Essential Fly Fishing Tips for August

Well I promised I would post some advice on what is working for us this month, so here it is!

August is perhaps the most difficult month of the year for freshwater fly fishing in the UK. This assumes we are talking trout here, it's a great time to go after carp, chub, barbel and pike on fly gear!

For the trout angler, here's what you need to catch consistently: -

1) Whether heading to lake or river do hit the water early if allowed. Many stretches of river and some stillwater fisheries allow fishing from dawn at this time of year, get out of bed and fish.

2)If you can't make the AM start do make sure you stay for the last hour of light. The evening rise is not famous for nothing, given settled whether from now to late October is prime time.

3) Daytime fishing is far from a waste of time, you just need to pick the water you fish carefully. Go for spring fed lakes if visiting a small stillwater, trout priorities are oxygen, food and cover. Don't just run to the water and start thrashing away, survey the lake, read it, pick out areas you think provide the three crucial needs of trout, then think about how to fish. If you fish a river, trout needs are just the same!

4)Yes somedays trout will want a big mobile fly, fished well damsels, tadpoles, etc. will catch a lot of lake fish. On the river a big sedge, beetle or daddy may bring a trout to the surface. However don't be scared to go small, it often catches more fish during the day. Size 16-18 midge pupa, olive nymph and PTN patterns on the lake. River fishing has plenty of scope for tiny midge patterns from size 16-20 and always expect an olive hatch at some point. Forget size 12 imitations, even 14 at this time, 16-18 will get you far more confident takes and more fish on the bank.

5) Do make use of high grade co-polymer and fluorocarbon materials. Yes they are considerably more expensive, but materials like Orvis Super Strong co-polymer and Riverge Grand Max fluorocarbon make a big difference to quality of presentation and the number of takes you get. The extremely fine diameter to breaking strain means you can fish as small as you need to without sacrificing tippet strength to the silly levels I've heard used. Simply put, using 1lb breaking strain tippet and less for trout of any size is crazy in weedy conditions or where your average size fish is 2lb+.

OK that's all for now, just to say we've had some great fishing this week, more info in this weeks report!

Tight Lines

SY