FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH
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FEB 1 - FEB 28, 2017 | £3.40
ISSUE 493
SUCCESS!
● Tips for concrete bowls ● Fish the Snake Booby ● Top small water set-ups REVEALED
Experts' fly heaven & hell
KEEP FISHING LONGER
Don't let age beat you... SMALL WATERS
KICKING FLIES
Add rubber for more takes
TOP PATTERNS
MONTANAS
New versions beat the old
RESERVOIRS
FARMOOR 1&2
Quick guide to early season
DESTINATIONS
WILD THINGS
World's best river rainbows
Contents
TACTICS
ADVICE
Phil Dixon reveals his ideal winter leader set-ups for small stillwaters
TF’s panel of experts answer your questions on CdC fly treatments, lure fishing and bankside etiquette
12 Why I hate the Montana
60 How to...
Nick Hart is no great fan of this nymph pattern, but is prepared to give it one last chance during a day at Simpson Valley fishery
Follow Paul Procter’s top tips for turning tentative tugs into solid takes
Cover image by: Peter Gathercole
6 Deadly set-ups
56 Advice squad
COVER STORY
FLY-TYING
16 Pulsating action Russ Symons chooses winter flies with that extra ‘rubbery’ kick for extreme movement COVER STORY
65 The Mobile Montana Peter Gathercole ties a deadly variation on a classic nymph from yesteryear
21 Ways to prolong your fishing career
OFFERS 32 Subscription offer
COVER STORY Pensioner Malcolm Proudlock has a few tricks to keep fishing despite age!
68 Flymasters
BE INSPIRED
72 Flybox fillers
COVER STORY Top contributors, and the editor, reveal their favourite fly patterns plus the ones they don’t like at all!
TACKLE
How to tie a Beadhead Bloodworm
26 Fly heaven & fly hell
Save up to 49% when you subscribe to rout Fisherman magazine Trout
76 Reader offer A Storafly fly box and 200 assorted flies for only £29.99 – save £148!
FOCUS ON... 34 Bowls of rainbows
82 Fly-tying gear
COVER STORY
Rob Edmunds’ tips for cracking early-season concrete bowl waters
Robbie Winram looks at Chewing Gum chenille, dry fly hackles and fluorescent threads
38 Stop tangles in the wind
OPINION & NEWS
Northern contributor Nick Halstead reveals his tricks to avoid getting tangles in a strong earlyseason breeze
WHERE TO FISH 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.
77 New gear
The latest gear reviews including Hardy’s Ultralite ASR reel and Airflo chest waders
COVER STORY
WHERE TO FIND US...
Results of the ‘buoyant’ pattern challenge
84 News
All the most important match dates for 2017 and other news from the trout scene
86 Letters
43 UK waters
Trout Fishermann readers have their say
We highlight four stillwater fisheries worth visiting this month
88 Investigation
46 Spotlight on...
To what extent is poaching hurting our fisheries and what’s being done about it?
COVER STORY Our ‘at a glance’ guide to fishing the in-form Farmoor 1 & 2 reservoirs
91 Troutmasters Are you amongst this month’s badge winners?
48 Wild things COVER STORY Matt Harris visits a long-forgotten eastern corner of the Russian Empire in search of wild rainbows
ONLINE www.troutfisherman.co.uk TroutFishMag troutfishermanmag Trout Fisherman
95 Match news Iain Barr’s reaction to the published 2017 match dates
98 Wading in Features Editor Jeffrey Prest reports on how our drugs affect fish
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EDITIONS AVAILABLE
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THIS MONTH’S WINNER Winter sunrise at Sharpley Springs, Co Durham. Sent in by David Todd
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
Words : Phil Dixon Pictures : Peter Gathercole
6 TROUT FISHERMAN | FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28
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Deadly SET-UPS
Phil Dixon has the ideal winter leader set-up to tempt hard-fighting rainbows at Ellerdine Lakes, one of the UK’s top small waters...
TACTICS Catch m
ore w early seaso ith stillwater t n ips
I
T’S February and the water temperature is getting cooler all the time, but small waters are the place to be. I always look forward to winter fishing on small waters – hard-fighting trout love the cold water and sport can be magnificent. Today I head off to my favourite small stillwater, Ellerdine Lakes set in the stunning Shropshire countryside. Ellerdine has four incredible lakes, each one offering something different. Ed and Jayne Upton run a fantastic fishery and spoil everyone with a range of rainbows, blues, browns, tiger trout and char plus so many doubles you just never know what you’re going to hook next. After a cooked breakfast and a nice cup of tea I leave the fire and the warmth of the lodge to head out onto the front lake called Meadow. After recent rain the water has a touch of colour, which could make fishing that bit harder. A lot of anglers have the expectation of catching 20 trout and a double every time they come to Ellerdine, which is a bit unfair. Today’s angler is spoilt in my opinion and if they catch several fish they’ve had a bad day and blame the fishery. But sometimes it’s all down to us.
Coloured water can help Actually, a bit of colour in the water might help me today. It’s a beautiful day with the sun beaming down but the coloured water means it won’t penetrate as deep into the lake as normal. I opt for a floating line with a couple of Black Nymphs on the droppers and a bright but small size 12 Blob on the point. I like to use small black flies in coloured water but add a bit of brightness in case the bright colour stands out better with the light on the day. My best tip would be to fish your flies slower, even static, in these conditions. Second cast my line tightens on its own. I don’t feel the take but lift my rod and set the hook – I’m into my first fish of the day already. The trout in Ellerdine fight so hard and this one is no different, boring down deep and heading for the middle island. After a fine tussle I put the rainbow safely into the net. What a start; this could be a great day! A 5lb-plus rainbow is carefully returned to Ellerdine Lakes.
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Leader set-up This fish took the middle dropper, a Black Diawl Bach. My leader is 11 feet of 6lb fluorocarbon with the flies evenly FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 7
TACTICS SMALL WATERS Words & pictures: Russ Symons
Rubber-legged flies are full of movement and ideal for winter.
16 TROUT FISHERMAN | FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28
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Pulsating ACTION Russ Symons chooses winter flies with that extra rubbery kick for extreme and deadly movement
V
IBRATION and movement are key trigger points when it comes to tempting stillwater trout all year round. But it’s especially true when lures rule the scene due to sparse insect hatches. Agitating a trout to take becomes the norm in winter. So patterns incorporating rubber definitely hit the spot. This proves true on a recent trip to a favourite local water of mine. It’s dark, minus 6 degrees and I’ve just loaded the car when an apparition in a thick dressing gown and tea cup in hand claims that I’ve gone mad! That might be true but I’m off to Blakewell Fishery, which is just the other side of Barnstaple in North Devon and I’m really looking forward to a day’s fishing with a couple of pals. I’ve fished Blakewell on and off over a lot of years and in my humble opinion it’s one of the very best small stillwater fisheries west of Bristol. It’s always stocked with good fish, because the other side of the business is a very successful fish farm. Just a week or two previously, a very lucky angler caught a wonderful rainbow weighing over 18lb. Frankly, I wouldn’t know what to do with a fish that size! Two or three fish at about 3-4lb are more than enough for me.
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So after fighting my way through the Exeter early-morning traffic on the M5, I arrive half-an-hour late and not in a good frame of mind. But a coffee and bacon butty has a soothing effect.
6wt, a good compromise Winter time on a small fishery like Blakewell is the time I give the f lies out of my ‘naughty’ box a swim – those Fritzy marabou and Zonker tailed patterns. They’re useful on days like today when the grass is frosty and a handwarmer in your pocket is a little luxury keeping your fingers nimble. That’s the plan for today. I’ve taken my 6wt rod because I wasn’t sure what the wind was going to do and a 6wt is a good compromise on small stillwaters.
Rubber-legged flies I had tied some Dawson’s Olives with a small bead head and rubber legs and a couple of Cat’s Whiskers, again with rubber legs and a small bead head after watching an angler last season fishing small lures with these enticing rubber legs – Knee Tremblers he called them. But they caught him some good fish when all around were struggling and that convinced me. Veniard’s rubber legs section has done well out of me this season and they FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 17
TACTICS KEEP FISHING Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest
Without this, I’d be finished…
He hated indicators until he realised that they were the only thing keeping him and his fading casting arm in the game. Pensioner Malcolm Proudlock’s story made us wonder what other ‘lifesaver’ gizmos are out there…
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 21
Fly-Tying In association with Veniard
trout FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH
Mobile MONTANA Peter Gathercole adds movement to an early-season nymph
Visit our website www.veniard.com
FOCUS ON EARLY SEASON RESERVOIRS Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest
STOP TANGLES Winter conditions can play havoc with teams of flies. Nick Halstead gives some pointers
Amazingly down to its bones in November, Cowpe nonetheless offered some good sport.
38 TROUT FISHERMAN | FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28
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IN THE WIND on keeping them presentable during a wet and windy day at Cowpe Reservoir....
www.troutďŹ sherman.co.uk
FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 39
WHERE TO FISH KAMCHATKA Words & pictures: Matt Harris
WILD THINGS Hendrix fan Matt Harris battles the totally wild rainbows of Russia’s Kamchatka region
Two typical wild rainbows from Kamchatka’s Zhupanova river.
48 TROUT FISHERMAN | FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28
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FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 49
SPECIAL READER OFFER
STORAFLY BOX AND 200 ASSORTED FLIES
ONLY£29.99
THIS month’s great reader offer is a season’s worth of fly patterns in this Storafly competition fly box. The slim and stackable fly box is made from lightweight but highly durable high-impact clear plastic. And inside are 200 flies including dries, nymphs and lures that will see you catching fish from early spring to late season.
(* Plus £6.99 p&p, offer available while stocks last).
SAVE ! 8 4 1 £
The slimline fly box measures 30.5 x 22.5 x 2cm deep.
Please note that fly selection may vary from that shown and flies are not slotted into box.
HOW TO ORDER Quote ‘Trout Fisherman offer’ and code 00115TF
Tel: 0141 212 8880 Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com Website: http://readeroffers.fishingmegastore.com/00115TF/ Post: Glasgow Angling Centre Ltd, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen St, Glasgow G22 5HT
New Gear
Independen tt Robbie Win ester r puts the lat am e gear throug st h its paces
Everything from reels to rods & accessories
p release at a the Spool flick of a switch switc Hardy Ultralite ASR reel from £199.99 www.hardyfishing.com
reel it allows allo for a very WHEN I reviewed the predecessor to this reel, the quick take-up tak of line for Hardy Ultralite CLS cassette, back in 2012, I was so every spool rotation. ever impressed with its easy change spool design that I The disc drag is set in gave it my ‘Tackle Testers Choice’ award. little click increments Four years later the new Ultralite ASR (assisted by turning the colourspool release) cassette reel arrives on my desk. Have coded drag dr knob on the Hardy managed to improve on the original? back of the reel cage. For a start the range has been increased from four From the lightest lightes to the to five models and now includes a lightweight 4000 hardest settings the drag hardes reel for line sizes from 3 to 5wt, ideal for the river responds smoothly smoothl with no angler. This comes in at £199.99. Then there are the jerky grabbing gr movements. 5000 at £229.99, the 6000 at £249.99, the 7000 at The reel comes set up for left £269.99 and finally the mammoth 9000 at hand wind and to change over £299.99. All come with two spare spools. you unscrew the gold-coloured The new ASR is lighter than the CLS cap in the centre of the spool, but more importantly it features an Tackle take out the clutch, flip it over and even faster and easier to use spool Tester’s Choice reassemble, simple as that. release system that is a brilliant bit The reel comes with two clear of design. You simply unscrew the composite spools, making three in semi-captive retaining nut in the total, and these feature the Hardy centre of the reel and pull away the line identification system. Using the spool and faceplate. On the inside rim supplied coloured plastic markers, you of the faceplate is a raised black lug (see push them into the relevant slots on the spool picture, below) that you push to one side and to denote the type of line it is holding i.e. floating or the spool immediately springs free of the faceplate. sinking, the AFTM rating and whether it has a nonTo put a new spool on, line up the three clear stretch or traditional core. raised plastic lugs on the inside of the spool with The reel comes with a neoprene carry case that the corresponding slots on the faceplate and push will house the reel and the two extra spools. home. The spool clicks into place and locks down tight. Simple, effective and very quick, even with cold wet hands. VERDICT: The reel is made from barstock alloy that has been Hardy have captured all the great features of given an anodised titanium finish. The reel certainly the original CLS reel into this new version and feels lightweight for its size and this is down to both improved it further. The spool release system the reel cage and faceplate being heavy ventilated is inspired, you can’t get much better. Superb to keep weight to an absolute minimum without quality, lightweight and a beautifully designed comprising its integral strength. reel. I had the 6000 rated for 6/7wt lines for wing the line to It is a proper true large arbor allowing review. If you are fishing with 7/8wt lines I would be stored in much larger coils on the spool, reducing jump up to the 7000 as it offers an increased memory, and for those anglers who play fish on the backing capacity.
The stylish Ultralite ASR.
The cage and faceplate are heavily ventilated.
Line ID system markers fit onto the spool.
TECH-SPEC
Above: The reel comes with a case and two spare spools.
MODEL: ULTRALITE ASR 6000 Price: £249.99 Weight: 194gr (6.8oz) Diameter: 106mm Width: 36mm Capacity: WF6 plus 55 metres of 20lb backing Spare spool: £9.99
FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 28 | TROUT FISHERMAN 77
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