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TACKLE ON TEST SUITS A SUIT RANGE ANGE OF ABILITIE ABILITIES
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WINTER SPECIAL NYMPHS AT BUSHYLEAZE LOYNTON LURES 10 DEADLY TIPS
20
LIFETIME
ISSUE 530
Specimen reservoir trout hunt fry now. Go catch one!
4 DEC, 2019 - 1 JAN, 2020 | £3.70
FISH OF A
RIVERS & STREAMS
RESERVOIR ACTION
DESTINATION SPORT
WINTER FLY-TYING
How to hunt a winter 'lady'
Catch huge reservoir pike
Top trip for trout & salmon
Follow our step-by-step
DIGITAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE
Contents I SS U E 530
Cover image by Peter Gathercole
BE INSPIRED
14
6 Your first
Readers share stories of their fly-fishing ‘firsts’
TACTICS
63 How to understand...
In part 2 of his grayling special Paul Procter discusses tackle and tactics
FLY-TYING
8 Catch fish of a lifetime
69 Kate McLaren Muddler
14 Nature’s Watchman
72 Flybox fillers
COVER STORY Iain Barr’s advice for targeting fry feeders at Rutland’s boat dock
Peter Gathercole follows the ‘wild fisher’s’ trend of adding a Muddler head to wet flies
COVER STORY
Even if you know how to fish a water, it still pays to be observant, says Peter Cockwill
COVER STORY Russ Symons ties one of his favourite Cat’s Whisker variations
20 Bubbling Under
76 Flymasters
How might different types of aerator affect the way you fish them, when (if) heatwaves return?
25 Cool runnings
COVER STORY Winter fishing isn’t always deep and slow. Sometimes the fish want it fast
Peter Gathercole judges your ‘winter bugs with attitude’ patterns and sets a new challenge
72
TACKLE
81 Gear on test
COVER STORY Robbie Winram reviews the latest rods, clothing, fly lines and accessories...
30 Predators on fly
COVER STORY Top tactics if you want to target reservoir pike on the fly this winter
85 Fly-tying products
A handy boxed set of fly-tying tools plus a tinsel that can be used flat or round
36 Autumn’s bounty
COVER STORY The Grayling Society’s Arkadi de Rakoff enjoys a day on Hampshire’s chalkstreams
OPINION & NEWS
44 Catch memories
FOCUS ON...
Dave Malpas recalls an evening session at Chew Valley many years ago
39 Catching in the cold
COVER STORY Russ Symons offers top advice for hooking those active winter rainbows
86 News
OFFERS
WHERE TO FISH
A round-up of all the latest news from around the fly-fishing scene
45 UK waters
53 Subscription offer
88 Letters
48 Going swimmingly
80 Reader offer
Watching more than fishing on his travels, our columnist appreciates guides even more
Spotlight on four top trout fisheries to visit this month We visit a diversifying fishery in Worcestershire, where fishing remains the star turn
54 Kodiak arrest
Heart-racing sport with Alaska’s wild rainbows, char and salmon COVER STORY
ADVICE
60 Advice squad
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The Daiwa wading waistcoat is packed with storage options and is yours for only £24!
TF’s experts answer your questions on fishing at distance, stonefly imitations and more...
TF readers have their say
90 Cockwill
91 Troutmasters
Are you among this month’s badge winners?
96 Iain Barr
Our former world champion starts with a gripe then offers deadly tactics
98 Wading in
Jeff Prest’s fishing shed - spittoon and all - has got us interested in yours...
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THIS MONTH’S WINNER
Ten-year-old Michael Ewing in action at Wellsfield Fishery. Sent in by Maureen and David Ewing.
HOW TO ENTER
Shot of the
MONTH
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TACTICS R E S E R V O I R S Words Iain Barr Pictures Peter Gathercole
Dock of the bay
If big trout chasing fry is what you’re after then head down to your local reservoir boat dock, says Iain Barr
Iain Barr plays a fry feeder at Rutland's boat dock.
TACTICS
TACTICS S M A L L W A T E R S Words Peter Cockwill Pictures Peter Gathercole
Peter Cockwill crouches to net a Bushyleaze rainbow.
Nature's Watchman
Just because you know how to fish a certain water, it doesn't mean you should not be observant, says Peter Cockwill
TACTICS A E R A T O R S Words & pictures Jeffrey Prest
BUBBLING Seen as the get-out clause for struggling anglers, aerators can be distinctly
hit and miss. Could it be because all aerators are not created equal?
Pic Credit: Flickr/Lance Cheung
UNDER
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TACTICS S M A L L W A T E R S Words Phil Dixon Pictures Peter Gathercole
COOL
runnings
Winter fishing isn’t always deep and slow. Sometimes the fish want it fast, says Phil Dixon
Phil returns a Loynton rainbow.
TACTICS P I K E O N F LY Words Paul Clydesdale Pictures Kieron Jenkins
PREDATORS ON FLY Paul Clydesdale & Guy Eldridge grapple with hefty fly-caught predators at Rutland
Paul Clydesdale holds a beautiful pike caught on the fly.
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FOCUS ON W I N T E R
Catching in the cold
FOCUS ON...
Russ Symons’ tips for hooking those active winter rainbows
W
HEN the weather turns crunchy cold, human nature sees us finding any excuse not to go fishing – it’s too cold or too windy, or the fish won't be biting. It’s so easy instead to stay indoors and dream of warm, balmy days when fish rise and sip your delicate little dries from the surface. What we sometimes forget is that rainbow trout, in particular, are a cold-water species, remaining active even when the tendrils of ice are stretching a foot or two from the bank and water temperatures are middle single figures. It’s a strange fact that cold water is less dense than warm water. The coldest water floats to the top and frequently forms ice, so the
denser, less-cold water is the deeper water. Somewhere between the two extremes of water temperature is the fishes ‘comfort zone’ and that is the layer of water that we have to find if we want to catch our fish. If you frequently fish a particular water and know where the shallow and deeper parts of the lake are then, in the cold, target the deeper parts of the lake with sinking lines and patterns likely to imitate any fry that might be in the water. If that doesn’t work then try patterns that trigger a trout’s aggressive tendencies. Also look out for settled conditions. A sudden drop or rise in temperature can trigger a day or two of sulking fish. Once it has settled, that is the time to tog up and brave the elements.
WHERE TO FISH L E N C H E S L A K E S Words & pictures Jeffrey Prest
Going swimmingly Not even the autumn murk can mask the charm of a proactive Worcestershire fishery, where top-of-the-water action isn’t confined to fish‌
Chris Hart is into a fish amid the Spring Lake reeds.
WHERE TO FISH K O D I A K I S L A N D Words & pictures: Paul & Susan Sissons
Kodiak ARREST
Paul Sissons enjoys heart-racing sport with wild rainbows, char and salmon at Kodiak Island
H
AVING visited Alaska’s Kodiak Island in 2017 we returned to try another of the Rohrer family’s camps and this time slightly earlier in the year. There are five species of salmon that run Alaskan rivers and they vary by the week/month. September sees coho (silver salmon) which we focused on two years ago at Dick’s Camp on the West Coast of Kodiak overlooking the Shelikof straight – you can see Katmai National Park in the distance with the snow-clad mountain tops. This time we went in early August to Sam’s Camp, better known as the Rohrer Bear Camp, about five miles further up Kodiak and which can only be reached by floatplane. This bigger camp has five huts and two facilities. August sees the humpies (pink salmon) running and on this river there’s also wild rainbows and Dolly Varden. To access the river from Sam’s Camp it’s a five-minute jet-boat ride to the river estuary then you head upriver, stopping off at the fishing spots. Look out for sea otters, seals and bald eagles, along with orcas chasing salmon. Our trip’s made up of three couples, we have Jean, Martin’s wife with us, along with Derek and April Elliott. Jean has limited fly-fishing experience, so we’ve an added dynamic to get Jean catching these phenomenal fish (more later).
Our camp
Leaving Kodiak City to fly to the camp, we got to fly in a de Havilland Beaver – one of the traditional floatplanes of Alaska. The weather’s unseasonably hot and the air clear for what is one of the best floatplane trips we’ve had. You can see absolutely everything. Half an hour later we touch down at camp in a remote and stunning fjord, our new home for seven nights. Allotted our hut for the week, we sort out clothing and fishing kit. It's on with shorts and tee shirts as temperatures reach 30 celsius (in Alaska!) and then it's time for a spot of lunch before venturing forward. The food from our gourmet country wilderness cook Jeannie is excellent all week and with huge portions it’s impossible to go hungry. Over lunch we agree the plan and for the first afternoon we venture a short way upriver. On the flight in we saw fish in the river but, of course, the tide brings in fresh fish and they push up the river to spawn. We focus on the humpies first, armed with 9ft 8wt rods. Once in
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Kate McLaren Muddler Peter Gathercole ties a Muddler pattern for wild ďŹ sh.
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