What Are North Country Spiders / History

The Noth Country Spider (Sometimes referred to as a Soft Hackle Fly) is an ancient type of dressing with a fascinating history of over 300 years. The term spider is a bit of a misnomer as it doesn’t imitate a spider. Some spiders are tied to imitate more specific flies, but often, a spider design is more a general impression of food – most likely an emerging, stillborn or drowned fly just under the surface.

The key to a good North Country Spider is the soft hackle, which, when slightly sunk and buffeted by the moving water, creates an irresistible lifelike movement in the fly. Well tied Spiders are typically designed to have a thin body, allowing them to effectively imitate the slender natural bodies of emerging flies and nymphs in the water. Spiders come in a wide variety of colours and types. They are incredibly useful fish catchers as well as being easy to cast.

Key Flies

• Stewarts Black Spider
• Partridge & Orange
• Snipe And Purple
• Waterhen Bloah
• Partridge & Yellow
• North Country Selection

When & Where To use

Never say never is very applicable in fly fishing and indeed, these flies are going to catch fish anywhere. I’ve even had success in saltwater using small black spiders to tempt fussy mullet in the estuary. That said, there’s no doubt these flies come into their own on faster flowing streams and rivers, the kind of water where the feather will spring into life, and the fish are on the lookout for emerging flies and insects moving quickly down the stream. Still, slow pools or the gin clear even flow of the chalk streams are more likely to be suited to using dry flies although there may be times when the spider will work on these waters. These Spiders came into prominence in the north of the country precisely because there are many fast-flowing, turbulent streams in this locality, perfect for this type of fly.

Equipment, Set-Ups & Leaders

Tackle

Your usual river outfit should be perfect although I don’t like anything more than a four weight for my spider fishing. I would also avoid a tip or fast action rod, often when fishing upstream, only a small amount of line will be outside the tip ring, and a medium of softer action river type rod will load and present a shorter line with ease.

Leader

A 9-foot tapered leader with a few feet of tippet will be just fine. If you are fishing a team, then you can buy a tapered leader with droppers of them them in the tippet section yourself. In terms of strength, something around a 6x should be excellent for most of your fishing for wild trout and grayling. If you are targeting bigger specimens, then a 5x leader should be okay.

Set Up / Grease etc.

A high floating line is essential, both for presentation but also the constant recasting becomes difficult and can disturb the water if your line starts to sink. An application of Mucilin grease on the last few feet of fly line should fix a sinking fly line tip. You can grease your leader up to the tippet if you want to present your spider in the surface film, or you can leave it ungreased for the spider to sink a little deeper.

Techniques

Across & Down

Probably the most common method of fishing a spider but in my opinion the least effective. If you are a total beginner, then this method may be best as the other methods listed below are harder to learn. You should progress to the different techniques described here as soon as possible.

With the angler facing downstream, the fly is cast either straight across or across and slightly downstream. The fly is then allowed to swing around with the current until it is hanging directly beneath the angler, let the fly hand for 5 seconds or so and then repeat the cast, moving downstream every so often to cover new water. If you absolutely must fish this method, then I would advise you to keep a high rod tip, so there is a curve of line hanging from the rod to the water. This curve will cushion the hard pull from the fish and give you a better chance of hooking up.

Advantages of this method:

It’s easy, and complete beginners can do it.

Disadvantages:

• Your fly swings in an arc and isn’t replicating the natural direction of travel of insects which are moving with the current, not across it.
• The hackles in the spider will not be moving properly and instead will stick to the shank of the hook.
• You are upstream of the fish and therefore more likely to spook fish below you.
• You will get plucks on the fly which can often result in missed takes, or weak hook holds resulting in lost fish.
• You end to catch smaller fish as the bigger ones will often ignore a fly presented in this fashion.

Across Stream

This method provides an excellent presentation of the flies and is particularly useful on larger rivers. The angler stands facing the opposite bank and casts across the stream, so the flies land slightly above the angler’s position. The angler allows the flies to travel down with the current until they are somewhat below him, at which point the line is picked off the water and recast. The angler can edge upstream between each cast to keep covering new areas of the river. It’s important not to let the flies swing around; this way, the flies are always moving with a drag-free drift.

Advantages of this method

• The natural direction of travel of flies
• Drag free drift

Disadvantages of this method

• Quite a short drift
• Limited fishing zone

Upstream Spider Fishing

I think this is probably overall the most effective way to fish spiders. However, it’s very repetitive casting, and the angler will have to recast many hundreds of times during a session. This method is especially useful for very fast-flowing rivers and streams. The “non-rod” hand is pretty much redundant using this method and is often employed holding a wading stick until you kook a fish. Fishing with around a 9-12 feet of fly line, the angler is facing directly upstream and taps a cast out ahead, turning over the line and leader, so everything lands nice and straight. Then the angler proceeds to lift the rod tip to pick the slack line off the water as it develops during the drift, after a few seconds the angler then speeds up the rod hand to cast behind and then tap the line back out in front. The angler can repeat the process in a fan shape on the water above him to cover as much water as possible.

Advantages

• A near-perfect presentation of flies.
• Makes swift and turbulent water fishable.

Disadvantages

• Very repetitive casting.
• You can only ish at a limited distance.

Across & Down With Reach Cast

This technique improves the across and down method by using a reach cast. The reach cast significantly reduces any swing in the flies. I learnt this method from Oliver Edwards, who is a superb spider angler. This method is especially useful for the large river where you need to cover water than is unreachable using any of the other methods.

Facing downstream, the angler casts across and slight down, instead of letting the line land on the water, the angler swiftly moves the rod back upstream allowing a loop of line to slip through the rings so as not to jerk the flies back through the air. The rod tip finishes, pointing slightly behind the angler’s position and also above head height. The rod tip then tracks back down the stream allowing the flies to move down the river in a drag-free drift. Once the rod tip has moved downstream, and the arm is fully extended, the flies will start to swing around, I tend to let them swing and hang them for a few seconds before recasting. The angler can move down a step in between casts to keep covering new ground.

Advantages

• A good drag-free drift
• Allows the angler to cover water inaccessible to other methods

Disadvantages

• Complicated cast
• Flies still swing at the end of the drift.

Detecting Takes

Detecting takes may be slightly different depending on the method you employ. Sometimes, when fishing upstream, you may see a boil on the water as the fish take the spider just under the surface. If you are fishing slightly deeper, you may see a stop in the fly line. When fishing downstream, the first realisation you have a fish could be feeling a bump on the rod. It’s essential to have a good floating fly line when spider fishing, especially when fishing upstream. Apply some Mucilin silicon dressing to your fly line and loop to keep it floating high. You will be able to see the take far more quickly. A hi-viz braided loop will also help you quickly pick out the end of the fly line and see the line stop when a fish takes.

And finally

The key to spider fishing is to present the flies in a drag-free drift. Imagine how the natural insects will be following the current in the river and try and replicate that movement with your artificial fly. Spider fishing can open up areas of rivers that are unfishable with dries and nymphs. Use this to your advantage by covering any turbulent fast riffles and pocket water that you might typically skip through; you will be surprised how may fish are lurking there! Tight lines.

The post North Country Spiders – A Quick Beginners Guide appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

My key tip is to make sure you are fishing deep enough. If you aren’t occasionally touching the bottom you need to use heavier flies or even add a split shot or tungsten putty to your leader.

Further Resources

View all river flies for January
View still water flies for January
Go to fly shop

The post BEST FISHING FLIES FOR JANUARY GRAYLING ON THE RIVER appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

A Czech Nymph refers to two things, firstly it refers to the type of fly – A heavy fly, normally imitating caddis larvae or shrimp, tied on a curved hook (usually 8’s, 10’s or 12’s). And secondly, the term refers to the method of fishing. Czech nymphing utilises a very different technique from most other forms of fly fishing with a different casting technique and also a very different mindset.

Czech nymphing is ALL about getting flies down deep to the stream bed feeding zone. It allows the angler to fly fish sections of the river where other methods will not get deep enough. Czech nymphing is very effective and catches lots of fish!

A Brief History

Czech nymphing started amongst a small and secretive group of Eastern European anglers using short lines and heavy nymphs to great success. The method came to worldwide attention through a series of world championship wins from the Czech river fly fishing team. Any method which catches lots of fish is sure to prick up the ears of fly anglers, the technique soon spread rapidly, the flies evolved to from straight heavy nymphs to the slim curved patterns we know today.

When And Where

At the end of the day, this is down to the individual angler. That said, Czech nymphing really requires a good moving current so the flies run down the steam effectively. For me, I generally use the Czech nymph when the water is either too deep or quick (or both) for traditional upstream nymphing to work. In other words, fishing a traditional upstream nymph will no get my flies down to the feeding zone near the bottom. Fast runs, deep glides, riffles, on the seams of current and back eddies and over holes and pits in the river bed are all classic location where Czech nymphing is successful.

Tackle & Equipment

If you are just planning to have a dabble, your standard river fly fishing set up of a 9 foot #4 or #5 rod and line will be ok. If you are going to do a lot of Czech nymphing then a specialist setup is a must and will make the hookup of and playing of fish at close range much easier. Specialist setups tend to be a medium/softish action #3 weight in a 10 or 11 foot length. The advantage of these rods is the extra reach they allow which helps control the fly and also the action which helps set the hook and plays the fish better at close range.

Leader

Nothing fancy required here, just parallel leader or tippet materials straight of the spool (not a tapered leader). Leader length is best being around a rods length and you will need to judge your breaking strain according to the size of fish, current strength and snags. I tend to use 5x for Czech nymphing.

Czech Nymphing Essentials

Here are a few essential Czech nymphs I wouldn’t be without!

Casting & Technique

On the face of it, Czech nymphing looks very simple, but like all fly fishing methods, a degree of finesse and skill is required to do it well. Use a short fly line of around 2-3 feet. Keep most of the fly line off the water, allowing on the last inch or two to float on the surface.

The cast is a lob, using the weight of the flies and not loading the road in the sense that a normal fly cast does. Cast up and across at an angle of around 45 degrees, normally the flies will travel downstream just outside of the rod tip, your flies should travel in a downstream direction and shouldn’t swing. Keep the rod tip in front of your line and flies as if you are almost leading the flies down the river with the tip of your rod, the fly line should be tightish but should not be lifting the flies. As the flies travel down beneath your position they will start to swing a little, you can let them swing and lift a little if you wish or just lift them and recast. You will need to lift your flies out of the water before recasting or the weight of the flies underwater will make casting very difficult.

Check out the video below to see me using a team of 3 Czech Nymphs and you will get a better idea of the method

When To Strike

There are a couple of schools of thought here, some people like to keep a tight line and feel the take, others (me included) will watch some sort of indicator and strike at the first sign of a stop in the fly line. I really believe in the second method of watching for a stop. The reason is that some fish (grayling particular) can be so quick ad taking and spitting the fly, you never get to feel the take. Watch your indicator, strike at every stop, slow down or unnatural movement. Never assume it’s just a rock, always treat every stop as a fish and strike.

Indicators

There are loads of indicators out there from yarn through to coloured mono or stick-on foam. My preference is to keep it slimline and simple by using a hi-viz braided loop connector and just greasing it up with some Mucilin grease.  Use an indicator you are comfortable with and more importantly that you enjoy using!

Fly Choice & Placement

Fishing a team of three

Most people place their heaviest fly on the middle dropper, this is so it pulls the other two flies down towards the bottom to get maximum depth. Keep your droppers short (no more than 6 inches) and they should be spaced around 20 inches apart.

The sacrificial jig

Another method is to fish a very heavy point fly tied on a jig hook – this allows the fly to almost bounce down the river bed, acting more as weight than a fly (which is why it’s sometimes referred to as sacrificial).  Around 10 inches above this fly you will have a more standard Czech nymph pattern which will tumble down just off the bottom, you could also tie another dropper above that so you are fishing with 3 flies.  This method almost guarantees a deep presentation but can be a little clunky to cast.

Single fly

There’s nothing wrong with fishing just a single Czech nymph, in most situations you will need something very heavy in order to get the fly deep enough, I have also had great success fishing with a standard Czech nymph with a couple of number 4 split shot around six inches above the fly.

The post Czech Nymphing – A Quick Beginners Guide appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

The post Video – 5 Grayling Flies That Catch Fish appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

The post Video – The Grayling And The Caddis appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

Grayling flies can cover dries, wets & nymphs but probably the best Grayling flies are those that get down deep. Whilst Grayling will rise to dries and take wets too, fishing near the stream bed often rewards the Grayling angler well. Below are a selection of brilliant Grayling flies that catch fish, these are some of my go to Grayling flies when I am out on the water.

The post 5 Superb Grayling Flies That Catch Fish appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

What is upstream nymphing & prospecting?

From my experience in coaching fly fishing to both novice and more established anglers, upstream nymphing seems to many to be a dark art. Something mysterious and misunderstood. I believe this is because of a trap many new anglers fall into which is to start their river fly fishing careers by fishing slow sections of river for rising fish.

This is completely forgivable, anglers are merely following logic. They arrive at the river and seeing fish rising in the slow pools, try their best to observe what the fish are taking, match a dry fly to the hatch as best they can and cast it to the rising fish. This is all good stuff. Many new anglers will struggle to catch in these situations. This is because they have probably chosen some of the hardest fish to catch for a beginner. In slow-moving pools fish have all the time in the world to examine your fly as well as those little imperfections such as your knot, the crease, and kinks of the leader in the surface film, the floatant dispersing into the water. Additionally, every little splash and indiscretion in your casting ripples through the pool as well as all the waves from your wading which move through the water like a Tsunami.

Those rising fish are so tempting and not knowing any different a new angler keeps going back to them again and again, often with the same results. Many new anglers also walk through all those fast rifles and glides without so much as casting a second look at them never mind a fly. As you will find out later in this article, it’s those bits of water that contain the key to your success!

A nymph in nature is the part of the lifecycle of an aquatic fly. A nymph lives in the water, exactly where it lives depends on the species of fly. Some nymphs cling to the bottom of stones, others bury themselves into the stream bed. At some point in the year (when depends on species) these nymphs ascend to the surface and hatch out as an adult fly.

Trout and Grayling feed heavily on nymphs either as they tumble down the stream after being dislodged or, when they ascend to the surface to hatch into flies.

Upstream nymphing involves casting an imitation of a nymph upstream and then allowing the fly to tumble back down the stream towards the angler. On visually detecting the take by observing the movement of the fly line the angler strikes to set the hook into the fish.

There are two types of nymph fishing – sight fishing and prospecting. To sight fish is to observe a fish feeding on nymphs and deliver an artificial nymph to that particular fish. This is common when nymph fishing on clear chalk streams where visibility is good. On the fast running streams of the North, however, observing fish feeding on nymphs is difficult if not impossible even with the best polarised glasses.

In these situations, an angler needs to observe the flows of current, bubble streams, riffles, rocks and pools and predict where the fish will be lying. The angler then needs to cast the nymph in such a way so it runs through these places in the correct direction and depth to tempt the fish, this is commonly referred to as prospecting.

When is a nymph not a nymph

As we have already learned, a nymph is a specific stage of the lifecycle of an aquatic fly. In fly fishing, we do however imitate all sorts of bugs, creatures & larvae. For simplicity, most fly anglers will still call the method “upstream nymphing” even if they are casting a fly that imitates a small shrimp or larvae. The term “upstream nymphing” is more a reference to the method as opposed to the fly.

The Tackle.

Rod, Reel & Line

All anglers have a preference as to their rod but there are a couple of key factors in choosing a nymphing outfit. Firstly, you will be casting an awful lot so something light is essential. Luckily, most modern tackle is fairly light – even budget rods. Something in a #4 weight is ideal. In terms of rod length, you should go for a 9-foot rod if you are not constrained by trees. If movement is limited, then choose a shorter rod.

The action of the rod is important. You need something with a soft enough action to play hard fighting fish at close range without bumping them off when they shake their heads. Avoid fast or tip actioned rods. A mid-tip action or even something a little softer (if you can get on with it) is ideal.

A standard weight forward floating line that matches your rod is all that is required in most circumstances. Much of your upstream nymphing will be in quicker water so you are likely to be fishing at fairly close quarters to enable you to keep control of the line, if you fish a very short line then you may not feel the rod is loading enough when you cast, you could experiment in these circumstances by overloading the rod by 1 line weight (ie. using a #5 weight line on a #4 weight rod) to compensate for the shorter line.

I’m not a big fan of either double taper lines or “delicate presentation” lines but that’s just my personal view and I know that many other anglers enjoy fishing with them.

As with much river fly fishing for Trout and Grayling, the reel isn’t crucial to the setup. Get a dedicated river type reel that’s and small and suitable for the line weights you will be using. Spend as much or as little as you like, it’s not going to catch you any more fish!

Glasses

A good pair of polarised sunglasses will help remove the surface glare. This may help see fish near the stream bead taking nymphs. Also it will help you observe “the take” allowing you to react and strike in good time. It’s also essential for eye protection when fishing.

Hi-Viz Braided Loop Or Minicon

This will be your “strike indicator”. Everyone has their favorite colour, I like the hi-viz green variety.

Mucilin Grease

Apply the grease to the braided loop and the last few feet of the fly line. This will help it sit up high in the water so it’s visible. Keep reapplying as required during your session so you see every take no matter how subtle!

Mucilin Quick Sink

Whilst we want the fly line and braided loop to float, we want the leader to sink. Apply this degreaser to the length of the leader with wet fingers to remove any oils and grease and help it cut through the surface film.

Fluorocarbon or Mono Leader

I don’t bother with tapered leaders for upstream nymphing, my casting is good enough to turn over the fly and the weight of the nymph will turn the leader over crisply. This is just my personal preference and if you prefer to fish using a tapered leader then go for it!

I prefer using Fluorocarbon for my nymphing fishing as it’s slightly more resistant to abrasion from the rocks and tends to sink a little better. Again, this is my personal preference and if you want to use Mono that’s fine.

The Flies.

This is the important bit. You need to consider two things when choosing your nymphs.

Fly weight.

You will need a few different weights of fly as most of your upstream nymphing will be targeting fish around the bottom of the stream bed. As stream depth varies throughout the river, so your nymph weight will also need to vary.

Fly imitation.

You need to fish with nymphs that imitate the nymphs that the Trout & Grayling feed on in your stream. In reality, this is reasonably easy as there are a few patterns that should cover the likely flies. I would argue that the depth of your fly and the direction of travel in the stream is as (if not more) important than the pattern you use. The flies listed below are tried and tested and will catch fish all over the UK.

Light Nymphs

Medium Weighted Nymphs

Heavy Nymphs

Watercraft & Where To Fish.

Flow rate

To fish a nymph in a dead drift (so it tumbles downstream at the same pace as the current) requires some flow in the water. Ideal nymphing water has enough flow so the nymph will travel back down the river towards the angler and be ready to be recast before it snags on the bottom. That said, it’s important under normal circumstances that every so often your nymph does touch the bottom – this shows that it’s getting down to the feeding zone around the stream bed.

It is possible to fish a nymph in slow water (see active nymphing below) however this water may be more suited to dry fly fishing. Another option in very slow water would be to use an indicator to support the nymph so it fishes at a fixed depth.

Bubble streams

Bubble streams are areas of concentrated current where the bubbles on the surface of the water are concentrated into a line on the surface of the river.

These are always good fish holding areas as a concentration of current also means a concentration of food moving down the stream. Fish will often sit in or around bubble streams feeding on nymphs and other food items as they tumble down the bubble stream.

Riffles

A riffle is a fast turbulent area of water, normally located at the head of a deeper pool. Riffles are excellent nymphing areas. Fish will sit in the riffle at the head of the riffles to get first dibs on food entering the pool. Fish also tend to be confident feeders in riffles as they are well-hidden from predators by the turbulent water. You can’t see the fish in the riffles which also means they can’t see you, this gives the angler a distinct advantage.

Rocks

Rocks provide refuge from the current and are excellent fish holding areas. Fish will often sit in front of a rock where the current pressure is reduced by water bouncing back off the rock. The will also sit slightly back and off to one side of a rock in the “V” of current, this is a good lie for picking up food as it runs down the stream.

Immediately behind a rock looks like it’s a good spot, however, the water can have a washing machine effect here meaning the fish doesn’t have a predicatable line of current to feed in, this is why the fish will often sit slightly to the side in the “V” where the current line is more predictable.

Glides

A glide is a smooth but fairly quick area of water, it often has a reasonable depth to it and makes excellent nymphing water. Glides often have some depth to them so a heavier nymph may be required.

Slower Water (Active nymphing)

On the whole, very slow water isn’t suited to nymphing as the nymph is unable to move through the water with the current to allow the fish to intercept it. In slow water, it will often just sink to the stream bed. This is why slow pools are more suited to dry fly fishing. There will be circumstances when nymph fishing is still required particularly when targeting Grayling that are not rising to dries. In these circumstances, you could either use an indicator to fix to the depth of the nymph so it doesn’t hit the bottom. Another option is to give the nymph some movement in the form of a retrieve to keep it off the stream bed. This can be very effective, you can treat the slower pool as a stillwater. You will however often need to get the fly deep down to the stream bed and this will take some experimenting to find the correct retrieve to do this. Takes will often be more subtle here, you need to keep in touch with the fly and strike at the smallest of movements in the braided loop.

Coping With Varied Stream Depth.

Fly anglers are often habitually lazy! As you wade uptream fishing, you will encounter varied stream depth from the shallow fast riffles to deeper pools and glides. It’s really important that you carry a variety of nymphs that can cope with the varied stream depth and more importantly use them! Keep changing your nymphs to suit the water infront of you. It only takes a few seconds to change a nymph and can be the difference bewtween blanking and catching. Your nymph should be catching the bottom from time to time, this shows it’s getting down to the feeding zone. If it’s not getting down then change to something heavier!

The Technique.

Upstream nymphing requires a tight, accurate cast and good line management. Using false casts, work out the required length of line and then deliver to the water. As the line travels back down the stream towards you pick the slack line off the water using your line hand. At the same time as retrieving the line, you may find it useful to slowly raise the rod tip, this will help pick off slack line developing on the water near the tip of the rod. It important to cast upstream when nymph fishing, Trout may not be clever creatures but show a keen instinct for what is food. They are expecting their food to come down at the pace and direction for travel of the current, an upstream presentation is by far the best way to do this.

This is a balancing act, you need to retrieve to pick up the slack but leave a tiny bit of slack in the line so the nymph still runs down the stream in a dead drift. If you retrieve the line too quickly you will start to pull the fly and this will mean it rises up in the water. At the same time as the nymph and line are coming back down the stream towards you, you need to keep an eye on your braided loop. In normal circumstances, your braided loop will travel back down the river at the pace of the current. If however, your braided loop stops or slows down it indicates that something has obstructed your nymph. It could be a rock, weed, or a fish. You must react very quickly with a firm strike to set the hook.

How fast will a nymph sink?

Judging where your nymph is in the water column is vital to success when nymph fishing. In most circumstances when you are prospecting with a nymph, you will want to be just off the bottom. How deep your nymph sinks will be determined by the length of your leader, the weight and profile of your nymph and speed of the current. Make sure you are occasionally touching the bottom with your fly, this way you know you are deep enough. If you are not occasionally touching the bottom you are not fishing deep enough!

So, tight lines and enjoy your nymphing. Please check out huge selection of premium flies on our shop! >> VISIT SHOP 

The post Guide To Traditional Upstream Nymphing – In Particular Prospecting With A Nymph appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

Grayling have a down turned mouth, designed for picking off food items near the stream bed, they spend much of their time feeding in and around the rocks and gravel. Presenting a fly in this zone can make all the difference.

I would go as far as to say your choice of Grayling flies is probably less important than the depth and way it’s presented. Pretty much any shrimpy caddisy nymphy type of fly will do the trick but you need variation in the weights of your flies to cope with anything from fast riffles at the head of pools to 6 foot deep glides.

Changing the fly as you wade up the stream to cope with the different depths is the key, all the time you need to make sure your fly is getting down to the river bed. If you are not getting the fly hung up on the rocks on every so often you are not fishing deep enough.

Here’s is a selection of Grayling flies with varied weight to cope with all situations the river is likely to throw at you!

Shallow Water

Medium Water

Medium to Deeper

Deep

The post 5 Awesome Grayling Flies For Varied Stream Depths appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

With the first frosts of the year, the water has started to cool although the mist above my local reservoir would indicate that the water is still clinging on to its Autumn temperature for as long as possible.

Water temperature is probably one of the most important factors in the behavior of our quarry. Firstly as a cold-blooded creature, the water temperature governs the blood temperature of the trout and therefore governs its metabolism. The colder the temperature, the slower the metabolism and the less active the fish will become.

The temperature of the water also has a direct correlation to the amount of Oxygen that can be saturated in the water. Cooler water can hold more saturated Oxygen than warmer water – and the more Oxygen the better. So you can see that cooler water can be a positive and a negative for fishing-  It’s never straightforward, is it!

Throughout cooler weather, hatches of insects will become less frequent and less food will be available on the surface meaning that feeding fish can be looking for food near the bottom.

On the rivers, efforts will be concentrated around Grayling fishing as the Trout season is closed. For Trout fishing, most of the bigger deeper reservoirs will close through the winter and Trout fishing in very cold weather can be difficult on these large expanses of water as the can be deep – putting low lying fish out of range. Smaller still waters, however, can provide some great fly fishing for trout through the winter months. I’ve had plenty of good days with sheets of ice floating near my line.

So, what does this all mean? Well, what it means is that you can still catch fish but don’t expect lots of dry fly fishing and don’t expect fish to be chasing and attacking flies in very cold water temperatures. On rivers, Grayling will tolerate even the coldest winters day but it’s likely that deep nymph fishing or heavy Czech style bugs will be required. For the small stillwater, midges will be the only consistent hatching insect of the winter months so I like to concentrate my efforts around fishing deep and slow with bloodworms, midges and small nymphs such as Diawl Bachs. Stripping bright lures during cold weather may not be particularly successful as fish are less likely to chase and attack these patterns.

On both rivers and still water milder spells may encourage small hatches of flies and if you can target your fishing around the warmer parts of the day (around lunch time) when the fish are likely to be at their most active then better results can be achieved.

Wherever you are fishing, don’t forget some thermal socks, neoprene gloves and a good flask of hot soup!

The post Fly Fishing & Flies For Cold Weather appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.

In this episode David catches plenty of Grayling whilst fly fishing on an Urban stream and finds there’s a lot more to urban rivers than shopping trolleys and traffic cones!

Check out the podcast here

The post Fly Fishing Podcast – Grayling On The Czech Nymph appeared first on Peaks Fly Fishing.