Trout Fisherman Issue 527 (Digital Sampler)

FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH

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DAIWA WADING WAISTCOAT WAISTCO AATT

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Tips to be a

37

NO.1 FOR AUTUMN TACTICS

High Flyer

FLIES TO TIE NOW PIKE ON FLY

Explosive autumn action

Expert tactics to help you catch more off the top FLY-TYING

Daddies & Hoppers

11 SEPT - 8 OCT, 2019 | £3.70

ISSUE 527

Top tyings to boost your catch rates

RESERVOIR SKILLS

UPLAND WATERS

DIAWL BACH TIPS

FINDING THE EDGE

From a Blagdon specialist

Water craft to try now

WHERE TO FISH

LLYN BRENIG

Autumn hotspots & flies

TACKLE ON TEST

HONEST REVIEWS

Get informed about gear

TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words Iain Barr Pictures Peter Gathercole

A lively trout leaps for freedom at Eyebrook.

TACTICS

Dabblers & Daddies

Iain Barr tries typical autumn surface tactics at Eyebrook reservoir

TACTICS U P L A N D W A T E R S Words and pictures Mike Thrussell

Mike nets a trout in the shallow margins of Llyn Cynwch.

Fishing on the edge

Mike Thrussell reads the water to find the fish at Llyn Cynwch

TACTICS F I S H I N G D I A W L B A C H S Words & pictures Russ Symons

A Blagdon rainbow taken on the everreliable Diawl Bach.

BACK TO BACHS

Today's fly-fishers can't afford to say goodbye to the deadly Diawl Bach, as Russ Symons explains...

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

Direct line insurance

Is your river nymphing getting a little flabby? Tighten up that leader, says Fred Bainbridge – the shortest distance between man and fish is a straight line...

READER OFFER RRP £43.99

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EEP all your essential gear close to hand with the Daiwa wading waistcoat which is packed with storage options for everything from floatant to fly boxes.

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THE DAIWA WADING W WAIS AVAILABLE VAILABLE TO AISTCOAT IS A TROUT FISHERMAN READERS IN THREE SIZES: M (code DW7784), L (DW7785) and XL (DW7786).

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Tel: 0141 212 8880 | Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com | Order online: www.gac.fishing/00149TF Post: Glasgow Angling Centre, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow G22 5HT

TACTICS S M A L L W A T E R S Words & pictures Jeffrey Prest

The big day We all dream of that first ‘double’ but how much of a culture shock is hooking one?

Greg Hoggan with his 14lb 8oz rainbow.

TACTICS P I K E O N F LY Words & pictures Matt Roberts

Once the ferocious battle is over, admire the colours! This 29lb 7oz pike was taken from a shallow bay in spring.

Large water PIKE ON FLY

The sheer aggression of a perfect freshwater predator hitting your fly is highly addictive, says expert Matt Roberts 36 Trout Fisherman September 11 - October 8

www.troutfisherman.co.uk

T

HROUGHOUT the UK, most anglers are within driving distance of a range of large waters including reservoirs, natural lakes, lochs and loughs. Many of these expansive, daunting and – on the surface – often featureless bodies of water hold large pike and allow you to fly-fish for them.

There is an air of mystery associated with large waters, the 'unknown' of what lies beneath and tales of waterfowl being plucked from the surface. With modern social media, it’s now the pictures of behemoth pike that provoke the angler’s imagination.

Pike can flourish in these relatively unpressured conditions when plenty of high-protein trout www.troutfisherman.co.uk

Matthew Roberts

Chartered town planner & angling writer Heaviest fish 30kg blue fin tuna on a 14wt Favourite reservoir Blagdon for pike Favourite small water Chalk Springs

and coarse fish are on the menu.

Knowing the monsters are there doesn’t make locating or catching them on vast waters any easier!

Fishing large waters can be daunting at first and many anglers have tried and left disappointed, swearing never again to return. I have spent many hours without even the slightest whiff of a pike, but I’ve also enjoyed many epic captures on large waters and in this feature I’ll share a few of my top tips to help you improve the odds of catching pike on UK’s formidable large waters.

Being able to double haul cast will further increase your chances of success, it is a game-changer when casting large flies, especially in windy conditions. You’re able to cast further in all conditions and

ultimately cover more fish.

Once the fly hits the water, I begin counting the fly down to the desired depth I wish to fish, always keeping tight to the fly as it falls through the water columns. On more than one occasion, I've been snoozing and had the line ripped from between my fingers (which leaves the heart racing and you cursing).

Once the fly has reached my chosen depth (usually two to three feet off bottom) I start my retrieve.

This is usually a slow retrieve as, in my experience, pike are lazy so strip, pause (two seconds), strip, strip (pause two seconds) etc. Takes mostly come on the pause and range from a slight tap and tightening of the line, to having the line wrenched from between your fingers (be ready)!

September 11 - October 8 Trout Fisherman 37

WHERE TO FISH R E S E R V O I R S Words & pictures Jeffrey Prest

GONE WITH

My odyssey among Northumbrian Water’s flagship venues ends as it

Spot the wind-lane. Andrew Scott prepares to cast into the teeth of the gale at Grassholme.

THE WIND began, in the blustery splendour of the Durham moors…

THE ULTIMATE FLY-TYING BOOK A lifetime's flies in one beautifully illustrated book – from the publishers of Trout Fisherman and Trout & Salmon magazines

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Catching a fish on a fly you’ve tied is one of the most rewarding aspects of our sport. The satisfaction is everlasting. If you've not tied a fly before, this quality 200-page book will help you to achieve that goal.

Discover the basics of hook and fly anatomy, and the tools and materials to get you started.

There are explanations of basic techniques, including applying thread to a hook, the whip finish and everything inbetween: hackling, dubbing and ribbing.

But this book is not only for beginners: the fly collection will satisfy the experienced modern game-fisher's every need. Modern patterns feature alongside traditional stalwarts that continue to be effective. Dressings and easyto-follow sequences are clearly written and beautifully photographed. The flies are presented in colour-coded categories for stillwater trout, river trout and grayling, and salmon and sea-trout. The book is ringbound for easy viewing when you tie.

All the flies have appeared in Trout Fisherman and Trout & Salmon over the past two decades and are the most successful patterns from gamefishing’s finest anglers.

HOW TO ORDER Online at www.greatmagazines.co.uk/248f lies www.greatmagazines.co.uk/ By post (see form below) From rom ebay ebay | B

ORDER FORM | 248 MODERN FLIES & HOW TO TIE THEM To order your book by post complete the form and send it with your cheque/postal order (payable to Trout Fisherman) to Mary-Ann Payne, H Bauer Publishing, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Please write in CAPITAL LETTERS.

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