if you turn up on the bank where there is no ripple slight winds and fish showing on the surface ie not spashing but more subtle head tail rises...what would be your first angle of attack..the reason i ask is because ive blanked a few times where i can see so many fish but every method ive tried has failed...common sense tells me that because i can see fish when my fly lands on the water i will leave it for a short time ie a few seconds before retrieving.but ive tried every fly i own but the fish dont seem interestedany advice would be great as im going tomorrow to one of the midlands ressies and im becoming a bit fed up with an empty bag

Try some Dries like the shuttlecock buzzer. Ones that sit in the surface of the water and not on the surface. If this doesn't work I would try a bung with a small black buzzer suspended 1 foot down although many don't like the bung, I find it a lethal method. If that doesn't work I would move somewhere else.

The 'washing line' is always worth a go in these situations to. Booby on the point 15 foot + leader and two buzzers on the droppers very very very slow figure of eight retrive. You'll be suprised how many times they take the booby too.

Fish probably on smallish buzzer. Dries ie size 14 bits/suspenders or shuttlecocks in black/dark brown - use a single fly if the air is 'dead' and turn over is a problem. Or try a couple of size 14 diawl bachs/crunchers and retrieve very slowly as soon as the flies touchdown. The fish are right up so don't allow the flies to sink too far.

Try something very small and really degrease the last foot or so of tippet.
The really small fly may be hi /low floating or slow sinking ,try all 3 .
If all else fails a biggish bright lure stripped past their noses my take the odd one .
if you do catch and are killing spooning may give you a better guide to what they are on and at what stage of emergence.

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

All good tips so far. One other, if they are classic head ant tail rises, it is fairly easy to see which way the fish is moving. Be ready with your flies and quickly cast so that the flies land where the fish should find them when it swims towards them. I would have buzzers in the surface film and concentrate. Exciting stuff eh.

thanks for the replies gents,some things for me to think about,ill get back to you after the weekend.once again thie chaps on the forum come to the rescue

Let us know how you get on Skip.

skip i would try a soldier palmer on a dropper and a small buzzer three feet behind on the point and try a steady pull cheers john ps watch for the bow waves

I got a few ides posted on a similar question I asked the other day,
have a look here too