Fly Fishing on South West Lakes Trust Stillwaters: Top Tips for success!
Offering so much water to explore, with affordable day ticket access for everyone, South West Lakes Trust offers some of the best places to go fly fishing in Devon and Cornwall! Click here for a list of fly fisheries and ticket options.
For the fly angler, the larger waters have the perfect balance of challenge and excitement. Here are some tips from our Turrall anglers to get the best from waters such as Colliford, Fernworthy, Stithians and Burrator.
Summer fly fishing on a quiet bay at Roadford: blissful sport!
Stay mobile- and find your own fish!
While you can rock up and fish right by the access on any SWLT stillwater fishery, the most exciting prospect of all is the sheer amount of space to explore. Venues like Colliford and Roadford have hundreds of acres of water and fish that seldom see a fly. Put simply, the further you venture, the more you will find.
A cracking fish to a black lure- a good searching tactic early in the season, whether browns or rainbows are your target.
Be sure to pack plenty of supplies and don those waders, because those who unlock the best of these epic waters often think nothing of walking several miles in a day. Rather than loitering too long in any one spot. Indeed, it’s often better to change location rather than changing flies!
Our recent video from Colliford illustrates the benefits of keeping mobile in spectacular fashion, with some excellent fish and venue tips from Rodney Wevill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwhQf0mwCQ
Mix up your patterns- or let Turrall remove the guesswork!
Loch style wets, skinny modern flies and streamers all have their place on South West Lakes Trust waters. Starting out, you won’t go too far wrong with realistic buzzers and Diawl Bachs, as well as loch style flies such as the Bibo, Kate Maclaren, Snatchers and Bumbles.
Our special SW Lakes fly selection pack (above) takes the guess work away, with 8 proven favourite fly patterns!
Hatches can be quite varied. Terrestrials and fry are both seasonal favourites, but by far the most prolific hatch on all large stillwaters is the buzzer. However, a lot of commercial buzzers are rather large, when you consider that waters like Roadford, Burrator and Fernworthy tend to produce quite small naturals. A 14 or 16 is often a much better hatch than a standard 10 or 12! 
Buzzers on moorland fisheries are often small, hence scaling down flies makes sense
Try a tag team, or stir things up!
Still on the subject of flies, a great way to cover more fish is to try two or more flies. Even if you are used to fishing just the one, stepping up to a longer leader (at least twelve feet) and two flies is a great shout. This way you can can try out more patterns and presentations. A bushy, loch style fly on a dropper, followed by a skinny Diawl Bach on point is a fantastic all round combo. The bigger, more fancy fly draws in fish, while more often than not, the realistic smaller fly is then gobbled up.
Useful alternatives (L to R): Turrall Sedgehog, CDC Shipman’s Buzzer and Black Humungous
That said, there are times when lures or dries can also pay off. A black or olive lure is a good tactic for slow days or early in the season, when fish might need some provocation.
On the dry fly route, there are lots of patterns to try. Small emerger buzzers are excellent in calmer conditions when fish are rising, as are beetles in mid summer. Or, for evening fishing, a larger waked fly such as a Sedgehog can be very exciting!
Pick leaders and fly lines with care
Tackle for large, often windy lakes has to be fit for the job. While it’s a joy to play fish on very light tackle, conditions often dictate that we step up a little. Fly rods of 9-10 feet in the 5, 6 or 7 weight class are standard fare, with a 5 perfect in gentler conditions or a 7 or even an 8 easier to manage in a stiff wind.
Nine times out of ten, the only fly line you’ll need is a floater- and the Cortland 444 is the benchmark for sheer consistency and ease of bite detection. The exception to this is early in the season or when conditions get very hot and fish retreat, in which case you may need a sinker.
As for leaders, we would recommend stepping up a little. It might sound counter intuitive, but you’ll get better presentation on blustery lakes by actually going a bit heavier and thicker. Fluorocarbon of at least 6lb is ideal, the stiffness helping to create tough droppers and prevent tangles. In a good ripple, the fish are rarely line shy and you could easily step up to 8lbs.
In fact, the only time we would recommend lighter gear is on a flat calm day, when fish can be fussy and smaller flies are required. In these tricky conditions you might end up targeting finicky trout on flies down to a 16 - 20 emerger or dry on just 3-4lb copolymer- but this is the exception rather than the rule!
Follow the wind (not your comfort!)
Talking of conditions and tackle to suit, another key factor is the wind. As pleasant as picnic weather is, so often a breezy day is better for catching fish! Locals often swear by fishing in blustery conditions, because these days really wake up the fish and can push feeding activity very close to the bank. It’s not unusual to catch fish by casting behind you when wading into choppy waters.
A breezy, overcast day on Burrator- not suntan weather, but very productive!
As much as it might seem wise to fish with the wind behind you or to single out the most sheltered spots, these are rarely where the best fishing is. Remember, the fish don’t care about your comfort and the wind will be pushing food closer to the bank.
Action from Fernworthy with Rodney Wevill and Dom Garnett, who show the value of a breezy day:
Loch Style Fly Fishing at Fernworthy Reservoir, Dartmoor
Follow the seasons- and watch catch reports and water temperatures!
One of the great fascinations of fishing larger waters is that they are always changing. We call big lakes “still” waters but in reality they are always moving and shifting with the seasons. Key to consistent success is being adaptable and thinking about what the fish are doing.
Casting out at Fernworthy, a beautiful location on Dartmoor National Park
In the early season, for example, fish might not be willing to rise as hatches are sparser and fish are still in slightly deeper water. Trying a dark lure and letting it sink right down could be just the job!
Summer can be the total opposite, with fish feeding just inches from the bank on terrestrials such as beetles, especially on waters with bankside cover. This can be thrilling fishing on waters like Wistlandpound, but requires careful wading and casting so as not to spook your quarry.
Sussing out what’s going on is the key and the most satisfying part of the deal. It’s always worth taking a good walk and spending plenty of time watching the water- but another good tip is to always ask the locals how it’s fishing. The South West Lakes website also has regular catch reports and fishery news, so do have a good look online for clues that will help you get the best from your session!
Single out a beast
A cracking, 2lbs+ brownie- reward for getting off the beaten track
One of the truly magical parts of fly fishing on a large stillwater is that you never quite know what the next bite will bring. All of the SWLT venues have grown on fish, which have been caught to over 8lbs, representing the chance of your fish of a lifetime!
For the larger, wilier fish, however, there is a lot to be said for a dedicated approach and targeting the right areas at the right times. The evening rise, on so many waters, is when the bigger trout so often drop their guard and key into a hatch. It’s sods law this tends to be when casual anglers tend to be packing up or heading home for tea.
The really exciting part of the puzzle is where the real monsters go- especially the giant browns. These fish are highly predatory, and most active at first and last light. It can be a tall order to find a real giant, but there are exciting prospects for those willing to use specialised tactics. Using streamers is one method to fool fish that will be often be cannibals- but you could even try a crayfish pattern to try and tempt a real giant.
Wherever you find yourself fishing next session, we wish you the best of luck an happy hunting on these brilliant venues! Don’t forget to keep an eye on the Turrall Flies Facebook page for updates, catches and killer fly patterns.
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