The Fly Fishing Thread
Discussion
I've fly fished only twice in the last ten days, as the weather has been too hot and river levels low . My last trip , on the Rye , was quite tricky going , but a morning session was good for a dozen fish , including two nice pound plus grayling . The trip before was far better - cool, showery and blustery but over twenty fish on my preferred goldhead PTN 16 . A real joy , and being all the more so for being unexpected - but a recent small spate had livened the fish up . Very few upwing flies in the dog days of August , apart from some big sedge from the night before fluttering about in the wind .
Other trips have been light lure work on big rivers , using my gorgeous little 6-ft Shimano Zodias jig rod . Its size belies its hefty price - it's an import - but super fun catching chub , pike and perch -and a shock 2 lb -ish Ide . I've caught them in still waters but this guy had left home and gone to live in the mighty Yorkshire Ouse. Walloped the 2.5 inch paddle tail spikey shad with gusto !
Other trips have been light lure work on big rivers , using my gorgeous little 6-ft Shimano Zodias jig rod . Its size belies its hefty price - it's an import - but super fun catching chub , pike and perch -and a shock 2 lb -ish Ide . I've caught them in still waters but this guy had left home and gone to live in the mighty Yorkshire Ouse. Walloped the 2.5 inch paddle tail spikey shad with gusto !
Nice report Nige. Haven't fished much this year due to Covid plus the weather has been hotter than normal since early May down here and I suspect the fish are suffering, same as us. 100F in my workshop today!! 
That little travel rod seems a nice Xmas pressy for someone, i.e. me! Must put it on the list.
No update from Andy yet and I'm sure I will not be alone waiting for a report of how he is getting on??
ANDY!
P
That little travel rod seems a nice Xmas pressy for someone, i.e. me! Must put it on the list.
No update from Andy yet and I'm sure I will not be alone waiting for a report of how he is getting on??
ANDY!P
pequod said:
Nice report Nige. Haven't fished much this year due to Covid plus the weather has been hotter than normal since early May down here and I suspect the fish are suffering, same as us. 100F in my workshop today!!
That little travel rod seems a nice Xmas pressy for someone, i.e. me! Must put it on the list.
No update from Andy yet and I'm sure I will not be alone waiting for a report of how he is getting on??
ANDY!
P
Cheers chap, yes it’s too hot for all of us I suspect.!That little travel rod seems a nice Xmas pressy for someone, i.e. me! Must put it on the list.
No update from Andy yet and I'm sure I will not be alone waiting for a report of how he is getting on??
ANDY!P
And yes your right, where is Andy we need to see what he’s been up to with all his great new tackle as well.
And yep I really do love my Greys travel rod, I can see me treating Tom to one for his birthday next month!
The colour really is great, and must blend I well too, I had the most beautiful yellow and green Dragonfly decide to land on it today, he was obviously happy it was part of the habitat!
coppice said:
Other trips have been light lure work on big rivers , using my gorgeous little 6-ft Shimano Zodias jig rod . Its size belies its hefty price - it's an import - but super fun catching chub , pike and perch -and a shock 2 lb -ish Ide . I've caught them in still waters but this guy had left home and gone to live in the mighty Yorkshire Ouse. Walloped the 2.5 inch paddle tail spikey shad with gusto !
Ive been inspired by Coppices tales of light lure work, so in my usual impulse self I dropped into my local fishing megastore and picked all This lit up for less than £90!I thought a nice little cheap and light setup for spinning would be nice and for the price I can’t fault this!
It’s Daiwa Ninja LT range, very nice and light and lovely quality for the price too!
Let’s see what we can get on this little rig at our local rivers!
nigelpugh7 said:
Gosh, that’s a funny coincidence isn’t it!
They really are very nice for something that I managed to pick up for less than £50 too!
I don't think you can buy better quality for the money.They really are very nice for something that I managed to pick up for less than £50 too!
nigelpugh7 said:
Any pointers or advice when spinning on these types of rigs?
Depends on what you are doing with it really. I mostly fish small soft plastic lures on jigheads. The rod I use for that has a very fine tip, a quivertip really. The routine is cast, sink the line, watch the line and the tip as the lure sinks. Once it hits the bottom, leave it for a couple of seconds, then a few quick turns of the reel and watch for bites as it sinks. Sometimes worth leaving it static for a few seconds, bites can come after several seconds of stillness. Basically repeat this until it's all the way in. Bite can be quite subtle little twitches or massive jerks, and they can come while retrieving, while it is sinking or while it is static on the bottom. This is fun, but I think your rod might be a little on the heavy side for that. I think mine is rated something like 3g-10g casting weight.
Another modern option is dropshotting, using similar very light gear, you put a very realistic little plastic fish on the hook, the hook is tied onto the line without a dropper (so that it sticks out at 90 degrees from the line), you have a little rod shaped weight on the end of the line 6 inches to a couple of feet below it, and you cast it to near a feature and basically twitch it gently. Doesn't require quite such a delicate rod.
Then we have the more traditional spinning styles - basically tie a lure on the end and retrieve, varying the speed of the retrieve as you see fit. That works with spinners, plugs, some of the soft plastics with embedded weight.
What are you going for? If there are pike about you may need a wire trace. My policy is that I don't worry too much about small barbless singles meant for perch, a pike will soon shed them, but with trebles I use wire if pike are about.
Jigging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj010lr7bAQ
Dropshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzzpooAW-VY
Hard lures for chub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJDO8NdbBwg
nigelpugh7 said:
Ive been inspired by Coppices tales of light lure work, so in my usual impulse self I dropped into my local fishing megastore and picked all This lit up for less than £90!
I thought a nice little cheap and light setup for spinning would be nice and for the price I can’t fault this!
It’s Daiwa Ninja LT range, very nice and light and lovely quality for the price too!
Let’s see what we can get on this little rig at our local rivers!
It is a slippery slope you are now on ...it is as addictive as flyfishing, and almost as nuanced. I took it up for a bit of fun years ago , realised quickly that it is nothing like any other sort of lure fishing and have been learning ever since . I thought a nice little cheap and light setup for spinning would be nice and for the price I can’t fault this!
It’s Daiwa Ninja LT range, very nice and light and lovely quality for the price too!
Let’s see what we can get on this little rig at our local rivers!
If you live near some canals , I hugely recommend them for autumn and winter sport ,when boat traffic is light. In canals like the Oxford , South Stratford and Grand Union , zander have become the top predator, as they out compete pike in low visibility waters , I mention this as you can dispense with wire traces but , if pike are common, it is daft to risk bite offs. I use knottable Surflon micro ultra wire , and it's fine even for small jig-heads. I favour jigs in summer but switch to drop shot and Ned rigs in colder conditions .
Lure Anglers Canal Club have lots of water , BTW , for £ peanuts .
Zander are not found at home in N Yorkshire, so I make the pilgrimage to the Midlands most years now . A day on a deserted canal , covering new water with every cast , and in lovely deserted countryside is a joy.
coppice said:
It is a slippery slope you are now on ...it is as addictive as flyfishing, and almost as nuanced. I took it up for a bit of fun years ago , realised quickly that it is nothing like any other sort of lure fishing and have been learning ever since .
If you live near some canals , I hugely recommend them for autumn and winter sport ,when boat traffic is light. In canals like the Oxford , South Stratford and Grand Union , zander have become the top predator, as they out compete pike in low visibility waters , I mention this as you can dispense with wire traces but , if pike are common, it is daft to risk bite offs. I use knottable Surflon micro ultra wire , and it's fine even for small jig-heads. I favour jigs in summer but switch to drop shot and Ned rigs in colder conditions .
Lure Anglers Canal Club have lots of water , BTW , for £ peanuts .
Zander are not found at home in N Yorkshire, so I make the pilgrimage to the Midlands most years now . A day on a deserted canal , covering new water with every cast , and in lovely deserted countryside is a joy.
That’s great, thanks for the feedback.If you live near some canals , I hugely recommend them for autumn and winter sport ,when boat traffic is light. In canals like the Oxford , South Stratford and Grand Union , zander have become the top predator, as they out compete pike in low visibility waters , I mention this as you can dispense with wire traces but , if pike are common, it is daft to risk bite offs. I use knottable Surflon micro ultra wire , and it's fine even for small jig-heads. I favour jigs in summer but switch to drop shot and Ned rigs in colder conditions .
Lure Anglers Canal Club have lots of water , BTW , for £ peanuts .
Zander are not found at home in N Yorkshire, so I make the pilgrimage to the Midlands most years now . A day on a deserted canal , covering new water with every cast , and in lovely deserted countryside is a joy.
I was hoping to have a go on some of the BAA canals as we have a BAA membership , so should be a good place to start.
Not sure if they have Zander in these though?
https://www.baa.uk.com/where-fish/canals/
Right thanks to Coppice, I now have a whole new set of places to fish.
https://lureanglerscanalclub.co.uk/page/
And what’s best, the closest is just 5 miles from my house at Knowle too!
Thanks again Coppice.
https://lureanglerscanalclub.co.uk/page/
And what’s best, the closest is just 5 miles from my house at Knowle too!
Thanks again Coppice.
otolith said:
It’s really good fun!
If you find that your rod is a little too stiff, Shakespeare do a nice little rod for peanuts. It’s not as nice as your new one, but it’s perfectly serviceable and you won’t cry if you break it!
Cheers Bud, let’s see how I get on with this one.If you find that your rod is a little too stiff, Shakespeare do a nice little rod for peanuts. It’s not as nice as your new one, but it’s perfectly serviceable and you won’t cry if you break it!
I’m actually really excited as many of the canal locations that my new Lure Club membership have are the places I very first learnt to fish with my dad over 40 years ago, it’s already bringing back some very happy memories.
Now where is my Dads old pipe, I think it’s time to bring back even more memories from the smell of some proper pipe tobacco.
My Dad and Uncle Vernon always used to shop here for their tobacco, it’s still there and not that far from us, I drive past it on my way to meetings at the University of Birmingham, I can see a little stop coming my way!
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0...
Also when unwrapping the protective film off my new Daiwa rod this morning this “ Free Sticker “ fell out!
That very phrase itself took me back to my childhood, remembering the excitement when you would get a free sticker sheet in your morning cereal pack of Frosties and take great pleasure in carefully applying them to the scene provided on the back of the pack!
The real question though, is where should I actually stick my free Sticker?
No rude suggestions please
That very phrase itself took me back to my childhood, remembering the excitement when you would get a free sticker sheet in your morning cereal pack of Frosties and take great pleasure in carefully applying them to the scene provided on the back of the pack!
The real question though, is where should I actually stick my free Sticker?
No rude suggestions please
You have much to learn , Lure fishing is big wiv der kidz , hence , just like the script on JDM cars , you need some incomprehensible Japanese characters on your rod , in acid green ,natch . You need a trendy brand on your baseball cap too - Gunki . Eco gear , Gamakatsu will all bestow some cred . You do have a baseball cap ,right ?
coppice said:
You have much to learn , Lure fishing is big wiv der kidz , hence , just like the script on JDM cars , you need some incomprehensible Japanese characters on your rod , in acid green ,natch . You need a trendy brand on your baseball cap too - Gunki . Eco gear , Gamakatsu will all bestow some cred . You do have a baseball cap ,right ?
I bow myself and the feet of you oh masterful one!Hey I’m still having fun, so who cares if I don’t get it right first time!
And I don’t think that I will be that bothered about being down with the yoof of today, I never re started my fishing to be a follower of fashion!
otolith said:
One thing worth considering - braided line, in a high vis colour. Obviously this adds significantly to street cred with the yoof, but also makes a big difference to bite detection because it has hardly any stretch and is so visible.
Thanks, and yes the OH So Wise Sir Coppice has already corrected me on my poor choice of line and recommending me use braid instead!I’m sure I will be popping by my local shop later!
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