Last few days fish have moved to the top and are taking nothing. I presume the hatch is feeding them.
Any ideas for tactics on a small Midlands lake in these curcumstances

Suspender buzzers, hatching nymphs, Shipmans buzzers etc.
Are the fish sipping at the surface, head and tailing or rising with a splash? If splashy rises then go dry fly.

Every fly fisherman knows that one of the keys to success is the ability to recognize the early stages of a hatch. It would give you head start over all other fisherman and allow you to prepare with the right fly. The fish are always greedy and hungry at the very beginning of a hatch. This is the most productive and easiest time to fish. However, many fly fishermen are too slow to identify a hatch. The fish then get slow and difficult to catch as their hunger subsides. In the later stages of a hatch the fish become very choosy and your chances of success will significantly narrow. For many fly fishermen the best most productive time is over by the time they get their fly in the water.
You need to try to match the hatch if possible, if not try small dries that look similar in profile,or buzzers.

BK

i know people will hate this idea but when they are like this i like to find ouit what they are feeding on then suspend it maybe 2ft under a indicator.

Andy

The clues are the rise form. Are the fish cruising subsurface or actually taking off the top. How fast are the fish cruising.
The last few days have seen the fish cruising quickly on sedge pupae sub surface. The flies have to be just under the surface and fished quickly. Dabblers and palmer flies (even the dreaded Blob) are ideal for this type of fishing as they possess movement. Some rods have had success fishing washing line on intermediate with a booby on the point.
Accuracy in covering the fish is paramount as the fish being close to the surface cannot see far around them. Pull the flies quickly across their path will often induce a chase and take. This can be visually exciting seeing the bow wave following your flies but can be so frustrating.

If the fish are sipping off the top then dries come into their own, small claret hoppers & CDC's.

This time is probably the best fishing of the year.

Iain