| Let's take a trip to an upland reservoir in early | | | | of me thoroughly. Casting along the bank first, |
| Spring to see how it's done. Today we'll visit the | | | | then gradually extending my casting distance out |
| Washburn valley in Yorkshire and fish Fewston, | | | | to about 25 yards. The retrieve is a slow 'figure |
| one of its three large reservoirs. | | | | of eight' and at first I try to keep the retrieve as |
| Tackle | | | | smooth and uniform as possible. Slow means slow! |
| These upland reservoirs can be wild so this is no | | | | Count to three on each leg of the figure of eight |
| place for delicate tackle. I'm using a 9.5 ft 8 | | | | in slow waltz time: one-two-three, one-two-tree. |
| weight rod, a weight forward line and a 15ft 8lb | | | | At this time of the year and in these unsettled |
| fluorocarbon leader. | | | | weather conditions the trout are unlikely to be |
| Fish Location | | | | aggressive, so start slow. You're less likely to |
| These large reservoirs often appear featureless | | | | spook fish and you can always speed things up |
| with their long expanses of exposed mud. The | | | | and add a bit of variety later. |
| secret is to exploit the topography of the land | | | | Over the next hour I land 5 decent trout and lose |
| before it was flooded. Look for old lanes, walls, | | | | a couple due to them throwing the hook. I don't |
| field barns and streams. Today I choose a spot | | | | strike when I get a take, but continue to retrieve |
| where a linear scattering of stones on the bank | | | | until everything goes solid or the fish makes a |
| and emergent weed in the water indicate the line | | | | dash for freedom. I then start to get abortive |
| of an old wall. Normally I wouldn't enter the water | | | | takes: quick taps which don't develop into a solid |
| for my first few casts, but on this occasion a | | | | take. Time to ring the changes. I try speeding up |
| sparse line of weed about 5 yards out decides | | | | the retrieve without success so I change fly to |
| me to wade out so I can fish over it. | | | | an anorexic Diawl Bach. This results in 2 more fish |
| Let's catch Fish! | | | | then the tap tap tap starts again. |
| I open my lure box and select a lightly weighted | | | | Time to Explore |
| black fritz concrete bowl (all dressings given at | | | | I re-tie my black lure and start to work my way |
| the end of this article). I wade out to the weed | | | | along the bank. The secret is to cast short initially |
| and make my first cast. I'm not going for | | | | and gradually cast further and further. Move |
| distance and I aim to drop the fly just beyond | | | | quietly and don't wade until you've explored the |
| the end of the weed bed, probably no more than | | | | margins. Trout will quite happily hang out in a |
| 10 yards out. Trout are unlikely to swim through | | | | couple of feet of water and it is the shallows that |
| the denser weed and so will swim around the | | | | offer much of the food in these upland reservoirs. |
| obstruction. This gives a 'pinch point' just off the | | | | This is classic reservoir bank fishing. Try a spot |
| end of the weed bed where a concentration of | | | | for 15 minutes and move. Keep on moving until |
| fish is likely to occur. Sure enough on my second | | | | you find fish. Fish for a while until the takes dry |
| cast there's a solid thump followed by the rapid, | | | | up then move on. Once I've taken my limit I don't |
| jagging fight of a decent rainbow trout. I soon net | | | | bother with a net and simply release the fish in |
| a plump trout of just over a pound, which I | | | | the water. If you don't want to take fish this |
| despatch in the net before unhooking it and | | | | offers the ultimate in mobility. A spool of line and |
| transferring it to my bass bag. | | | | a fly box in your pocket, with a pair of snips and |
| I now commence to explore the water in front | | | | some forceps on a zinger are all that you need. |