STILLWATER

The new SONAR Stillwater range are specifically designed for cold weather trout fishing in lake environments — just like Tasmania.

Stillwater angling presents its own unique challenges and demands. Fishing just beneath the surface film, camouflaging full sinking lines, and fishing the hang are all aspects of Stillwater fishing that we’ve addressed with our Stillwater series.

Stillwater Hover

Stillwater Hover

For fishing flies just below the surface

WF-4-H thru WF-8H

Stillwater Clear Camo

Camouflage Line for Sub-Surface Fishing

WF-4-I thru WF-8-I

Stillwater 5’ Emerger Clear Tip

For Fishing Flies in or near the Surface Film

WF-6-F/I thru WF-8-F/I

Stillwater Seamless Density

Double Density sinking lines provides straight-line connection to fly

Sink 1/ Sink 3 – WF-4-S thru WF-8-S

Sink 3 / Sink 5 – WF-5-S thru WF-8-S

Sink 5 / Sink 7 – WF-6-S thru WF-8-S

Stillwater Parabolic Sink

Sinks in U-Shaped Profile

Sink 3 running line, Sink 5 head, Sink 3 tip section

WF-5-S thru WF-8-S

Sink rate chart – IPS (inches per second)

Hover – 1 IPS

Intermediate – 1.25 IPS

Sink 1 – 1.25 IPS

Sink 3 – 3.0 IPS

Sink 5 – 5.0 IPS

Sink 7 – 7.0 IPS

Stillwater Clear Camo Intermediate

Stillwater Emerger Clear Tip

Stillwater Seamless Density

Stillwater Parabolic Sink knows this as treacherous conditions to fish Little Pine and only caught one that was 200mm long. Inadvertently this made me not as confident for this leg of the competition. However, I drew from previous knowledge and formed a plan.

Due to the competition draw program on the computer not working, boat partners were pulled out of a hat. It just so happened that I drew Mark Links as a boat partner for both sessions. When I rolled up the lake on the morning of day two there was a strong north-easterly blowing, with patchy cloud cover. Ideal conditions for pulling streamers.

In the previous season I had done well with either a big Magoo or Shrek on the top dropper, so that would be my first fly of choice. On the middle dropper, I tied on a Gold sparkler another top fly for Little Pine. I was then advised by Jason Garrett that he had been catching fish on a Tommo recently in Little Pine, so I tied that on as my point fly.

For fishing out of the boat, I use a Loop Q 10’ 6 weight rod I’ve really enjoyed using, paired with a Lamson liquid that I have multiple spools for, with different lines on each. For the beginning of the first session, I chose to use my fast intermediate line, always a good starting point.

For the morning session, Mark and I drew the southern end of the lake, after talking, we both decided that we would start a drift just off Senators Rocks. We steamed over, set our drift and the session started.

Towards the beginning of the drift, I hooked and lost my first fish - not a great start. However, it was a start on trying to work them out. I kept changing up my retrieves, casting long, casting short, and letting my flies sink to different depths. Before too long another chance came and landed my first fish within 12 minutes of the session starting, a cracking 515mm brown that took the Shrek on the top dropper.

I then replicated the same retrieve, cast it long and ripped it back in with a combination of stripping or roly-poly. For the next hour and a half, it was consistent action, I even had a fish try and eat the furled loop on the end of my fly line. The action was good, however, the fish were not fully committed and were often coming off after a couple of seconds or not hooking up at all. Despite this, I still managed to boat four fish in the first half of the session.

In the second half, the wind decreased and the sun started to come through, this made me worried as the day was turning into the practice session I had previously. This made me think that the fish are probably going to hide down deep in the weed when this sun shows through. So I opted for my type 3 sink to see if I could get the flies to run just above the weed to entice a take. This paid off and I boated another two fish in the last half of the session, overall bringing my total to six, which I knew couldn’t be sneezed at considering the conditions. The theory was proven when my boat partner Mark picked up a wicked brown on a nymph with a 3mm tungsten bead sunk right down into the weeds.

Fourth Session - Little Pine

Lagoon

I went into session four confident, this time at the more familiar northern end of the lake. The wind had picked up again, so Mark and I decided to try and set a drift on the other side of the island and follow the old creek bed, a highway for fish. Again picking one up in the first 15 minutes and receiving multiple hits and slashes on the hang I thought we were in for another good session.

Then the wind dropped out and the action went quiet. I kept flogging streamers for the next two hours, hoping for a chance, however, a chance did not come. By this point, I was looking for my next chance and the only logical thing I could think to do was to switch over to static nymphing. I changed to my floating line and tied on a size 14 claret cruncher on the top dropper, followed by a size 14 flashback pot scrubber nymph again in claret and a standard brown nymph with a 2.5mm copper tungsten bead as the point fly.

The confidence in my decision was boosted when a few caddis and mayfly started to hatch. I persisted nymphing, knowing that this would be the best technique to match the conditions we were presented with. Then, in the last 15 minutes, as I was starting to give up hope of another fish, I felt my line pull slightly tight and strip set into the weight.

My excitement lowered when the weight felt like weed, so I brought my line in quickly to remove it and make another cast. To my surprise, rather than weed, a fish no bigger than 200mm at best was hanging off my point fly. I quickly popped the fish out of the water and caught it in the net, knowing all too well how easily small fish can bounce off. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to land such a small fish. Motoring back to the ramp I was unsure whether my performance would stack up against other competitors’ scores.

The lake patterns that worked for me during my Little Pine session.

Further discussion at the ramp would suggest that there was a very small margin between the top anglers and would have to wait until the scores were released later in the week. I’m sure you can guess the anticipation over the next coming days waiting for the scores, luckily all the stars aligned and I was victorious.

Finn McDowell

You’re an Angler, and no matter how many times you go fishing you’ll want to go again and no matter how many fish you catch (or nearly catch) it will never be enough.

There will be days when the fishing is better than one’s most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home. You’re hooked, along with us.

WE ARE TONIC!