Trout Fisherman 496 (Digital Sampler)

FREE TACTICS DVD INSIDE FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

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APR 26 - MAY 23, 2017 | £3.50

ISSUE 496

Amazing reader offer

FULL FLY OUTFIT

ONLY £119.99

Catch your first

STILLWATERS

Add 10% to catch rates

RESERVOIRS

ON THE LEDGE

Fish the drop-off at Stocks

TROUT Follow our 3 easy steps

HATCHES

MAYFLY TIPS

7-pages of expert advice

DESTINATION

CARP ON FLY

Top sport in Gran Canaria!

WHERE TO FISH

EYEBROOK

Latest news & hotspots

Contents

BE INSPIRED

FLY-TYING

COVER STORY

Follow our three easy steps and you’ll soon be part of the fascinating world of flyfishing

COVER STORY Peter Gathercole ties a neat pattern, ideal when fish are that little bit fussy

TACTICS

68 Flybox fillers

COVER STORY Craig Barr knows exactly where the fish will be on upland reservoirs

72 Flymasters

Cover image by: Peter Gathercole

6 How to get started

65 Mayfly Emerger

Russ Symons ties a Muskins variant

14 Find the drop-off Your adult Mayfly patterns judged by Peter Gathercole who also sets a new challenge

20 Northern powerhouse If you thought Cumbrian flyfishing was all small wild brownies, New Mills may well change your mind

TACKLE 77 New gear

26 Increase catch rate by 10%

36 Subscription offer

30 You’re going to need a bigger rod

Robbie Winram reviews the latest gear including the Scierra X-16000 chest waders and Daiwa’s Airity rod

Subscribe to Trout rout Fisherman magazine this month and receive two waterproof fly boxes

While waiting for the trout season to begin Matt Roberts goes in search of pike on the fly

84 Fly-tying gear

How using modern Fritz materials plus a few tactical tweaks can bring success COVER STORY

OFFERS

A close look at hooks, a dyed grouse skin, hooked dubbing needle and metallic fritz.

FOCUS ON...

38 Mayflies COVER STORY

Make the most of the mayfly season

OPINION & NEWS 86 News

WHERE TO FISH

All the latest news and gossip on the trout fishing scene

Stillwater fisheries to visit this month

89 Cockwill

46 Many faces of Meon Springs

Peter doesn’t hold back on what it takes to be a fishery manager

Peter Cockwill visits a fishery doing its bit to introduce newcomers to the sport

90 Investigation

43 UK waters

82 Reader offer Airflo Delta Classic rod outfit for £119.99 – a saving of £189 COVER STORY

To tag or not to tag?

48 Carp and the Canaries

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN Bankside

an-up Our Bankside Cle Campaign Clean-up campaign continues to gain momentum with more fisheries asking for the poster and creating their own bins for discarded leaders. Spread the message…we can do this.

COVER STORY In pursuit of carp on the fly in the balmy climes of Gran Canaria

92 Letters

54 Spotlight on...

94 Book reviews

Eyebrook Reservoir which has recently been taken over by a new management team

Two new books get the Jeff Prest treatment

COVER STORY

96 Troutmasters

ADVICE

Are you among this month’s badge winners?

56 Advice squad

102 Match news

TF’s panel of experts answer your questions on wind knots, light leaders, dropper set-ups and point flies

Iain Barr on how the World Bank Masters was won

106 Wading in 60 How to...

Choose a floating fly-line

WHERE TO FIND US...

Trout Fishermann readers have their say

ONLINE www.troutfisherman.co.uk TroutFishMag troutfishermanmag Trout Fisherman

Jeff Prest on how the rules we sometimes impose on fishing can put people off

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PRINT AND DIGITAL

EDITIONS AVAILABLE

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THIS MONTH’S WINNER Subtle hues of our flies.

Sent in by Daniel John Davies

HOW TO ENTER

Shot of the

MONTH

If you have a flyfishing image that you would like to see here, please send it to us.

Images must be: original size • high resolution.

Email them to leigh.johnson@bauermedia.co.uk If the image is too large to go over email, send via the free service wetransfer.com (for help see wetransfer.com/howitworks).

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Browse their products at www.sharpes.net or call 01466 794415.

Enter our competition now for your chance to win a Sharpe’s landing net

3

easy steps

TO GET STARTED

If you’re looking to take up flyfishing we’ve got the top tips to set you on your way...

6 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 26 - MAY 23

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BE INSPIRE D How to joi wonderful n the wo of flyfishin rld g

How your first session will hopefully end – pupil and teacher... plus fish.

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APRIL 26 - MAY 23 | TROUT FISHERMAN 7

Words: Russell Hill Pictures: Peter Gathercole

Find the drop-off at Stocks Reservoir and youÕll find the fish.

14 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 26 - MAY 23

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TACTICS Catch m

ore w late spring ith stillwater t ips

Find the DROP-OFF Craig Barr has a liking for upland reservoirs because he knows exactly where the fish will be...

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APRIL 26 - MAY 23 | TROUT FISHERMAN 15

TACTICS SMALL WATER Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest

20 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 26 - MAY 23

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Northern POWERHOUSE If you thought Cumbrian flyfishing was all small, feisty wild brownies, New Mills Trout Fishing Park would love to change your mind…

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APRIL 26 - MAY 23 | TROUT FISHERMAN 21

TACTICS PIKE ON FLY Words: Matt Roberts Pictures: Charlie Haire, Robin Howard

30 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 26 - MAY 23

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You’re going to need a BIGGER ROD… Fair-weather fly anglers are running out of excuses. When Matt Roberts went February fluff-chucking, trout were the last thing on his mind…

Beats stockies: Matt admires a 31-pounder from the Sussex Ouse.

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APRIL 26 - MAY 23 | TROUT FISHERMAN 31

Words: Russell Hill/Peter Cockwill

Mayflies are the largest of our upwinged flies and the most beautiful.

“Remember that stealth is just as important as having the right set-up so approach the water with caution.�

MAYFLIES

FOCUS ON How

to make th e most of the short mayfly sea son

They don’t hatch in all UK waters, but when they do the result is truly spectacular fishing. Our tips will ensure success...

1F em al e

ter s in wa g g ye ) la o ag (im

called ‘Duffers’ fortnight’.

Standard dry f ly set-ups suit adult Mayf ly patterns. Many anglers use a tapered leader with a tippet section connecting to the f ly, but a level leader will suffice. Fish feeding on mayf lies really aren’t too fussy, provided you avoid surface drag and the pattern sits naturally on the water. Peter Gathercole actually prefers an emerger pattern and you can see why on p65.

Nymphs can be fished singularly or on the point of a two or three-f ly cast and with a slow figure-of-eight retrieve.

Remember that stealth is just as important as having the right set-up so approach the water with caution while keeping low.

2 Ny mp hs

ev en t

e erg em lly ua

s

The good news is that trout aren’t too fussed about close-copy Mayf ly patterns so don’t waste time trying to recreate the differences between these two species. If your adult May roughly resembles a large upwinged f ly – and it’s presented reasonably enough – then you’ll get interest. Let’s face it, when the trout are ‘on’ these f lies they’ll grab at anything vaguely looking like the real thing.

The lifecycle is pretty straight forward (see diagram), and the trout will take the nymph just as readily as the adults.

And once they’re switched onto these insects fish can be so preoccupied that even the most inexperienced can be ‘quids in’ – hence the short hatch being

MAYFLY LIFECYCLE

3

e at nw ie o sd ner 5 Spent spin

Su bi ma go ( dun) s heds skin

S

HORT-LIVED they may be but the two-week window when mayf lies hatch is a memorable time of year.

The reason why this magazine no longer dedicates endless pages to this f leeting hatch is because geographically they don’t interest all parts of the UK. Scotland, a f lyfishing haven, rarely sees anything of this insect because of the cooler climate and environment.

‘Mays’ are the largest of our upwinged f lies and, although the entomologists among you will be aware that there are 51 species of mayf ly in the UK, there are two that interest anglers – danica and vulgata.

r 4A dults r) lay eggs (spinne

SEE NEXT PAGE FOR 8 TOP ADULT AND NYMPH MAYFLY PATTERNS

WHERE TO FISH GRAN CANARIA Words: Dave Felce Pictures: Dave Felce, Marek Sidor, Javier Toledo Martel

Carp and the CANARIES

We sense a certain uplift for the carp angling ‘brand’, as Dave Felce recalls pursuing them with a fly in the balmy climes of Gran Canaria…

48 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 26 - MAY 23

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Some laughed at the idea of carp on a fly but Dave Felce (on right, with his guide Marek Sidor) laughed last...

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APRIL 26 - MAY 23 | TROUT FISHERMAN 49

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