Trout Fisherman 524 (Digital Sampler)

LONE OW K

FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

EXCLUSIVE

FIRST LOOK

AIRFLO'S AIRFLO'S LATEST LA LAT TEST FLOATING FLO AT IN ATING LINE PLUS GEAR ON TEST

■ SNOWBEE G-XS ROD ■ ORVIS PRO FLY VEST ■ AIRFLO V2 REEL

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Get in the

45

ZONES

FLIES TO TIE NOW ISSUE 524 19 JUNE - 16 JULY, 2019 | £3.70

Find the buzzer beds at your water

SUMMER TIPS

SET-UPS FOR JULY STREAM BROWNS BEGINNER LAKE SKILLS TACKLE TIPS

BUYING A ROD?

We make it easy for you

TRY SOMETHING NEW

SHARK ON FLY

Catch a blue off UK shores

WHERE TO FISH

LLYN CLYWEDOG

Hotspots at Wales' top lake

MID-SUMMER FLIES

TIE A TOP BUZZER

Try our easy step-by-step

DIGITAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE

Contents I SS U E 524

Cover image by Peter Gathercole

BE INSPIRED

ADVICE

6 Your first

56 Advice squad

Readers share stories of their fly-fishing ‘firsts’

TF’s experts answer your questions on summer sea-trout sport, rod licences and fly lines

36 A fight you’ll never forget

60 How to...

COVER STORY Mike Thrussell targets blue sharks with fly patterns off the Irish coast

COVER STORY Buy the right rod – Paul Procter has all the advice you’ll need to make the right choice

TACTICS

FLY-TYING

8 Rich bounty

65 The Red Collar Buzzer

Peter Cockwill visits an established stillwater that provides a great all-round angling experience

14

14 Jewel in the crown

Learn how to catch wild browns and rainbows at Northumbrian Water’s most popular fishery

20 Find the zone

Gareth Jones and Robbie Winram enjoy a Buzzer session at Rutland COVER STORY

68

COVER STORY Snowbee’s new Prestige G-XS rods, Orvis Pro waistcoat plus new flies for 2019

COVER STORY If you’ve had your fill of the great southern chalkstreams try the unsung Rother

82 Fly-tying products

Tying with Patriot barbless hooks, Cheeky UV and Block jelly fritz

FOCUS ON...

42 Set-ups for mid summer

OPINION & NEWS

COVER STORY Steve Cullen’s chosen leader set-ups for stillwaters large and small

Phil Dixon selects six Fastmail patterns that he’ll fish through the warmer months

A rock-solid take turns into something of a surprise for Dave Malpas

84 News

OFFERS

Latest news from the trout scene and a focus on Scotland

59 Subscription offer

87 Cockwill

71 Reader offer

88 Letters

How you can subscribe to Trout Fisherman magazine for just £3.10 a month Save up to £109.99 on a Greys GR70 rod!

Peter relives a whole host of fun fishing memories Trout Fisherman readers have their say

91 Troutmasters

47 UK waters

Are you among this month’s badge winners?

Four top trout fisheries to visit this month

97 Iain Barr

50 Spotlight on...

COVER STORY

Peter Gathercole judges your freshly-emerged mayfly dun imitations and sets a new challenge

77 Gear on test

30 The forgotten river

WHERE TO FISH

72 Flymasters

TACKLE

COVER STORY A guide to the tactics and flies you’ll need to find success on a small stillwater

46 Catch memories

68 Flybox fillers

Russ Symons ties a simple CDC Hawthorn fly

26 First time on a summer lake?

44 Top six for summer

COVER STORY Peter Gathercole’s step-by-step to a deadly summer Buzzer pattern

Report from the Bob Church Classic at Rutland and the best way to fish nymphs

Llyn Clywedog

98 Wading in

52 A good Rede

James Stokoe and Marina Gibson explore Northumberland’s River Rede for sea trout

Jeff Prest discovers a fly-fishing book that stands out from the rest

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THIS MONTH’S WINNER

Sunset at top Scottish stillwater Bangour Reservoir in West Lothian.

Sent in by Stevie Cooney.

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).

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

TACTICS S M A L L W A T E R S Words: Peter Cockwill Photography: Peter Gathercole

Peter nets a spirited rainbow from a sturdy wooden fishing platform.

8 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16

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TACTICS

Rich bounty Peter Cockwill says ďŹ sheries must strive to provide variety and a greater overall angling experience.

He ďŹ nds it at Barn Elms in Berkshire

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June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 9

TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest

14 Trout Fisherman May 22 - June 18

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Jewel in the crown

Water levels rise and fall but popularity levels remain constant for Northumbrian Water’s most successful fishery. Learn how to catch wild browns and rainbows at Derwent Water…

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May 22 - June 18 Trout Fisherman 15

TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words: Gareth Jones Photography: Peter Gathercole

The feeding ZONE Gareth Jones ďŹ nds a distinct offshore area where the trout gorge on buzzer

20 Trout Fisherman May 22 - June 18

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Gareth Jones plays a fish hooked during the static hang at Rutland.

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May 22 - June 18 Trout Fisherman 21

TACTICS R I V E R S Words & photography: Jeffrey Prest

30 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16

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The forgotten river

If you’ve had your fill of the great southern chalkstreams, give the unsung Rother a try before heading home. A geographical relation it might be, but there’s nothing poor about it…

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June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 31

BE INSPIRED B L U E S H A R K O N F LY Words & pictures: Mike Thrussell

A fight you’ll never forget Mike Thrussell enjoys intense battles with blue sharks on the fly off the Irish coast. You can do the same…

A 65lb blue shark puts up a formidable fight.

36 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16

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W

ATCHING a shark take the fly just a few feet away from you is an adrenalin rush.

The 60lb-plus blue idles up behind the fly then sucks it straight in. I briefly pull the fly line, then lift the rod to keep steady pressure on to fully set the hook. The shark wildly thrashes its tail on the surface then crash dives at full speed taking all the fly line and a good 50 yards of backing on its first run. It hangs in the water at depth and now I put as much rod pressure on as I can. It shakes its head, then dives again taking another 25 yards of line off the reel.

It’s stalemate – shark using its

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BE INSPIRED

Mike Thrussell

Angling photo journalist Heaviest fish 65-70lb blue shark Favourite reservoir Llyn Cynwch Favourite small water Eisteddfa Fishery

weight at depth, me leaning backwards slightly to maintain full rod pressure with sweat pouring off my forehead and my forearm aching with pain.

The shark turns and lifts a little, giving me the chance to gain some line, but instantly it takes it all back. You let the shark have line when it wants but gain back what you can using short upward pumps of the rod, recovering just inches at a time.

I lose count, but the shark makes four or five deep plunging dives, each time requiring heavy pressure to work it upwards. We see the shark, indigo blue with a white belly, deep down, twisting, turning and thrashing its head and tail side to side as it tries to throw the hook.

Typically, within 20 feet of the surface, it sees the boat and crash dives again taking most of the original 50 yards of backing. More hard work, and constant rod pressure brings the fish upwards. Its runs are shallowing, only taking 10 to 20 yards of line at most.

Its tooth-filled mouth flashing wide – the little red fly clearly visible in the jaw – it breaks surface, rolls, but is beaten. Keeping rod pressure fully on, I lead the shark to the boatside. The skipper slides the big rope tailer over the shark’s tail to secure it then willing hands chip in to help lift it aboard for scientific tagging and photos prior to a quick release.

June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 37

SAVE UP TO £109.99 FR E E P&P

READER OFFER

GR70 70 RODS DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS GREAT AT OFFER

T

HIS month’s great offer from Glasgow Angling Centre is the Greys GR70 fly rod, available in a range of lengths and w weights to cover all your fly-fishing needs from small stillw stillwaters to large reservoirs. The rod was given Trout Fisherman’s Tackle Tester’s T Choice award when it was reviewed.

This light, smooth, and powerful single hand fly rod r has a fast action but it is very easy to handle and has a really grea great casting action.

Features of this four-piece rod include: High modulus carbon blank ■ Two-part skeletal reel seat with carbon woven wo spacer ■ AAA grade cork handle ■ Rod ID line-up marks ■ Supplied with a hard, har partitioned zip-top rod tube.

The reel seats on the 9ft 5wt and 9ft 6wt models ffeature reverse half wells handles, all others feature full wells handles with but butt extensions.

The GR70 rod is available to Trout Fisherman readers in eight models from a 9ft 5wt to an 11ft 7wt (see panel, belo below).

Tackle Tester’s Choice

M ONLY £160 FROM MODEL/CODE

RRP

NOW

9ft 5wt (GR2242)

£259.99

£160

9ft 6wt (GR2243)

£259.00

£160

9ft 7wt (GR2244)

£259.00

£160

9ft 6in 6wt (GR2245)

£279.00

£175

9ft 6in 7wt (GR2246)

£279.00

£175

10ft 7wt (GR2247)

£299.00

£190

10ft 8wt (GR2248)

£299.00

£190

11ft 7wt (GR2249)

£299.00

£190

How to order

When ordering quote “Trout Fisherman offer” & code “00146TF”.

Please state rod size/code you require. Offer available while stocks last. Free P+P. Tel: 0141 212 8880 | Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com | Order online: www.gac.fishing/00146TF Post: Glasgow Angling Centre, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow G22 5HT

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Red Collar Buzzer

Peter Gathercole ties a versatile nymph with a distinct hotspot www.troutfisherman.co.uk

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