Stillwater Trout Tactics STILLWATER TROUT TACTICS BOB CHURCH With CHARLES JARDINE “Г Г The Crowood Press First published in 1989 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR Revised edition 1994 © Bob Church and Charles Jardine 1989 and 1994 All rights reserved. No part of this pubHcation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the pubhshers. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 1-85223-844-5 Author’s Note: at the time of writing (1994) the Queen Mother Reservoir has been closed for two years. There are now moves afoot by local fly fishermen to have it reopened, and the Thames Water Authority is considering this. Chapter 3 describes tactics that evolved at the Queen Mother Reservoir; these have proved effective at all reservoirs in the UK. Typeset by Footnote Graphics, Warminster Printed and bound in Great Britain by Buder & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London Contents Acknowledgements 7 Foreword 9 Preface 11 Introduction 13 1 A Fly Fisher’s Entomology 33 2 Science and Artistry in Designing Effective Fly Patterns 66 3 Techniques 82 4 A Journey through the Seasons 122 5 Odds and Ends 185 Index 201 Acknowledgements My Special thanks go to East Midlands staffe who brings trout fishing to life; to Allied Press for putting up with me all that canny hunter of big fish Alan Pearson, these years. Many of the ideas for this book Datchet’s Mick Bewick and to Peter Shel­ are based on my articles in either Angling ton whose scientific revelations are bound Times or Trout Fisherman, They also to spark off new developments. helped me with the photographs. My words are not enough to thank My thanks go to Tony Pawson for his Charles Jardine for both his fascinating generous thoughts, Mike Peters and the insight into the underwater world of the Irish Tourist Board for photographs and to trout and his beautiful illustrations which Jeanette Taylor for typing up the manu­ depict the world of fly fishing as only a script. John Wilshaw did the final editing. most talented artist and angler possibly My gratitude is extended to Fred Wag- can.