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■ SNOWBEE G-XS ROD ■ ORVIS PRO FLY VEST ■ AIRFLO V2 REEL
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45
ZONES
FLIES TO TIE NOW ISSUE 524 19 JUNE - 16 JULY, 2019 | £3.70
Find the buzzer beds at your water
SUMMER TIPS
SET-UPS FOR JULY STREAM BROWNS BEGINNER LAKE SKILLS TACKLE TIPS
BUYING A ROD?
We make it easy for you
TRY SOMETHING NEW
SHARK ON FLY
Catch a blue off UK shores
WHERE TO FISH
LLYN CLYWEDOG
Hotspots at Wales' top lake
MID-SUMMER FLIES
TIE A TOP BUZZER
Try our easy step-by-step
DIGITAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE
Contents I SS U E 524
Cover image by Peter Gathercole
BE INSPIRED
ADVICE
6 Your first
56 Advice squad
Readers share stories of their fly-fishing ‘firsts’
TF’s experts answer your questions on summer sea-trout sport, rod licences and fly lines
36 A fight you’ll never forget
60 How to...
COVER STORY Mike Thrussell targets blue sharks with fly patterns off the Irish coast
COVER STORY Buy the right rod – Paul Procter has all the advice you’ll need to make the right choice
TACTICS
FLY-TYING
8 Rich bounty
65 The Red Collar Buzzer
Peter Cockwill visits an established stillwater that provides a great all-round angling experience
14
14 Jewel in the crown
Learn how to catch wild browns and rainbows at Northumbrian Water’s most popular fishery
20 Find the zone
Gareth Jones and Robbie Winram enjoy a Buzzer session at Rutland COVER STORY
68
COVER STORY Snowbee’s new Prestige G-XS rods, Orvis Pro waistcoat plus new flies for 2019
COVER STORY If you’ve had your fill of the great southern chalkstreams try the unsung Rother
82 Fly-tying products
Tying with Patriot barbless hooks, Cheeky UV and Block jelly fritz
FOCUS ON...
42 Set-ups for mid summer
OPINION & NEWS
COVER STORY Steve Cullen’s chosen leader set-ups for stillwaters large and small
Phil Dixon selects six Fastmail patterns that he’ll fish through the warmer months
A rock-solid take turns into something of a surprise for Dave Malpas
84 News
OFFERS
Latest news from the trout scene and a focus on Scotland
59 Subscription offer
87 Cockwill
71 Reader offer
88 Letters
How you can subscribe to Trout Fisherman magazine for just £3.10 a month Save up to £109.99 on a Greys GR70 rod!
Peter relives a whole host of fun fishing memories Trout Fisherman readers have their say
91 Troutmasters
47 UK waters
Are you among this month’s badge winners?
Four top trout fisheries to visit this month
97 Iain Barr
50 Spotlight on... COVER STORY
Peter Gathercole judges your freshly-emerged mayfly dun imitations and sets a new challenge
77 Gear on test
30 The forgotten river
WHERE TO FISH
72 Flymasters
TACKLE
COVER STORY A guide to the tactics and flies you’ll need to find success on a small stillwater
46 Catch memories
68 Flybox fillers
Russ Symons ties a simple CDC Hawthorn fly
26 First time on a summer lake?
44 Top six for summer
COVER STORY Peter Gathercole’s step-by-step to a deadly summer Buzzer pattern
Report from the Bob Church Classic at Rutland and the best way to fish nymphs
Llyn Clywedog
98 Wading in
52 A good Rede
James Stokoe and Marina Gibson explore Northumberland’s River Rede for sea trout
Jeff Prest discovers a fly-fishing book that stands out from the rest
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THIS MONTH’S WINNER
Sunset at top Scottish stillwater Bangour Reservoir in West Lothian. Sent in by Stevie Cooney.
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
TACTICS S M A L L W A T E R S Words: Peter Cockwill Photography: Peter Gathercole
Peter nets a spirited rainbow from a sturdy wooden fishing platform. 8 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16
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TACTICS
Rich bounty Peter Cockwill says ďŹ sheries must strive to provide variety and a greater overall angling experience. He ďŹ nds it at Barn Elms in Berkshire
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June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 9
TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words & pictures: Jeffrey Prest
14 Trout Fisherman May 22 - June 18
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Jewel in the crown
Water levels rise and fall but popularity levels remain constant for Northumbrian Water’s most successful fishery. Learn how to catch wild browns and rainbows at Derwent Water…
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May 22 - June 18 Trout Fisherman 15
TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words: Gareth Jones Photography: Peter Gathercole
The feeding ZONE Gareth Jones ďŹ nds a distinct offshore area where the trout gorge on buzzer
20 Trout Fisherman May 22 - June 18
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Gareth Jones plays a fish hooked during the static hang at Rutland.
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May 22 - June 18 Trout Fisherman 21
TACTICS R I V E R S Words & photography: Jeffrey Prest
30 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16
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The forgotten river
If you’ve had your fill of the great southern chalkstreams, give the unsung Rother a try before heading home. A geographical relation it might be, but there’s nothing poor about it…
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June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 31
BE INSPIRED B L U E S H A R K O N F LY Words & pictures: Mike Thrussell
A fight you’ll never forget Mike Thrussell enjoys intense battles with blue sharks on the fly off the Irish coast. You can do the same…
A 65lb blue shark puts up a formidable fight.
36 Trout Fisherman June 19 - July 16
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W
ATCHING a shark take the fly just a few feet away from you is an adrenalin rush. The 60lb-plus blue idles up behind the fly then sucks it straight in. I briefly pull the fly line, then lift the rod to keep steady pressure on to fully set the hook. The shark wildly thrashes its tail on the surface then crash dives at full speed taking all the fly line and a good 50 yards of backing on its first run. It hangs in the water at depth and now I put as much rod pressure on as I can. It shakes its head, then dives again taking another 25 yards of line off the reel. It’s stalemate – shark using its
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BE INSPIRED
Mike Thrussell
Angling photo journalist Heaviest fish 65-70lb blue shark Favourite reservoir Llyn Cynwch Favourite small water Eisteddfa Fishery
weight at depth, me leaning backwards slightly to maintain full rod pressure with sweat pouring off my forehead and my forearm aching with pain. The shark turns and lifts a little, giving me the chance to gain some line, but instantly it takes it all back. You let the shark have line when it wants but gain back what you can using short upward pumps of the rod, recovering just inches at a time. I lose count, but the shark makes four or five deep plunging dives, each time requiring heavy pressure to work it upwards. We see the shark, indigo blue with a white belly, deep down, twisting, turning and thrashing its head and tail side to side as it tries to throw the hook.
Typically, within 20 feet of the surface, it sees the boat and crash dives again taking most of the original 50 yards of backing. More hard work, and constant rod pressure brings the fish upwards. Its runs are shallowing, only taking 10 to 20 yards of line at most. Its tooth-filled mouth flashing wide – the little red fly clearly visible in the jaw – it breaks surface, rolls, but is beaten. Keeping rod pressure fully on, I lead the shark to the boatside. The skipper slides the big rope tailer over the shark’s tail to secure it then willing hands chip in to help lift it aboard for scientific tagging and photos prior to a quick release.
June 19 - July 16 Trout Fisherman 37
SAVE UP TO £109.99 FR E E P&P
READER OFFER
GR70 70 RODS DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS GREAT AT OFFER
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HIS month’s great offer from Glasgow Angling Centre is the Greys GR70 fly rod, available in a range of lengths and w weights to cover all your fly-fishing needs from small stillw stillwaters to large reservoirs. The rod was given Trout Fisherman’s Tackle Tester’s T Choice award when it was reviewed. This light, smooth, and powerful single hand fly rod r has a fast action but it is very easy to handle and has a really grea great casting action. Features of this four-piece rod include: High modulus carbon blank ■ Two-part skeletal reel seat with carbon woven wo spacer ■ AAA grade cork handle ■ Rod ID line-up marks ■ Supplied with a hard, har partitioned zip-top rod tube. The reel seats on the 9ft 5wt and 9ft 6wt models ffeature reverse half wells handles, all others feature full wells handles with but butt extensions. The GR70 rod is available to Trout Fisherman readers in eight models from a 9ft 5wt to an 11ft 7wt (see panel, belo below).
Tackle Tester’s Choice
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9ft 6wt (GR2243)
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9ft 7wt (GR2244)
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9ft 6in 6wt (GR2245)
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9ft 6in 7wt (GR2246)
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10ft 7wt (GR2247)
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10ft 8wt (GR2248)
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11ft 7wt (GR2249)
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How to order
When ordering quote “Trout Fisherman offer” & code “00146TF”. Please state rod size/code you require. Offer available while stocks last. Free P+P. Tel: 0141 212 8880 | Fax: 0141 331 6340 Email: sales@fishingmegastore.com | Order online: www.gac.fishing/00146TF Post: Glasgow Angling Centre, Unit 1, The Point, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow G22 5HT
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