Keep Warm & Keep Moving

At this time of year Stillwater trout are at their peak, and what better way to
target them with an 'active' fishing method - lures. This method keeps you on
the move - and keeps you warm!
With that in mind, we've put together a selection of the most popular lures (in
sizes 10 and 12), specifically for targeting those beasts of the deep - as most
fish will be holding station in the depths. These are ideal for your next trip out.
Top Winter Tip: To stop your rod rings from icing up at this time of year, use a
Chap-Stick or Lip Balm and apply a light coating of it to rings. For more tips
when fishing lures in Winter, see the bottom of this email.
Defeating the cold is one of the main objectives when fishing at this time of year
- so wrap up warm, take a flask and stop for a fly up on your way to the venue.
Here we introduce to you our Barbless Lure Selection:

Why Use Lures?

A lure style of fly is not really imitating any specific life in the water (although
some could be said to imitate small fish), they are more used to arouse the
fishes interest and they take it more out of curiosity/anger. To a trout these
patterns seem very much alive when any action is imparted to them - therefore
these are fished quite actively.

What Tactics To Use?

Which technique you use depends largely on the depth of the water you are
fishing:

• Shallow Water (< 10ft) - A floating line and long leader can be used - justremember to count down your lure and fish/retrieve it slowly. Short pulls,followed by large pauses to let the fly sink again.
• Deeper Water (> 10ft) - Go for an intermediate or sinking line with a shortleader - this allows you to present the lure at depth and any retrieve willpull the lure parallel to the Stillwater bed.

 

We only have a limited number (25) of our Lure Selections, so if our
previous offerings are anything to go by, you will need to be quick off the mark!

In total there are 16 flies supplied in our eco-friendly. packaging. All of these
flies are hand tied using barbless hooks, in sizes 10 and 12 and available as a
selection (8 patterns, 2 of each pattern) for only £20, click any button or image
to view the selection in more detail.

*** We've only 25 of these selections - so if you want one you will need to

be quick ***

How to Fish Lures

When fishing lures it's all about control and your connection with the fly. A
shorter leader helps you keep better control of the lure at depth and control how
it fishes. When using sinking lines, start with a level piece of mono 3 to 4 feet
long - when in doubt, go shorter.


There are 2 main types of retrieve employed when Winter lure fishing:
the strip-pause-strip retrieve (do exactly what it says on the tin) and
the swing (cast out, let it sink and let any water movement take the fly - always
keep in touch by retrieving any slack line).

Just remember to keep in touch with the lure, slow down any movement and try
to impart some action into it as the fly moves in the water.

Tippet & Knots

When fishing lures the main difference is the way the fish takes the fly -
savagely! This means tippets and knots need to be up to the job. You
shouldn't be using any 5X or 6X tippets here - this calls for the big boys. The
lightest tippet material you should use is 4X. If you’re fishing a larger
Stillwater that has a bit of current and larger fish, it makes sense to step up to
2X. This allows for the strength of the water and the savage strikes that
generally happen when the fish takes your fly.

When using larger tippet diameters it is even more important to get your knots
tied correctly and secure. Knots typically used to tie a lure to the tippet are:

 

The first two are basic knots that can be used for any fly fishing scenario (with
the Orvis Knot being the simplest and quickest to tie). The Non-Slip Loop Knot
is ideally suited for lure fishing as the lure is secured using a loop - where it is
free to move and more movement can be imparted to it.

Tight lines & stay safe.