Flies and Methods    

Fishing Rutland in May can be fantastic but also quite testing - it depends on the conditions. The early season methods like buzzers and lures are effective and the fish are starting to move up in the water. Typically the fish will be in around 10 feet of water and floating lines, intermediate and slow sinkers (DI3 or Wet Cell 2) will hold the flies in the feeding zone depending on the retrieve. 

Fast sinking lines are a consistent method of catching fish at Rutland.  Fished at various depths on  lines like DI3 (sinks at 3 inches/second), DI5, DI 7 or HiD, popular lures can work well. 12-15ft leaders with 2 or 3 flies are a common set up that produces fish on sinking lines. Boobies, Blobs and mini lures are used by many of the regulars in various colours but black, orange and white are by far the most popular.

Surface tactics, on their day, are effective with dries and subsurface patterns producing fish. On overcast days fish will tend to be higher in the water and will sometimes chase flies in the surface. Nymphs such as Diawl Bachs, Pheasant tail, Crunchers and Hares Ear can work well fished high in the water on a slow retrieve.  Traditional wets like soldier palmers and wingless wickhams pulled on a floating line are always worth a try. A team of nymphs or  mini lures pulled or retrieved with a fast fig 8 can be very effective.  CDC patterns fished with short occasional pulls (particularly orange) can produce when the fish are up in the water. 

The key at Rutland is to locate the fish and then find the depth the fish are at. Fly selection generally comes lower down the list. Its better to move than to keep changing flies. 

Flies always worth trying at Rutland include; Cats Whisker, Humungus, Blobs in various colours, Diawl Bachs in red and green holographic, CDCs Orange and Claret, PTNs, GRHE, Buzzer, Tadpoles, Sparklers Boobies and Traditional Wets.

Cruncher   Olive Rutland 'Spanflex' Buzzer

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