Calling All Fly Fishermen

[rascal_2005 79]

Hi guys

 

I have recently got into fly fishing. Up until now i have borrowed bits from peoplebut i have ordered my new rod and reel now.

But i have no clue about flies? So any help would be good?

Im going to be fishing for everything with it, from trout and pike through to mullet and bass. So if anyone has any tips on what to look out for, that would be great.

 

Thanks guys

[Matty98 2]

Well for trout you'll need a selection of flies. Dry, wet, nymphs and some lures. For lures try cats whisker in all the differnt colours. CDC,s work well on stillwater and when fish are rising. Pheasant tails and hare's ear for nymphs, buy some and see what you like and more importantly see what the fish like!

[northern lad 2,292]

You didn't say what weight the rod is....you don't want to be chucking pike flies with a 4wt

[AThomas 32]

Flies these days are tied to catch the fisherman,not the fish.

having said that,what works 100 years ago,still works today.

Id try and keep to half a dozen of each type,in various sizes.

Dries:

Daddies,Hoppers,sedge,f fly,cdc shuttlecock,adams,

Wets:

Traditional loch style Irish dabblers,kate mclaren,bibio,snatchers,

Nymphs:

Pheasant tail(ptn short),hares ear,diawl bach,

olice,claret and black buzzers of various designs.

Lures:

Cats Whiskers,Dancers,blobs,

 

Pike/mullet

Usually very ugly attraction patters to agitate the fish,zonkers,sand eel type patterns,and larger versions of trout/sea trout flies

 

I personally wouldn't skimp on the flies,buying good quality rod,reel and line there's no point paying 45p for a fly that won't last.

There are a lot who tie commercially,if you pm me i can tie you a set to get you started foc.

[AThomas 32]

Don't forget the muddler Mr Thomas, an old pattern that can be used as a dry, wet or streamer on any lines and can be fished any way. Almost impossible to fish a muddler wrong. What variations of the muddler can you tie?

 

I tie the sedgehog/hedgehog patterns a lot,a combination of muddler heads,and staked deer hair along the body so it looks almost like a hedgehog or half hog as their sometimes called.

 

Usually with traditional wets,or just muddlers with wet patterns,bibio muddler,kate muddlers etc like dries.

The majority of my fishing is wild lochs and reservoirs here in North Wales for the wild brownies and they seem to work well.

[Tiercel 6,986]

I fished a whole trout season on couple rivers and a still water using only muddler variations, and to be honest my catch rate actually improved. Few folk thought I was mad but it's working and now it's nearly spawning time they seem to be fry daft so the action ain't over yet. Long live the muddler lol

I am not decrying your ability to catch fish with the muddler, in any way shape or form. Just asking the question is it fly fishing or spinning with a fly rod?

 

I suppose it is what the definition of a fly is? If it is an artificial representation of an insect, I suppose it could be called a fly, but what if the 'fly' is tied to represent a fish fry? It is the same as an artificial fly an object made up to look like a natural feed of a fish, and is fished how the natural would react. Yet is it 'Fly fishing'?

 

TC

[Tiercel 6,986]

I started fly fishing at around 8 years old, down stream wet on a small Welsh river. I thought I was cock of the walk, because I would get the occasional trout. But if I needed to catch fish I would spin for them, there were no guarantees but the odds were better with spinning, given the right water.

 

As I grew older the need to catch fish diminished and I began to take pleasure out of fishing, worm on a flood, spinning on a drought, fly fishing when I felt like it they all had their own appeal. I enjoyed each and every discipline that I used to catch fish, or not as the day would provide. I then I read a book that really captured my imagination. A way of fishing the fly that seemed totally natural to me, so I tried the methods described.

 

You know what? It really worked not just on the amount of fish caught level, but on the pleasure level also. Gone were the days of thrashing water just trying to get that last one. Even if there was no catch the days were so pleasurable, it did not matter catch or not, although it was usually catch.

 

Put and take are a bit of a doubled edge sword in that, in most cases you are buying trout by the pound. In that the owner has worked out the average weight of a 4 bag limit and sets his price at the cost per lb of the 4 fish. That said it does give people an insight into 'fly' fishing. The problems arise with the put and take when people do not catch, they feel that they have been cheated somehow because they have paid all that money and have no fish to take home.

 

I have said it before and will probably say it again, fishing is not just about catching fish, it is about the whole experience. It all depends on the individual what you take out of a days fishing, I know some of my best days have been when I have caught an elusive trout that has outwitted me on previous occasions, only to return the fish to see if I could catch it again.

 

There is no right or wrong it is just what makes you happy, and that can change with a whim.

 

TC

Edited September 11, 2014 by tiercel

[Hollywood 10]

Flies these days are tied to catch the fisherman,not the fish.

having said that,what works 100 years ago,still works today.

Id try and keep to half a dozen of each type,in various sizes.

Dries:

Daddies,Hoppers,sedge,f fly,cdc shuttlecock,adams,

Wets:

Traditional loch style Irish dabblers,kate mclaren,bibio,snatchers,

Nymphs:

Pheasant tail(ptn short),hares ear,diawl bach,

olice,claret and black buzzers of various designs.

Lures:

Cats Whiskers,Dancers,blobs,

 

Pike/mullet

Usually very ugly attraction patters to agitate the fish,zonkers,sand eel type patterns,and larger versions of trout/sea trout flies

 

I personally wouldn't skimp on the flies,buying good quality rod,reel and line there's no point paying 45p for a fly that won't last.

There are a lot who tie commercially,if you pm me i can tie you a set to get you started foc.

That is a very generous offer from you Mr. Thomas. I'm new to this site and like it already. I agree its best to avoid skimping on flies as it is probably a false economy. I bought a lot of cheap flies at the start and ended up binning most of them after they started disintegrating after a few casts.

[DIYBazza 2]

Hi,

The best tip I ever got about fly fishing was to find a good water and watch the local fishermen and ask them for their advice. Most of us fishermen will gladly give you advice, but you will always get the odd grumpy old sod. I started going to a local loch that was stocked with Rainbows, Blues, Browns and Tiger Trout and got to know the owners and regulars and sought their advice. It's not a sport that you get quick results. Like the old saying goes, you can't beat experience. since then I've gone on to fly fish on rivers and even the sea. Hopefully this year I will be doing a little bit of Salmon fishing.

Hope this has been useful. Tight lines. DIYBazza.

[bunny tickler 876]

dont forget for the different species /types of flies you will also a decent selection of different fly lines

[hutch6 550]

Asking what flies to use is a standard question every fly fisher asks but to be honest, one fly could be killing with a fish a chuck and then all of a sudden nothing. Crack the code again and again you;re back to a fish a chuck for a while until they swap food source.

 

A few I wouldn't even consider leaving home for a still water without are:

 

Damsel Nymph.

Epoxy buzzers.

Bloodworm.

Black Gnat

Suspender Buzzer.

Adams Irresistible

Grey Wolfe

Grey Duster.

Greenwells Glory

Sedge selection

Balloon Caddis.

 

I find with those you will cover most hatches or a close representation.

 

River fishing, you only needs about five flies:

 

Water hen bloa.

Snipe and purple.

Partridge and Orange.

Klinkhammer

Goldhead GRHE size 20.

 

 

Edited to add:

 

There are various stages to fly fishing:

 

1. Catch a fish, any fish.

2. Catch all of the fish possible.

3. Catch a monster fish.

4. Catch that fish, the one just there.

 

The best thing I ever did was go on a fly tying course. Once you have the techniques down you can tie pretty much any fly you want for pennies and if the material begins to come off the hook you just strip the hook down and re-tie it again.

Edited January 12, 2015 by hutch6

[Bobba_fett 117]

I am fairly new to fly fishing and fishing in general. With your comment about it being hard to fish a muddler wrong I went out and bought a few. One large and a few mini minos. When is the fry hatch?

 

And also an off topic question for anyone. Do people fish for trout this time of year? Is not why not? I live in Aberdeenshire and see the Dee is now open.

 

I fished a whole trout season on couple rivers and a still water using only muddler variations, and to be honest my catch rate actually improved. Few folk thought I was mad but it's working and now it's nearly spawning time they seem to be fry daft so the action ain't over yet. Long live the muddler lol

[hutch6 550]

I am fairly new to fly fishing and fishing in general. With your comment about it being hard to fish a muddler wrong I went out and bought a few. One large and a few mini minos. When is the fry hatch?

 

And also an off topic question for anyone. Do people fish for trout this time of year? Is not why not? I live in Aberdeenshire and see the Dee is now open.

 

I fished a whole trout season on couple rivers and a still water using only muddler variations, and to be honest my catch rate actually improved. Few folk thought I was mad but it's working and now it's nearly spawning time they seem to be fry daft so the action ain't over yet. Long live the muddler lol

 

 

You need to check the local trout season where you are or where you intend to fish.

 

Day ticket still water fisheries offer all year fishing as they stick triploid trout (infertile) so don't have to worry about a breeding season.

[Fieldsporthunter 1,864]

Hi guys

I have recently got into fly fishing. Up until now i have borrowed bits from peoplebut i have ordered my new rod and reel now.

But i have no clue about flies? So any help would be good?

Im going to be fishing for everything with it, from trout and pike through to mullet and bass. So if anyone has any tips on what to look out for, that would be great.

Thanks guys

Can't beat hares ear and hares ear CDC works very well every where I go

[AThomas 32]

I am fairly new to fly fishing and fishing in general. With your comment about it being hard to fish a muddler wrong I went out and bought a few. One large and a few mini minos. When is the fry hatch?

Usually July,with Autumn being the best time for fry bashing.

 

And also an off topic question for anyone. Do people fish for trout this time of year? Is not why not? I live in Aberdeenshire and see the Dee is now open.

You can fish for rainbows in small stocked still waters this time of year,generally in the UK Brown trout have a season,which usually starts beginning to mid March,depending on which part of the country you're in,and finishes Sep -Oct.

 

The Dee will be open on the 1st Feb much like a lot of Scottish rivers with Salmon being the main quarry.

A lot of rivers will offer Grayling fishing this time of year,which coincides with the end of the trout season,so there's always something to fish for theoretically throughout the year.