The Fly Fishing Thread

[otolith]

Cracking perch! Had a couple of 3lb+ fish, but on livebaits, nothing that size on lures.

[coppice]

I use lobworm too with the dropshot rig - that day the bigger fish came to two lobs on a 1/0 perch hook , with a 3-9 on a curly tail lure. It was a red letter day as I had 30 perch in all, with two twos (one on a Cheb Rig crayfish pattern )as well and many over a pound . It makes up for all the cold days scratching for one or two small ones !

[otolith]

Seems to happen with perch - my best haul was on a tench fishing weekend, the tench weren’t really playing ball. Ended up with 9 perch between 2-1 and 2-11 (and two modest tench)

[RichB]

coppice said:

3-12 , one of two threes I caught that day , on dropshot.

Fabtastic, I would dream of getting a perch like that.
ETA: So is that 2 x lobworms and a lure all on the same hook?

Edited by RichB on Saturday 19th November 19:00

[otolith]

Dropshot rig with a couple of worms instead of a lure, I assume.

[coppice]

Yes - correct. In my early days of light lure fishing ten years or more ago I used worms a lot but lost a lot of fish . Back then I thought a 4 was a big hook ,but 1/0s are now my norm . I've had even 4-6oz perch on bloody great crayfish lures on 2/0s . But perch eat big baits - like this beast , which had been ottered

[Smollet]

coppice said:

Yes - correct. In my early days of light lure fishing ten years or more ago I used worms a lot but lost a lot of fish . Back then I thought a 4 was a big hook ,but 1/0s are now my norm . I've had even 4-6oz perch on bloody great crayfish lures on 2/0s . But perch eat big baits - like this beast , which had been ottered

Tbh I’d rather eat that than stick it on a hook. I used to fly fish on a lake where they were a problem. I put a trap out and 3 hours later it was full of them. Even if I didn’t catch a trout I was guaranteed supper

[RichB]

otolith said:

Dropshot rig with a couple of worms instead of a lure, I assume.

Of course, I've re-read it now!

Edited by RichB on Sunday 20th November 09:56

[otolith]

Smollet said:

Tbh I’d rather eat that than stick it on a hook. I used to fly fish on a lake where they were a problem. I put a trap out and 3 hours later it was full of them. Even if I didn’t catch a trout I was guaranteed supper

It’s very much a stable door open horse bolted situation these days, but you’re not allowed to use real crays for bait - to avoid people using endangered native ones and to stop people spreading the signals about. Plastic crayfish lures are fine though. People seem to catch on them even when there aren’t any crays present.

[Bonefish Blues]

otolith said:

Smollet said:

Tbh I’d rather eat that than stick it on a hook. I used to fly fish on a lake where they were a problem. I put a trap out and 3 hours later it was full of them. Even if I didn’t catch a trout I was guaranteed supper

It’s very much a stable door open horse bolted situation these days, but you’re not allowed to use real crays for bait - to avoid people using endangered native ones and to stop people spreading the signals about. Plastic crayfish lures are fine though. People seem to catch on them even when there aren’t any crays present.

Anyone who manages to use a native has done very well, sadly.

[otolith]

Bonefish Blues said:

Anyone who manages to use a native has done very well, sadly.

Yep. Most of the regulations around signal crayfish are now obsolete because the bloody things are everywhere and the natives are almost extinct.

[oddman]

Some are massive as well. Looking over a bridge when walking the dog. Daughter says 'what's that lobster doing in the river dad?'. Had a look over - crayfish at least 6 inches long ambling about.

[Matt Harper]

When I lived in the UK, a neighbor introduced me to fly-fishing. I went with him to a fishery called Raygill, in Lothersdale on the W.Yorks/Lancs border. It was an old worked-out limestone quarry - extremely deep, with a sheer limestone cliff on one side.

Once I got the hang of it and bought some semi-decent gear, I caught and released some really nice rainbows and a good few browns too at that venue. I really enjoyed summer dry fly - surface takes are so much more exciting to me, but all of the bigger (5lbs +) were winter caught, fairly deep, with a zonker, or similar. On a couple of occasions I got into big, strong fish that I never even saw before they smashed me - and I wasn't really experienced enough to play what felt like a frigging submarine on the other end.

I really miss that place and wonder if it is still as good as it was in the mid/late 90's.

Today I live in Florida and the water is too warm all year round to support trout and fly-fishing for large mouth bass is less about finesse and more about making as much commotion as possible, which I don't enjoy as much.

Occasionally I head up north, but it requires a lot of effort and money to do regularly.
This is me (during my Shrek phase) with one of several hefty Muskegon Steelheads I caught a couple of winters ago up in Michigan. The Muskegon River is very fast flowing and quite shallow and clear over a gravel bottom, so long-range casting with heavy tackle from a boat that is powerful enough to keep up with the current is the name of the game.

[RichB]

Matt Harper said:

When I lived in the UK, a neighbor introduced me to fly-fishing. I went with him to a fishery called Raygill, in Lothersdale on the W.Yorks/Lancs border. It was an old worked-out limestone quarry - extremely deep, with a sheer limestone cliff on one side.

Once I got the hang of it and bought some semi-decent gear, I caught and released some really nice rainbows and a good few browns too at that venue. I really enjoyed summer dry fly - surface takes are so much more exciting to me, but all of the bigger (5lbs +) were winter caught, fairly deep, with a zonker, or similar. On a couple of occasions I got into big, strong fish that I never even saw before they smashed me - and I wasn't really experienced enough to play what felt like a frigging submarine on the other end.

I really miss that place and wonder if it is still as good as it was in the mid/late 90's.

Today I live in Florida and the water is too warm all year round to support trout and fly-fishing for large mouth bass is less about finesse and more about making as much commotion as possible, which I don't enjoy as much.

Occasionally I head up north, but it requires a lot of effort and money to do regularly.
This is me (during my Shrek phase) with one of several hefty Muskegon Steelheads I caught a couple of winters ago up in Michigan. The Muskegon River is very fast flowing and quite shallow and clear over a gravel bottom, so long-range casting with heavy tackle from a boat that is powerful enough to keep up with the current is the name of the game.

in the UK we put Covid masks over our mouths but I guess you chaps do it differently?

[coppice]

I fished Raygill once in the nineties , after being blown off Malham Tarn . It was ok I suppose , we caught some big rainbows , but as an incorrigible wild fish snob , it wasn't really my thing . I watch a lot of YouTube stuff about lure fishing from kayaks in Florida and Carolina (eg Fishaholic ) and would love a crack at snook, redfish, tarpon and so on , and on gear which isn't much heavier than I use for my lure fishing here for perch and pike

[otolith]

I keep thinking about getting a kayak to use on the sea and on the Cumbrian lakes. But I'm not at my house up north enough to justify it.

[nigelpugh7]

Thought you guys might like to see this.

https://www.fishingtv.com/video/chalk-bedrock-of-f...

It’s only available to watch for free for today only sadly, unless of course you have a subscription!

Enjoy the drone footage!

[nigelpugh7]

Thought you guys might like to see this.

https://www.fishingtv.com/video/chalk-bedrock-of-f...

It’s only available to watch for free for today only sadly, unless of course you have a subscription!

Enjoy the drone footage!

[nigelpugh7]

Not much action here guys!

Anyway through my local Blythe angling group I’ve booked to go to an evening talk on Fly Dressing by Don Staziker.

https://www.thefloatingfly.com/peter-hayes

My wife says I am now officially an old man!

[nigelpugh7]

nigelpugh7 said:

Not much action here guys!

Anyway through my local Blythe angling group I’ve booked to go to an evening talk on Fly Dressing by Don Staziker.

https://www.thefloatingfly.com/peter-hayes

My wife says I am now officially an old man!

It’s organised by this group locally.

http://www.solihullflydressers.co.uk/flytying.htm

Mr buddy Scott said are you sure it’s not a front for a bunch of cross dressers or something like that!