Fishing 4 Schools instructor Bob Goble lets us into his secrets for successful fishing this month.
Dry flies are an exciting and visual way to fish and the heart races as you watch a trout rise to take your fly.
They may, of course, refuse your offering. This most commonly happens on still waters. Trout will splash and leave large boils of water or you simply strike too early and lift your fly off the water too quickly. But when you connect to that fish it can be explosive as the fish turns and runs, so be aware and ready!
July can be very warm and the water starts to increase in temperature so plan your trip carefully. Overcast days can be good, but early or late in the day is probably the best time to be on the water, especially on lakes or reservoirs. You may have heard of the "evening rise". It is a sight to behold as you see fish after fish rising all over the water and feasting on the insects as the sun sets.
Types of dry flies are too numerous to mention and you can use a mixture of species throughout the day, but during the evening the sedges are the ones to choose. A good guide book can take a lot of the guess work out of which fly to try.
Fishing with a dry fly couldn't be simpler. You don't need a long leader, try 7'6'' to 9' long, tapered from butt to tip (this helps turnover presenting the fly ahead of the fly line) and use copolymer nylon in 6Ibs to 7Ibs breaking strain. I would not go too low on breaking strain as you will encounter big fish when fishing lakes. However in rivers or stream you may have to go a little lighter so as not to spook the fish.
Treat the fly with a propriety floatant (Gink). This is a purpose-made gel, which is water repellent that helps the fly to float on the surface for as long as possible. Follow the instructions on the bottle, but do use sparingly. Apply a tiny drop to your finger and thumb, rub until liquid then apply to the wing and hackle.
Also treat the last 18 inches of tippet from fly, with a degreasant (Walkers Mud or similar). Again just a small amount should be rubbed on the line. You will have to reapply occasionally to help this section of line to sink under the water and give the fly a natural look as it drifts with the breeze, but don't worry if there is no breeze, just twitch the fly occasionally to make it look as though it has just fallen on the water. After a while it might start to sink. Just rinse the fly in the water and dry it off with a piece of absorbent cloth or amadou (a natural dried fungus which helps with wicking away water). Then blow the fly to dry it further, then after a couple of false casts you are back fishing.
My final tips would be to not forget your sun cream, hat and glasses, be safe and have fun. Bob G.