The huge fish was part of an eight-fish limit caught at the Teesdale reservoir on a Mini Cat's Whisker on a
floating line.
Len Broxson from Tanfield, County Durham, landed a 14lb 3oz rainbow from Chatton Lake on a Dawson's Olive fished on a
floating line.
What a change therefore to see all the anglers fishing with
floating lines and size 16 and 18 dry flies which were no bigger than the heads on matchsticks.
Floating lines and long leaders has been the best form of presentation.
Some anglers will find them the answer to their needs; others will prefer single sinking-tip and
floating lines that accomplish the same thing, but require changing entire lines to match changing conditions.
Leaders for
floating lines are standard 50-pound butt sections connected to 30-pound middle sections with a final three feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon tippet.
Floating lines are proving successful with many of the fish caught from the top.
They caught most of them either on traditional patterns with
floating lines, or using more modern patterns fished in the traditional way.
You need to fish
floating lines with black and brown buzzers, Diawl Bachs, Olive Nymphs and Crunchers and the key is to retrieve very, very slowly or fish 'on the bung' in calm conditions.
Anglers using
floating lines with a combination of nymphs, small wets and a wet/dry Daddy pattern have also been well rewarded.
There were lots of 3lb-plus fish taken all over the lake on all different methods,from
floating lines with Buzzers to fast sinking lines with Bobbys.
With trout feeding freely many anglers caught well on buzzers and dry flies on
floating lines for the first time this season.