|
Post by ScottRods on May 9, 2006 1:18:02 GMT -5
ollie edwards does it quite well on his video.
|
|
|
Post by anderoo on May 9, 2006 7:46:17 GMT -5
Many thanks for all the helpful responses. I only really fly fish during the coarse close season, so I'm always rusty each year anyway, even without trying to learn a new method. Another problem for me is that there are not many trout in this stream, so I'm often fishing trout-less water. There's plenty of very good advice here though, and I will persevere. The beauty of fly fishing is that the very acts of casting and creeping about is a pleasure, enhanced by the beautiful places it takes you to. Each spring I always consider promoting it above the coarse fishing - but then 16th June comes around and the tench start calling I'll let you know if (when?) I manage to fool one...
|
|
|
Post by anderoo on May 10, 2006 3:54:48 GMT -5
Got one! ;D
I had a great evening yesterday. I caught 2 brownies, both from new swims, and one on a nymph! Some fish were 'rising' but there didn't seem to be a hatch of anything (although I annoyed the first one into taking a dry sedge), so I thought they may be taking nymphs under the surface. I fished across and down (boo, hiss!) and missed about 4 takes, lost one, and eventually caught one. They weren't interested in dries at all.
It was so exciting, and I was surprised at how quick you have to be. I'm going back later for more - and maybe try an upstream nymph this time...
|
|
|
Post by newbie2006 on May 10, 2006 9:17:02 GMT -5
ok, as a newbie to this - i didn't realise it was unsporting to cast across stream - from the bank. Why is that so unsporting please? I'm sorry if this is a stupid question - but I'm learning the basics.
|
|
JohnH
Full Member
Posts: 231
|
Post by JohnH on May 10, 2006 9:28:40 GMT -5
Not necessarily unsporting, it's simply better technique, at least on gentler paced rivers like the chalkstreams, to approach the fish from downstream/downstream and across, because that's less likely to scare them.
|
|
|
Post by newbie2006 on May 10, 2006 9:40:32 GMT -5
ok thanks john. actually, this is very handy - i just posted a thread this morning asking about how to fish a small stream - as i have discovered one within my local fishery. so: downstream, with a nymph, short casts and pray like hell to spot something.
|
|
|
Post by anderoo on May 10, 2006 9:58:57 GMT -5
That's the way I do it!
I only catch in swims where I've spotted fish first, never had one fishing blind. On the stream I fish you can get very close to them, even from upstream, as long as you're quiet and low.
The takes I was getting on the nymph were as it was swinging around at the end of the cast, giving it a few twitches.
|
|
|
Post by newbie2006 on May 10, 2006 10:49:26 GMT -5
Interesting that it's a matter of stalking individual fish. The water was a bit cloudy last weeekend - so I couldn't see them.
|
|
|
Post by bignuts on May 10, 2006 16:12:25 GMT -5
Just a P.S on the down and accross method. Generally you will not catch the bigger trout this way. In my experience this method only gets the smaller fish. I believe the reason for this is that subsurface fly life does not generally swim hard and certainly would never move as unnaturally as the down and accross presentation implies. Persevere with upstream nymphing or wet fly, allowing the flies to drift naturally with the current, and you'll get into the better fish.
|
|
|
Post by donnie on May 10, 2006 16:49:11 GMT -5
In my experience I have found that downstream wet fly can be very effective for good fish. For me at least the key realisation probably came from that same Ollie Edwards DVD, where he emphasises the important of controlling the drift of the flies. Make lots and lots of upstream mends to get pretty close to a drag free drift. If you do it right you will often just feel a subtle 'draw' as a fish turns, allowing you to tighten. That is a pretty important word in this context I feel, because you musn't yank the flies hard upstream. Just think "control" and really lead the flies down the run. If anything I think this method is especially good because the flies may be controlled to drift slightly slower than the surface current, which is often going to be closer to what a drag free drift would be a little way under the surface. Maybe this effect isn't enough to make a difference, but if you believe it is, then you'll probably fish better!
|
|
|
Post by RodKneeTrouter on May 10, 2006 17:34:59 GMT -5
Down and across is considered by some more 'traditional fisherpersons' to be a less sporting way to fish a nymph. Less sporting from the idea that it is somehow too easy and therefore unfair to the trout. I have never run across this idea in the US, but there are certainly areas of the UK where down and across is frowned upon and/or explicitly not allowed.
IMHO this attitude is because of the lack of a dead drift on a downstream swing means that A) less skill is involved in the presentation and B) the fly does not behave as naturally. Thus, the nymph becomes akin to a lure or a 'trout popper' - the use of which we all know to be inherently evil.
I recently asked a certain well-known bailiff whether or not I could let my nymph (notice singular case there) drift past me (provided that I began the drift upstream). He looked at me like I had just asked to fish with dynamite and responded with: "Oh no. We don't allow that sort of thing here." Ahhh. Ok then. Guess I should put away my crack pipe too.
Mike
|
|
|
Post by newbie2006 on May 11, 2006 3:02:05 GMT -5
Crikey - this is all getting a bit complicated. In simple terms then: I stand downstream, cast upstream, keep the line tight if possible as the nymph drifts towards me in the current.... then when it reaches me, i repeat the process again. correct?
|
|
|
Post by anderoo on May 11, 2006 4:16:07 GMT -5
In my limited experience I would definitely say there's skill to fishing a nymph downstream - the takes I had were when I'd let the fly sink a bit, twitched/swung gently round and then let out a bit more line to let it sink a bit again. Whenever I fluffed it and it just skidded round in an arc, nothing. However, I would agree that the upstream nymph does require more skill - not in terms of getting in position (harder from an upstream position, in my opinion), casting, or keeping up with the drift, but in terms of knowing when to strike. And it's always more pleasurable to take fish (whatever species) on the more difficult method. Now I've had a few takes on nymphs and got my confidence up, I'll try the upstream nymph again. This had turned into a very interesting discussion
|
|
|
Post by RodKneeTrouter on May 11, 2006 4:45:46 GMT -5
I totally agree anderoo. I am all for downstream nymphing. Its what I do most of the time. Well, I cast upstream and let it drift past me. This gives you the best of both worlds. Your fly gets a good dead drift down past you and has time to sink, and then rises from the bottom in a nice sweeping arc. Definitely a good idea to leave the nymphs playing in the water a bit - or give the line a few short strips. As you found, it can be effective. For grayling especially. Nothing wrong with that at all - at least in my book. It works with dries too you know. This is a good way to practice dead drifting for nymphs - because you can better see how well you are doing with a fly on the surface. Try casting across and down and mending - (making bends in the line to compensate for different current speeds across the river) so that you get a nice, drag free drift with the dry - for as long as you can. But, at the end, don't just pick up the dry straight away. do like you did with the nymphs - strip it back in in short 6-12inch bursts - so that it skates on the surface, or even goes under water a bit. You'll be surprised how many fish you will get this way. Another way to test how well you are dead drifting (while nymphing) is to put two indicators on - about 6 inches from one another. as long as they don't change position relative to one another, you are getting a good dead drift. mike
|
|
|
Post by FionnLoch on May 11, 2006 11:33:03 GMT -5
Got one! ;D ...I fished across and down (boo, hiss!) and missed about 4 takes, lost one, and eventually caught one... This is another argument for fishing the wet fly upstream: when you strike you pull the fly back into the fish's mouth rather than snatching it out of its mouth as you do when you strike from an upstream position. I find I very rarely miss a fish when I'm fishing upstream wet, and they are usually so well hooked I rarely lose one once I've got it on. Of course, I can't account for the takes I miss because I just don't notice them... As for the ethical issue: I'm not a purist and I don't care what method I use as long as it catches fish. I find fishing upstream is generally more effective than down and across. It just takes a bit more practice and a bit more concentration.
|
|