Stillwater

Better dry-fly fishing on reservoirs

To fish with a dry-fly on stillwaters, you need to set up your leader correctly. Paul Procter shows you how.

Would you like to appear on our site? We offer sponsored articles and advertising to put you in front of our readers. Find out more.

Dry-flies can be presented singly or as a team. It’s vital that your leader has a tapered section to dissipate the casting energy evenly from the fly-line to the leader and provide a stable turnover. Stepping down from a thick fly-line directly to, let’s say, 6lb level mono can create a nasty ‘kick’ at the fly-line and leader junction, making leader turnover unreliable.

I use a 12ft Leeda Profil tapered leader and crop it to 7ft 6in, from the tippet end (see Diagram 1). I add a loop at either end (remove the maker’s loop), creating a 7ft permanent connection (6in is lost by forming the loops). Tippet sections can then be added.

For a single-fly set-up, attach 5ft of 6lb level mono to give a 12ft leader (Diagram 2). This single-fly leader is perfect for beginners, or where you’re fishing into a headwind. It can be shortened to 10ft in blustery weather. A single-fly leader is also handy when quick-fire casting to rising fish — with only one fly and no droppers, there is less likelihood of tangles when constantly changing direction to cover moving trout.

A two-fly rig is useful if searching the water when little is stirring at the surface. Yet, if a trout rises, the leader isn’t too long to change direction quickly. To the 7ft Profil taper, I add 3ft 6in of 7lb mono. It should be a thicker and stiffer section to make the dropper stand proud of the leader. This will reduce tangles. Leaving a 6in dropper, use a water knot to attach a further 4ft of 6lb mono for an overall 14ft leader (Diagram 3).

I reserve a three dry-fly set-up for searching water from a boat. To the 7ft Profil taper, I connect 2ft 6in of 7lb mono. Allow 6in for the top dropper and add 4ft 6in of 7lb mono. Then knot a further 4ft of 6lb or 5lb mono to create a 17ft leader (Diagram 4).

As for flies, good all-rounders for searching include black, amber or claret Hoppers, Shipman’s Buzzer and Elk Hair Caddis. When the wind eases and there’s a near flat calm, opt for Suspender Buzzers or Shuttlecock emergers in black, green, or fawn.