FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH
LATEST TACKLE
● Daiwa Lexa rod ● Big Wave Poppers ● Snowbee softshell ● Scierra fly lines
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S E N IO R F IN A
L 2018
g anglers How the winnin raycote D caught well at
Small waters BIG RESULTS Use a two-rod approach to catch ISSUE 516 7 NOV - 4 DEC, 2018 | £3.60
NEW SERIES
RIVER TACTICS
LOST RECORD? All he had was a fish scale
We share your fishing 'firsts' RESERVOIRS
TAKE A BOAT
Tactics for Rutland trout
FRY FEEDERS
BAG A BROWN
How to hit a PB at fry time
WHERE TO FISH
LONDON'S GEM Walthamstow Reservoirs
Contents
BE INSPIRED 6 Your first... COVER STORY
We share your fly-fishing ‘firsts’
8 Did I lose a record grayling? Cover image by: Peter Gathercole
COVER STORY Steve Cullen recalls a memorable session on a Yorkshire chalkstream
TACTICS
14 Think like a matchman
Gareth Jones explains why it pays to have an adaptable line of attack COVER STORY
20 Primed for action
OFFERS 60 Subscription offer
Save up to 51% when you subscribe to Trout Fisherman magazine
74 Readers’ offer
Greys CT waders and wading boots for only £119.99 – a saving of £90!
COVER STORY Paul Richardson adopts a two-rod approach to find the right method after a hot summer
26 Simply Buzzing
Don’t write off the humble Buzzer in winter. We find out why at Scotland’s Bangour fishery
Step-by-step instructions for a simple but effective mini Buzzer, perfect as winter approaches
68 Fastmail flies
Phil Dixon picks six mobile lures to try this winter
70 Flymasters
Peter Gathercole judges your fur-strip wing patterns and sets a new tying challenge
TACKLE 75 New gear
COVER STORY Robbie Winram reviews the latest tackle including rods, lines and clothing
OPINION & NEWS
Mike Thrussell uses a proven theory when tackling a stillwater for the first time
FOCUS ON...
COVER STORY
Top tactics from Rob Edmunds
WHERE TO FISH
Predator hooks, squirrel dubbing and more...
46 Barbed v barbless hooks
Three TF contributors give us their views
82 News
Latest from the trout scene
84 Letters
Trout Fisherman readers have their say
86 Cockwill
Why Peter prefers fishing in company rather than solitude as the years go by
47 UK waters
87 Troutmasters
50 Spotlight on...
91 Troutmasters final
ADVICE
95 Iain Barr
Four top fisheries to visit this month COVER STORY
London’s Walthamstow Reservoirs
52 Advice squad
TF’s panel of experts answer your questions
56 How to...
Search a river – expert tips from Paul Procter
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64 Flybox fillers
34 Follow the wind
42 In search of big browns
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Peter Gathercole ties a nymph that will serve you well around the weedbeds
80 Fly-tying products
Top tips as the waters cool and winter approaches
All you need to know about the trout’s main prey at fry-bashing time, plus 10 top patterns to try now
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61 Flashback Cruncher
32 Autumn tips
38 Fry-feeding time
PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE
FLY-TYING
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Are you among this month’s badge winners? COVER STORY How the top three anglers caught their fish and our promise to deliver the correct results
Troutmasters was such a great day out
98 Wading in
Jeff Prest finds himself alone at a fishery and craves someone to talk to! No one cares!
troutfisherman troutfisherman troutfisherman-online @troutfisherman
THIS MONTH’S WINNER
A beautiful wild brown from the River Avon. Sent in by Native Edinburgh fly fishing.
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
BE INSPIRED GRAYLING Words & pictures: Steve Cullen
Did I lose a RECORD GRAYLING? A treasured fish scale brings back bittersweet memories for Steve Cullen. Just how big was that fish…
8 TROUT FISHERMAN | NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4
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Is this the fish scale belonging to a potential UK record grayling?
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NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4 | TROUT FISHERMAN 9
Words: Gareth Jones Pictures: Peter Gathercole
14 TROUT FISHERMAN | NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4
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TACTICS Catch m
or boat fishin e when g lat the season e in
Think like a MATCHMAN We often have a preferred plan of attack but it pays to be adaptable. That’s what match practice is all about, says Gareth Jones...
Gareth Jones feels the full power as a trout bores deep at Rutland.
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NOVEMBER 7- DECEMBER 4 | TROUT FISHERMAN 15
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QUOTE offer code LEAA TERMS & CONDITIONS: *51% saving is based on when you purchase a print and digital subscription by recurring payment. Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 13 issues. Payments by Direct Debit will continue to be taken unless you tell us otherwise and you will not receive a renewal reminder. This offer closes on 4th December 2018. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). UK orders only. Overseas? Please phone +44 1858 438828 for further details. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes. Full terms and conditions: www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions
THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT A lifetime's flies in one beautifully illustrated book – from the publishers of Trout Fisherman and Trout & Salmon magazines
ONLY £12.99
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 PLUS £2 .99 P&P before, this quality 200-page book will help you to achieve that goal. AVAILAB LE FROM 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 easy-to-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 game-fishing’s finest anglers.
HOW TO ORDER
Online at www.greatmagazines.co.uk/248f lies From ebay | By post (see form below)
ORDER FORM | 248 MODERN FLIES & HOW TO TIE THEM
A LOOK INSIDE
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, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Please write in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Please send me (insert number required)………… copy/copies of 248 MODERN FLIES & HOW TO TIE THEM at £12.99 +£2.99 per book (making a total of £15.98 per book). Name ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Address ..........................................................................................................................................................................................
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TACTICS SMALL WATERS Words: Paul Richardson Pictures: Peter Gathercole
20 TROUT FISHERMAN | NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4
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Primed for ACTION
After a hot summer, when many stillwaters saw little angling pressure, Paul Richardson recommends a two-rod approach to find the right method...
After a tough summer, Paul Richardson is keen to fish cooler water.
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NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4 | TROUT FISHERMAN 21
TACTICS SMALL WATERS Words & pictures: Mike Thrussell
The wind concentrates fish into the corners and anglers take note.
34 TROUT FISHERMAN | NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4
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Follow THE WIND
Mike Thrussell uses a proven theory when tackling a water for the first time...
D
UG initially in the early 1900s as an estate lake, Wal Goch Fishery is set in the beautiful steep-sided Nannerch valley in Flintshire, North Wales, a mix of farmland and woods. The lake is between three and four acres in size, has a wooded island and is surrounded by a mix of trees, open areas backing on to steep pasture, but with long stretches of lakeside reeds that provide the perfect habitat for trout and wildlife. It’s mostly shallow, being between three and six-feet, the shallowest areas being the western end. I’m also told it is high in insect life. I park the car a little before 9am, but already two other anglers are plying their trade and I see one rod already bent
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into a fish. The forecast is for a mostly sunny day, but with an increasing wind. Making my way down and eager to start, yet conscious this is a new water to me, I look along the westward bank initially just to see how the wind filters over the lake and for any concentrations of fish on the surface. The wind blows west to east and there’s nothing on the surface on the lake’s west side. I assume the fish are following the wind, pushing up into the narrower east end and it’s here I try first. My polarised sunglasses reveal deeper water on the north bank at the eastern end, so I fish on the south bank, casting back towards the opposite bank to cover that deeper water due to the bright conditions. This allows me to draw the fly
back towards me up a shallowing incline, which is always a prime area for hungry trout to hunt. It’s a longish, but still comfortable cast. The remnants of past weed growth is easily seen and I anticipate fish will run the gaps between these clumps. I set up a 5wt rod with sink-tip line, given the bright sun and very clear water. This gets the fly that bit deeper and works it back up the shallowing incline. My leader is 12 feet in length consisting of eight feet of 8lb fluorocarbon, then a tippet ring and four feet of 6lb fluorocarbon. This provides good turnover in the swirling wind, and easy tippet change to suit the fish and the conditions, or add a dropper if need be. I grab a little wet mud from the NOVEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 4 | TROUT FISHERMAN 35
GREYS WADERS GREAT DEAL, & BOOTS ONLY £119.99
SPECIAL READER OFFER
The Greys Strata CT wading boots are available with felt or rubber soles (see size codes below).
T
CT WADING BOOTS
HIS month’s great reader offer from Glasgow Angling Centre is the Greys Strata CT breathable chest waders and matching wading boots. The CT waders are made from a lightweight, hardwearing Climatex3L fabric with a highly breathable upper section. Features include: ● Internal flip-out zipped security pocket with keyclip ● Adjustable waist cinch ● Fabric gravel guard ● 4mm CR rubber neoprene socks. Available in sizes M, MK, L, LK, XL, XLK, XXL, and XXLK (see order codes, below right). The Strata CT wading boots were built with comfort and durability as a priority with ankle and mid-sole support, padded tongue and ankle area and reinforced toe and heel cap for improved protection against rocks. The lightweight and abrasionresistant ripstop upper is fast draining and quick drying. Choose from boots with a felt or rubber sole (see order codes, above right). The combined RRP of the Greys Strata CT chest waders and boots is £209.98, but are available to rout Fisherman readers for just £119.99 – a saving Trout of £89.99.
HOW TO ORDER
Quote ‘Trout Fisherman offer’ and code 00138TF. Please state size code you require when placing your order.
SIZE
FELT
RUBBER
Size 7
GR2185
N/A
Size 8
GR2186
GR2193
Size 9
GR2187
GR2194
Size 10
GR2188
GR2195
Size 11
GR2189
GR2196
Size 12
GR2190
GR2197
Size 13
GR2191
GR2198
CT WADERS SIZE
CODE
Medium
GR2163
Medium king
GR2164
Large
GR2165
Large king
GR2166
Extra large
GR2167
Extra large king
GR2168
Extra extra large
GR2169
Extra extra large king
GR2170
WA BOODERS & T £ 209S RRP YOUR .98 S ONLYFOR £
119.9 9
(Post free to UK mainland. Offer available while stocks last).
Tel: 0141 212 8880 Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com Website: http://gac.fishing/00138TF Or by Post: Glasgow Angling Centre Ltd, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen St, Glasgow G22 5HT
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