Sorry if this has been done to death but I have been looking at the mass of bumbles, muddlers and dabblers being posted on the tying section. They are on the whole very appealing looking flies that make you just want to tie them on the leader and go fishing. Even have a go at tying.

However my style or stillwater fishing is very limited to either emergers or classic buzzer/nymph fishing. Both involve very little retrieve if any at all for the most part. Muddlers I do use and have had success with them.

What I have not done is use bumbles and dabblers to any great extent. I feel the urge to but I have no real clue where to start. Is there some good reading or advice on how these are fished.
~ Do you need a rolling wave to get the best from them?
~ Are they more fly for northern lakes with wild browns?
~ Anyone have consistent success with them in the lowland high profile still waters?


Cheers,
Mark

Spider work well on still waters, muddlers and sedge hogs are a decent fly in a sedge hatch , wickhams are good as well for sedge

i ca't really see why they should work, I fish stillwaters but stick to drys and buzzers mostly but will try some this year and see

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In my opinion Mark the dabblers that you have been looking at on here are more suited to boat fishing on larger waters loughs etc, great when there is a wave.
Saying that they will take fish on the right day, and as with all flies there (not dry) is no set way to fish them, could be differant from day to day and water to water. As an example take a plain black buzzer, most days static or fished around on a breeze / ripple but on some occasions the fish want them pulled.
So trial and error for you mate I'm afraid but good luck, and what you are already using are a better option for stillwaters, but as a little experiment tie one of these (dabbler) on the top dropper and fish 2 nymphs/ buzzers under it job done.

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

OK ,not the most efficient way of collecting fish from the Grafhams,blagdons ,ravos of the resser world ,but a few lovers of drifty boats do have a lot of fun fishing teams of 3 or 4 bumbles dabblers and such flies as conemara blacks ,kingsmills butchers and many varients .
Give me and some friends a corduruy rippleor better and overcast and we will have fun dibbling the bumble type fly on the top dropper and getting takes there from following fish who sometimes turn down and take the middle flys .
Its fun !

BTW should any one fancy a april may sunday on grafham doing this stupid non productive method ,and wants to drive ,I will provide the long rods reels and lines needed ,can you drive ??

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Bumbles and Dabblers tied in the Irish style were new to me when I started on the forum but I don't think I'd be without at least one or 2 in me flee box these days.

As ACW says, probably not the most efficient way of catching troot's if you just want to bag up but on the right day and in the right conditions...Magic .

I don't think you need a big blow or a rolling wave to fish them but I've found a force 2 or 3 helps.

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Tight Lines. :)

Mark i fish dabblers a lot and have some good days with them on the hill lochs i could not do with out them,i like to fish them when there are dark olives on the water.i also do well with the golden olive bumble and the claret bumbles mainly for brown trout
regards Duncan

I shouldn't really be saying this because these things are supposed to be secret but as you've said sage, Golden Olive Bumbles rock.

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Tight Lines. :)

dabblers are deadly. have fat ones and thin ones, use accordingly, 2 acre dub or hill loch

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i was walking far from home, where the names are not burned along the wall, saw a building, high as heaven, but the door was so small

Thanks for the replies. Appreciate the information. I have had a number of occasional days when the fish on my local lowland water are keen to chase the flies.. I usually hang out a muddler with some nymphs for this. Or an emerger pulled across them.

I'm sure on these days a cast of these flies would work.
Cheers,
Mark