Flies from The Dark Side

After quite a few 'river' related emails, we've something for all of you Stillwater anglers this week. With the majority of the UK rivers still closed - for at least a couple of weeks, the Stillwaters will be more popular with anglers wanting their fishing fix.

We are in a pretty fortunate position as a fly supplier - we get to see the trends of which flies are popular at all times of the year. I noticed a big uptick in stillwater lures/attractor patterns over the last couple of weeks - we also received lots of feedback from customers saying they are working really well, so I thought I would dedicate this week's email to flies from the 'Dark Side':

There are certain flies, which in some quarters are very much frowned upon. It is not our place to judge anyone, and as far as we are concerned, so long as the fishery allows it, it's fair game. These flies seem to be unpopular with the ‘purists’ but they undoubtedly work really well in certain situations. Here we aim to give you an idea of what these flies are and how to use them.

Please Note: These flies work equally as well in flowing water - especially in the early season when the water levels are high and more coloured.

The Mopster

It is thought by some that the mop fly is used to represent blooms of daphnia (very small plankton like animals which trout feed upon in stillwaters), however we are not really convinced by that, but the mop fly is very successful in its own right – that’s why you will see it in every competition Stillwater anglers fly box (where allowed and in the right sizes) – because it just works. We are more of the belief that the mop fly is a fly pattern that acts similar to a lure, in that fish are naturally inquisitive and are attracted to anything which enters their world and causes a bit of commotion.

We've just received these NEW Artisan Mopster flies in the office - tied with Semperfli's specialist Mopster Chenille (an entirely new chenille with multicolored guard hair tinsels protruding from the material).

The specification for these flies just shows their quality:

• AHREX FW541 Size 10 (Barbless of course!)
• 4.6mm Brass Bead - we don't want them to sink too quickly!
• 0.4mm Lead-Free Wire
• Semperfli 8/0 Classic Waxed Thread
• Semperfli Mopster Yarn
• Ice Dubbing

These are stunning flies and we are really pleased to add them to our Artisan range:

Love them or hate them these bright-coloured Mopsters are sure to provoke a response on those days when nothing else seems to work.

We are making our Artisan Mopster patterns available individually for £1.95 each, or as a selection of 12 (4 of each colour) for only £20.

*** There's no getting past the fact that all these flies work really well - especially in the conditions we are currently experiencing! ***

How To Fish The Mopster Fly

There are two methods used when fishing this style of fly:

Method 1 - With A Floating Line:

1. Use a floating line with a leader of about 5ft or longer, this is up to you always use the length you feel most comfortable with casting, remember presentation is better than distance.
2. Where possible, fish more than one fly, remember to make your dropper a more drab colour - this allows each fly to act as an attractor so if the fish don’t want the drab fly they will take the shiny fly etc.
3. After you’ve cast out your flies, give the line a pull to straighten it out, this allows you to keep in touch with the flies and easily detect any takes. Then countdown down for 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 seconds to allow your flies to sink through the water column. If you get interest repeat that count again.
4. Always keep in mind that when you are fishing a mop-style fly static this can lead to deep hooking the fish so keep in touch with the flies so you can feel the most gentile of takes.