Early Autumn - Part 1 - Prime Time Stillwater Tactics
Prime Time Fishing
Welcome to Part 1 of our 2-part mini series on Early Autumn Tactics.
Part 2 (which will be with you on Thursday) concentrates on running water, whilst Part 1 is all about Stillwaters:
Up here in our little corner of North Yorkshire, we are pretty well off for river fishing, but 'day ticket' Stillwaters are very few and far between.
You would think that being a holiday town, our area would cater for those who want to escape the beaches and amusements for a couple of hours' peace, casting a fly - it's not the case!
Last year that changed, with a once popular local stillwater re-opening again - now called North Yorkshire Water Park Fisheries (aka Wykeham Lakes), this is right on our doorstep - literally.
I always stop off at the lake - to see how it's fishing - needless to say it has been very difficult over the warm summer months (just like the majority of small stillwaters in the UK), but with the arrival of September and the slightly cooler autumnal winds, the fishing seems to have perked right up over the last few days!
If you are venturing out to your local stillwater in the next few weeks, you will need to search the water to find fish. As in the cooler months, you will have to keep moving and target the areas where the bank drops off to deeper water (or any structure in the water). Depth is key, make sure your flies are fishing at the depth the fish are (I know it sounds obvious), most anglers underestimate the depth at which their flies are fishing. To some extent not knowing the depth is not an issue – so long as you know how long you've let them sink for when you get a take.
Top Tip: Count your flies down as they sink – increase the count for each cast until something happens (you have to take into account the weight of your flies and adjust accordingly – a 4mm beaded tungsten lure will sink much faster than an unweighted Woolly Bugger).
At this time of year any resident Stillwater trout will be starting to feed up in readiness for the sparser months ahead, what better way to target them with an 'active' fishing method - lures.
This method keeps you on the move - and keeps you warm!
With that in mind, we've put together a selection of our most popular (and successful) lures, in sizes 10, 12 & 14, specifically for targeting those Autumn fish - as most will be more than willing to chase a fly once the water starts to cool. These Stillwater Lures are ideal for your next trip out.
Top Autumn Tip: It's often quite windy at this time of year, you will also notice that most anglers like to fish with the wind at their backs (it makes their casting look good!), the only problem with this, is the wind is blowing all of the surface food to the other end of the lake! Try fishing with the wind on your left (if you're right-handed) and let the wind work your flies on the surface towards the leeward bank - you can virtually guarantee there will be fish patrolling for surface food! For more tips when fishing lures in Autumn and the cooler months, see the bottom of this email.
Here we introduce to you our Stillwater Lure Selection:
Why Use Lures?
A lure style of fly is not really imitating any specific life in the water (although some could be said to imitate small fish), they are more used to arouse the fishes interest and they take it more out of curiosity/anger. To a trout these patterns seem very much alive when any action is imparted to them - therefore these are fished quite actively.
What Tactics To Use?
Which technique you use depends largely on the depth of the water you are fishing:
- Shallow Water (< 10ft) - A floating line and long leader can be used - just remember to count down your lure and fish/retrieve it slowly. Short pulls, followed by large pauses to let the fly sink again.
- Deeper Water (> 10ft) - Go for an intermediate or sinking line with a short leader - this allows you to present the lure at depth and any retrieve will pull the lure parallel to the Stillwater bed.
These lure patterns should be fished as close to the Stillwater bed as possible. Lures are ideal patterns to use in shallower water, close to weed beds.
*** See below in this email for many more hints and tips on fishing lures in Autumn ***
We only have a limited number (50) of our Lure Selections, so if our previous offerings are anything to go by, you will need to be quick off the mark!
In total there are 18 flies supplied in our eco-friendly. packaging. All of these flies are tied on barbless hooks, in sizes 10, 12 & 14 and available as a selection (9 patterns/styles, 2 of each in various sizes) for only £26, click any button or image to view the selection in more detail.
Each of the patterns contained within the Lure Selection are also available in our 'Taster Selection', which includes 1 of each pattern/style (9 flies in total)for only £14:
Each of the lues contained within the selections above can also be bought individually:
*** We've only 50 of these selections - if you want one, you will need to be quick ***
The Little 'Stillwater' Devils
Autumn can be a difficult season for fishing stillwaters and often anglers opt for one of two differing approaches:
- Give them something to chase - i.e. a lure/streamer/snake (see above); or
- Plumb the depths with a heavy nymph or preferably a beaded bloodworm pattern.
However, there is another tactic which is often overlooked - and that is going for the more imitative approach.
One of the best patterns when using this imitative approach is the Diawl Bach.
As the weather gets cooler, the size and frequency of the insect hatches reduce. Therefore, it's best, where you can, to use as small a natural imitation as possible:
These are favourites on the stillwaters, fished as part of a team of flies drawn slowly on a floating line with a long leader.
A very effective method to fish these is to let the wind push your fly line around and look for a twitch in the line as an indication that a fish has taken the fly. They can also be very effective during a midday midge (chironomid) hatch, and the holo versions are worth using to imitate pin fry.
*** Go on, you know you want to! ***
How to Fish Lures
When fishing lures it's all about control and your connection with the fly.
A shorter leader helps you keep better control of the lure at depth and control how it fishes. When using sinking lines, start with a level piece of mono 3 to 4 feet long - when in doubt, go shorter.
There are 2 main types of retrieve employed when lure fishing: the strip-pause-strip retrieve (do exactly what it says on the tin) and the swing (cast out, let it sink and let any water movement take the fly - always keep in touch by retrieving any slack line).
Just remember to keep in touch with the lure, slow down any movement and try to impart some action into it as the fly moves in the water.
Tippet & Knots
When fishing lures, the main difference is the way the fish takes the fly - savagely!
This means tippets and knots need to be up to the job. You shouldn't be using any 5X or 6X tippets here - this calls for the big boys. The lightest tippet material you should use is 4X. If you’re fishing a larger Stillwater that has a bit of current and larger fish, it makes sense to step up to 2X. This allows for the strength of the water and the savage strikes that generally happen when the fish takes your fly.
When using larger tippet diameters, it is even more important to get your knots tied correctly and securely. Knots typically used to tie a lure to the tippet are:
The first two are basic knots that can be used for any fly fishing scenario (with the Orvis Knot being the simplest and quickest to tie). The Non-Slip Loop Knot is ideally suited for lure fishing as the lure is secured using a loop, where it is free to move, and more movement can be imparted to it.
FREE Lure & Streamer Download
Part 2 of our mini-series will be with you on Thursday (which includes some stunning new Daddies I'm just finishing photographing).
Tight lines.
