What an exciting time of the year we are experiencing just now with the trout reservoirs opening u
p after the winter break.
Those anglers who are successful will often be asked to divulge what pattern of fly they are catching on, but frankly choice of fly pattern is less important than other factors.
Often choice of fly line is more likely to help you catch and the brightness or dullness of the day comes into the choice. Usually, my friends and I find that a slow sinking fly line is a very good all round choice in spring.
Should it turn out to be a bright day though, a faster sinking line may be called for or even a lead core line if the day is very bright and sunny.
Very dull days may indicate floating lines or intermediate lines.
Where the choice of fly is concerned many decide to use lures in early season and a useful rule of thumb is to use lures that are predominantly white or mainly black at this time of the year.
For white patterns you can choose fairly dated patterns like White Lure, Jack Frost, Appetiser, or Baby Dolls.
The black patterns can include favourites like Black Lure, or Sweeney Todd or more recent innovations such as the very successful Concrete Bowl.
However, if we are lucky enough when April comes to have exactly the right conditions weather wise with mild weather, dull skies, and just a light ripple on the surface then small, black dry flies can prove very deadly, more so in fact then later on in more traditional dry fly times of the year.
Size 14 or 16 Williams Favourite or Black Gnat, or Knotted Midge will work well, or, best of all Cotton's Black fly invented by Charles Cotton.
For those who tie their own flies the dressing for the last patterns is as follows. Body of black ostrich herl ribbed with fine silver tinsel. Tail of black hackle fibres and a 'palmered' black cock hackle wound over the length of the body with perhaps an additional hackle at the front of the fly immediately behind the eye of the hook.
John Neville
