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COVER STORY!

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Next month’s issue on sale April 121th

12Beetle Mania As we head from April into May, most anglers tend to go for the ‘string of buzzers’ approach. This is all well and good on some of our more fertile waters, but what happens when fish are looking up for the majority of their food. Beetles play a major role in the upland trout’s diet, so Gary Champion shows you the flies, how to tie them and the techniques to go about catching those fish preoccupied on this plentiful bounty.

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22 And 78 Ready For The Reservoirs: Bank And Boat Want to know where to locate fish on opening day, and which flies you need to give you the edge? Our guide to early season reservoir fishing will tell you all you need to know to start catching from day one. If you intend to fish from the bank or the comfort of a boat, our guide will give you the lowdown on what to do and where to do it.

8Letters The monthly roundup of your views on the world of fly fishing...

12Beetle Mania Gary Champion shows you how to make the most of things when buzzers don’t work!

18In The Loop Everything you need to know about what’s happening in the world of fly fishing.

22Ready For The Reservoirs Part One: Bank You can be highly successful from the bank at the start of the season with our guide to tactics and flies to help you catch more trout.

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08 Today’s flyfisher April 2007

28Q&A Have all your fly fishing questions answered by our panel of experts.

32Tackle Monster Get a peak at a dozen, up-to-the-minute products hitting a shop near you.

36The Key To Success Fred Bainbridge shows you how to get the most from buzzers when everyone around you is pulling lures.

42A Backpacker’s Guide To Salmon Find out how you can fish on one of the world’s best salmon rivers without remortgaging the house.

48 To 53Used And Abused Three products get the TFF long-term test treatment, helping you make the right choices in the tackle shop.

56Vital Skills Mr Jardine reveals ‘THE’ three flies you will need for early success on small stillwaters. Charles also explains the merits of returning to an ‘old school’ approach: travelling light and thinking before casting.

64Fishing The Flood Tackling rivers at the start of the season is often a battle against the elements. Steve Cullen recounts the tail of how a flooded Irish river was mastered with the help of his box of bugs and a good guide. contents

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56Vital Skills There comes a time when you realise that a day’s fishing isn’t all about lugging more gear than a host of Sherpas anymore. According to our wizened oracle, Mr Jardine, there’s no need for it anyway! In this month’s Vital Skills, Charles tells us all how we only need three flies for early season, small-water success. If that wasn’t enough, he also tells us that we need only one line, the intermediate, and, what’s more, as you’d expect – he proves it! What’s next Charles, fishing in a pair of boxer shorts with a pocket for your tippet?

64Fishing The Flood Faced with a flooded river, what would you do? With only so many days to go before heading back to Britain, Steve Cullen takes his chances on an Irish river that’s so high it’s in the fields in places. Anyone with an ounce of sense would have stayed in bed and nursed their hangover, but with the help of a local guide, careful wading and a box of bugs, Steve manages to get in among plenty of fish.

With fish-holding areas, flies, leader setups and a host of other tips, you’ll soon have the edge when it comes to catching at the start of the season.

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72Head To Head It’s tough call at Stonebridge Fishery, as this month our challengers take on the weather and the fact that the water hasn’t been stocked in months.

78Ready For the Reservoirs Part Two: Boats We give you all the information you need to make the most of a day afloat at the start of the season, including rigs, flies, locations and more!

84Great Subscription Offer! Sign up to TFF, see it come through your door before it’s in the shops and receive a fantastic free gift to boot!

87£1,000 Greys GRX Waders Competition Enter this great competition to win one of five sets of Greys GRX waders and boots!

90The Flies To Catch Fish Revealed this month are four deadly killers to tie with the help of our step-by-step tying instructions.

95Tyer’s Tackle Shop Here are some new products that are sure to make a difference to your fly patterns.

98Tying Challenge Check out the winning salmon flies and get your entries into the next competition!

102The Trout Part One: Brown Trout John Bailey tells us all about his experiences with what is surely Britain’s most loved game fish, the brown trout.

110Agent X Our fishery spy went for a day’s boat fishing at Earith Lakes Fishery in Cambridgeshire. In cold conditions, the usual patterns didn’t work, so was it a hit… or a miss?

114Grumpy Old Man The laid-back Steve Parton talks of the trials and tribulations he’s faced when inheriting friends’ tackle.

April 2007 Today’s flyfisher

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