This page is updated daily to ensure that all Allandale visitors are aware of the best flies and tactics to use for great sport. We use up-to-the-minute reports from all our experts and anglers who have had particularly good catches to make this report. This report is as of 18/11/08
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Flies
The sections below give the latest information on what's catching here at Allandale Tarn & how best to use them!
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Tactics
If there's touch of morning frost you may want to start with a slow sink or intermediate line at about 3& 1/2ft, when mini lures like a black fritz or hot head damsel are doing well. The changing back to a floater later in the morning with Black & silver buzzers or the Okay doky working well. Remember & fish the margins first as Allandales plant life assures trout are feeding close to the banking.
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Mid afternoons have been cooler over the past week. Occassional trout are rising but emerger nymphs or black mini lure have provided the best sport then. Black & silver buzzers or an Apps blood worm often do well during the slow spell late afternoon even on a faster retrieve fished singulary or with an indicator. Later in the day it's back to Okey's or larger white lures pulled faster near the surface. There aren't really any 'hot spots', but a number of big fish, including some resident Brownies have been lost around the bottom weed bed and bing area!
- Don't forget those bushy dry patterns though, especially when it's warmer & there's a ripple!
- Tight lines!
| Lures |  |
Allandales spring fed lake is Gin clear and the abundance of food can make them choosy!! So keep the lures slim and natural shades and fish them high and slower, especially around the margins on brighter days. You can't go far wrong with some damsel variant or even a tadpole pattern but anything black or olive should do well. The sunniest times of the day, around noon then dinner, it's worth getting the yellow dancers wet or an old favourite of mine, the Cat's whisker. |
| Wet Flies |
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The best wet flies lately have been various buzzers. Muddler minnow are always worth a try in a good ripple and in low light or dusk conditions. Although the plain copper wire blood worm (the ministers flea), is doing well fished off an indicator around 2&1/2 feet. Anglers might also give other traditional wets a go, like a black & red cormorant ,Teal blue or other fry patterns. |
| Dry Flies |
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Black spiders, blue dun and the Yellow Owl CDC mostly. Fished either singularly or on point with a buzzer or nymph dropper about 2& 1/2 ft away on floating lines. On calmer, sunnier days spiders & parachute flies work best fished static in the surface film tweaking now and then. |
| Nymphs |
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Damsel activity has been abundant and this Allandale favorite is bringing in some very nice sized fish as is the pearl ribbed hares ear nymph. Fish it singularly on a floating line with as long a leader as you can handle, or add a CDC on the point as an indicator. |