GO AFLOAT 9 PAGES OF BOAT ADVICE FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH
FEATURING:
● Safety tips ● Gear you need ● Setting up a drift
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
NEW TO FLY-FISHING?
READER OFFER
YOUR FIRST STILLWATER BUZZER GUIDE
200 FLIES & BOX FOR £39.99
Catch a SPARCTIC!
24 APRIL - 21 MAY, A AY, Y, 2019 | £3.70
ISSUE 522
Tactics and flies to hook a new species TACTICS
FLY TEAMS
SOFT FEATHER 6 FLY COMBOS Get the best from CDC
Proven set-ups for May
WHERE TO FISH
GRAFHAM
Spring hotspots & flies
TACKLE
GEAR TESTS
Tried and trusted reviews
Words: Phil Dixon Pictures: Peter Gathercole
Sparctic trout are becoming very popular at our small waters.
8 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 24 - MAY 21
www.troutďŹ sherman.co.uk
TACTICS Catch
the cross-breed latest t off your se o kick ason
SPARCTIC ROLLS
England international Phil Dixon gets plenty of action from hard-fighting sparctic trout at the UK’s top small water – Ellerdine Lakes... www.troutfisherman.co.uk
APRIL 24 - MAY 21 | TROUT FISHERMAN 9
TACTICS SMALL WATERS Words: Peter Cockwill Pictures: Peter Gathercole
Anything out there?
Peter Cockwill fishes deep until he sees evidence of a buzzer hatch...
18 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 24 - MAY 21
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
Flat calm, blue sky – not ideal conditions. It’s time to get to work.
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
APRIL 24 - MAY 21 | TROUT FISHERMAN 19
Words: Gareth Jones Pictures: Peter Gathercole
Gareth fishes on the edge of the crowd over less stressed trout.
28 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 24 - MAY 21
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
Avoid the CROWD
Gareth Jones fishes away from the ‘bun fight’ with Airflo’s new Sixth Sense line at Thornton Reservoir...
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
APRIL 24 - MAY 21 | TROUT FISHERMAN 29
TACTICS WILD BROWNS Words & pictures: Mike Thrussell
Wildies from the drop-offs Mike Thrussell targets the zone between shallow and deep water to find sport with spirited wild browns in a spectacular setting...
Mike fishes one of his favourite areas on Cregennan, the north boat house bank.
34 TROUT FISHERMAN | APRIL 24 - MAY 21
www.troutfisherman.co.uk
T
HE search for true wild brown trout takes you to some stunning scenery. But few vistas are more spectacular than the view looking east over Llyn Cregennan through the Nant y Gwyrddail valley. Flanked to the south by the imposing, craggy and often moody cliffs of Craig Las, while to the north stands the scree-covered Matterhorn lookalike that is Pared-y-Cefn-Hir. Llyn Cregennan, five-miles from the market town of Dolgellau in North Wales, is a place of solitude for fly-fishers. You may see buzzards, ravens, and even disturb a hare or two from their daytime slumbers. Some walkers take the mountain paths, a few even tread the lake’s shore and give a friendly wave. You may even spy another angler occasionally, but mostly you’re alone. At 27-acres, it’s the best part of a mile walk around Cregennan. There are narrow sheep paths to follow, but the north and east banks are rough natural ground. Good advice then, is to keep what you carry to a minimum so you can be fully mobile. A dozen casts will usually tell you if the fish are present. If your approach is quiet, you’ll often get fish straight away. If not, move on. I walk down towards the boat house from the car park making a few searching casts, but it’s shallower here and any noise from the nearby car park can push the fish out. The wind is in the southwest, ideal, putting a ripple on the surface, so I walk down past the boat house to where the water begins to drop off deeper. The trout cruise these drop-offs looking for food. The deepest parts are generally in the northeast and southeast corners and it’s here I head for as the day is fairly bright with a light cloud cover. I’m less choosy if the day is overcast, which incidentally, tends to give the best fishing in conjunction with a ripple on the surface.
Keep flies small I’m fishing a 4wt with a floating line. The leader is eight feet of 6lb fluorocarbon ending in a tippet ring, then four feet of 3.5lb fluorocarbon. Keep flies small, nothing bigger than a size 14 ideally. The trout take black nymph patterns really well, green Diawl Bachs, thinly-dressed Pheasant Tail Nymph variants, and also size 16 to 14 Black Buzzers with a hint of green holographic tinsel in the body. Some anglers prefer a three-fly team, I prefer two flies because I catch more and snag less when working the flies back to the shallow edges from deeper water. If you tie your own flies, tie them scruffy to add life. I set up with a size 16 Black Nymph on the dropper and a size 14 Green Diawl Bach on the point. I degrease the full length of the leader and tippet to help get the flies down. Careful to keep a low profile, I make a couple of casts straight out, let the flies sink, then draw them in using a slow stop-andstart figure-of-eight retrieve. I count the flies down further, but there’s no interest so I change my stance and cast sideways at a shallower angle to the bank judging where the lift of the drop-off is. www.troutfisherman.co.uk
APRIL 24 - MAY 21 | TROUT FISHERMAN 35
DON'T M THIS GISS R OFFEREAT !
SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
Receive an Outlander mesh vest when you subscribe to
Enjoy 13 issues a year PRINT ISSUE + MESH VEST 13 issues for £41.10 when you pay by Direct Debit or 13 issues for £45.90 when you pay by Debit/Credit card or PayPal. Offer limited to first 220 orders.
Airflo Outlander mesh vest
The ultimate lightweight fly vest. Ideal for deep wading or travelling light the Airflo Outlander mesh vest has it all and does the lot! Features include: n A pocket for every situation n Vertical zip-down fly trays n Mesh pockets n Double front D-rings and back D-ring n Straps and leashes to attach your gadgets n Adjustable one size fits all
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND BENEFIT FROM:
● Never missing an issue ● Free delivery to your door or instant download to your digital device ● Complimentary Outlander mesh vest
Subscribe securely online at:
www.greatmagazines.co.uk/troutfisherman
or call our order line on 01858 438884 Order lines open Mon-Fri 8am-9.30pm, Sat 8am-4pm
QUOTE offer code DFAA TERMS & CONDITIONS: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 13 issues. OFFER IS LIMITED TO 220 UNITS. We reserve the right to replace the gift with one of equal or higher value or offer a 3 issue extension if the offer is exhausted. 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 May 21st, 2019. 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. For full terms and conditions please visit: http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions
Fly-Tying In association with Veniard
trout FIRST FOR TACTICS, TACKLE & WHERE TO FISH
Tie a Yellow MAYFLY DUN Peter Gathercole’s step-by-step to a deadly adult Mayfly
Visit our website www.veniard.com
PRINT | DIGITAL | ONLINE
Print & Digital Subscriptions
www.greatmagazines.co.uk/trout-fisherman-magazine
www.troutfisherman.co.uk OFFICIAL HOME OF
TROUTMASTERS Europe’s largest flyfishing competition Available from
Connect with us