Fly fishing on small rivers can prove to be challenging. One of the best techniques searching for brown trout for me is the Duo method.
My typical go-to set-up for this type of fishing is a 10 ft #4 rod. Overall length of leader would be around 12 to 15 feet, this is built using a standard tapered leader (RIO Powerflex tapered leader going down to 6X or 3.4 lbs), to this I then attach a buoyant dry fly such as a Klinkhammer. My go to is always a Klinkhammer and it’s always a good idea to have a few tied up with different coloured posts, in normal daylight white is perfect, but when low light conditions are presented to you, having some with an orange post is essential.
From the dry fly I normally attach around 55-60 cm of tippet, the same diameter or less so 6X or 7X. There are 2 ways in which you can attach the extended tippet for your nymph, you can either attach the tippet to the curve of the hook on your dry fly (known as New Zealand style) or you can leave your dry fly as a dropper so it can move around more freely. Both ways have their pros and cons, if I am expecting more takes on the nymph I tie off the bend as this is more responsive when a fish takes.
To fish the Duo technique effectively, imagine being stood in the middle of the river or stream where you are fishing and try to imagine a 2 foot square grid being placed over the top of it. Working from left to right, or right to let work on the accuracy of your casting and try and get your casts placed within these 2 foot squares. Using this method, you will cover the water effectively and efficiently. After you have completed a row, take a couple of steps upstream and repeat the process.
For the nymph pattern, I normally use something with a 2 mm or 2.5 mm tungsten bead. The pattern, something such as a simple pheasant tail nymph or a flashback caddis. I love fishing natural patterns for brown trout. Size wise, I would say maximum size 14…down to 18’s.
High sticking the flies and hanging them in bigger pockets can also make a huge difference between catching and not. High sticking is where you raise the arm and rod into the air in order to limit the amount of line that is on the water, this in turn lessens the chance of your flies being dragged unnaturally by other currents. When fishing this way you will find your accuracy will improve and your line control will become more natural as well.
If you would like to learn more about the Duo method why not join us on a guided day on the water. Alternatively, put these methods into action in one of our trout destinations to see just how successful they are. For more information contact us by email or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.