dl
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by dl on Apr 3, 2006 4:05:46 GMT -5
What a day. Didn't realise that it could rain sideways and sometimes up-wards! My first time on the river and I must say it is an absolute beauty. Went out with Justin and we were lucky enough to run into Ben who showed us the ropes..cheers mate.
Justin landed 2 great browns and a few bullish youngsters ......I blanked. My day consisted of giving away nymphs to any part of the local flora that was in striking distance. Wonderful day on a wonderful river none the less.
Danie
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Post by ben wynde on Apr 3, 2006 9:22:37 GMT -5
Guys,
Did it register with any of you that there appears to be quite a lot of new aquatic vegetation, especially in the riffles and shallower runs. Or was it me imagining things? I hope not.
Cheers,
Ben
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Post by Pond321 on Apr 4, 2006 5:14:28 GMT -5
Ben - that will be because more sunlight is now reaching the riverbed beacuse there is less overhanging vegetation/trees <ahem>
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 6, 2006 5:35:38 GMT -5
The waders and rod are in the car and the wife has just flown to glasgow - so I'm off to the river this evening after work. Anyone fancy a cast and a pint?
Bri
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Post by Pond321 on Apr 6, 2006 6:23:28 GMT -5
Bri - possibly - if I can work out the logstics of picking my car up as it is at the garage.......what time will you be there??
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 6, 2006 7:12:06 GMT -5
Jon
Probably get to the river between 6.30 and 7 and should be able to fish until 8 or just after...
Bri
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Post by JayP on Apr 6, 2006 7:56:28 GMT -5
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 6, 2006 8:13:17 GMT -5
Oh dear... That wouldn't be the new rod you just finished building would it?
That must hurt... You know it makes sense to come out this evening with the old rod and catch a trout on the dry to cheer you up!
Bri
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Post by JayP on Apr 6, 2006 9:16:50 GMT -5
Thankfully not Bri! The new rod is being finished off this afternoon (now)!
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 7, 2006 4:57:12 GMT -5
Got to the river for 7pm and saw Jon's car already parked. Fearing all the best pools would have been 'jon-ed', I walked downstream from the farm road bridge to where the backstream splits off the main river. Jon must have been downstream of this still, so (and unfortunately already making a pattern of fishing the same, most productive pools on the river), I entered the river just downstream of 'dead cert corner' and worked my way upstream.
Again using the paradun with a small gold head nymph tied off it New Zealand style, I began searching the pool for trout. Finally casting in to the slack water on the inside bend in the pool, my line shot forward and I lifted into a nice trout which I think was possibly one of the larger stockies with perfect fins but a lighter colouration than the wild trout tend to have round here. Releasing that fish, I had another take on my next cast to the same area - this fish getting off after a few seconds.
I then entered that phase where I was wondering about carrying on searching the pool for trout, or wading up through it on the premise that I'd already pricked all the trout it probably held. I stayed on and started searching the left hand outside bend in the pool - just where the roots of one of the trees comes into the water like a mangrove. As one rather ugly cast threw my flies a little too harshly into the river, my paradun sank and I thought I'd give the nymph a twitch to see if anything was doing. A vicious take announced a smaller trout of maybe 3/4lb which fought harder than anything I've yet to make contact with on the Whitewater this year. Finally (after many runs), the fish was netted and released. A nice dark wild fish who was more than a little peeved that he'd been caught.
As the light was finally fading I wandered up to the cattle crossing and started casting into the shallows of the tail of the pool under the trees. On my second or third cast, a wee twitch of the nymph produced another take which came off a few seconds later. No more takes were had and all fish came to the nymph tied off the bend of the dry fly.
I looked downstream and saw Jon in dead cert corner - so wandered down and broke the news that I'd already ruined that pool for the evening.
Won't be back this week but looking forward to next Friday!
Bri
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Post by Dom on Apr 7, 2006 5:31:19 GMT -5
Really enjoy reading this thread. It's good to see what is working on the rivers close(ish) to where I live. Bri. Quick question about the NZ dropper. Is the dry barbed, and if it isn't what do you think the chances are of the Nymph coming off? Also how long is the drop on the dropper (don't know the correct terminology here but you get the gist.) Cheers Dom
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Post by ben wynde on Apr 7, 2006 6:09:45 GMT -5
Hi Dom,
The NZ style dropper is typically 12-18" long. I haven't had any problem with it coming "off the bend" even on barbless hooks...
Cheers,
Ben
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 7, 2006 6:15:39 GMT -5
Hi Dom
Officially all flies on the whitewater are de-barbed... but can't remember if this one is or not - and to be honest I'm not convinced it makes a great deal of difference if you have forceps.
Anyhoo, barbed versus non-barbed hooks aside, I don't think the dropper would come off the hook regardless which it was - mostly due to the fact that the pulling of the nymph is against the bend in the hook. Tie it on just as you would a fly - I've been using the same rig for a week and have yet to lose a fly.
The dropper length is maybe a foot.
Bri
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Post by JayP on Apr 8, 2006 8:04:05 GMT -5
Fished yesterday afternoon and still the fish are bottom hugging even tho there were some good olive hatches throughout the afternoon. Caught some nice wild brownies in the 100 yard stretch below the Hatchgate bridge which is probably my favourite part of the Whitewater and also had a few of the new stockies from the farm stretch with all fish taken on an olive gold head nymph under an indicator.
The general rule of thumb for fishing NZ style is the faster/ deeper the water the longer the dropper and I usually fish anything in length from 24 to 48" on the Whitewater.
Cheers
Jason
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Post by FlyBri on Apr 10, 2006 4:11:18 GMT -5
So now I have an axe to grind with Mr Wynde...
There I am minding my own business when SWMBO wanders in and asks about any recent purchases on tackle. Fearing the worst and thinking she's discovered my St Croix flutter she produced Ben's new fly selection and asks me when I bought them!
Very nicely tied too Ben - Can't wait to try them out.
Did anyone get out on the river this weekend other than Jay?
Bri
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