Successfully fly fishing rivers during summer requires a different approach to spring. Broadly speaking, river levels will be lower, with clearer water. Many anglers seem deterred by such conditions. It is in fact an opportunity for fabulous fishing, fun and learning!
Beautiful brooks, streams and rivers are found throughout the country and await your exploration. During dry spells, spring fed rivers will fair better due to a more reliable supply of cool water. Fishing early and late in the day will be prime times, though don’t discount daytime fishing. The following are useful rules of thumb: –
- Early morning and evening – The best dry fly opportunities during stable warm weather.
- Daytime, cooler conditions – Good nymph and dry fly fishing throughout the day.
- Daytime, hot weather – Good nymph fishing, also try casting terrestrial patterns under trees for some dry fly fun. Focus more on broken water during the hottest part of the day, saving slower, flat water for later.
By far our favourite approach when river fishing in summer and one we love to share with clients is sight fishing (see video in header if you’ve not already watched it). Watching is time well spent. It’s one of the biggest differences in approach between top anglers and everyone else. You learn where a feeding fish is for sure, where you need to cast and what it might accept fly wise. You often get to see the fish approach and eat your fly, all this and you take it all at a leisurely pace, no rush, total relaxation . That is as long as the adrenaline rush of a big brown trout giving your fly a drive by, does not send you into a frenzy of activity!😁
Have fun during summer and if you’d like help experiencing our sort of river fly fishing, find out more here!
Best fishes
Team MFF