Who would like to

Would you like to double your catch rate whilst bank angling on reservoirs?

If enough of you do I will let you into a secret that may just ruin your day. In other words, you'll have your limit out too soon and you'll either have to go home early or shell out for another ticket.

Watch this space.

Nice teaser Ron! Do you work in marketing?

Use 2 rods?

Yes, I do Sean.

And it's got nothing to do with using two rods or having a pocket full of maggots.

Bet it's got something to do with this "All new, super dooper, more invisible than ever before Fluorocarbon line" he's been harping on about for a while now.

I thought you were going to bring some to the fish in with you. What happened to the free samples?

And it's got nowt to do with line either.

It concerns tactics.

Dynamite?

Come on then Ron, spill the beans.

Has it got something to do with leaving your flies in the water longer?

Also, fishing into the wind and learning to cast into it too.

pva bag and popped up pellet....doubled my catch rate anyway...

No.

First of all I will put this question to you. How far do you think a trout will follow a fly in still water?

Well I can assure you that they will quite often follow a fly a considerable distance before taking it, or not taking it at all. I have seen this happen many times. I have had trout follow my fly right into the margins on many occasions.

You know what happens then of course? They are spooked by your presence and often you get a swirl in the water, especially if it is shallow, just as you lift your fly out. You then say: "Hell, look at that fish, he missed taking my fly." In deep water you often see nothing.

He may have missed taking your fly, but what has most likely happened is the trout has seen you and scarpered, taking half the fish away with him to the other side of the lake.

So how do we avoid this quite common occurence?

Once the fly has passed the trout's prime taking zone, we get the fly out of the water as quickly as possible. If the water is clear and deep, you must do this before the fly gets within about 15 feet of you. Remember due to the angle of refraction, A fish can see you easier in deep water than in shallow.

The best way to remove your fly from the water is to roll cast it out. All you need to do then is a couple of false casts and out again 30 yards or so. Get the fly back to the taking zone as soon as possible and cut your false casting down to the minimum. 2 or maximum 3 false casts are all that are required to send your flies back to the taking zone.

After you have fished and caught a few fish in a certain spot, you will notice that there seems to be a definite taking zone. It might be 20 yards out, it might be 15 yards out, but you will spot this area and you can be almost dead sure at times that you will get a fish there.

Don't waste time retrieving your fly too close in, which just might make a trout come too close to you and be spooked. That fish will most likely not come back again.

Ron...dare I say this, but why not stand further back from the water's edge?

I've had a lot of trout take my fly right in the margins, right under my feet[if my feet were there]which they are not, 'cos I always stand a good rod length or so from the edge. I know it's not always possible, but then there's always a spot of cover to get behind, or even kneeling down if there's not.

I've had many strange looks from fellow anglers[and many stranger comments...]who have spotted me on my hands and knees, peering through the bankside vegatation and dropping a fly right on top of a trout just inches from the bank.

Clive White had nothing on me when it comes to sneaking up on a trout!!

What happened to the statement"Always fish your flies to the end of the cast"Ie: right into the margins as a trout will often take as youy lift your fly of the water for next cast.
I have read this in many a book. And have known it to happen.

I think I should have explained something here. I am actually talking about quite large stillwaters where cover is non-existant. Of course you must hide behind a bush if there is one. And of course you can stand back from the bank.

But sometimes you can't. And in very clear water the fish can see you, especially if you stand up quite some distance from the water's edge.

And by the way I often sit on a little stool and cast from it too.

But try my suggestions and see if you can't increase your catches.

So realtree cammo definatley out of the equation then?

And always wear a baseball cap.... because big bush hats put the fish off too --They can be seen easier by the fish and cast too large a shadow on the water

On my reservoir you need "Real Dam Wall and Dog Walker"

so the answer to every ones problems is to cast lying down with no reel on the rod then?

That's about right mate..... )

And I've done plenty of that too.