CONTENTS

TOTALTOTAL

F R

APRIL 2011

Contents

6 It’s Opening Day! We reveal all the hints, tips and tackle you’ll need for a very successful opening day!

12 Roll With It! Casting instructor Andy Smith explains the intricacies of the roll cast and shows how it can help you catch more fish.

16 News TFF takes a closer look at all the relevant news and reports affecting the UK’s fly fishers.

21 Down & Dirty Want to get the most out of sinking lines? Add a touch of deer hair to your lures to give them that little bit of ‘get up and go’!

26 PostBag The letters pages allow you to have your say, – good, bad or indifferent. Get a letter printed and you’ll win a great prize!

28 Q&A If you’ve a question that needs answering, then get in touch with our panel of experts, they’ll do all that they can to help.

30 Decision Time Making the correct decisions can be the difference between success and failure. Paul Richardson finds that ‘small and natural’ flies fool tricky fish.

36 Boobies From The Bank Irish international John Buckley tries his luck at fishing Boobies on Oxford’s Farmoor 2 Reservoir and finds out what he’s been missing all these years!

42 Expect The Unexpected

COVER STORY

Being prepared for every eventuality is one of Simon Robinson’s most important secrets.

NEW SERIES 49 Go With The Flow

COVER STORY

River specialists John Pearson and John Tyzack take a look at the make-up of a river and highlight some of the features that produce hotspots.

04 TOTAL FLYFISHER CONTENTS

Now is the ideal time to get on the river – the flies are coming off in numbers and the trout are ravenous after a long, cold winter.

55 Fly Tyer’s Guide Learn to how to tie something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

62 What’s On The Menu?

COVER STORY

Welsh International George Barron reveals the flies that help him keep the trout coming to the net in April.

67 Diary Of A Novice Our novice angler, Jonathan Dooley, finds out that colour can often be a key factor when it comes to fly choice. 70 Stalking The Margins

COVER STORY

Hardy & Greys Academy member Mike Smith believes we should be targeting the edges of stillwaters for better than average trout.

78 Total Tackle We review some of the hot new fishing and tying gear that can now be found at your local tackle shop.

81 Greys XF2 Fly Rod Competition

WIN!

We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on the new Greys XF2 10ft 7-wt fly rod, worth £269.99. If you want one, simply enter our competition!

85 & 87 Subscriptions Subscribe to TFF and receive two fly lines or get three issues for just £3!

92 The Corrib Kayak Slam Fishing adventurer Brent Condon sets out to catch three species in one day, from a kayak, but when one of them is a salmon can he really expect to succeed?

98 Parton’s Parting Shot It seems that all the hullabaloo that used to come with reservoir opening days is a thing of the past, according to Steve Parton.

www.totalflyfisher.com 05