The Fly Fishing Thread
Discussion
The thing about the magazines is that they tend to recycle the same themes over a 12 month period. Once you've subscribed and read it for a year you recognise the content. Of course it doesn't mean you can't learn something but it does diminish the sense of discovering something totally new.
I tend to buy T&S over winter when I can tuck into it on a dark evening and get all doleful about the possibility of a dusk-time cast to a rising fish
Maybe it's time for some suggestions about useful fly fishing gear that strictly speaking you don't need, but that makes the day out more fun.
I start things off with the awesome and indispensable Kelly Kettle
. Mine's looking a little sorry for itself after 25 years of hard service but still going strong. Here's a stock pic:
I tend to buy T&S over winter when I can tuck into it on a dark evening and get all doleful about the possibility of a dusk-time cast to a rising fish
Maybe it's time for some suggestions about useful fly fishing gear that strictly speaking you don't need, but that makes the day out more fun.
I start things off with the awesome and indispensable Kelly Kettle
. Mine's looking a little sorry for itself after 25 years of hard service but still going strong. Here's a stock pic:angusfaldo said:
The thing about the magazines is that they tend to recycle the same themes over a 12 month period. Once you've subscribed and read it for a year you recognise the content. Of course it doesn't mean you can't learn something but it does diminish the sense of discovering something totally new.
I tend to buy T&S over winter when I can tuck into it on a dark evening and get all doleful about the possibility of a dusk-time cast to a rising fish
Maybe it's time for some suggestions about useful fly fishing gear that strictly speaking you don't need, but that makes the day out more fun.
I start things off with the awesome and indispensable Kelly Kettle. Mine's looking a little sorry for itself after 25 years of hard service but still going strong. Here's a stock pic:
Yes I bought it for something to sit and read on these dark nights whilst curled up on the sofa with a nice glass of wine.I tend to buy T&S over winter when I can tuck into it on a dark evening and get all doleful about the possibility of a dusk-time cast to a rising fish
Maybe it's time for some suggestions about useful fly fishing gear that strictly speaking you don't need, but that makes the day out more fun.
I start things off with the awesome and indispensable Kelly Kettle
. Mine's looking a little sorry for itself after 25 years of hard service but still going strong. Here's a stock pic:But yes a great suggestion about the stuff we take on a trip out.
For us it’s our Jetboil we have had it for years, I am a bit of a Tea fan, so for me a flask doesn’t cut it, the water has to be boiling to make a proper cup of tea, and our jetboil does it so quickly too!
Well it’s official now!
We get a brand new episode of Gone Fishing, a Christmas special to be shown on the 13th December!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qf09
Can’t wait, and gives me something to really look forward to!
We get a brand new episode of Gone Fishing, a Christmas special to be shown on the 13th December!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qf09
Can’t wait, and gives me something to really look forward to!
Smollet said:
I don’t whether this subject has been broached before but does anyone here fly fish for pike?
Yes, but it wasn't planned. I had some time to fish on the Tay at the Killin end and the trout fishing was poor but more than adequately balanced out by the rather good pike. It seemed that a black dog nobbler was irresistible to the river pike. It was fun trying to land a 5kg pike on a 7-weight fly rod.A bit - but I prefer light lure fishing . A 5 lb river pike is fun on a 5/6 weight fly rod , but a big double... that is a real handful , unless you use gear which leaves you knackered , because it's such a beast to use. I can see the appeal of pike fly fishing on big reservoirs though
Anecdote alert- years ago I used to do a lot of chub fishing on fly . Wading down a long glide I saw a flurry of fry being hit by hat looked like a big pike. I was using an Orvis Henry's Fork 5 weight but I had come prepared , so replaced the leader with something much beefier , and with a wire tippet. First cast with a streamer into the area I'd seen the fish and all went solid . The pike - for it was she- then ran slowly but completely unstoppably for a good 50 yards downstream . It started to kite into near bank willows - I waded downstream as far as I could , clamped my hand on the reel (heavy leader wasn't going to break ) and hung on and heaved. The rod didn't so much break as explode in a cloud of carbon fibre dust . The pike got away. ...
But that memory has spurred me on to go piking today , but not with a Henry's Fork ....
Anecdote alert- years ago I used to do a lot of chub fishing on fly . Wading down a long glide I saw a flurry of fry being hit by hat looked like a big pike. I was using an Orvis Henry's Fork 5 weight but I had come prepared , so replaced the leader with something much beefier , and with a wire tippet. First cast with a streamer into the area I'd seen the fish and all went solid . The pike - for it was she- then ran slowly but completely unstoppably for a good 50 yards downstream . It started to kite into near bank willows - I waded downstream as far as I could , clamped my hand on the reel (heavy leader wasn't going to break ) and hung on and heaved. The rod didn't so much break as explode in a cloud of carbon fibre dust . The pike got away. ...
But that memory has spurred me on to go piking today , but not with a Henry's Fork ....
coppice said:
A bit - but I prefer light lure fishing . A 5 lb river pike is fun on a 5/6 weight fly rod , but a big double... that is a real handful , unless you use gear which leaves you knackered , because it's such a beast to use. I can see the appeal of pike fly fishing on big reservoirs though
Anecdote alert- years ago I used to do a lot of chub fishing on fly . Wading down a long glide I saw a flurry of fry being hit by hat looked like a big pike. I was using an Orvis Henry's Fork 5 weight but I had come prepared , so replaced the leader with something much beefier , and with a wire tippet. First cast with a streamer into the area I'd seen the fish and all went solid . The pike - for it was she- then ran slowly but completely unstoppably for a good 50 yards downstream . It started to kite into near bank willows - I waded downstream as far as I could , clamped my hand on the reel (heavy leader wasn't going to break ) and hung on and heaved. The rod didn't so much break as explode in a cloud of carbon fibre dust . The pike got away. ...
But that memory has spurred me on to go piking today , but not with a Henry's Fork ....
Interesting tale John. I’ve got a #8 Greys that I was reliably informed wouldn’t be man enough for big pike so I bought a Maxcatch Predator #10 that should be powerful enough. Anecdote alert- years ago I used to do a lot of chub fishing on fly . Wading down a long glide I saw a flurry of fry being hit by hat looked like a big pike. I was using an Orvis Henry's Fork 5 weight but I had come prepared , so replaced the leader with something much beefier , and with a wire tippet. First cast with a streamer into the area I'd seen the fish and all went solid . The pike - for it was she- then ran slowly but completely unstoppably for a good 50 yards downstream . It started to kite into near bank willows - I waded downstream as far as I could , clamped my hand on the reel (heavy leader wasn't going to break ) and hung on and heaved. The rod didn't so much break as explode in a cloud of carbon fibre dust . The pike got away. ...
But that memory has spurred me on to go piking today , but not with a Henry's Fork ....
I’ll have a monofilament leader and will attach a wire trace to that. Is the casting process significantly different to normal fly casting?
Bonefish Blues said:
Chuck and duck
It's interesting that a 10-weight was recommended for pike - mainly to do with the above, rather than the actual playing of the fish, I guess?
I suspect that might be part of it. Damp budgies can weigh a lot in comparison to an Adams. It's interesting that a 10-weight was recommended for pike - mainly to do with the above, rather than the actual playing of the fish, I guess?
I’ve landed a 17 3/4lb Rainbow on my 5wt without it exploding into a million bits of carbon fibre.
nigelpugh7 said:
Well it’s official now!
We get a brand new episode of Gone Fishing, a Christmas special to be shown on the 13th December!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qf09
Can’t wait, and gives me something to really look forward to!
Surprised no one has commented on last nights program? We get a brand new episode of Gone Fishing, a Christmas special to be shown on the 13th December!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qf09
Can’t wait, and gives me something to really look forward to!
nigelpugh7 said:
nigelpugh7 said:
Surprised no one has commented on last nights program?
I was really looking forward to it, but I’m sorry to report it left me a bit cold, and I can’t put my finger on why? But anyway I saw a lot of my past in there and it made me smile all the way through it.
Edit: I just love their friendship.
Edited by dickymint on Monday 14th December 22:00
nigelpugh7 said:
nigelpugh7 said:
Surprised no one has commented on last nights program?
I was really looking forward to it, but I’m sorry to report it left me a bit cold, and I can’t put my finger on why? Not a great time of year for fishing of any type , with all my local rivers at near record levels ,and fishing verboten unless it's local - see Angling Trust website for current restrictions. So I am amusing myself by stocking up with bits I have convinced myself I really need - from a new rod tripod for big river barbel to sundry odd and sods for fly fishing .
And podcasts - I am a huge fan of John Gierach ,and have been enjoying a podcast with him by Canadian fly fisher , hunter and shooter , April Vokey . Lots of stuff , including Gierach via her website anchoredoutdoors.com Recommended - it helps me keeps me semi sane anyway in these horrible times
And podcasts - I am a huge fan of John Gierach ,and have been enjoying a podcast with him by Canadian fly fisher , hunter and shooter , April Vokey . Lots of stuff , including Gierach via her website anchoredoutdoors.com Recommended - it helps me keeps me semi sane anyway in these horrible times
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