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Today’s flyfisher Next month’s issue – on sale March 9th

Contents March 2006

8Letters If you have an opinion that needs airing, drop us a line and you could win a new fly line or even a rod!

12 In The Loop Catch up on all the latest gossip and rumourmongering to concern us anglers.

50 Tackle Monster Here’s a rundown of the latest game gear to hit the shelves of the tackle shops.

55Reader Review Your views on the latest fly kit. Drop us a line to join our review team, and get some free gear into the bargain!

16 Bloodsuckers In America, anglers have been using ‘horrific’ leech patterns for years. Simon Kidd wonders how they will fare on this side of the pond…

56 Troubleshooter Charles Jardine takes a father and son under his wing and explains how to go about locating and catching those early season trout.

22Agent X How will our sneaky little rogue get on when he pays a visit to one of the Test’s carriers?

28Tesco’s Finest! Can an inner-city river strewn with rubbish produce a few surprises for the intrepid angler, even in freezing conditions?

34Hywel’s 10 Catch and release is more popular than ever. Hywel Morgan takes you through all you need to know to do it safely.

40Scierra Competition Grab your chance of winning the latest and greatest wading system from Scierra.

43Tackle Test Fancy a new Spey line? We take an in-depth look at what’s hot and what’s not.

62 Subscription Offer

64 Life Of A Flyfisher What makes a great angler great? John Bailey has a philosophical look at just how you define being a good angler.

70 Wild Waters Dave Downie takes a step back in time to visit a favourite old haunt in search of some prolific wild-brown-trout action.

74 Q&A Why are boobies banned on some waters? How do you go about cleaning your reel after using it in saltwater? Our experts give their responses.

78 CJ’s Notebook Mr Jardine illustrates just how to go about tracking down grown-on silver beauties at the start of the reservoir season.

86 The Flies To Catch Fish We take you through the sequences of tying four deadly March patterns, as well as giving advice on how and when to fish them.

90 Premier Patterns Three of the UK’s top anglers give us the lowdown on their killer patterns that are guaranteed to get noticed this March.

93 Cortland Competition Possibly the best fly lines in the world… and we’ve got £1,000 worth to give away! It’s got to be worth the price of a stamp to enter.

94 Tying Tricks There is always something that can make life that little easier. We give you some handy little hints to make life at the vice a breeze.

98Stopwatch Challenge Another brave participant tests his skills as we travel north of the border to Tweeddale Millennium Fishery. And this man must be crazy – he refuses to use lures!

102The Competition Scene Stuart Fraser gives us all the runners and riders and how they fared in the latest matches.

108 The Bait Box That lovable, moon-faced scamp Howard Croston lifts the lid on some patterns that some readers may find offensive. Fancy a ‘double maggot’ fly, anyone?

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08 Today’s flyfisher March 2006 16> Bloodsuckers It seems that the Yanks have been fishing huge leech patterns for trout in still and running water since time immemorial. Can the method be as productive on this side of the pond? Simon Kidd goes searching for early season rainbows with some bizarre new patterns to see if he can produce the goods at Gloucestershire’s Bushyleaze Fishery.

COVER STORY

43> Tackle Test With more Spey lines on the market than you can possibly shake a stick at, we take an in-depth look at what’s what. With short and long-headed lines on test, we judge their performance in relation to the beginner as well as the more experienced caster.

COVER STORY

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FULLING MILL WORLD CLASS

‘OUTSTANDING FLIES’...‘EXCELLENT MATERIALS’... ‘CONSISTENTLY HIGH STANDARD’ ...

Our mission: To maintain a network of World Class Dealers offering unrivalled choice of highest quality flies and fly fishing products; to ensure that all products offer outstanding value for money; and to give top priority to all customer feedback. CONSISTENTLY VOTED ‘BEST IN TEST’ IN ALL LEADING MAGAZINES.

<28 Tesco’s Finest! We take you to some of the finest fishing destinations in the world, where the electric-blue sky is the perfect canopy to the azure seas beneath. Well, we’ve had it with the namby-pamby stuff; now we’re taking you PROPER fishing! Shopping trolleys and carrier bags are the backdrop to this ‘scenic’ venue on the River Avon in the bowels of a Midlands’ town!

COVER STORY

<108 The Bait Box We managed to get one of the most talented river anglers in England, Howard Croston, to reveal some of his terrible secrets. If another angler happens to be in the vicinity, Howard turns his back to them before tying on one of these deadly creations from the dark side. A man of his reputation fishing worms and maggots? Is there no end to this blasphemy?

COVER STORY

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