Fly Fishing Flies

At TEF we pride ourselves on keeping our finger on the pulse with relevant information. So, given the current warm and sunny spell firmly parked over the UK, here’s a handful of pointers that should help you get back on terms with trout.

We take a look at the mayfly compara dun, a fly you need in your box for the mayfly season!

There’s countless mayfly patterns out there, which decorate our fly boxes and granted most of them are killing patterns. However, it seems many of them fall into one of two camps, those for stillwaters and the others for use on rivers. There are some though that cross the divide and appeal to trout on both lakes and running water. One such dressing is the Compara Dun Mayfly. And whilst it trades on being a ‘adult dun’ pattern in essence, such is its low riding profile it will easily pass off as an emerger.

Perhaps the most celebrated period for us fly fishers’ is the month of May when we prepare ourselves for the arrival of mayflies. Appearing from the middle of May and through to early June, Mayflies are our largest and most graceful upwing species. The sight of the first mayfly of the season never fails to excite and is something both trout and angler revere.

Buzzers

Paul Procter follows on form his previous newsletter and talks all things emerging and adult buzzers Including his top fly patterns and fishing tips!

In our last Newsletter we discussed the pupal (pupa) and larval (bloodworm) stage of buzzers. Here, we’ll look at the emerging buzzer and the winged adult. Granted, the pupa stage of buzzers is extremely susceptible to trout, but the emerging pupa is perhaps even more vulnerable.

Paul Procter brings you all you need to know for early season buzzer fishing Including Paul's top buzzer picks, leader lengths and how to fish them!
There’s no question buzzers (chironomids) form the cornerstone of our fishing on stillwaters. This is especially true during spring when daytime hatches of the humble buzzer are more prevalent and of course, trout are keen to pack on weight.

April Stillwater Lure Fly Collection
Hand picked by our inhouse experts especially for you! Land more fish with these flies!

Included in the April Hatch Chart Fly Selection are the following

Fly In Focus - March Brown. Paul Procter talks all things March Browns, methods to fish them and fly choices to fool them fish! The fabled March Brown is considered by many as one of our most icon upwing flies. And whilst they don’t occur everywhere, they are one of the first upwings we experience during the opening weeks of a trout season. Naturally, as their common name implies they appear during the month of March. That said, some of the best hatches are often experienced throughout April.

The doors to the Trout season are mostly all open and we are all itching for some dry fly activity Whilst hatches can be sparse, if you find your self in a the midst of a hatch you could be in for a good session! It's worth mentioning that whilst we would all like some early season dry fly sport dont dismiss March Brown Nymphs in between hatches as these can bring some seriously good sport too!

Starting your fly fishing journey using a single fly is never a bad idea has it helps build confidence before progressing to set-ups that include two or three flies. As you’re no doubt aware, traditional wet fly tactics (loch style fishing) involves using three flies. Generally speaking, these flies are positioned some 3ft apart with a short tapered section of 3ft to provide turnover (overall length leader of 12ft). Referred to as a “team” the flies work together, hopefully attracting trout to one of the patterns and ultimately if the fish doesn’t seize this particular fly, it may grab one of the others.

According to many “Black is All things to All fish”…and there’s a lot of sense in that statement given the amount of black imitations at our disposal these days. Whilst they all have their day the humble black spider is nothing short of the perfect all-rounder in my eyes.

Whether you choose to fish on rivers, or lakes/reservoirs this dressing has saved many a blank. As fly tyers habitually tinker with fly patterns, it’s not surprising then that many variants of the Black Spider exist. Yet, in its simplest of forms the black spider consists of nothing more than black tying thread and a black hen hackle. Personally, I like them sporting a rib, with silver being the obvious choice though a pattern using red wire is extremely attractive too. And, if it boosts a wee thorax of peacock ice-dub then all the better. You see, instantly I’ve moved the goal posts from the original dressing!

We summon yee in the dead of night,
Caddis flies it's time to take flight!

Let's Get Ready To Fish!