We're pleased to tell you Matt Eastham is back this month and looks at how some of those flies that sit in your stillwater fly box could be of use on the river too.
Back in issue 29 I discussed how adopting some elements of the river fisher' s approach could be used to good effect when targeting tricky emerger feeding rainbow trout in stocked stillwaters. It might have sounded obvious to apply a pretty standard running water tactic to an appropriate scenario on a stillwater, but it's amazing how distinct the two disciplines seem to be in the eyes of so many anglers. Maybe this is because a lot of folk stick to one side of the flyfishing fence and never dabble on the other, I don't know. Certainly if you look at tactics at the opposite ends of the scale, the two can seem poles apart: take for example the comparison between presenting a size 22 dry fly on a 3 weight set up and 0.10mm tippet, and ripping blobs back on a 7 weight rod and a Di5 line.
But the truth is that most of the time, river and stillwater fishing have a lot more in common than many people would credit; and although the two branch off in their respective niches of specialism, there are many things that one can take from the other and I'm convinced that it pays to keep an open mind and attempt to become more of an 'all round' flyfisher than become rooted in one particular niche.
One demonstration of this that has come into sharp focus for me over the last year or two, is how fly pattern styles derived from the reservoir scene can be adapted to deadly effect on our rivers. I don't do nearly as much stillwater trouting as I would like these days due to time constraints mainly, but if I cannot get onto a river due to flooding etc, then loch styling from a drifting boat comes a very close second for me. It's a totally different challenge and a very absorbing one. I particularly like the way stillwater fly tying puts so much emphasis on colour and impression; looking into the fly box of an established fisher of reservoir wets and dries is to catch a glimpse of tying creativity at its very best - a glorious palate of hues across the spectrum rendered in busy strands of blended seals furs and hackle. This attention to colour and the effect it has upon transmitted light working through a pattern is one of the cornerstones of loch style fishing and something that we river fishers tend to ignore in favour of profile and attitude. There is of course justification in this owing to fundamental differences between the inherent fishing conditions, but surely some of the almost supernatural powers of attraction of some stillwater trout patterns could be successfully transferred to running water? A couple of years ago, I resolved to make a start at finding out.
A fine river trout - possible target for stillwater fly pattern experimentation?
My focus has been on dry flies and nymphs in the main, rather than lures. I mean there is every possibility that pulling a blob or booby through a deep slow pool would attract the attention of wild river trout; but in the interests of upholding the traditional river values of imitation and finesse I imposed some self-restraint and looked for patterns which would slot readily into my current river fly boxes. The following three are the flies I have found to have a really high level of effectiveness in running water. There aren't any big surprises here to be honest, because when all's said and done, a trout is a trout wherever it swims and a good fly pattern should prove deadly in a wide range of situations; but each of the following have their origins firmly rooted in standing water and I think it is a useful exercise to see how the creative spirit of the stillwater scene could be applied to the traditionally more conservative river fisher's approach.
Headley's Crippled Midge
A sort of hybridised Shipmans buzzer/paradun, this pattern has always impressed me. I believe Orcadian Stan Headley is responsible for its development, but popularity soon spread south of the border and onto the English reservoir scene. The crippled midge sits low in the water and emits a beautiful impressionistic 'buzz' by virtue of a well teased out seals fur body, a combination that proves irresistible to trout everywhere. Just by scaling it down, it can be used to imitate the somewhat smaller midge we find hatching on most of our UK rivers, but to be honest I think it makes such a great suggestive pattern that I'd be happy using it in most generic dry fly situations; that's the role I've tried it in on my local spate streams - a sort of paradun/klinkhamer substitute - and it has proved more effective than I could ever have hoped. The wingpost material is tied in along the length of the body and left protruding at the butt in a short tail of 'breathers'. Then after the parachute hackle has been wound and thorax dubbing added, the post is pulled forward and tied down behind the eye, again with some breathers left protruding.
Hook: Partridge SLD #14, 16, 18
Thread: 14/0 sheer
Breathers/wingpost: TMC aerodry in white
Hackle: grizzle cock
Rib: fine mirage tinsel, twisted into a rope
Dubbing: blend of dark seals furs - black/sooty olive/black claret etc
Yellow Owl Variant
Another Scottish pattern , this time a Loch Leven legend. The original was more of a traditional wet fly, but the competition scene has spawned a number of dry/emerger variants which prove superlative in big buzzer hatches. It was only this year that I saw one of these in the flesh: talented tyer Andy Macadam slipped me one from his box prior to a Stocks Reservoir competition in May and I was instantly taken. Later that day his mate Scott Aitken placed third in a strong field on a day when many good anglers had struggled to reach mid single figures. He caught each of his 16 trout on the yellow owl.
A while after, I lashed together a dozen of my own, based as closely as I could on Andy's sample....and although they instinctively went into the stillwater dry box, I slipped a couple into one of my river boxes too. Dry fly fishing on my local rivers this season has been a sporadic affair and I haven't had as many chances to cast at rising fish as I would normally expect. However, the next time I found myself in such a position - and it was with a small pod of decent grayling occupying a slow flowing flat - I tied on a yellow owl, and you guessed it - the fish sipped it down as if it was the most natural offering in the world!
Hook: Kamasan B175, #14,16
Thread: Uni 8/0 in light cahill
Rib: fine black wire
Wing/thorax cover: 3 or 4 cdc plumes
Thorax: hare or fox squirrel
River Taddy
Purists look away now! Streamer fishing - for so long a cornerstone of US river trouting - is now gaining a steady following in this country. Why it's taken so long is anybody's guess, considering how long we have been at the forefront of the stillwater fishing scene with our expertise in lure pulling techniques. Perhaps it's something to do with the inertia of English fly fishing tradition - that old Halfordian influence dominating our psyches still. Whichever way, the times are changing and UK river fishers have started to wise up to the merits of presenting baitfish and attractor patterns as a great way of prising large, predatory trout from their rivers.
I have to admit that I personally baulk at hurling wet dishcloth-sized sculpin and minnow imitations around, not because of any sense of aesthetic value, but merely because such large and unwieldy patterns demand a heavier set up than your standard river gear.....and I can't be bothered carrying two rods around with me all day. The River Taddy offers a great compromise, being bulky and noticeable enough to be more than just a 'big nymph', while still retaining a compact profile which allows it to be fished on a 4-5 weight rod with ease. The lure is basically a cut down version of that reservoir standard, the black tadpole and while I've carried black headed versions for about five years now, this hot orange version is a recent addition, based on a template given to me by West Yorkshire guide, Gary Hyde. It is absolutely deadly!
How you fish this type of pattern is entirely up to you so long as plenty of movement is imparted as the cast is fished out. My own MO is to fish it off a Di3 sinking polytip and a short level leader of 8lb fluorocarbon. I look for pocket water, seams, back eddys off fast water chutes, in fact anywhere a large aggressive trout might be lurking, and then either jig the fly through on a short line, or retrieve across the 'lie' in a series of short sharp strips. The takes are explosive and exciting and I've come to appreciate the technique as one very much worth having under the belt for when our more usual go-to methods fail to deliver the goods. It's a fast moving, active way of fishing and an awful lot of water can be covered in a short time.....and there's always the knowledge that the next fish could be one of the biggest fish in your river!
Hook: Hayabusa 761 black nickel, #10
Bead: hot orange tungsten 3.5mm or 4mm
Thread: black UTC70
Tail: black marabou pinched short, plus a couple of strands of flash material
Rib: gold wire
Flashback: flat gold tinsel
Body and collar: fine sparkly black dubbing. I use Diamond Brite.
Hackle: black hen hackle
I hope that has given you some inspiration to get out there and cross some genres with your flytying. The possibilities really are endless and whilst some styles might not prove effective in an unfamiliar context, the real fun is in finding one which does, and then reaping the rewards of your willingness to experiment.
To read more from Matt be sure to visit his excellent blog