contents

16

Contents

Next month’s issue on sale March 8th

16The Key To Success The Creeper. Set to become a sure-fire favourite with trout anglers nationwide, this scary-looking attractor will outfish all others, says Fred Bainbridge. The secret behind its success is movement, and with a wing of pulsating rabbit fur and myriad wriggling legs, it just can’t help but dance attractively in the water. Fred takes a trip to newly opened Curley’s Fly Fishery in Lancashire where the Creeper reaps instant rewards!

60

60Get Knotted TFF brings you the ultimate guide to knots. Proven to have the highest strength by a massive margin, these will cut those broken leaders to an absolute minimum. They are ever so simple to tie and make creating droppers child’s play, even adding extra movement to your flies. Read this and you WILL put more fish in the net… these are the strongest knots in the world!

8Letters Air your views and win some great prizes in TFF’s readers’ letters pages.

12In The Loop TFF reveals all the latest stories from the world of fly fishing.

16The Key To Success Showcased exclusively for TFF readers, these leggy lures have already proven a hit for Fred Bainbridge in the cold waters of winter.

22Head To Head It’s far from plain sailing this month as two top anglers struggle for success in a one-onone fly fishing battle!

28Tackle Monster Wallets at the ready, here’s a dozen new products designed to make catching fish a cinch, previewed in the TFF tackle-shop roundup.

32Q&A It’s time for total instruction as the experts take time to ponder over your fly fishing problems, bringing you the definitive answers.

38CJ’s Vital Skills Charles Jardine urges us to look to the surface in cold conditions, where tiny dry flies on fragile leaders can bring bumper bags!

48Used And Abused The gear that makes the grade. The TFF tackle team reviews a selection of products that it has been using, day in, day out, over the last few months.

54Agent X Smack bang in the middle of the UK, Leicestershire’s Lakeside Sporting is a complex open to fly and coarse anglers alike, all year round… but is it any good?

60Get Knotted Most anglers tie knots that weaken their leaders by more than 30 per cent – fact. Put an end to it by following our complete guide to the strongest knots in the world!

04

08 Today’s flyfisher March 2007 73

SPECIAL FEATURE 73Set Your Sights On 2007 It’s the start of the season and rods are being dug out and fresh leaders tied to fly lines. But which fly do you choose? Whether you fish for rainbows on a small stillwater, wild browns on the Scottish lochs or Atlantic salmon on a roaring river, here’s the only guide you’ll ever need. Load your fly box with these patterns and follow the diagrams for the perfect leader set-ups, then go fish. Make this March your best ever!

contents

64Leave The Sinking Lines Behind With an overwhelming array of fly lines on the market, the modern angler can spend more time choosing a line than actually catching fish. Top all-rounder Howard Croston explains that a floating line really is the only choice when it comes to a versatile approach… in fact it can be the only line you’ll ever need. We join him at Wych Elm Fishery where he fishes from top to bottom with ease.

64

64Leave The Sinking Lines… Howard Croston ditches his tackle bag of reels and lines and proves that the floating line is the most versatile tool for the stillwater trout angler.

70 Subscription Offer Claim a top free gift and never miss an issue by getting TFF delivered to your door every month!

SPECIAL FEATURE 73Set Your Sights On 2007 Don’t know which fly to choose this March? Here’s the complete guide to making fly choice easy, along with the leader set-ups for certain success!

85£1,000 Competition Catch ’em undercover! Enter our fantastic competition and you could win a set of the latest camouflage fishing clobber, courtesy of CamouStreme.

89Featured Tyer Irish lough guide Mike Shanks ties the fly that has brought him notoriety from thousands of anglers that fish for wild brown trout… the Shank’s Shaggy!

94Tying Challenge Here are the three top buzzers for fishing deep, tied to perfection by TFF readers. Enter the next challenge and you could win some awesome cash prizes!

100The Flies To Catch Fish Whether you fish for trout on still or running water, or the king of fish, follow these simple step-by-steps and fill your fly box with sure-fire flies.

106Speyside Dreams Tim Smith dispels the myth that salmon fishing on the world’s most famous river is expensive. Here’s how to fish it at the cost of a day’s stillwater trout fishing!

114Grumpy Old Man The weathermen meet the wrath of Steve Parton this month, as he explains why his fishing pal is the only forecaster he’ll listen to!

March 2007 Today’s flyfisher

05