the best out of this wonderful sport.

Nothing beatsseeing a fish chase a muddler as you strip it across the surface. Oftenthe fish will be half out the water and it will still want to eat your muddler. I anchored the boat some twenty five to thirty yards from the foamswept shore line. Having cast the muddler some seventy feet I started afairly fast retrieve. A good rainbow decided to give chase six or sevenyards from the boat, it ate that muddler in a very savage manner thendived for the bottom in some twenty feet of water. In a few minutes afish about 4lbs was alongside the boat. It was unhooked and releasedwithout being touched by hand. Another advantage of using barblesshooks. In the next couple of hours I had 16 fish, all released, thencalled it a day. It was like taking candy from a kid. I then satdrinking tea with Frank and Mary Casson in their beautiful lakesidehome. On another occasion when I arrived at Barnsfold conditions werenear perfect for buzzer or chironomid fishing. It was cloudy, warm andmuggy with a soft breeze giving a slight ripple to the water surface.Swifts, martins, swallows, and ducklings were about in profusion, fishwere rising everywhere. After a mug of tea with Mary and Frank it wastime to fish. I made up a light outfit; 8 foot six inch rod with a 5weight double taper floating line and a 12 foot tapered leader to a 2lbpoint. I chose to fish a size 16 black buzzer. On every cast I had arise from a fish. Some were missed, others hooked and lost but in two orthree hours I had caught and released some twenty trout. It was time tostop the fishing. It was that easy it become a bit boring, the challengehad gone. I retired to Frank and Mary’s kitchen to drink tea and chat. Of course it’s not always like this. Some days trout don’t want toEat. Other times they will feed for just a short time at dusk. One ofmy great pleasures in still water trout fishing, is fishing buzzers orchironomids on the surface. Of course there are times when you arrive tofind condition just right with fish feeding but after an hour or so, a coldwind starts to should blow and it’s the kiss of death. The fish go down.I don’t know of any water in the country, from a small garden pond orwater butt to the big waters like Rutland, Grafham and Windermere wherethere are not hatches of this non-biting midge. Coarse fishing match anglers have long realised the advantage ofhaving blood worm (larva of the chironomid or buzzer) when conditionsare tough. The larva of the chironomid starts life in the mud and lookslike a tiny thin bit of red cotton. Later in its life the larva changesits shape turning into pupae known as nymphs. They leave the lakebottom making their way to the surface, the pupae to emerge andreproduce. It’s a journey full of danger, as millions fall prey to allspecies of fish. On the surface, not only do they have the fish eatingthem but other enemies, swifts, swallows, martins, ducklings etc. It’ssaid there are some 500 different species of midges in our waters.Certainly a major food source for trout and birds. Trout fishing on still waters must be one of the biggest branchesof angling today and it’s still growing. It has not always been likethis. In the early 1900’s there were only a few still waters availablefor trout fishing, Blagdon and Chew being the most famous. Stillwater trout fishing as we know it today probably started with theopening of Grafham, back in 1966 if my memory serves me right. Thefishing was fabulous. Many of those fishing that first season werecoarse fish anglers who quickly got to grips with the water and had somespectacular results. Before Grafham we had Weirwood but it didn’t havethe same effect on the angling public as Grafham did. The tackle in those days was so much different to what we haveavailable in the year 2000. Rods, reels and lines have been improvedimmensely. Anglers at the start of Grafham fished with rods made fromfibre glass. Some of us were still using bamboo fly rods. Oliver’s had a10 ft reservoir glass fly rod which I think cost about £10-50. Anotherrod was the Tom Ivens bamboo fly rod for £14-00. What would that beworth today in good condition? Aircel, Wetcel, Kingfisher and Milwardswere the fly lines of the day. Its nice to see Young’s reels being used as often today as they were backin 1966. In those days we had the polystickles and Jersey herd lures, 35years on the fish still eat these lures. Clothing has also changed from theBarbour Solway jackets, Tank suits and Parka’s. Today we have breathableclothing that keeps us warm and dry with Patagonia clothing leading theway. Another great advantage for today’s still water anglers are thenew breathable waders. Where to start? Starting fly fishing today couldn’t be easier. There are hundredsof still waters all over the country. There should be a fishery close toyou. They range from Martin Bakers Churn Pool, a small still waterfishery at South Cerney Gloucestershire, to Barnsfold water, which is twolakes of 22 acres in Lancashire. We also have some excellent large stillwaters Chew, Stocks, Bewl and Blagdon to the very big reservoirs likeRutland. Most still water fisheries have various price charges and limitbags. One of the popular fishing tickets these days is the sportingTicket, where you catch and release all your fish and use barblesshooks. In fact I have used barbless hooks for many years in all myfishing and can honestly say I have never lost a fish through the use ofa barbless hook. When a fish is lost, it’s because I have done somethingwrong. Other tickets usually available are a full day, half day andevening, usually with a bag limit where you are allowed to keep a certainnumber of fish which can vary from two up to eight. I am a greatsupporter of a sporting ticket as I don’t want half a dozen dead fish.Of course catch and release doesn’t please everyone. When you arrive atyour chosen fishery have a chat with the fishery owner or water bailiff.They can give you lots of information on how the fish are feeding andtypes of flies to try. The question you should always ask are, “Whatdepth are the fish are feeding at”. Fishery rules are usually posted,please read them as it’s important to know what you can do and not dowhen on the fishery. Also make sure you have an Environment Agency rodlicence. Learning to cast The most difficult thing you have to do is get the fly out on thewater. It’s the rod and line that project the weightless fly out on tothe water. You can teach yourself through watching videos and readingbooks but I don’t feel that’s the answer. You need to take some castinglessons. My advice is to book a few hours with a recognised castinginstructor or attend a fly fishing school. If you have the time choosethe latter. I have visited the Simon Gawsworth fly fishing school inDevon, and Pat O’Reilly’s school in West Wales Tel 01239-698678. Take a look athis web site at: www.fishing-in-wales.com/wwsf The start dates for two and three day flyfishing classes at the West ofWales School of Flyfishing are as follows: Saturday 8th April Trout Saturday 29th April Trout Saturday 27th May Trout Saturday 24th June Sea trout Saturday 8th July Orvis Sea Trout Course Saturday 22th July Orvis Sea Trout Course Saturday 29th July Sea trout Tuesday 1st Aug Sea trout Saturday 26th Aug Trout Saturday 30th Sept Salmon It’s well worth the effort and money. Golfers shooters, tennis playersall take lessons from the professional; why not fly fishers? Havingfished for many years I still take lessons and practise off the water.Don’t let your best mate teach you unless he knows how to teach. Hemight be the best angler around, but that doesn’t make him a teacher. By choosing to visit a fly fishing school you will often get the chanceto try several rods and see what suits you best. You cannot judge a rodby juggling it in the tackle shop. Another good point gained fromvisiting a fishing school for a weekend is you will learn all aboutknots for making up leaders (the line between fly line and fly), simplefly tying, waterside plants, and aquatic insects. I always find theriver dipping time most interesting. BBC Radio Lancashire’s At TheWaters Edge programme and www.fishing.co.uk have a casting clinic onSunday 30th April 11-0 am until 4-0pm on the river Ribble at Mitton behind theAspindale Arms. The clinic will be conducted by Tom Broderidge from theUSA, Alan Roe from Blackpool and Buxton Derbyshire angler Robert Goodwinthere is no cost. All you need are a fly rod, reel and line. The Tackle RequiredI feel the most important item of tackle is the line, which has to cast aweightless fly. It needs to be the best that money can buy. Forget thecheap lines often called mill ends. They are useless if your aim is tobecome a regular still water fly fisher and you owe it to yourself tohave the best. The line I am at present using for most of my fishing is aCortland double taper 5 weight floating line, but occasionally I might go upto a six weight. As a beginner at the sport, I suggest you go for aweight forward in a six or seven weight floating line. You can of courseuse a D/T line but the weight forward line in 6 or 7 weight will give aslight edge when casting into the wind. When I purchase a new fly line, I unroll the line and check for anytwists or damage. After a few fishing trips, I again roll out all theline, taking out the twists. A good way to get rid of line twist whenboat angling is take off the fly cast out the line and troll slowly fora few minutes. Another problem is coiling of the line or commonlyknown as memory. Often a problem with cheap lines. This will oftenhappen when the line has been on the reel for a few weeks. It’s easilycured. Run out all the line with the aid of a friend then give it a goodstretch. It pays to do this every fishing trip even with the best flylines. All these small jobs help make you a better angler. What you must do is clean the line after every trip. It’s surprisinghow much dirt, bits of fine sand, grit and algae etc. will stick to theline during the course of a days fishing. If it’s not removed it willeffect your casting and damage the line and rod guides. Wash your linein warm soap water then rinse it in clean cold water. I then polish mylines with Amorall – available from car accessory shops. This will giveyour line a nice slick finish. On a recent trip to the States where Iwas helping anglers with their casting, I would clean and polish theirline. In every case they cast at least another five yards for the sameeffort. Forget what your mates tell you, clean the line after each trip.Before putting the line on the reel you will need some twenty or thirtyyards of 20lb backing. In the United States when you buy a reel and fly line, the dealerwill put the backing and line on the reel for you. Often only chargingfor the fly line and reel. I can never understand why the tackle dealersin this country don’t give us this service. Kauffmans Streamborn inPortland Oregon E-mail kaufmanns@kman.com will offer this service andthere is no state tax in Oregon, Even after paying tax , postage and vatyou will save money. NEVER LET DEET GET ON YOUR FLY LINE – IT WILL BERUINED. (Deet is a chemical found in insect repellent,especially those that have been put on the market for mosquitoes. Deetwill melt fly lines, take the paint off microphones, soften electricalwires… so what does it do to our skin I ask?) When choosing a reel, make sure it’s big enough to take your chosenfly line with some 30 yards of backing. J.W Young’s reels have beenaround a very long time. They are better today than ever before. TheJubilee 5350 is a good model and will you give many years of serviceprovided you look after it. It’s also made in England. Fishing rods are certainly an emotive subject, pick six anglers andthey will all have a different rod by a different manufacturer – butswear they have the best rod ever made. Price isn’t the criteria forchoosing a rod. Masterline have a Red River rod at around £200-00, Sagehave a rod around £400-00 plus. I have used both but cannot see wherethere is an extra £200-00 plus worth of value in the Sage rod whichdoesn’t even have a hook keeper on the RPLXi model. My advice is visit a shop where you can try out a few rods withline attached even if it means you have to travel a few miles. Onceagain, many shops in the States have a casting area where you can makesome casts with the rod of your choice. Make sure you’re happy with thechosen model before purchase. Some of the models I can recommend because I fish or have fishedwith them are, Masterline Red River, Grey’s Montana, Sage IIIe series XPand G-Loomis GLX Series. They are all good rods, cast a nice line andhandle big fish without locking up. I cannot comment on other models asI have no experience of them. Whatever make of rod you choosepick a nine foot, nine foot six rod for a six or seven weight line. Theline rating will be written on the rod butt just above the handle. Don’tworry if the rod of your choice weighs half an ounce more than one yourfriend uses. I would steer clear of rods rated for three sometimes fourdifferent line ratings. A rod is built and designed to cast onedesignated line weight. Always wipe the rod down after a days fishing, If the bag is damp,hang it out to dry. With a cotton bud or Q tip clean the rod guides, youwill be surprised how much dirt can collect on them, which then getstransferred to your line. Rub some bees wax on the spigots now andagain. Before assembling the rod, check the spigots for grit sand etc. Infact it pays to wipe the spigots before assembling the rod. Don’t forgetthe winch fitting, give it a spray with WD40 now and again. Between fly line and fly, we need a length of line known as theleader, sometimes described as the cast. This is a very important itemof the tackle assembly. Many anglers just tie on a straight length ofline then tie on the fly or lure. That’s not the way. Always use atapered leader then you will get a better turnover. You can purchaseknotless tapered leaders or knotted leaders. In saltwater, I am quite happy with a knotted leader. In freshwater fishing I use a knotless tapered leader. Those ofyou fishing lures should also use a tapered leader. I only use a knotwhen I attach some extra tippet material. It’s very important to makesure your leader is what we call a big butted tapered leader. The thicksection goes to the fly line which should be about 30 to 35lbs Bs. As anewcomer I suggest you use a nine foot leader. As you become moreexperienced you can go up to 12 or even 15 feet, though when you get tothis length of leader you’re likely to be a very proficient angler. Myadvice is don’t thrash the water. Use water craft, keep quiet and don’tspook the fish – then most times you will be able to get away with anine foot leader. The breaking strain of the tippet (that’s the end of the leader towhich you attach your fly) will depend on the size of fly or lure you areusing. It’s no use tying a size 16 fly to some 6lb line – that’s if you canget the line through the eye of the fly! The fly action wouldn’t beright. On hooks sizes from 14’s to 18’s I use line with a breakingstrain of about two and a half pounds breaking strain. For hook sizes 8’sto 12’s I would probably use some four or five pound breaking strainline. This of course would depend on the size of fish I expected tocatch and how snag ridden the water was. There are no hard and fastrules. You learn these things by experience I can only give you a roughguide in such a short article. We have all heard about the lucky anglerwho catches big fish on unsuitable tackle but that doesn’t make itright. Fly or Lure Selection There are it seems, hundreds of different patterns of lures andflies for catching trout in still waters. I often ask myself thequestion ‘How many are designed to catch the angler’. My advice is talk tothe fishery owner, bailiff or local tackle shop owner for advice on halfdozen flies or lures, perhaps even a mixture for your chosen water. In my fly box, these days when I fish a still water, I want aselection of buzzers from size 12’s to 18’s. A few Black & PeacockSpiders in sizes from 12’s through to 16’s. The B&P has always been afavourite of mine both on small and big still water and rivers. If I hadto choose just one fly pattern it would be the B&P without a doubt. You can fish the B&P as a wet fly ten feet deep or just underthe surface. Well greased, it’s an excellent dry fly. If ever you get thechance to fish a river and find no flies hatching, fish the B&P either asa wet or dry fly. It can change a poor day into a good one. Another fly pattern I would not want to be without are some Sedgepatterns. These would include the G &H Sedge, Cinnamon Sedge and ElkHair Caddis in various sizes. The latter pattern has proved excellent atdusk on many of the still waters. When fishing Sedge patterns expectsavage takes. For sedge patterns in sizes 8’s and 10’s I use a 6lbtippet, all others it’s a 4lb tippet. I will often use some power gum tiedinto the leader to soften the vicious takes. A fly pattern I would never want to be without is the MuddlerMinnow. I believe this pattern originated from the United States. It’scertainly a fly to use in choppy water conditions when fish are feedingon fry near the surface and should be fished on a 6lb tippet. Some otherpatterns I would want to have are beaded Pheasant tail, Gold RibbedHair’s Ear and Damsel Fly Nymphs in sizes 10’s through to 14’s. I cannot end this feature without suggesting some books that willhelp you enjoy your fly fishing. Lake, Loch & Reservoir Trout FishingMalcolm Greenhalgh A& C Black Stillwater Trout Tactics Bob Church withCharles Jardine Crowood Publishing Tactical Fly Fishing Pat O’ReillyCrowood Publishing Matching The Hatch Pat O’Reilly Swan Hill Press andfinally Brian Clarke’s book Trout Etcetera A&C Black. This latter booktakes you around the World. If you have any questions that I haven’t answered please E-mail memartin@flyfish.demon.co.uk with your queries. I am here to help you get

the best out of this wonderful sport.