The Fly Fishing Thread

[Bonefish Blues]

Like Detectorists, only not quite as racy

[nigelpugh7]

Bonefish Blues said:

Like Detectorists, only not quite as racy

When I was a very young lad fishing with my dad we had a square knife with a fish measure on its length.

It had a quote on it almost the lines of “ Old fisherman never die, they only smell that way!”

I can now identify and relate to this fact!

[timbob]

Another newbie here. Did a bit of coarse fishing as a young teenager around the rivers of Beds, but always wanted to fly fish - a friend did and I never got a chance to go along.

There’s been a 25 year gap, and some recent personal struggles, but a few conversations with mates at work and a trip out with the Father in Law on a recent holiday (sea fishing, incidentally) triggered the bug and I’ve found myself the proud owner of a little Snowbee Classic setup, and have booked an introductory morning session over near MK at Pochard Lake.

Unfortunately I think Beds is pretty much smack bang in the middle of the only region of the UK not to have any wild trout in the rivers, but there seems to be a reasonable selection of still waters within an hour or so’s drive. And I can always pack the rod on camping holidays.

Any recommendations for good spots relatively local to me?

[Bonefish Blues]

I think you posted on FFF a few weeks ago didn't you?

ETA
Had you found this?

https://afishermansjourney.com/tag/bedfordshire-tr...

Edited by Bonefish Blues on Wednesday 16th August 22:42

[otolith]

Enjoy!

Don’t think that a lack of trout means no fly fishing though, coarse fish are a great challenge on the fly. Dace are harder than trout by far!

[coppice]

I am surrounded by trout and grayling water here in N Yorkshire - but often opt for dace and chub on fly . The thing about fly fishing , in rivers especially, is that you catch catch fish from places you'd never dream of fishing with bait . Nearly all my fly caught chub (and it'll be several hundred now ) were from water less than 3 foot deep , and often a third of that .

Key factors are mobility , stealth and observation. Oh , and an extra helping of stealth .

[timbob]

Bonefish Blues said:

I think you posted on FFF a few weeks ago didn't you?

ETA
Had you found this?

https://afishermansjourney.com/tag/bedfordshire-tr...

Edited by Bonefish Blues on Wednesday 16th August 22:42

I don’t think that was me, but I have posted in one of the fly fishing Facebook groups…? And no, I’d not come across that article, a great read, thank you

[timbob]

otolith said:

Enjoy!

Don’t think that a lack of trout means no fly fishing though, coarse fish are a great challenge on the fly. Dace are harder than trout by far!

That’s something I’d not even thought of! How do fly fishers get looked at by the coarse anglers along the various usual river stretches? I assume you don’t just go wading up and through the area they’ve been pre-baiting!!

[Bonefish Blues]

timbob said:

Bonefish Blues said:

I think you posted on FFF a few weeks ago didn't you?

ETA
Had you found this?

https://afishermansjourney.com/tag/bedfordshire-tr...

Edited by Bonefish Blues on Wednesday 16th August 22:42

I don’t think that was me, but I have posted in one of the fly fishing Facebook groups…? And no, I’d not come across that article, a great read, thank you

Coincidence is coincidental then. Someone posted something very similar on Flyfishing Forum looking for river trout in Beds. You don't have much on your doorstep but there's plenty in sensible distance. Worth a search for the thread.

[coppice]

timbob said:

otolith said:

Enjoy!

Don’t think that a lack of trout means no fly fishing though, coarse fish are a great challenge on the fly. Dace are harder than trout by far!

That’s something I’d not even thought of! How do fly fishers get looked at by the coarse anglers along the various usual river stretches? I assume you don’t just go wading up and through the area they’ve been pre-baiting!!

Just pick somewhere small and overgrown - obviously not best to wade through somebody's barbel swim but these days if you avoid barbel territory you will hardly see a soul . Lots of scope- drains for rudd and perch , canals and stillwaters can all be flyfished , but careneeded if many people around. The ideal is small, overgrown stream - don't worry about the casting , as with practice and use of side and roll cast it is not difficult .

[ffc]

timbob said:

Any recommendations for good spots relatively local to me?

I've always enjoyed Ravensthorpe. Small enough to not be intimidating, quiet and a good head of fish. It's not too far from you.

[otolith]

I still subscribe to my old club’s Facebook group, and notice one of the junior members is having a lot of fun catching carp on the fly.

[Smollet]

otolith said:

I still subscribe to my old club’s Facebook group, and notice one of the junior members is having a lot of fun catching carp on the fly.

Never done it but I gather it’s a bit exciting

[nigelpugh7]

I bought the Sunday Times newspaper at the weekend.

There was a great article in it about how to read water.

It’s taken from a book by author Tristan Gooley, I enjoyed it so much I have ordered the set of three books by him.





https://www.axelbooks.com/products/tristan-gooley-...

[RichB]

Not sure about his statement that rivers never run straight for more than ten times their width. The Thames from Remenham to Henley springs to mind, it is straight for 1.5 miles which is why they use it as the course for the regatta. I understand the concept of meanders and ox-bow lakes but I'm sure there are plenty of other straight stretches of river people can think of.

[Bonefish Blues]

I assume the author is referring to rivers in their natural state?

[otolith]

I make that stretch about 2000m between bends and about 80m wide, so about 25 times the width.

It would be interesting to see if that 10x rule is generally true, across all scales and geologies, but I’m a bit sceptical.

[RichB]

Bonefish Blues said:

I assume the author is referring to rivers in their natural state?

The Thames has not been canalised there, that is it's natural course. For those that don't know that area so well, here's where I'm referring to.

[Bonefish Blues]

I think all stretches of the Thames say South of Oxford, to pick an arbitrary spot, have been heavily subject to man's interference over many centuries. That's not the same as canalisation. The moment anything is put into the river or onto/into the bank then the dynamic is changed.

[RichB]

Bonefish Blues said:

I think all stretches of the Thames say South of Oxford, to pick an arbitrary spot, have been heavily subject to man's interference over many centuries. That's not the same as canalisation. The moment anything is put into the river or onto/into the bank then the dynamic is changed.

Fair enough - such as locks, buildings.

Going off at a tangent, I read that before the ice age the Thames went north but a solid wall of ice deflected it south and after the melt that's where it remined. (the whole piece was more in depth than my quick precis! )