Graham Marsden
Editor Emeritus
This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Last of the Further Thoughts on Fly Fishing
Last of the Further Thoughts on Fly Fishing
- Thread starter Graham Marsden
- Start date
Sean Meeghan
Well-known member
Interesting article Ron. I like the use of Uncle Dave's tungsten putty. He's going to have to change his branding soon if we keep calling that.
Maybe we need a specimen trout group a bit like the ferox group to develop methods for big rainbows and brownies in our bigger reservoirs.
Cat did you use your whiskers in that fly and if so can I have some?
Maybe we need a specimen trout group a bit like the ferox group to develop methods for big rainbows and brownies in our bigger reservoirs.
Cat did you use your whiskers in that fly and if so can I have some?
CAT
Well-known member
Lovely piece that Ron,
I have to admit that it had been quiet a while since i last fished the dry fly on a still water, but Ron with his Kryston putty technique was fooling the fish cast after cast, so having had fish after fish turn away at the last second i quickly rolled a bit around my 2.6lb leader about 9" away from the size 16 dry fly, the results were instant taking a nice conditioned Blue Trout within 5 Min's of casting out.
Now even though i had taken the cracking 7lb blue earlier that morning i felt a much better sense of achievement with my fish off the top because these fish were very crafty but the Tungsten putty made all the difference, gives you the edge for sure .
Sean, it was ironic that when i finally took a specimen fry feeding Trout it was on one of my Cats Whiskers, because i had been fishing with much bigger sparklers the previous session and only managed to catch the average fish, irl have to sort you a couple out when i see you next.
I have to admit that it had been quiet a while since i last fished the dry fly on a still water, but Ron with his Kryston putty technique was fooling the fish cast after cast, so having had fish after fish turn away at the last second i quickly rolled a bit around my 2.6lb leader about 9" away from the size 16 dry fly, the results were instant taking a nice conditioned Blue Trout within 5 Min's of casting out.
Now even though i had taken the cracking 7lb blue earlier that morning i felt a much better sense of achievement with my fish off the top because these fish were very crafty but the Tungsten putty made all the difference, gives you the edge for sure .
Sean, it was ironic that when i finally took a specimen fry feeding Trout it was on one of my Cats Whiskers, because i had been fishing with much bigger sparklers the previous session and only managed to catch the average fish, irl have to sort you a couple out when i see you next.
dezza
Well-known member
Such groups did exist in the past Sean. One of them, and perhaps the most famous was the Northamptonshire Specimen Group which had some of the finest and most inventive fly fishers of their time in it. Men such as Cyril Inwood, **** and Jim Shrive, Frank Cutler, Bob Church, Bev Perkins, Keith Robinson and Fred Wagstaffe. Hovering around the environs of these guys was Steve Parton who also contributed a great deal to the techniques of targeting big reservoir rainbow and brown trout.
Unfortunately, Bob Church was drawn into competitive fly fishing which in hindsight I regard as retrograde to the sport. I am getting fed up of reading about fly fishing match tactics in the fly fishing magazines as though it was the only form of fly fishing around. Perhaps why "The Trout Fisherman" is listening to me and this month there is a large feature on how to catch fry eating trout.
It came as a breath of fresh air.
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MarkTheSpark
Senior Member
You are absolutely right about the angling Press' preoccupation with match fishing techniques and flies, Ron. The word 'match' might not be mentioned but the 'how to do its' feature match anglers, International rules sized flies and techniques allowed in match fishing.
That said, the anglers themselves are more than capable of catching big trout, and people like Ian Barr and Ed Foster often do, by design, using Minkies and other fry imitations.
Those big fish really are the Holy Grail of the big reservoirs. I remember being on Rutland with my late friend Luke Felton in an October wind doing our damndest to catch big rainbows and browns. They were herding fry shoals to the surface in open water, then attacking them. From above, gulls dived into the glittering, jumping scattering mass, snatching fry from under the trouts' noses. It was like a scene from a David Attenborough documentary, shot in the open ocean.
We were not expert enough and although I had one fish tear off with my tube fly, he came away. It still goes down as one of the most exciting day's trout fishing I have ever had; you could clearly see ten-pounders smashing into the roach fry.
That said, the anglers themselves are more than capable of catching big trout, and people like Ian Barr and Ed Foster often do, by design, using Minkies and other fry imitations.
Those big fish really are the Holy Grail of the big reservoirs. I remember being on Rutland with my late friend Luke Felton in an October wind doing our damndest to catch big rainbows and browns. They were herding fry shoals to the surface in open water, then attacking them. From above, gulls dived into the glittering, jumping scattering mass, snatching fry from under the trouts' noses. It was like a scene from a David Attenborough documentary, shot in the open ocean.
We were not expert enough and although I had one fish tear off with my tube fly, he came away. It still goes down as one of the most exciting day's trout fishing I have ever had; you could clearly see ten-pounders smashing into the roach fry.
dezza
Well-known member
Don't get me wrong Mark, I don't doubt for one minute that Iain Barr, John Horsey and their ilk are top class anglers. They have to be to fish under the bloody silly rules of international competitive match angling.
"15/16th of an inch long" - don't make me laugh; they don't actually have people measuring the length of the flies do they?
I often wonder just how much they enjoy fishing these matches? Personally I don't think many of them do judging by the attitudes they take when they are on the water
---------- Post added at 03:13 ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 ----------
Oh and yes, there is nothing in all angling so exciting than seeing a big grown-on rainbow or brown trout charging fry in the margins.
"15/16th of an inch long" - don't make me laugh; they don't actually have people measuring the length of the flies do they?
I often wonder just how much they enjoy fishing these matches? Personally I don't think many of them do judging by the attitudes they take when they are on the water
---------- Post added at 03:13 ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 ----------
Oh and yes, there is nothing in all angling so exciting than seeing a big grown-on rainbow or brown trout charging fry in the margins.