Trout Fisherman 515 (Digital sampler)

FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

GEAR S ST E T ● Cortland fly line

● Vision wading boots ● Snowbee XS bags ● Wychwood drogue and many more...

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

Catch in the

COOL

10 OCT - 6 NOV, 2018 | £3.60

ISSUE 515

Methods for late season Flies to tie now

33

Full dressings & top tips

INVESTIGATION

Are line weights accurate?

TACKLE

GLASS FIBRE Why retro rods live on

BANK METHODS

SHORE ACTION Fish dries under your feet

TACTICS

FLY COMBOS

Autumn 2 & 3 fly set-ups

WHERE TO FISH

WELSH JEWEL Llyn Trawsfynydd guide

Contents

BE INSPIRED

58 How to...

COVER STORY David Felce raves about glass fibre rods while on holiday in Spain fly-fishing for carp

FLY-TYING

TACTICS

Peter Gathercole ties a killer fry pattern for the back end of the season

6 Glass fibre rods

Cover image by: Ceri Jones

12 Dries under your feet

42 Cortland tools offer

FREE Cortland zinger, line clippers and tippet retainer worth £7.97 (just pay postage)

62 Rod & reel offer

Buy a Greys GR10 rod and get a FREE Stillwater cassette reel

66 Flybox fillers

18 Feel over sight!

70 Fastmail flies

24 Hoppers at any depth

72 Flymasters

FOCUS ON...

TACKLE

Gareth Jones fishes a traditional dry fly on a sinking line at Eyebrook!

29 Autumn set-ups COVER STORY

Four top fly combinations

34 Growth industry

How fisheries and anglers can deal with weed

Three top trout fisheries to visit this month

45 Born again

There are some big changes afoot at Ravensnest fishery in South Wales. Peter Cockwill investigates

50 Spotlight on...

COVER STORY

Llyn Trawsfynydd in North Wales

52 Start fly-fishing at Meon

82 Fly-tying products

84 News

Latest from the trout scene

87 Are line weights correct?

COVER STORY Clearing the confusion around line ratings. They’re not always correct it seems

88 Letters

Trout Fisherman readers have their say

90 Troutmasters

Are you among this month’s badge winners?

94 Book reviews

Two more books get the Jeff Prest treatment

95 Iain Barr

ADVICE

98 Wading in

TF’s panel of experts answer your questions

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

COVER STORY Robbie Winram looks at the latest gear including Cortland rods and Vision waders

A friendly place to start down south

54 Advice squad

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

77 New gear

OPINION & NEWS

43 UK waters

www.greatmagazines.co.uk/ troutfisherman

Peter Gathercole judges your fry imitations and sets a new fly-tying challenge

38 Flymasters champion

WHERE TO FISH

PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE

Six more autumn patterns described by England’s Phil Dixon

New hooks from Ahrex, plus Neon Hackle, Bugger Bou and holographic tinsel

Jeffrey Prest meets a top fly-tyer at Aldin Grange fishery to discuss all things fishy!

Save up to 51% when you subscribe to Trout Fisherman magazine

Step-by step to an easy-to-tie Black Pinfry

36 Fish the weedbeds

Catch trout feeding on snails, corixa and sticklebacks

76 Subscription offer

63 Perch Zonker

COVER STORY Iain Barr crouches down and flicks small dry flies out to shrimp feeders at Rutland

One angler’s opinion that indicators are no match for ‘feel’ when fishing

OFFERS

Paul Procter’s top tips on fishing with nymphs

troutfishermanmag TroutFishMag troutfisherman troutfishmag

Why this could be a terrific late season Jeff Prest describes his journey to find the ultimate wet weather gear – with hilarious consequences!

troutfisherman troutfisherman troutfisherman-online @troutfisherman

THIS MONTH’S WINNER

Youngsters Arthur & James Josey with a 5lb brown from Manningford.

Sent in by Duncan Josey

HOW TO ENTER

Shot of the

MONTH

If you have a fly-fishing 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).

Published photographers will receive a landing net from Sharpes of Aberdeen.

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

Words & pictures: Dave Felce

Agent orange: the author takes aim on another Spanish session.

6 TROUT FISHERMAN | OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6

www.troutďŹ sherman.co.uk

BE INSPIRE D

Go ‘retro’ a reduce you nd r car footprint... bon

Glass of their own

How modern glass rods can improve your fishing, protect you from electrocution and save your marriage...

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 7

Words: Iain Barr Pictures: Peter Gathercole

12 TROUT FISHERMAN | OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

TACTICS Enjoy s

ome in reservoi close r dr fly sport y

Dries under your feet Iain Barr and Team Costa’s Graham Hayward catch just a few feet from the shore at Rutland...

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 13

TACTICS DETECTING TAKES Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest

G N U B E H T L A T I G I D S E O G e delve into W . m ‘e f o 10 ’re born with e w , s r o t a ic d see them... in u f o o y k e r in o h f t e u b o s y Whatever you feel take y h w f o e c n ie the sc

who’s not s a n a n gler e se st ju e H ointment. h h is disapp g ths. n ve re I’ st t even thoug ca n a is h th m iss ta kes s to lea rn lay in g to p d rs ye e le se e g ri h n a rp “T e en su s. th e se in OU won’t b n ner of opposition to “We’ ve a ll g at a bu n g,” he ex pla le on a nd the a pp rin hea rd a ll m me. they’re st a specia lly if there’s a ri here’s a nother g ; it’s ti e y T in . s, m n sh k fi w in ic o g ytr d n fl bu a nd play in g ; it’s not bobbin g up stead …”

It’s float fish e tc . Some times it’s a ha s indicator’s ou ld be rely in g on in tc in g a you n g it e s nse they sh oint, when he’s teach n , ma ke su re just w ron g servation ; some time se ep atio ob e times, you To prove th g a ge h im in convers g rab the osoph ica l it ; a nd som g responded to pu rely ph il en to to y ll e k e’ er a h b b r, m o le n f sn ang a nd then istle bei the wh iff o ye contac t, from h im . ly a dog wh ica Great A g a in cap e p s m a h si e ’s h it mer sponse is d aw ay suspec t, d , ye t the re ns on the ke a M a ke A . n g ster ’s ro li u ro , it is yo b h a t h a f g o rn ia ou t ok in ghte ed in Ca lifo “He’s not lo g rip inst inc tively ti e mee t up at bein g spott w . His en te h ia w s, ed in m im ie ex pla rr el u a is more C h ,“ ch ic u le M d to ever, rod ha n because s t’ a h “T Technical rives the objec tion, howtion in this s. e d Moir a La k ht.” ed by the e posi W hatever me t w ho ve tha n sig sser tion wa s temper ies a u n iqu ve si p a n u h o I cc sp o n w re so o a er I a re not t th is first p Cu rr ie n ory, a s the y intr ig ue a it led me. Science a nd more n pu rely M o em rt m a s p r’ a t te p h ce a re w ri a into wh ic a ny of you w s, dicator con e best a re it ua l bed fellow s, so if issue w it h what follo ta kes the in u nds. th h it w s ye e b e k ro a g h is ta l h a d ll n ic r, a n ro to n ed a tech a lifi lsterma n ca in g a n indic su it ably qu W h ile the U he spots someone fish at prompts th ss en of them wh rinciple nor snootine p it’s neither

Y

18 TROUT FISHERMAN | OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

www.troutямБsherman.co.uk

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 19

BUY A GREYS GR10 ROD FOR £79.99

SPECIAL READER OFFER

AND GET A FREE C60 CASSETTE REEL

THIS month’s month offer from Glasgow Angling Centre is the Greys GR10 9ft 6wt fly fl rod. And when you order the rod you will also receive a Stillwater C60 cassette cas reel – an amazing tackle deal!

The GR10 rod’ rod’s easy to cast, smooth yet powerful action will be popular with beginners beginner and more experienced anglers alike. The four-piece rod features hard-lined but butt guides and chrome snake snak rings, a black anodised saltwatersafe reel seat and is supplied with a cloth rod bag.

The Stillwater S C60 cassette reel (rated for 5/6wt lines) is a large arbor, lightweight system 5/ and features a powerful, po reliable drag. It comes with one super light plastic plas spool, plus two spares, and a zipped-case with carry handle.

The combined RRP of the rod (£79.99) and reel (£64.99) is £144.98, but the two items are available to Trout Fisherman readers for just £79.99 – so in effect you are getting the reel for free!

HOW TO ORDER Quote ‘Trout Fisherman offer’ and code 00137TF when you place your order.

(P&P is free with this offer.

Offer available while stocks last).

Tel: 0141 212 8880 Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com Website: http://gac.fishing/00137TF/ Or by Post: Glasgow Angling Centre Ltd, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen St, Glasgow G22 5HT

FOCUS ON Ho

w to fish t and three-fl wo y set-ups

After the hot summer, autumn brings relief. Peter Cockwill reveals the fly combinations he fishes OUR smaller waters have recovered from the summer and now we can enjoy some top action as weedbeds die off, algae no longer grows and the water is clear.

Trout love cooler conditions and sense that they must feed in preparation for winter such that we can now use a multitude of techniques. It’s my favourite time of year because the countryside looks lovely,

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

the temperatures are comfortable and trout give their best in the colder, oxygenated water.

A floating line does most of my work but I have either a conventional intermediate, or preferably a ‘slime’ line too. This line keeps the fly down a bit, which is where the fish mostly are now.

It also helps to combat the wind by fishing under the surface drift.

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 29

TACTICS RESERVOIRS Words: Gareth Jones Pictures: Peter Gathercole

The humble Hopper dry fly accounts for some incredible trout.

24 TROUT FISHERMAN | OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

Hoppers at ANY DEPTH!

Originally designed to be fished on the surface, Hoppers have now gone the way of the Booby, being successfully fished on any line density. Gareth Jones explains... www.troutfisherman.co.uk

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 25

WHERE TO FISH UK WATERS

OFFICIAL STILLWATER

Born AGAIN

The new owner of Ravensnest in South Wales is making huge changes. Peter Cockwill investigates...

www.troutямБsherman.co.uk

OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6 | TROUT FISHERMAN 45

Fly-Tying In association with Veniard

trout FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

Perch ZONKER

This year has been a bumper one for perch fry. Peter Gathercole ties one up for the back end fry frenzy Visit our website www.veniard.com

PRINT | DIGITAL | ONLINE

Print & Digital Subscriptions

www.greatmagazines.co.uk/trout-fisherman-magazine

www.troutfisherman.co.uk OFFICIAL HOME OF

TROUTMASTERS Europe’s largest flyfishing competition Available from

Connect with us