Winter Fishing - 5 Top Tips You Should Be Using NOW!

[@lindsayiflyfish]

Nicely done pal, I like that lighting set up.

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Linday!

[@djjorgearaujotv]

You did it again. I have learned something more today. Mnay thanks Rhys.

[@RhysFishes]

No problem Jorge!

[@nicholasbruzza]

Great video! I went fishing last weekend, lake full of anglers, all fishing slow retrieve or statics on a floating line not moving around much and after a chat with them most were using small dark flies. I swapped it up and used an intimidate sinking line with a silver lure on a quick retrieve and pulled 19 fish out by working different parts of the lake throughout the day. Most the others got was 6 or so. So this is definitely true, be different, and keep moving once a spot dies off.

[@RhysFishes]

never a truer work spoken Nicholas, good angling!

[@mikejames663]

Good, practical information and tips, love my red buzzer fishing, all year round.

[@RhysFishes]

Underfished method Mike!

[@TheSavagederek]

Brilliant video. All these tips will keep you catching fish. Hope you've had a great birthday Ryhs.

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Derek. Hope all is well 👍

[@brianneeson685]

Evening hatch of flies just before sunset is awesome on our dam!

[@adimorris]

Cheers Rhys, great advice.

[@RhysFishes]

No problem Adrian!

[@deejaybeephoto]

Excellent advice. Thank you!

[@RhysFishes]

No problem David!

[@Craigsoutdooradventures]

Great video Rhys thank you

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Craig!

[@jnich567]

Great as ever Rhys thanks

[@RhysFishes]

No problem Jo!

[@davidthomson7815]

Thanks Ryes Great advice one of my friends follows these suggestions. He is fishing for Scottish team this year so your advice is first class. Buzzer fishing has become very popular I hope to do it first this year after long time fishing why I doing it before! Your buzzer clip looks so good to go 24! tight lines

[@neilevans1184]

Nice one Rhys , spot on! , keep them coming

[@RhysFishes]

Thanks Neil!

[@stanure3356]

Brilliant, thanks Rhys 👍

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Stan

[@badger2153]

Spot on ryse, I'm new to fly fishing but have done abit in winters with the old man pulling lures ect.. I adopt my course fishing strategies in my fly fishing, if the fish are there you get signs and you preserve for a while and adapt! 5 minutes in the right spot or 5 hours in the wrong spot. Your videos along with a few other well known KZbin fly anglers have helped me tenfold and I thank you for that 👍 Tight lines and keep the videos coming.

[@RhysFishes]

Thanks Badger!

[@johnpringle4759]

Hi Rhys great advice and you are right about getting on the water first keep up the good work 👍

[@RhysFishes]

Thanks John 👍

[@markcopeman3552]

Some great tips there Rhys. Wringing the changes across the whole board of what your doing can make a colossal difference. I learned that many years ago as a course match angler. Often it's the little details that do the trick. Sometimes it's just remembering to do them!

[@RhysFishes]

I've lost track of the amount of times I've learnt something from a session. Written it down to reinforce my decision making when it next happens, only to then forget it and fall victim to the same mistake or problem again. Sadly we're only human Mark.😂

[@gps571]

Thanks ryhs, went to rockbourne today and had a 9lb brown, v early at your suggestion, between you, Chad( Barry big plums) and Martyn Williams, I'm learning from you all and loving fly fishing...thankyou..

[@RhysFishes]

lovely fish Freddie!

[@seandaniels5114]

Super useful tips. Keep up the great content.

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Sean

[@shaunfishes101]

Really good Rhys. That first hour is most definitely the most productive. The long tippet and my small red buzzer is still a very good bet. Not all the time. But as I am old is probably why I for one still use this method. Don't normally watch many of your talking videos. But this was good. Nice one Rhys. Take care mate. Shaun.

[@RhysFishes]

a underfished (and underrated method shaun). Hope the channel is going well 👍

[@adamab222]

i start my 1st full season this weekend , great video with some very helpful tips. thanks keep the videos coming !!

[@RhysFishes]

Cheers Krafty. Good luck with your first year!

[@fireblaster9961]

Totally agree....I’ve bagged loads on a booby lately and no one at my waters fishes that method.

[@RhysFishes]

good angling fire!

[@paulhawkins4819]

Great tips Rhys. Absolutely agree about dries in winter. Fished Pennine last week (end January) in 8c with strong wind. Fish clearly feeding on top. I had 4, all on dries and missed twice that number Always look at what is happening on the water that day and at that hour.

[@RhysFishes]

proof is in the pudding Paul. Good to see the dries taking fish at your local!

[@fordysfishing1976]

Top advice yet again mate.... esp trying something different...had it both ways recently...hadnt had a touch all day then put an eggstacy worm on and had 5 in 45 minutes, then struggled on a trip after that but stuck with the blobs and only had one out then found out at the end that 2 blokes had about 30 out between them on cormorants!!🙈🙈🤷🏼‍♂️😂

[@RhysFishes]

good angling Fordy!

[@neilandrew961]

Good video sir you're spot on about first and last hour was fishing other week it was bit of a struggle for first 4.5 hours picking up odd fish here and there in last 40 minutes just before getting dark picked up 4 fish lost a few missed a few so doubled my catch in last hour

[@RhysFishes]

Nice one Neil, that last hour productivity has happened so many times it's unquestionable!

[@chadders8981]

Great advice rhys and I glad you said that part about staying in one spot and catch loads of fish, that happens at my local and it was frustrating alot of anglers including myself. The guy definitely lost alot of respect from it. Top tips as usual 👌 keep them coming 👍

[@RhysFishes]

Sadly it happens some days but come a competition that angler won't get the same results!

[@chadders8981]

@@RhysFishes oh most definitely, the guy barely moved 10ft all day 🙄

[@SpotsStripesFishing]

Hi Ryhs, really enjoying the video’s. Do you have a video on rods and reels for small Stillwater trout fishing? Looking at getting into it over winter but I’m not sure if I should be buying a 6wt setup or 7wt setup. Personally I’m leaning more towards fishing lures to start with but I do like the idea of using bungs etc also. Thanks Phil

[@RhysFishes]

I don’t have a video on specific rods and reels but you want to aim for a 7wt. A 7wt will allow you to fish more methods comfortably than a 6wt and in the depths of winter when you get heavy wind, a 7wt will cope better. Tightlines

[@SpotsStripesFishing]

@@RhysFishes that’s brilliant thanks buddy. I’ve gone with a 7wt thankfully.

[@mikegallagher1967]

a fishery offers a challenge to catch a fish on each peg ,first to complete the circuit gets a cash prize.. you take a pic at each peg with date and peg number , its quite a good idea.. wish more would do it

[@RhysFishes]

would love to attempt something like that closer to home Mike!

[@oldgold5848]

Yep early to the water, casting parallel to a bank with the wind blowing into it, 3 fly cast, typically 2 different cormies point and middle, scruffy buzzer on the top dropper. Not often I won't have some early fish.

[@RhysFishes]

deadly oldgold!

[@oldgold5848]

@@RhysFishes didn't work so well today. I had four, but a chap fishing eggs under a bung had 17 before I left!

[@RhysFishes]

@@oldgold5848 we might be there on the weekend 🙏

[@oldgold5848]

@@RhysFishes tight lines!

[@michaelshaw8370]

A couple of themes that help me in winter. Instead of big lures on size 8# longshanked hooks. Try similar patterns on competition legal sizes or smaller hooks. Even down to 14 or 18. A fab or blob on a 14 can often draw in a fish enticing a take. Use a large/loud point lure With that 14/16 nymph/buzzer/blob above it. Fish is brought in close by the big lure only to take the smaller dropper fly. It could even be the fish just taking the food item away from the lure that the fish assumes is just a smaller fish. Minimum retrieve. Make use of any movement in the water. Slow with pauses just enough to maintain contact with the flies. Ultra slow figure of eight with occasional twitch small pull. Mix it up tiny twitch pause. Long pull. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of that long ten/twenty second hang before lifting and recasting. Is just as important as that first pull that straightens out the leader as the team of flies land on to the water.

[@RhysFishes]

Great Advice Michael!

[@jamesalexander4203]

Fantastic video Rhys, great advice that i will been sure to follow. I’ve mentioned the first hour / last hour benefits to my leisure control officer and i think she’s “on board” with the additional time i need to invest in my angling. The link you shared to the other videos really helped as well. Lastly, do you have links for marriage guidance, family law and estate agency in the midlands please - i think i might need all three !!

[@RhysFishes]

haha! I have separate youtube channels on all these matters and more 😂

[@fifeslonefisherman8679]

Hi rhys good info as usual .. I'm looking to buy lines for spare cassettes 4 of I already having floating line on reel what would be your next 4 must have lines after that thanks

[@RhysFishes]

Hi Fife's! you don't necessarily need 4 lines but if you are adamant about getting them, pick up an airlfo slow tip, slow and fast intermediate for small still waters. If your intending to fish large resi's i'd go with a airflo slow tip, DI3 and Di7. Cheers!

[@jimbhoy01]

Rhys Just wanted to say Thank You , i am at retirement age this year , and want to get back too fly fishing , however have not picked a rod up for 15 years , any advice i can pick up on youtube helps me , my casting is getting better every session but my fly choices are not up to speed yet ....

[@RhysFishes]

Keep at it Jim. Rome wasn't built in a day!

[@donaldreid7298]

Great video.When attaching pre prepared cast please can you advise how they are attached to a braided loop . Usually I would use a loop to loop connection but would be unable to do this with a pre prepared cast?

[@ryanamesbury211]

I’d tie the butt end of the cast directly onto the braided loop, using a clinch knot or a uni knot?

[@donaldreid7298]

@@ryanamesbury211 thanks

[@RhysFishes]

You can attatch the leader itself to the braided loop and wind it on without the flies. This can cause a little issue when unspooling your cast at the waters edge but isn't that problematic if unspooled with care. Or you can purchase some leader spools made of reinforced foam. On these you can spool on your entire leader (with flies) and prepare them the night before. Many anglers will do the latter. It just depends on what works for you Donald 👍

[@ryanamesbury211]

Yeah sorry Donald, I meant if you were doing what Rhys explained there - that is, spooling the cast onto a foam rig winder the night before - then I’d tie it onto the braided loop once I’d strung the rod at the fishery. Sorry to cause any confusion and thanks Rhys!

[@donaldreid7298]

@@ryanamesbury211 thanks Ryan. Your explanation helped .

[@craigbaillie780]

Any tips on a good tippet to use ??? Theres so much choice and would love to know what you use.... im primarily fishing for trout in the 2lb-5lb range and sometimes like to go for grayling... see so many folk using 5-7 lb line but when i try this i feel fish wont go near it... cheers for any help

[@RhysFishes]

Airflo g3 is my go to these days

[@oldgold5848]

RE last hour fishing I think it is less angler pressure and the fish taking the opportunity to feed before the light goes.

[@RhysFishes]

makes logical sense that

[@trevorluft1763]

I fished the other day risers were sporadic but very energetic hitting something hard any idea what they could of been taking please?

[@RhysFishes]

Does the fishery have a body of baitfish? if so, potentially that. Failing that it could be fish attacking adult buzzers, but you'd also have a phase thereafter where fish would be sipping down the shucks with gusto.

[@trevorluft1763]

@@RhysFishes 4 ton of bait fish plus carp removed before the lakes were drained a couple of years back no gentle risers just a lot of commotion from when a individual trout did rise

[@trevorluft1763]

@@RhysFishes 4 ton of bait fish plus carp removed before the lakes were drained a couple of years back no gentle risers just a lot of commotion from when a individual trout did rise.

[@RhysFishes]

@@trevorluft1763 without knowing or seeing it it'll be difficult to conclude however if there are bait fish present like you mention, it's entirely possible you have individual fish that are hard on bait fish as a food source. Try small minky patters or something old school like a foam baby doll, matching the size and colour of the baitfish to see how they react.

[@trevorluft1763]

@@RhysFishes all bait course fish removed

[@andrewrenton6659]

How do we contact Rhys

[@RhysFishes]

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