The Solution to Summer Fishing - Go Small or Go Home
Lost & Found
We've recently had a bit of a stock reshuffle (which included a stock take, that involved counting all our flies - not a task we were especially looking forward to).
But every once in a while we strike gold - and that's what we have for you this week. In truth, these are flies which we'd forgotten we had and only found them during the reshuffle of our shelves. They are flies we originally bought last year but we didn't receive them until late, so we put them in a safe place, only to completely forget about them!
So what do we have for you this week? Well, it's loads of very small nymphs - ideal for fishing the low and slow rivers and for those picky Stillwater trout - and, a handy guide on how to fish them at this time of year.
Read on McDuff ...
The Micro Nymph Selection
View Our Micro Nymph Selection
These stunning Micro Nymphs from Stan @ Gourmet Flies are exquisite and so nicely tied they are amazing, so we thought we would create a small selection from them.
These were originally designed and developed on the streams of France. Once we saw them we thought they would be perfect nymphs for use in the summer over here. These Micro Nymphs are tiny imitations, with their segmented bodies made of thin, coloured wire, with bead heads, the whole fly has a very slim profile - and they look stunning! This selection includes the following four colour combinations:
- 2 x Dark Olive Body, Olive Bead - Size 20
- 2 x Purple Body, Black Bead - Size 16
- 2 x Purple Body, Gold Bead - Size 16
- 2 x Purple Body, Purple Bead = Size 16
A great fly for stealthy fishing on those low and slow rivers.
These flies are only available as a selection of 8. These are available now for only £16, including free delivery. We only have 20 of these selections available, so if you would like one you will need to be quick!
View Our Micro Nymph Selection
Both of these flies below are fantastic at this time of year on both Rivers & Stillwaters - fill your boots!
Beat The Anglers Curse
The 'Anglers Curse' or Caenis to give it its real name. Often the source of great frustration when the evening hatch is in full flight, but from the wisdom of the French (and Stan's vice) comes this Caenis nymph pattern. Small and black with micro beads, these nymphs are proven to work when most others don't. You just need to fish them slightly differently! Try these nymphs on a long leader fished just sub-surface. These are a great pattern for both rivers and stillwaters/reservoirs.
- For Rivers: Target the slow silty glides with these nymphs presented just under the surface, these are often taken on the drop so you need to keep in touch with the nymph as soon as it lands.
- For Stillwaters: Try one of these on a short dropper on a washing line rig - again fished high in the water.
See our website for colour and hook size combinations
Best Micro Buzzers
A Buzzer is basically an imitation of the pupa of a midge (chironomid), most people will already know midges! Midges are abundant in every Stillwater, and are a staple diet of the trout which live there, therefore buzzers are sometimes the "go-to" fly for the Stillwater angler.
These buzzer flies are great imitations and are only available in a size 18. All of these flies are hand-tied using barbless hooks, in sizes 18 using quality materials. Once again, we do not charge anything for delivery, to anywhere in the world.
View Our Barbless Micro Buzzers
Fishing With Small Nymphs
OK, I'm guessing you like the look of those small nymphs above, but why should you use them?
Here's why:
- The majority of fly anglers don’t use them - because it's too difficult to tie them on (it's true). On pressured water when targeting educated fish, the trout generally ignore larger flies, while a micro nymph will generally fool it - after all, as far as an educated trout is concerned small = safe.
- Small nymphs are found in the water all year round and make up the majority of the trout's diet (especially in the summer months of low water and low flow rates).
- Small nymphs give you many more options to imitate the natural nymphs (just turn over a few of the larger stones in the river) and match the colours with the colour options we have here, you cannot go wrong.
- Logically, if a fish is feeding on small nymphs it needs more of them, therefore there's more chance of your fly being taken by a feeding trout!
Here's how:
- Small nymphs work best in slower water - expending energy for such a small nymph in faster water is not worth the fishes effort.
- In lower flows and slow water, where possible fish from the bank, it's important not to disturb the water at all. Even really slow wading can send ripples upstream and spook fish.
- Small nymphs usually require small tippets, so to get the best presentation tie the nymph on with a loop knot to give it more movement - try using the Non-Slip Loop Knot.
- Keeping in contact with small nymphs can be a problem, most anglers use some sort of indicator. If your river allows it, try using a dry fly as an indicator aka The Duo.
If you are still not sure about fishing smaller nymphs, try starting with a 2 nymph rig, with the Micro Nymph on the point and a larger nymph on a dropper above it - this will allow you to fish a small nymph at depth easily.