Dear All

I tried to get some advice on possibly the wrong forum and drew a blank ( I hope thats not a premonition). I have only river fished once under the supervision of a guide but have a day booked next week on Wiltshire Wildlife Trust strech of the Wylye with another river novice.


Please could anyone give advice on the terminal end of the business. I have fished stillwaters for a few years and am comfortable with fly fishing in general. This will also be my 1st time wading. My thoughts were tending towards a New Zealand dropper rig to start with combining an olive klinkhammer and a hares ear, with the option of czech nymphing or just staying with dries if conditions permit. I have tapered leaders between 2-4lbs.

Any steers would be gratefully recieved.

regards

Vince

Vince, my brother fishes the WWT beat quite often and I'd say the set up you have mentioned should be about right - although I'd be tempted to get some 1-2lb tippets. He has had a lot of success with double weighted pink bugs (for the grayling).

Carl

Vince

You'll probably find you are limited to one fly only on that stretch but I could be wrong.

Lets do the basics tho if it's your 2nd time.

You really shouldn't need to go below 3lb tippet, 2lb if the fish are being really really picky. Stick with a single fly, it'll make your life much easier, especially as you'll be fishing from the bank and dealing with all the fringe vegetation apart from in the wading stretches, even then there should be pretty heavy weed growth in river at the moment and you'd be surprised how often that will get snagged up.

Get to the water and pause, take a look at cobwebs, watch for rising fish - anything that'll give you an idea of what if anything is hatching. Don't worry about getting too technical about fly identification, if it's small and brown, stick something small and brown on...

If nothing is rising you have two main options there are others but these will do you.

a) explore the shallows and likely lies with a prospective fly such as a small klinkhammer or something. Little black flies can be your friend, little f-flies and the ever present cdc&elk are my personal favourites.
b) try to find fish by sight who are nymphing and cast to them using a nymph. Again, keep it small - nothing over a size 14 (edit:: forgot to say I'd try to be on 16-20's). PTN's, hares ears, copper john's will all get you results. Don't just explore the whole river with nymphs in the hope that there's a fish there somewhere, it can ruin the fishing for others for days - sight fish them, or at least cast to particular lies.

If you can, it's always a good idea to let the fly drift back along the channels in the weed, they're a favourite lair of the spotty residents.

The trick to fishing to chalkstreams (and any other river I'd controversially say) is to keep it simple tackle and fly selection wise, dont fret over it being the wrong fly or tippet unless you are fixating over a single fish that just wont show any interest in your fly. Instead, concentrate on keeping hidden, go slow. The old carpentry adage of measure twice, cut once is true of fly fishing; watch 4 times, cast once (carefully).

If I'd been home I would have come and said hello and maybe donated a fly or two but won't be around.

Have a great day.

Malcolm

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ugly casts catch fish too
http://nadder-diary.net

Geat advice, Malcolm, for any river and probably still water as well. Stealth and observation will pay dividends.

__________________
"The sun was so delightfully warm, and the stone, which had been sitting in it for a long time, was so warm, too, that Pooh had almost decided to go on being Pooh in the middle of the stream for the rest of the morning."

www.monnow.org

Thanl you all for your advice and assistance.

Carl

I have some czech nymphs in shades of orange and may give that a go later on but am a real fan of dry fly.

Malcom

I had wondered about single fly only but could not see anyting on the website either way and was trying to hedge my bets. Your advice about looking and thinking is the approach I have taken to stillwaters and perhaps I am getting myself too wrapped up in the technicalities.

Much like your carpenter, I have read everything I can get my hands on, much of it conflicting and realise that local conditions and preferences colour any general advice. The adage did make me smile as I am someone who does measure things 4 times before starting, much to my wifes annoyance.

I do have a similar selection of flies to those that you advise barring a copper john (I have not heard of that before) but possibly slightly larger 14-16. I am not sure my eyesight will allow me to tie much smaller.

The advice on colour is also taken on board, my 1st ever entry (strangely also Langford) in a returns book recorded the fly as something green and black as I had been advised on arrival. It was a few months before I found out it was called a montana.

I do not recall being this excited about a trip for some time. I have also looked at the Knowle club as the Wellow Brook is only a short distance away. I have also seen Farliegh Hungerford advertised in the local Yellow Pages which is even closer but have never heard of anyone fishing it.

I did have a warm up trying to hit coarse fish on the local stretch of the Avon and was getting plenty of rises but no hook ups. I suspect that the fly was bigger than the fish.

my thanks to all again.

regards

Vince

If they were dace then you were too slow. You will need to slow down on the trout!

__________________
"The sun was so delightfully warm, and the stone, which had been sitting in it for a long time, was so warm, too, that Pooh had almost decided to go on being Pooh in the middle of the stream for the rest of the morning."

www.monnow.org

Great advice from Malcolm.

As I understand it there's no official one-fly policy. Although as M says, one fly can help avoid alot of frustration as this is not a heavily kept river bank. Infact, it's left very natural. Wading is allowed in in places essential on this part of the river. However, where possible, stay out to avoid spooking the fish.

To get to the bottom of the beat you have to walk along the path which is close to the water. So walk quietly & low to avoid spooking the fish. There are always good fish right outside the fishing hut - so pay attention and avoid spooking them when you arrive.

Best,

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Dave Wiltshire

River Fly Box

As ever, good advice, I'm glad I cam to the right forum. Is it single or double bank fishing. Normally as a left hander, the banks even on stillwaters are cut wrong anyway but I do have some speciment trees and bushes in my portfolio. I do seem to be popular for boat fishing though.

Crane

I was fishing the far bank of the Avon about 30 ft out and did not stand a chance of connecting but it was good fun all said.

regards

Vince

Hi Vince ,

I'm not sure as to whether it's single / double bank but I'm pretty sure you are able to wade the beat though.

Hope this helps

Dan

Vince,

Single bank. There is a map here: http://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/ima...flyfishing.pdf

Cheers,

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Dave Wiltshire

River Fly Box