Sorry to interrupt your Saturday.
But if you fish Stillwaters, you're going to want to read this ...
Until recently, I’d only ever seen tube flies on salmon rivers. Heavy and 2" Long, slender things, mostly in the hands of people who own better waders than me. It never occurred to me to put one on a stillwater trout leader.
Then a good friend pointed out how silly that is when we were talking fishing in our local pub, and I couldn’t argue.
So here’s our first stillwater micro lure tied on a tube:
(for more detailed images please visit our website by clicking on any images or buttons)
Before you say “that’s not a proper fly”, here’s why I think it earns its place in your Stillwater fly box.
The fish can’t use the fly against you - On a conventional lure, the hook is fixed to a long body, and a trout that shakes its head gets a lever to work the hook loose. On a tube, the hook is separate. Once you’re in, the tube slides up the leader and out of the way, leaving the fish with just a hook to deal with. Fewer lost fish and fewer “he was on for a second” stories at the end of the day!
You choose the hook - The hook isn’t part of the fly, so you decide what goes on the back. Smaller, larger, light wire, strong wire, barbed or barbless (you know where I stand). Fishing a big, bushy lure doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a big hook.
The hook sits at the back, where the fish actually are - Anyone who’s had a trout nip at the tail of a lure and miss will see the point. With the hook trailing at the end of the tube, you’re covering that short take instead of wishing you had.
A blunt hook doesn’t kill the fly - Everyone’s caught a hook point on a stone or a bit of weed. With a conventional lure, that’s the end of a perfectly good fly. With a tube, you swap the hook in a minute and carry on. The tube body outlasts the hook, so it’s better value too.
But does it actually catch fish?
Fair question, earlier this year I sent a few prototypes to a prolific (and very successful) stillwater customer to try before these went into production, and his report wasn’t a fairytale, which is why I trust it:
On a floating line on a stillwater, he got follows but no real takes. A day later he fished them across and down on a river, letting them sink and swing, and had a take from a salmon. Sadly he lost it, he reckons a 10ft 3-weight was too light for the job! A few days after that, on an intermediate line on a stillwater, he had a couple of rainbows in a couple of hours, both to the olive.
His conclusion was: They need to be fished deeper.
So that’s my advice too. These aren’t a floating-line, skate-it-across-the-top lure. Put it on a sinking or intermediate line, short level leader and let it go to work. Follows turning into takes is what we want to see, and depth seems to be what makes the difference.
As these are new to the market, I've included a section (below) showing you how to rig your Stillwater leader when using our specially designed tube flies.
Here's what you will receive as part of our Stillwater Tube Fly Selection: 2 of each of the following + a special freebie if you can order this weekend:
Black Shadow (1/4" Aluminium Tube) - Long, sparse black hackle over a dark, glittery body, finished with a lime-green head. It’s slim and ragged in the water, so it looks like a small fish that’s had a rough day. The aluminium tube gets it down, and the green head gives the trout something to aim at. If you only try one on the dark side of the box, make it this one.
Olive Damsel (1/4" Aluminium Tube) - Soft olive hackle sweeping back over a green sparkle body, with a hot orange head and a few strands of green flash. It looks like a damsel nymph, and the aluminium tube means it sinks and swims like one rather than hanging in the surface film. This is the one that caught rainbows for our tester on an intermediate line.
Blue-Flash Damsel (1cm Plastic Tube) - Olive marabou and hackle with blue holographic flash wrapped along the body and trailing from the tail. It’s a damsel with a bit of extra sparkle for coloured water or low light. The lighter plastic tube sinks more slowly, so it suits fishing higher in the water or a slow retrieve.
Will Scarlet (1cm Plastic Tube) - Bright red marabou, red hackle and a strip of holographic flash. Subtle it is not. When the fish are being awkward, loud sometimes works, and this fishes well on an intermediate line with a steady retrieve.
Black Bugger (1cm Plastic Tube) - Black marabou tail, black hackled body, silver ribbing and a strip of holo flash down the side. It’s the Black Bugger you already know, with a bit more sparkle than usual. The plastic tube keeps it light, so it works well on a slow, patient retrieve.
Cat’s Whisker (1cm Plastic Tube) - White marabou with strands of green flash and green ribbing. It’s the classic stillwater favourite, and a good one when trout are chasing a fast, pulled retrieve. White shows up in cloudy water, and the green flash adds a flicker.
PLUS - If you order a selection this weekend, we will also include a free pack of size 12 barbless hooks designed to use with these tubes.
Our NEW Stillwater Tube Fly Selection is now available and contains 2 of each pattern. In total, our selection includes 12 Stillwater Tube flies and is now available for only £25 - which includes a FREE pack of size 12 barbless hooks designed for tube flies (if you can order this weekend) and FREE delivery to anywhere within the UK.
Please Note: We are just 'testing the water' with these - I've never seen these available anywhere before - we've done our due diligence and testing (so you don't have to) and they have been really successful. We have not ordered many - we've only 20 selections available - we wanted to see how they were received before stocking up on them ready for 2027.
Go on, try something a little different this Autumn/Winter ... you know you want to!
As always, all of our fly selections are delivered free of charge, to anywhere within the UK.
This style of tube fly is best fished on an Intermediate or Sinking line, with a relatively short (4ft to 5ft) level leader - try 8lb mono.
To rig a tube fly leader, thread your leader through the front of the tube fly, attach your hook using either a loop knot or a clinch knot (see below), and seat the hook or knot against the rear of the tube (or inside the junction tubing) so it rides near the end of the fly's tail:
Method 1: The Non-Slip Loop Knot (for Up-Eye or Down-Eye Hooks)
- Thread your leader through the front opening of the tube fly and out the back.
- Tie a simple overhand knot in the tippet.
- Pass the tag end through the eye of the hook.
- Wrap the tag end five times around the main monofilament section.
- Route the tag end back through the original overhand loop and pull tight.
- Slide the fly and knot down so the knot seats into the tube or the knot and hook eye seats into the short piece of junction tubing at the rear of the tube fly.
Method 2: The Clinch Knot (For Straight-Eye Hooks)
- Thread the leader through the centre of the tube fly from front to back.
- Attach a straight-eye or long-shank hook using a standard improved clinch knot.
- Moisten and seat the knot firmly.
- Pull the knot into the rear opening of the tube or the knot and eye of the hook into the piece of soft silicone junction tubing, so the hook stays aligned with the end of the tail and hackle materials.
If you try it, tell me how you get on, whether it’s fish or follows. I’m still learning with this one, and I’d rather hear it straight from the bank.
Tight tubes.
