A lot of fly-fishing tackle these days is bought mail order or on the internet, which is fine if you know exactly what you want. However, if you are unsure, it is better to go to a traditional tackle shop and actually get the feel of the gear before making a purchase. Buy magazines to read the reviews and don’t be afraid of asking anglers on the bank or fishery owners their opinions. Even if you start out by buying economy gear, this doesn’t mean to say that it won’t be very good and won’t last you for many years. Rods and reels are now of a very high standard indeed, even when they are budget priced, so take care to buy something you really like and that you will want to use for years to come.

Rods
If you are just choosing one rod to start with, then a (9ft) or 6/7-weight is about what you are looking for, certainly for nearly all trout and grayling work. You’d even find a rod like this is capable of coping with small summer salmon in tight situations. And (3-4lb) sea trout won’t be too much for it either. Ideally, the rod will be tough, light and have a nice, easy casting action. Some rods, especially for long distance, are very fast in action and take some expertise to get used to, look for nice whippings, good-quality, cork handles, top-quality line guides and, if possible, a carrying tube for protection. Rods with lifetime guarantees are now fairly common and really worth looking for. Read the rest of this entry »

What Fly To Pick?
Don’t get too hung up on this. In very many cases, a fish like a trout will take any fly that vaguely looks like a food item. For example, if a nymph is small, dark-colored, in the water and can be seen, it stands a chance of being taken. Equally, if you are really stuck, on many stillwaters all you need to do is put on a big flashy lure, cast it out as far as you can and retrieve it at speed and you will get a take. Not always, but often enough to make life interesting.

However, all that said, it still helps if you can match the flies that you’re seeing as nearly as possible. The chances are that these will be what the trout are eating and your success rate will obviously increase. It’s not difficult to recognize flies if you know what you’re looking for.

Up-winged flies
The first important group of flies that makes up the bulk of the fish’s diet is the up-winged flies, notably the olives and the mayflies. Up-winged flies can be recognized by their vertically positioned, graceful wings and long, delicate tails. They start off mayfly as nymphs, develop into duns and then transform into spinners. Mating takes place before the female lays her eggs on the water and dies. They are beautiful flies to look at and the fish love them.

Roof-winged flies
Next up are the roof-winged flies. These Read the rest of this entry »

A dear departed friend of mine, Mike, ran a local trout fishery. He was in no doubt whatsoever that anything up to 85 per cent of the strikes achieved by his anglers went totally unnoticed. And it’s true. A trout, a grayling especially, can sip in the fly and reject it without the angler reacting. So, if you fool a fish, how do you actually see the take? Of course, if you’re stripping back the lure at speed there’s no need to see anything, because there will be a huge thump on the end of the line. Equally, if you are using a big mayfly, you will see a nose come up and engulf it. No problems there. However, most strikes happen underneath the surface and are very gentle. What do you do about these?

The Line
First and foremost, keep an eagle eye on your fly line and, if you are using a floating line, on the leader itself. It often pays to grease this so you can watch if it shoots forward or jabs under. Strike immediately either your leader or your line does anything unusual. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are using a spinner, a spoon or a plug made of plastic, metal, wood or rubber, you’ve got to work hard to make the predator think you are offering them a real fish. So you’ve got to know how the predator thinks. Read the rest of this entry »

The basic rule is always to choose a float that is heavy enough for the job in hand. Providing you shot the float properly, even a small fish will have no problem pulling it under. A big float is easier to cast and easier to control. If you go too light, both these important functions become difficult.

Remember, too, that floats come in all sorts of different shapes. Broadly speaking, bodied Moats -those that aren’t straight – are more buoyant and are designed for river work. Straight floats – like wagglers – are more suited to stillwaters or very slow-moving rivers.

A float is primarily used to signal a bite from a fish, so it has to be visible. Most of my floats have red tips because they really do stand out. But remember, too, that floats also are useful for suspending baits at different levels in the water. You don’t always want a bait on the bottom and if you want to fish in mid-water or above, you simply have to use a float to suspend it. Floats are beautiful things and you’ll enjoy watching them. They’re even more beautiful when they disappear under the surface.

Floats in Running Water

Which float?
Common river floats are Avons, which have a good thick body and are perfect for trolling quick water at longish distances. Most river fishing, though, is done with stick floats, which are attached to the line at the top and the bottom. They give perfect control in slower water over shorter distances. With Avons and slicks, you’ve really got enough choice of floats to cover virtually all water conditions.

Shotting
Attaching shot to the float is very important. You need to put enough shot on the line so that the float cocks and only the tip shows above the surface. When you’re stick-float fishing, the shot is spread pretty evenly from the float down to the hook. When you are using an Avon Boat, you can group the shot midway between float and hook. This lets the float ride well in the current.

Long Trotting
This is one of the nicest ways to use a float on the river. It’s an ideal way of exploring long stretches because you can let the final amble down with the current a good 80m (260ft) or more. This allows you to get near to spooky fish on very clear water. You need a long rod for this type of fishing – a modern, light, 4.5m (15ft) rod is ideal. Mostly, you will be using lines between 1.4kg and 2.7 kg (5lb and 6lb) breaking strain for fish like roach, chub, grayling and even barbel. When you are long trolling, it’s important to ‘mend’ the line. That’s simply keeping direct contact from the rod to the float and not allowing great loops of line to develop on the current. If you don’t mend the line, the float will get pushed off course and the bait will behave unnaturally. Read the rest of this entry »