Small stillwater Trout fishing comes into its own during the cooler months and with just a minimal amount of gear you could be getting in amongst the action. Head to these miniature venues armed with a floating line such as one of the new Mach range by Hardy, a decent selection of flies and some fluorocarbon to tackle the often gin clear water conditios. Many reach for their lure box and tie on a Black Taddy or similar but it is possible to enjoy a more subtle session.
Buzzers, Diawl Bachs, Hares Ears and Pheasant tails will catch fish, especially if the sun should break through for a while and encourage a fly hatch. Cast out and straight line nymph ultra slow when using these patterns or for an even more exciting experience try and spot your quarry before making a cast. Stay low and blend into your background. Movement coupled with shadows and vibration will soon scare fish and once on their guard it will be difficult to tempt them.
Stalking bugs will do the business, in fact any fairly heavily weight fly that reaches the fishes cruising depth quickly. However one of my all time favourites is the flexi worm. This alien looking pattern has a ton of movement and sinks very gradually which means that it can be hovered enticingly in the path of your chosen fish. If you find that you are not gaining depth quickly enough, just add a poly leader, Greys market many sizes and densities. These ingenious mini sink tips can be attached very quickly with a loop to loop join and allow instant depth changes. Many anglers treat poly leaders as a leader in their own right but they should not be confused with regular hand tied monofilament/fluorocarbon leaders nor tapered leaders. Polyleaders are in essence short sections of fly line that should be sandwiched between the main fly line and a regular monofilament/fluorocarbon leader of around 14 feet.
Once in position with a target fish in view, stop and observe some more. It is tempting to make a hurried cast in anticipation of the take and ensuing fight but as is often the case; patience is a virtue! By studying the chosen Trout you will soon get a feel for its habits and if you are lucky you may even see it feed. With this information to hand it is then possible to make a careful cast allowing your fly plenty of time to reach the chosen depth. Ensure the fish swims on to the fly as a natural presentation is likely to fool the fish resulting in a confident take. If your pattern should suddenly appear from nowhere then there is a chance that the fish will spook and lay low for a while before continuing with its usual routine.
If the fish ignores the fly do not despair and make frantic casts as it swims away. This is another sure fire way to scare the Trout, instead just stop, watch and wait. When the fish reappears recast but this time add some life to the fly with a sharp pull, a sudden figure of eight or similar. Flies such as the flexi worm have plenty of movement and so a little animation can trigger an impulsive feeding response.
Above all this method of fishing allows some of the better quality Trout to be caught and in some instances anglers specialise in catching large fish with stalking methods. My advice is to use the clear water often present in stillwaters during the cooler months to observe your quarry up close and personal. These experiences improve our knowledge of fish behaviour and can greatly assist when taking on the challenge of blind fishing much larger venues.
