Stillwater Fly Fishing Tactics: Fishing Snake Flies with Rob Edmunds

In this video, Fulling Mill Signature Rob Edmunds walks us through a morning session on Draycote water fishing snake flies for trout. This is an especially effective tactic for the front and back end of the fly fishing season on stillwaters, but can also produce throughout the year. If you're looking to up your game while out fly fishing stillwaters for trout this year, there are some excellent tips from Rob in here. He covers things like presentation, retrieve, fly selection, leader setup, and a whole lot more!
Rob Edmunds is a stillwater and reservoir fishing expert. He began fly-fishing at just 4 years old and match fishing soon became his primary focus after first representing England at just 16 years of age. Rob has won nine European titles both individually and as part of a team. He's also an avid fly tyer, and is responsible for many of the popular patterns we now take for granted (Nemo, Tequila Blob, Traffic Light Buzzer, Snake Booby etc.). In recent years his focus has shifted slightly to targeting specimen trout. As such, he's currently the only person to have ever caught at least 1 "double figure trout" from all 4 of the Anglian Water Reservoirs. Needless to say, when it comes to stillwaters Rob is a wealth of knowledge!
00:00 Introduction
00:16 Discussing conditions after arriving at Draycote Water
01:40 Rigging up for two snake flies
04:46 Starting in deep water
05:24 Fishing the hang
06:55 The roly poly retrieve for snake flies
08:25 Mixing up your retrieves
10:20 How to set up your drogue
12:15 Changing your fly line
14:35 Casting in the wind
16:05 Changing locations
16:42 Catching a fish on the black snake
18:12 Changing retrieve speed to induce a take
18:53 Keep it simple to catch fish
To purchase some of our recommended snake patterns, check out this page on our website: www.fullingmill.co.uk/Product...
Rob is a frequent contributor to our blog! If you'd like to read some of his in-depth stillwater fishing articles, you can find them here: blog.fullingmill.com/author/r...
Make sure to follow us on Instagram! / fulling_mill

[@monkeybrains]

Excellent. Lots of great ideas and info ❤

[@davidwillacy4796]

Thanks Rob, informative as ever. Cheers

[@markjones4031]

Great video Rob 👍

[@jonmilling703]

Another insightful video. Cheers Rob and Fulling Mill

[@user-mz7cg5wl7x]

Star! The language and snakes deliver…

[@etclarke]

this info from a double champ is ace

[@politevengeance]

Hi Rob, how are you! We fished in Cuba together a few years back (2018) - still doing any saltwater? Useful vid for me - over to Canada with family in a week or so and looking to snatch a bit of time on a lake after Cutthroats and figured snake flies might be a good shout. Never fished them before as I don't really do still water (mostly UK saltwater fly).

[@shannonyork5300]

Rob, Well done. Is your point fly snake at 9' from the fly line or 16' from the fly line?

[@FullingMillTV]

The top dropper is 7' from the fly line and the point fly is another 9' from the dropper fly. So, the point is 16' from the fly line.

[@shannonyork5300]

Ok, thank you for the clarification.@@FullingMillTV

[@hotpoker4212]

How do you find out,whst dept fish are feeding at

[@connoro8610]

By trying different lines with different sinking rates. Pausing before retrieves. Try fishing columns with fast retrive then pause then retrieve.

[@davidquinn7144]

Why 2 snakes mate . A blob on the dropper is a better option

[@Steviemac05]

Need nippers . Seen many a good man crack teeth biting nylon 😂

[@FullingMillTV]

He has nippers, he just moves too fast to use them 😂

[@wohltemper]

Yep. Chipped my front tooth at some point in the last 6 months.

[@connoro8610]

Slow everything down man couldn't be more thrashing if you tried.

[@aaronpoole9124]

Not using a tapered leader? No wonder it's difficult casting if you're going straight to 10lb from an 8wt fly line. That's wild honestly I'm shocked to see a reputable fishing brand ignore basic casting physics.

[@judithkelly2556]

I never use tapered leader just 10lb lineon winter lures and slipt some 6lb on the end for dry fly . No need tapered with heavy fly.

[@aaronpoole9124]

@@judithkelly2556 that's incorrect

[@stefang6213]

Do these work on rivers?

[@FullingMillTV]

They certainly do!

[@stefang6213]

@@FullingMillTV what sort of conditions? I imagine they could be fished like a streamer?

[@FullingMillTV]

@@stefang6213 It's very similar in concept to a Woolly bugger, so I'd fish it in similar conditions to when you would fish that!

[@stefang6213]

@@FullingMillTV never fished any of them before. Got a handful of these snakes today. Just t look like they would be good in big, dirty water.

[@FullingMillTV]

@@stefang6213 They definitely would be!