contents

Today’s flyfisher Next month’s issue – on sale January 12th

Contents January 2006

7Editorial

8Letters Have your say in our letters pages on anything fly fishing.

11In The Loop All the latest news and gossip about the sport – and why not send us your catch pics too?

* COVERSTORY * 14Advanced Indicator Fishing Young England international Simon Robinson demonstrates the finer points of fishing a static fly… one of the deadliest winter methods.

20Masterminds Our panel of seasoned anglers takes time out to ponder your fly fishing queries.

36Subscription Offer

38Agent X A large lake complex situated in leafy Devon… how did Bellbrook Valley Trout Fishery measure up when our undercover angler visited?

44Tackle Monster Here’s a roundup of some of the niftiest tackle items due to hit tackle-shop shelves near to you.

48Tackle Test Fishing when soaked to the bone and shivering is no fun at all! Avoid the misery, by checking out the new waterproofs on the market!

53Reader Review Your thoughts on some of the tackle trade’s latest offerings. Why not apply to join our ranks of reader reviewers?

* COVERSTORY * 67Troubleshooter What do you do when your fishery’s water is the colour of chocolate? Charles Jardine explains what he does.

72Conservation Matters Kevin Swinscoe reports on the latest stories concerning the future of our fish stocks.

* COVERSTORY * 74Bargain Beats January is often the month when many anglers book their salmon fishing for the coming season. So get on the phone now, the north Tyne is calling!

80Competition Scene Stuart Fraser’s roundup of recent victories and failures is all here in TFF’s match fishing pages.

23Klobba Waders Competition Win a pair of the latest breathable waders!

24CJ’s Notebook Charles Jardine illustrates the techniques required for stalking rainbows in winter.

26Life Of A Flyfisher John Bailey tells of his first attempts to fly fish for one of the world’s most revered, freshwater adversaries – the mighty mahseer.

32Premier Patterns Take to the vice this winter and whip up a few of these beauties! Here are four top flies to tie for the coming month.

54Tackle & Guns 2005 The T&G Trade Show saw tackle manufacturers revealing all their new products for 2006. And we were there to bring you some of the gossip.

60Mosaic Midges Deputy editor Steve Cullen joins Lureflash’s Alex Reeve on a product-testing assignment – on Mosaic fly-tying materials. Can they really catch rainbows on dries in the depths of winter?

* COVERSTORY * 64Casting School APGAI-qualified casting supremo Gary Coxon takes us through the double haul, step by step, to allow us to achieve distance with ease.

82Stopwatch Challenge Can 14-year-old reader Mike Kendall tie flies and catch four grayling in six hours?

91DHP Game-Tackle Awards ’05 This is your chance to tell the tackle trade just exactly what you think is the best kit around. There’s also a chance to win £300 into the bargain!

* COVERSTORY * 93Deep Blue Sea No it’s not April 1st. Sharks on fly rods… you’d better believe it!

98RANT!

04

08 Today’s flyfisher January 2006 14> Advanced Indicator Fishing Simon Robinson says there’s more to indicator fishing than most anglers believe. He explains that this is in fact an extremely versatile technique and that when fishing stillwaters in winter it is possibly the number-one fish-location tool. It just involves putting a little thought into your set-up… and having the courage and inclination to try something different!

COVER STORY

>

64Casting School If you’re new to fly fishing, you will have probably heard of the mysterious casting term ‘the double haul’. If you’re a seasoned angler, you may want some help with finetuning your technique. Whichever you are, you have to check out this step-by-step guide, brought to you by APGAI instructor Gary Coxon. Distance in fly casting will then never again be a problem – read on!

COVER STORY

67> Troubleshooter Are you ever faced with coloured water at your local fishery? We mean, really coloured – the chocolate kind! This is exactly what Charles Jardine and angling student Kevin Hockley are faced with when they visit West Wales’ Shimano Felindre venue during a storm. While a bright fly is pretty much essential, there are several other pointers that most anglers miss, claims Charles.

COVER STORY

26> Life Of A Flyfisher The leviathans of India’s brawling rivers, the golden mahseer, are fish that grow big, very big, and fight like – well, nothing on earth! John Bailey has caught many, but using beefy saltwater rods and large hooks and bait. Nothing was to prepare him for the battles that lay ahead when he decided to try doing it with a fly rod. Sit back and enjoy John’s tales of tortured tackle!

contents

January 2006 Today’s flyfisher

05