Be A Summer 'Realist'

As it's been so warm over the last week or so I've been visitng the river, but not with fly rod in hand. Instead, I've taken a seine net - a really fine gauze one that fits over my scoop net.

As I would not be fishing I thought I would go all 'entomological' and try to see what bugs are inhabiting our river - as it turn out there are thousands (and thousands) of freshwater shrimp!

Which gave me a great idea for today's missive (plus, there's 5 Top 'Shrimping' Tips and a great offer on our Pisces 1 rod - ideal for these summer 'nymph' conditions - take a look further down this email)!

As it's that time of year, the mayfly are long gone and the river's dropped. You can see the bottom in places you couldn't wade in April, and the fish - if you can find them - are hugging the bottom, or tucked away 'bank-side' and out of sight.

This is the part of summer that separates the optimists from the realists:

The Optimist - keeps flogging a dry fly at fish that clocked them from twelve feet away.

The Realist (you) - goes small, goes subtle, and goes sub-surface.

Specifically, they realist goes 'Shrimpy'.

The Lightweight Disco Shrimp is a Czech-style nymph tied on size 14 & 16 AHREX FW541 barbless Grub hooks to imitate the exact size (and shape) of freshwater shrimps and scuds. Which, as it turns out, trout and grayling eat all year round.

In low, clear water, the nymphing approach actually comes into its own in a way anglers don't always expect. You're fishing tight. Short. Just under the rod tip in the faster, broken riffles where you can get close without spooking anything. The fish sitting in clear, slow glides and eyeballing every shadow you cast to - they're someone else's problem.

You're targetting the fish in the runs - fish that are actively feeding, that will eat a well-presented shrimp without a second thought, because the broken surface is covering your approach.

Our Lightweight Disco Shrimps get down fast despite their small size, and the straggly 'legs' and Nymph Skin shellback gives them just enough movement and translucency to look like the real thing.

Our selection gives you 16 Lightweight Disco Shrimps in four colour variations - Dirty Pink, Olive, Rainbow and Silver - two each of size 14 and 16. Which should be all you need.

Our full Lightweight Disco Shrimp Selection contains 16 flies in total (2 each of the four colour variations, below, in a size 14 & 16) for only £26, our price also includes FREE delivery to anywhere within the UK!

As well as selling these patterns individually, we are also able to supply our Lightweight Disco Shrimp Selection in one of our stunning Slimline Silicone Fly Boxes for only an extra £10 (an even bigger saving):

Here's some more images of the Lightweight Disco Shrimp patterns to really whet your appetite:

Please Note: We only have fifty of these selections available, and when they're gone, they're gone.

*** Go on, you know you want to ***

Summer low-water nymphing is a slightly different game to the same technique in spring or autumn.

Here are 5 Top 'Shrimping' Tips to hopefully help you make a difference:

1. Fish the seams, not the pools - In summer the pools are often too clear and too slow - fish will see you long before you're in range. Focus on the seams between fast and slow water, and the broken riffles where the surface distortion gives you a few extra feet of approach. That's where the Disco Shrimp earns its keep.

2. Go shorter than you think you need to - Nymphing is usually close-range, but in low summer water, go shorter still. You want the flies just upstream of the rod tip, barely any leader outside the top ring. You're feeling for the take directly through the rod - not watching an indicator or watching a line. It's tactile fishing at its most direct.

3. Drop down to size 16 - The Disco Shrimp selection includes size 14 and 16 for a reason. In low, clear water, size 16 is almost always the better call. Smaller profile, less flash, more natural movement. Save the 14s for coloured water and autumn.

4. Olive and Silver first, Pink when you need a reaction - Olive is the default in summer - it matches the muted tones of shrimps in clear, well-lit water. Silver works well in bright conditions where a little flash can trigger a take. Dirty Pink is your confidence fly - slightly more visible, useful when fish seem to be ignoring the naturals and you need something that demands a decision.

5. Slow down your drift - It's counterintuitive with nymphing, but in low summer flows the fly doesn't need to race through the zone. Let the current do more of the work. A slightly slower, more controlled drift means the fly spends longer in front of feeding fish - and on a warm summer day, a trout in a riffle has plenty of time to make its mind up.

5 (and a half) - Tie your Disco Shrimp on with a loop knot, this allows the shrimp to move independently of the tippet and appear more 'lifelike'.

The Ultimate Summer (and Autumn Grayling) Nymphing Rod - The Pisces 1

If you've been doing your short-line nymphing with a standard 4-weight, you'll know it works. You'll also know it's a bit like threading a needle with gardening gloves on.

The Pisces 1 is a 9-foot 2-weight that we built specifically for this kind of fishing. We spent three months just selecting the blank - the right action, the right recovery, the right amount of tip sensitivity to feel a take before the fish has had time to spit it.

It only weighs 72g. It has 2 matched tip sections, and a downlocking reel seat that shifts the balance back toward your hand. It has a snake guide at the tip specifically so that when your thin leader tangles (and it will tangle), you can clear it by lowering the rod and giving it a waggle, rather than spending five minutes unpicking it all by hand.

It also, as it happens, casts a dry fly rather nicely. Because a 2-weight on a clear summer river with a size 16 dry isn't the worst afternoon you'll ever have.

We released this as a limited run of 50. We have a few left. Which is the polite way of saying: not many.

For this email only, the Pisces 1 is £295 - that's £50 off the regular price of £345 - no discount codes required, just add it to your basket and the discount will be automatically applied.

Please Note: This offer ends at midnight tomorrow or when we sell out, whichever is sooner (we've kept a few back for spares - not that you will need any!).

Please Also Note: Each rod comes with two matched tip sections (both rolled from the same mandrel), a carbon rod tube, and a five-section branded rod bag.

It's a proper bit of kit.

Tight lines.

P.S. If you are looking for a nymph that's even lighter, take a look at the Utah Killer Bug, they're a specialist lightweight nymph and work wonders when 'Summer Nymphing'

We have our Utah Killer Bug in sizes 12 to 18 - each available for only £1.60.

Fill Your Boots!