Stalking flies

[Richard Drayson]

Do you have any favourite stalking flies? I fished at Chalk Springs in Arundel yesterday and managed 3 fish in difficult conditions. My usual imitative approach paid off using a killer bug and leaded shrimp patterns.

I also favour using patterns such as cove's pheasant tail nymphs, bell's amber nymph, buzzer patterns, corixa, sedge pupa and various other beetle and bug patterns.

So.... what are your favourite stalking patterns? You know...the ones you wouldn't leave home without.

 

[S-Kippy]

Richard

I dont fish waters where you can stalk fish anymore...not seriously anyway but when I did I found a shrimp,particularly a heavily weighted hares ear one as good as anything if the fish were in the margins.Further out I'd back a buzzer everytime.

But probably my most successful fly when targetting a cruiser is a bloodworm.I fish these a lot and a good bloodworm pattern can be devastating at any time of year.

That said I know a bloke who swears by nothing more exotic than a heavily weighted PTN for just about everything...and he catches shedloads of fish.

Skippy

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Try this dressing for a goldhead damsel nymph.

Hook: 14 to 10 long shank

Head: Goldhead bead

Silk: Olive

Body: Olive ostrich hearl

Rib: Gold Oval Tinsel

Tail: Bunch of oliverabbits belly fur (zonker)

Hackle:3 turns of brown partridge

This thing has caught me hundreds of trout using stalking techniques.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Pete Cockwill's latest book on fishing in small stillwaters has some very useful patterns too.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Richard,

Fulling Mill make a decent selection of 'stalking bugs' but they are a bit pricey at around £3.50 each.

At Avington I tend to use a weighty gold head bloodworm pattern as these have been successful in the past,but then sohas Frank Saywer's good old Killer Bug.

A couple of months ago Nick Hart (of Hart Fly fishing) did a good Stalking Article in Trout Fisherman magazine which is well worth reading.

 

[Richard Drayson]

Thanks Guys, I've not used any bloodworm patterns so I'll have to buy some and try them out.

Ron, thanks for the goldhead damsel tying materials. Do you tie your own? I suppose I'll have to get myself a fly tying vice next eh /forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Been tying for 40 years Richard.

My tying standards will never win any competitions, but my flies catch lots of fish.

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA) wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

Been tying for 40 years Richard.

My tying standards will never win any competitions, but my flies catch lots of fish.</blockquote>


Sparsely tied but very 'buggy' aren't they,The SA Damsel is one of your favourites (in the right place) isn't it Ron ?

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Yes Edwin.

The criterion for any fly is: "does it look buggy?"

I hammered them today at my syndicate water for a short period taking something like7 or8 fish (I lost count) on a sparse olive buzzer suspended beneith - wait for it - a strike indicator!!!

One of them was a belting blue of about 3 lbs which behaved like a queenfish. I thought I was back in Western Oz for a period, so hard did this fish scrap

I'll never livedown using a sight bob!/forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif

Not only that I was wearing a baseball cap with "Port Douglas - Great Barrier Reef" emblazened across the front - /forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif

Oh dear!!

My mate Derek was there, who's casting has come on with leaps and bounds. He hooked a fish and had several follows, so if heis good enough to so that, he is good enough to catch lots of fish.

 

[JIMMY---PAAS]

Clad to hear that you and Derek; Had a great time Ron: /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gifAnd I know that there is a lot more to come.

And good on ya for wearing the cap /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

No worries mate!

/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

 

[Derek Gibson]

Yes, it was a good day out mate, I thoroughlyenjoyed it till my back and hip gave out. It was only the sight of you in the baseball hat that somehow eased the pain. And there was me all ready to wear my bush hat, you treacherous old bugger.

And by the way, that's the first time I've heard an E.T.drifter float referred to as a sight bob, at least I fished legit!!

I'll tie you some good nymph's and damsel's tonight, not like that rubbish you do, and they're only a fiver each ha,ha.

Ah yes, no wonder my back and hip played up, perhaps if I could sit down all day casting, life would be much easier./forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif