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Is October the new September?
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Yes, October is just around the corner and by the end of it the traditional fly-fishing season here in the UK has to be considered pretty much done. However, the month ahead offers some great opportunities for those who aren’t prepared to hang up their wading boots just yet – and it’s worth reminding ourselves yet again that ‘things ain’t what they used to be’ weather wise and these days this late season phase is both longer and far more productive than it was in the past. (and don’t panic - even when it’s over there are always options to keep fishing!)
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A misty autumnal early morning on the Spey at Ballindalloch.
This is actually a colour photo, not some photoshop effect!
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So, what are the prime options for the next few weeks?
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Stillwater trout will be in the best condition they’ll reach all year – and they’re hungry! In the past week I’ve suddenly started seeing lots of Daddy Long Legs and I’m sure that the fish will be looking out for these too. Great, highly visual, top of the water sport and a real highlight of the season. As I mentioned in our last newsletter it’s Fry feeding time too and – as with the Daddies - these meaty mouthfuls bring the bigger fish out to play. Flies we wouldn’t leave home without at the moment include Daddies in all their shapes and sizes, always remembering that sometimes a smaller fly such as a Hopper will outscore the full size Daddy, have a look at this great new one from Fulling Mill. Minkies, both large and small work well right now and, of course, a good selection of deadly Snakes and Snakelets. As always, we have selections of all these fly types which include all our top catching, top selling patterns.
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River trout will be hungry too – but your time to chase them will be rather more limited with seasons closing on most rivers soon. Whether it’s dry fly or nymph it will probably be worth trying a pretty substantial pattern at some stage during the day – flies such as a juicy Stimulator or a Peeping Caddis.
The same advice goes for bass – and there are still several weeks before they start to move away from the shoreline into deeper water for the winter. Try to pick up one or two of the better fish using something like this Sparkle Minnow or mini Mackerel pattern. That’s what I’ll be doing in North Wales this weekend and St Mawes a few days later. For the first time in several years I’m going down to join the original Saltwater Fly-fishing Festival again and I’m very much looking forward to flinging a few flies into the beautiful clear Cornish waters – and to washing a pasty down with a pint or two!
Finally, many salmon rivers are reporting better stocks of fish than have been seen for some years now so there is the prospect of some pretty busy fishing for the next few weeks. Favourite flies for this time of year include this Red & Gold Super Snaelda, the Calvin’s Shrimp and a Black & Purple Shrimp as the light fades away in the evening. And if you want to show them something different (you may have read Ian Gordon’s article in the latest Trout & Salmon magazine) how about giving a sub surface Sunray a swim?
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Good News!
As many of you will be aware Severn Trent have recently announced that fishing is due to re-start at Draycote in March next year. Draycote is a hugely popular and productive reservoir and it’s been sorely missed by many – me included – so this really is great news. If the rumours are true the fishery should be moving into pretty safe hands but I’m not aware of any similarly specific news yet about Eyebrook or Thornton. Fingers crossed.
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Let's hope we can look forward to plenty more feisty Draycote rainbows like this one in future!
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Countryfile goes Mullet Fishing
We were a bit surprised to see so much of a recent Countryfile programme given over to fly-fishing for mullet with Colin Macleod, the man who put this hugely popular branch of our sport on the map. Sadly, as is often the case, the fish themselves proved camera shy but we felt that the overall message of the fun to be had, getting out there and trying to tempt them came across rather well. If you missed it, do take a look via iPlayer.
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Coming Soon
The Atlantic Salmon Trust auction begins on the 12th October. No more information than that at this stage I’m afraid – but these auctions are always great places to find fishing experiences that just can’t be bought anywhere else so it might just be worth giving some money to a good cause in exchange for something to start looking forward to next year!
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Out and About
A couple of recent visits to Grafham produced good numbers of fish for me from both bank and boat. On those days the killer fly was not something big and brash but none other than the ever-reliable Marabou Tailed Diawl Bach, in sizes 12 and 14. (Don't say we haven't told you before about the effectiveness of small, natural looking flies!) The same fly was also responsible for a 20+ fish day for Matt Harris at Elinor – much to the chagrin of fellow fishers who were catching far fewer fish on bigger flies!
Whether you fish large or small stillwaters you simply can't afford to be without a decent stock of Hare's Ears - we particularly like this one, Diawl Bachs and Crunchers etc. in all sizes. To a fish that has seen its share of bigger flies moving quickly on a heavy leader one of these, fished slowly on a nice long leader, these simple nymphs look just like food, without setting off any warning bells!
Meanwhile, eldest son James was proving the point made above regarding salmon stocks. Here he is with the best of several fish caught by the team during a 3 day visit to the Tweed earlier in the month.
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Finally, Fishing clothing pre-Simms, Patagonia etc.
Just to prove that the fish don’t care what you wear! The outfits might look a bit dodgy but these early season Usk salmon didn't seem to notice.
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Mind you, we did get pretty wet when it rained!
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Tight Lines and very best wishes from us both,
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