After recording my River Walk last weekend (thanks for all the positive comments), I popped home for something to eat. and then headed straight back out again, to a little further upstream of the filming location, to have a walk - this time with a 7'6" 3wt in hand.
It was around 7:30pm, and the place was alive with Sedge (and fish), safe-to-say I had a productive evening, it seems that as the rivers settle into that slower, lower, warmer summer rhythm, it's the Sedge (or Caddis for our friends from across the pond) that keep things interesting.
I've watched them do it for years on my local river, especially on an early evening - fluttering, skittering, doing everything they can to avoid being eaten, mostly failing. That behaviour is exactly what inspired me to build our NEW selection around, and it's why it's made up from the most popular flies other anglers have chosen at this time last year, for their August and September boxes.
Six patterns, 3 sizes - thirty flies - covering the way Sedges actually behave through this part of the season - I've called it The Ultimate Sedge/Caddis Selection (imaginative, eh!):
From the moment a caddis is stuck in the film to the moment it's bombing across the surface trying to escape a hungry trout, there's a pattern in this selection for it.
We've only got 30 of these selections available, so if the timing feels right for your next few sessions on the river, it's worth deciding sooner rather than later.
I've put this together the way I'd actually fish these two months myself - mostly caddis, because that's what's on the water, with a couple of patterns thrown in because fish don't read the calendar as closely as we do.
For only £47.50 you receive the full Ultimate Sedge/Caddis Selection: 30 flies covering six patterns built for August and September fishing. That's two each of:
• Rolls-Royce Caddis (in sizes 14, 16 & 18)
• Indicator Caddis (in sizes 14, 16 & 18)
• Elk & CdC Caddis (in sizes 14, 16 & 18)
• March Brown CdC (in sizes 14, 16 & 18)
• Duracell Jig (in sizes 14 & 18);
• plus two Mayfly/Olive Quill Nymphs in size 14
A New fly selection specifically containing patterns that work in August & September. Available either as 'flies only' or in one of our Slimline Silicone Fly Boxes.
The Rolls-Royce Caddis
The Rolls-Royce Caddis earns its name for a reason. It's a beautifully proportioned, high-floating pattern that sits the way a natural sedge sits, not the way we'd like it to. When fish are looking up but being fussy about it, this is the one that gets refused the least. You'll find two each in sizes 14, 16 and 18, which covers most of the sizing decisions you'll face on UK rivers through the summer and into early autumn.
The Indicator Caddis/Sedge
The Indicator Caddis is the workhorse of the box. It's buoyant enough to fish on its own and visible enough to hold as a dry-dropper point fly when the light's against you. Late summer evenings on UK rivers rarely give you long to see anything, so this one earns its keep every time you tie it on.
The Elk & CdC Caddis
The Elk & CdC Caddis brings the classic elk hair silhouette with a CdC twist for more movement and a lower-riding profile, which works well on flatter, more selective water.
The Duracell Jig
The Duracell Jig is there for when the emergence has fish looking down as much as up, a weighted jig nymph to search the water column while you wait for things to happen on top.
The CdC March Brown
The March Brown CdC isn't strictly a caddis, but August and September aren't only about sedges, and this pattern out-fishes its reputation in broken water (especially during a warm afternoon olive hatch) where fish don't have long to decide.
The Olive Quill (Mayfly) Nymph
"Why a Mayfly Nymph?" I can hear you ask? It's really an Olive Quill nymph in a size 14, the odd one in the box, covers you on rivers where this size nymph still gets eaten out of habit as much as hunger - especially if you're fishing early in the day.
You can take this selection as flies only, supplied in our eco-friendly packaging, or choose to include one of our Slimline Silicone Fly Boxes to keep everything organised on the bank, for an additional £10.
Either way, delivery is free to anywhere within the UK. And if the Tree Trout steals a fly or two along the way, you can always buy individual patterns to top your box back up again (see links above).
Please Note: We only have 30 of these selections available.
I hope this selection helps you make the most of what's left of the Summer. There's something quietly satisfying about tying on a fly you know is right for the moment, rather than just hoping it'll do. Whatever water you're fishing over the next couple of months, I hope it puts a few more fish your way.
Tight lines,
P.S. One quick tip for fishing caddis patterns in late summer: pay attention to how the fly sits, not just how it looks. A caddis stuck in the film behaves differently to one skittering across the surface, so if fish are refusing a high-floating pattern, try dropping to something lower-riding before you change size.
If you're fishing broken or faster water, don't discount a pattern just because it isn't a true caddis imitation. Fish in that kind of water often don't get a long look at what's drifting past, so a well-proportioned fly of roughly the right size and colour can outperform something more exact.
And a small care note: CdC-winged flies lose their buoyancy fastest when handled with wet fingers, so try to dry your hands before tying one on, and give the fly a false cast or two to refresh it if it starts sitting too low.
