DON'T TAKE IT SLOW.

Byline: SILVER WILKIE

A TRIP to fish the River Beauly reminded me of the fact that if your fly can't work for you in low, slow flowing water, you can make it work.

When the river is at summer level and your fly won't swing around because of the low flow, there's no point in adopting the usual upstream mend of the line.

Doing so will only slow down the fly further. The object of the exercise is to help the fly speed up.

A friend who fishes the same river described the speeding up technique years ago as the "Beauly Belly".

What you have got to do is cast square across a slow-running pool, and when the fly slows down after a short initial passage through the current, begin to strip it in. This speeds up the fly and has the definite effect of inducing the fish to take.

It is even worthwhile mending downstream and then stripping in. The "Beauly Belly" isn't just practiced by anglers from that prolific river. For years, anglers on the Tay have been employing the same technique in slow water.

I can remember one pool where there was a backwater on the far side of the current.

What caught us many fish there was a square cast across into the dead water and, without mending, letting the current whip the fly through. Even in fast water, it's good to make an unmended square cast and let the fly rip through the current, providing it doesn't skate.

There is no doubt that grilse like a fairly fast-moving fly, and quite often the takes are more positive than the tentative ones you sometimes get when the fly is moving slowly.

On really slow moving pools, another method of making your fly speed up is by backing up - a technique used a lot on the canal like stretches of rivers such as the Helmsdale and the Brora, both of which I have fished.

What you do is cast square across, and as you slowly strip in, take four or five paces backwards.

This way the fly will soon swing into the dangle position.

When that is done, take two or three paces forward and then repeat the procedure.

A favourite fly for a fast moving strip in is the Collie Dog - or perhaps a Sunray Shadow.

These both have very long, pulsating wings, sometimes as long as three inches.

The best lines for this kind of job are undoubtedly shooting heads, which cast longer than conventional lines and are capable of covering a lot more ground.

AT the age of just 13, Peter Kent of Dunoon caught this massive rainbow from a stocked loch in the Argyll area.

The huge fish, which was caught on a wet fly, tipped the scales at 23lb.

Congratulations, Peter. You will shortly be receiving details of your fantastic rod and reel prize courtesy of top tackle makers, Daiwa, our Fish of the Week sponsor.