Hi all ,anybody got some tips for catching trout on a scottish loch when it is flat calm?

Hmmm, I'm just back in from NOT catching any fish on a scottish loch when it was flat calm. In theory, you'd need a frequently degreased leader and a stealthy approach coupled with perhaps a small emerger pattern and something like a sedgehog twitched gently on the surface or just left lying for a while - in theory that is.

The only success i've had in a flat calm is with emergers. The minute it goes flat calm get the sedgehog off and the emergers on. Degrease your tippet well too! I've found it extremely hard in flat calm unless targetting rises, it's pretty hard to fish blind. The fish should start rising in the calm mind you!

Buzzers on Flourocarbon works very well for me , I had half a dozen on starburn loch on the dreaded mirror glass 3 Rainbows and 3 Browns.

Col

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"It is not easy to tell one how to cast. The art must be acquired by practice.

if fishing flat calms i use flurocarbon with emergers as the flurocarbon sinks a lot quicker and helps in not spooking the fish unlike mono line,i have been using flurocarbon with dries lately and have seen my catch rate soar as i find if the trout are going to take my flies they will take within 10 seconds or so before fluro sinks or drowns my dries.

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just one more cast

Liath, if you land the fly within a few inches of its nose within seconds of it rising the fish will usually have a grab at it,

try gently false casting and wait for the moment or cast short then take off just enough line to reach it, if the fish sees the leader before the fly you went too far.

Yes I would agree with posts made above, but when targeting fish that are rising its more important in a flat calm to observe the direction of the fish.

When a fish rises in a flat calm (in particular) watch out for the ring that the fish makes as it takes a fly/buzzer etc, as one side will show a bigger bulge and that is generally the direction its going. The idea is to cast some 3ft or so ahead of its travel and wait till it reachs your flies.

Having said that in a flat calm some times the fish changes direction, so its a bit of lottery in some senses, but Floro and a couple of CDC buzzers of different colours just to see what they are on , should be ok for starters.

Also do not stand up in the boat (if its boat fishing being carried out) your presence will be seen a long way away in aflat calm, apart from that its dangerous.

One more important point, when generally fishing, one tends to use, say 8lb leader for pulling, don't be scared to go down to 4-5 lbs or at least use the thinner leaders for better results/sport. You might get smashed a few time, but will bring you more takes.

Good luck

Also do not stand up in the boat .(Quote Kingfisher28)

Great advice when fishing flat calm

Col

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"It is not easy to tell one how to cast. The art must be acquired by practice.

Hi Liath,

I'm assuming you're fishing from a boat for wild fish...in a really tricky flat calm, fish can be very boat shy and I find the best tactic is to sit down as others say and minimise the casting. For me, this usually means chucking out a single STATIC dry on copolymer (you can leave the fly out for longer as it doesn't sink as fast as fluorocarbon) and watching like a hawk and waiting. This can be very engaging, even when you're not catching!!! Also, fish can get "keyed in" to a particular prey search image, especially when feeding hard, so it's important to imitate what they're taking at the appropriate stage of hatching that they're taking it at. You have to get the size right. A lot of the time, when it's hard, they're taking something very tiny which is hard to present well (you have to go very fine) and very hard to see in failing light. Try to read the rises closely, a rising fish isn't always taking something off the very top.

Having said all that, when it's really hard and they're on tiny stuff you will probably struggle still struggle to catch fish (I do in any case!)...

If they're on sedges its a piece of cake!

Cheers,

Dighty

Excellent point made. I had a day on a local water not so long back. Fish rising all over, little or no interest on a dry or emerger. Finaly sorted them out with a corixa just sub-surface.............mayhem ensued. There were some guys though who didn't get it and struggled, even though on closer inspection you could see the corixa paddling around in the margins. For flat calms for me it's out with the fluoro, even though it will sink a small fly sooner or later. The point made by kingfisher about not standing up holds good too. I even sit in the water (in chesties I hasten to add) on small rivers to get off the skyline.......................birdsnest

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Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton