection, but how the loop is formed in the leader and then connected should also be given some thought.

My preference is for a perfection loop (see diagram, right), which does not kink like standard overhand loops often used.

To connect the leader I pass the braided loop through the perfection loop and then pass the main leader back through the braided loop. To remember the correct connections try saying “thick line through thin line and thin line through thick line”.

All being well the two loops will pull

Oxoxoxox

Oxoxoxox

HOW TO MAKE A NEAT LOOP

1

Carefully insert needle into braid wall, push through ½-inch and back out, leaving 2 inches of braid below eye of needle.

38 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

2

Thread the needle with the braid and push needle all the way through. Pull the braid as you go and form a neat loop.

3

Carefully remove the braid from the needle and trim with scissors.

Remove any stubs by gently enlarging the loop.

neatly together. If this is not the case the chances are that the leader loop was passed through the braided loop and then the leader passed back through the leader loop! This will result in a kinked loop and poor presentation.

I prefer to use the loop-to-loop method when fishing with knotless tapered leaders as the butt is made from very high diameter line. However, if using spooled level leader material, try attaching direct to the braided loop with a standard blood or grinner knot (see diagram, right).

When doing so I thread the leader through the braided loop twice for extra security and then tie the knot, ensuring plenty of saliva is used when pulling the turns up tight. Forget to do this and the leader may now have an unseen weakness, which will only become evident when a fish takes!

The main benefit of using a knot, rather than loop-to-loop, is that quick tactical changes become possible. Wind the leader into the rod, thread up the desired density of fly-line, disconnect the leader from the previous fly-line, attach it to the new one and in less than a couple of minutes the flies will be back in the water. But how far should the flies be away from the fly-line?

FOCUS ON How

to cope wit h specific pr oblems in a sessio n Dan with his over-long, large loop braided leader (left) and the neater version.

GRINNER KNOT TO BRAIDED LOOP

WATER KNOT x3

Oxoxoxox

4-5x

Oxoxoxox

Don’t fish a short leader One of the most common mistakes is leader, leaving a long tag, which can be to fish with a short leader. Many used as the dropper. The two anglers feel that a long length different diameters of leader Wrong way: A of copolymer or fluorocarbon material will offer a degree of bad loop-to-loop is too much to handle and go tapering which can aid between fly-line and short in an effort to reduce turnover, although with the leader. tangles. These unwanted wind behind or blowing ‘bird nests’ are frustrating from the non-casting and time consuming, shoulder, the effects are although it is not usually the minimal. For optimum leader that is to blame but some turnover there’s nothing better kind of casting fault. than a knotless tapered leader It’s quite possible to cast leaders although these cannot be of over 12 feet long without any customised in the same way as Right way: How difficulty and present our hand-tied leaders. a loop-to-loop flies well away from the As a general rule I use should look. fly-line. In windy hand-tied leaders in almost conditions it may be all situations, fishing up to necessary to drop down to a four flies attached to an 10-foot leader and just one overall leader of 18 feet when fly. However, in many other boat-fishing a reservoir. Bank situations, it pays to learn how fishing is tackled with 15-foot to cast leaders in excess of 14 feet leaders, with one or two droppers, incorporating a dropper. and for dry fly a nine-foot knotless Try attaching a seven-foot length of 8lb tapered leader is knotted to a five-foot leader to the fly-line and then use a water section of level tippet providing an overall knot (see diagram, above right) to join an length of 14 feet, incorporating one additional seven-foot section of 6lb dropper. This format prolongs the life of the knotless tapered leader and allows me to present two surface patterns accurately with good turnover.

Correct use of polyleaders

4 Add drops of Superglue to secure the doubledover braid.

Knotless tapered leaders should not be confused with polyleaders, a progression from the original braided leader. Marketed as a great way to improve turnover it’s not uncommon for a client to turn up at the fishing school with a polyleader attached to their fly-line and just a couple of feet of level line knotted to the end!

Used as a sink-tip system in intermediate, slow and fast densities, the polyleader is a

great way of changing a floating line into a sink-tip, but always fish with a full-length leader attached. Polyleaders look like fly-line and the whole idea of the leader is to present our flies away from anything that may arouse the fish’s suspicion!

Leader colour One more thing to consider is the colour of the leader. Dark brown products such as Maxima Chameleon stand out a mile in clear water conditions so if you use something similar and struggle for takes it might be time to look at fluorocarbon products such as Rio Fluoroflex, Airflo Sightfree or Frog Hair.

Learn to love your leader and the chances are that it won’t be long before a surprised trout is attached to the end!

Jargon busters Turnover: The moment a fly-line loop straightens. Good turnover results in a fully extended leader, placing the flies at maximum distance from the fly-line.

Butt: The highest diameter (thick end) of a leader that is attached to the fly-line.

Dropper: Formed by leaving a long tag end when attaching leader materials with connections such as the water knot or double grinner knot. Droppers can be used to present multiple patterns on one leader.

Fluorocarbon: Popular leader material, which sinks and offers low visibility. Has similar refractive qualities to water and doesn’t significantly distort light passing through it, resulting in less flash. Has good abrasion resistance and generally easier to work with than monofilament and copolymers due to its stiffness.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 39

WHERE TO FISH BRITTANY Words & pictures: Peter Gathercole

44 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

Rustic BRITTANY CHARM

Anglers and walkers will ďŹ nd this region of France an absolute delight

Brittany looks similar to the rolling hills of Devon or Cornwall.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 45

WHERE TO FISH ANGLER’S MAP

GRAFHAM

NEW SERIES

Make use of our quick guide to autumn hotspots for bank and boat

FLIES TO TRY... from bank and boat

Hare’s Ear Shrimp

Boat info

For shrimp-feeders use the same tactics as you would off the bank, but the boat must be literally scraping the bottom in just two to four feet of water. Drift 10 to 40 metres out from the bank only! If the trout are targeting fry, try a Di- 3 or Di-5 line with Snakes or Humungus patterns and again roly-poly them back around the weedbeds or structure (Savages, Pylon Point, Sailing Club, Tower on dam). Beef up your fluorocarbon when using big patterns – 10-12lb is normal! Other late season hotspots are Rainbow Point, The Seat and G Buoy to Willows.

Hedge End Savages Point Red Holographic Cruncher (Nemo) Rainbow Point

Humungus Booby

Black Snake Lodge Arms

Ginger Hopper

Bank tactics

Washing-line on a midge-tip or a floating line with Shrimp patterns on the droppers (Hare’s Ear or Red Holo Crunchers) and a Cruncher Booby or Suspender Minkie on the point. Basically just hold on and let the flies swing round in the breeze. Long casts are not essential as most fish are 10 to 25 feet from the bank, feeding on shrimps and fry. For fry feeders fish a Humungus or Snake and roly-poly it back on an intermediate or Di-3. If daddies are about fish Ginger or Yellow Hoppers on a floater or midge-tip just subsurface. The places to head for are the dam, The Seat, Lodge Arms, Pylon Point, G Buoy, Hedge End and Deep Water Point.

Suspender Minkie 50 TROUT FISHERMAN | SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11

G

RAFHAM really hits top form in the autumn months, consistently offering some of the best fishing of the year, writes reservoir expert Rob Edmunds. Grown-on trout from 3-5lb are an everyday occurrence from both bank and boat. Shrimps will play a major part in the food source, as will fry and Daddies and your patterns and methods must represent this.

ADDRESS Grafham Water Fishing Lodge, Perry, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 0BX CONTACT 01480 810531 EMAIL fishing@anglianwater.co.uk WEB www.anglianwater.co.uk/leisure/waterparks/grafham/fishing/ PRICES Day (8 fish plus catch and release) £26; motor-boat hire £27. Plenty of other ticket options.

SEASON March 4, 2016 to January 31, 2017

Rob Edmunds rates Grafham for its quali ty trout.

Key No Fishing Hotspots Bank Boat Facilities Parking Refreshments Toilets

Pylon Point

Fishing Lodge Tourist Info

Deep Water Point

Marlow Bay G Buoy The Willows

Tower on dam

Sailing Club The Seat

The Dam

Grafham’s dam and tower are www.trout-fisherman.com

autumn hotspots.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 11 | TROUT FISHERMAN 51

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