FLASHBACK PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH FLIES
The English Fly fishing Shop carries a range of six Pheasant Tail Nymphs. Some have flash on the top of their body but the flashback pheasant tail nymph has it on top of the whole length of the nymph. The flash helps catch the eye of passing trout. The aim is to suggest the sparkle seen in the water caused by the gases trapped within the skin of a mature rising nymph as it prepares to hatch into a mayfly dun.

Check list for chalkstream clear water fly fishing
One of the great things about fishing chalk streams compared with still-water loch, lake and reservoir fishing is that you can normally see your target trout. You will be able to see the trout turn their nose up if they refuse your fly. If you think your presentation was correct then then change you’re your fly and try again. You are able to get great feedback from your prey if you observe their reaction to each new tactic you deploy. You cannot do that in Stillwater. It is easier for a loch, lake and reservoir fisherman to switch to clear water river and stream fishing than the other way around but they have to remember that due to the increased visibility a lighter touch is needed to succeed in securing more trout and grayling hook ups.

Your eyes are the most important piece of equipment you bring with you, not anything you buy at a flyfishing tackle shop. You also have to use your brain. The trout have eyes and other senses that help them avoid larger predators and avoid clumsy anglers. One fast move, a misplaced footstep, standing in an upright position on a bank when a crouched approach might have been wiser will cause trout to dash for cover.

I like to use an 8ft rod. Some people prefer shorter rods but I find when most of your line is off the water hooking is easier. You are better connected to the fly. Go light when fishing chalkstreams. Anything you cannot put in your coat pockets or attach to your jacket with a strap then leave at home. Always take your Polaroid glasses so you can see through the glare. They also protect your eyes from the danger of hooks.

Walk slow. The faster you walk along a bank the less you will see. Stop in one spot and study the water. The longer you stay the more you will see. Forget the idea of continuous casting to cover the water hunting for feeding fish. On clear chalkstreams you use your eyes to locate trout and grayling. You then cast to them. What are you looking for? Don’t expect to see the classic circular ripples on the surface caused by a rise. You have to train your eyes to look for changes in light on the water surface. The smallest dimple or the most insignificant flicker on the surface is an indicator that there may be fish patrolling in that location for aquatic nymphs. On sunny days I look for moving shadows on the river or stream bed cast by trout as they are easier to detect than the camouflage animals.

A lake or other large water trout has to go hunting for its food. A chalk-stream fish just finds a good position where he can wait and pounce on any good morsel that drifts past his nose. This is the trout’s “lie”. They tend to stay in the same area. They do move if disturbed or to grab some food. You will see them move an inch here and an inch there to get into a better spot. If a larger fish arrives in the same weed clump or a shadow of a heron flies over head they shift location. It is then that you might be able to detect there location.

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