Trout fishing tactics and flies for the Teifi

Here is a selection of artificial flies for wet fly, dry fly and nymph fishing which will provide you with a reasonable chance of matching the hatch through the season. They are all patterns which have proven successful over many years.

Dry flies
In spring the hawthorn fly hatches in the valley can reach swarm proportions. An artificial Hawthorn is then well worth a try, as is the Daddy Longlegs (small ones in summer, larger versions in autumn). Both are flies for windy days.

Upwinged flies
Copy the March brown with the artificial of that name, and treat the iron blue dun and the mayfly similarly. (A Grey Wulff will also imitate the latter adequately.) The blue-winged olive dun can be copied with a Blue Dun, although a Greenwell's Glory or a Rough Olive can be equally effective. For the b-w o spinner, a most effective imitation is the Sherry Spinner.

Alders, sedges and stoneflies
The Alder is a useful pattern, although it may well be taken for a sedge because these are much more common on the Teifi. Other good dry sedge patterns include the Grannom, and also the Borderer which can be fished from mid-April to the end of September. A good imitation of the sandfly is the orange G & H Sedge.

Apart from the Needle Fly range, there are few specific imitations of the stoneflies, but a Grey Duster serves well as a general representation.

Wet flies
Some beats of the Teifi offer excellent wet fly fishing all through the season. You can't go far wrong if you choose the old favourites, general representation and so-called fancy patterns. A good selection would be: March Brown, Greenwell's Glory, Coch-y-Bonddu, Blue Dun, Black Gnat, William's Favourite, Snipe & Purple, Waterhen Bloa, and Connemarra Black.

Nymphs
Nymphing is gaining popularity on Welsh rivers; and rightly so, for it can account for some really good trout. You don't need many patterns, but have a range of sizes available: nymphs are developing insects, and for any one species there may be a range of sizes in the water. An excellent all-rounder is the Pheasant Tail Nymph, in sizes 12 to 16.

A larger nymph does better when Mayfly are hatching. Try Walker's Mayfly Nymph tied on a size 8 or 10 hook. In slow water, where the trout get plenty of time to inspect your offering, a Greenwell's Nymph stands reasonably close scrutiny.

Be prepared to switch to imitations of the adult mayfly (a female spinner is illustrated here) if the trout begin rising splashily, as this usually indicates that they are taking duns. A gentle sipping rise is more common once the spent spinners are available on the surface. Then, avoiding drag is the key to success.

Trout in the dark
Trout will also feed at night if there is plenty of moonlight. Try fishing a weighted nymph through slowly drifting pools. Good patterns for this are a sub-surface Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear or a heavily weighted Pheasant Tail. Sea trout will also take nymphs, of course, especially around dusk.

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Safety
Night time sea trout fishing can present extra hazards over and above those of day time fishing; so you must be extra careful. If you intend to wade during the night, visit the spot you intend to fish during daylight hours and make sure you are familiar with that particular stretch of water. If you are going fishing alone then inform someone of where you intend to fish and what time you expect to be back. For more details, see our Safety Guide.

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