resevoir help please

[Robbie]

Hello folks,

I was fishing on my local resevoir tonight and need a little help.

About 7pm a thunder storm passed.
Then is went flat calm
about 8.30pm every fish in the place started to head and tail.
I caught two on a dry fly with induced takes but do not know how I should have been fishing.
I think the fish were on buzzers so I tried them but don't really know how to fish buzzers properly, especially when seeing so many fish on the surface it was tempting to whip out the buzzers and aim at a fish.

So how do I catch them???

Thanks for the help!

Rob

[flyfisher100]

try shuttlecock cdc buzzers when there like this the fish are taken buzzers caught in the surface film i do well on black or olive coloured ones mark.

[Robbie]

Thanks mark,

I'll try the shuttlecock cdc.

Do I fish them say 3 on an 18 foot leader and retrieve very slowly?

thanks,

Robbie

[Braveheart]

The fish were almost certainly on buzzers.
A common mistake in this situation, but one which you recognized is that the fish are on dry's.
Best method is a couple of light buzzers on a floating line, cast in area of rising fish or target specific fish, let them sink for a couple of seconds, if nothing takes on the drop, start a medium figure of eight retrieve and hold on !!! Get it right and this is probably the most exciting fishing you will experience.
On a good night I've taken over 30 fish in less than an hour on the evening "buzzer" rise.

[rrw35]

Send me some of those patterns mate, my buzzers dont seem to work.

[flyfisher100]

i fish one single fly on the point of at least a twelve foot leader you can fish them static and wait for the take or twitch and stop i find the second option induces far more takes i also fish it new zealand style sometimes with an epoxy buzzer mark.

[Gander]

If I couldn't get the dries to work, I would probably tried a couple of nymphs edged back under the surface. Something like a Diawl Bach and a Pheasant tail.

[Gander]

robbie2 said:

Do I fish them say 3 on an 18 foot leader and retrieve very slowly?

Three on a long leader is going to give you more problems than the worth of it. I would start with two on a thirteen foot leader, five foot apart. Only increase the leader length if the fish are spooky, and don't be afraid to try a single fly. Remember, one well presented fly will catch more fish than three poorly presented flies.

Also, leave them sit. Maybe give them a twitch or two before lifting off, but basically shuttlecocks are best fished static.

[Artemis]

Another way would be to use diawl bachs fished fairly fast to keep them high up in the water. Fast figure of eight for example.

Artemis

[3lbgrayling]

welcome to the forum artemis.hope you'll stay awhile.

jim

[thewickedpickett]

Send me some of those patterns mate, my buzzers dont seem to work

seconded. I've tried them all, admittedly i don't have much patience but still.

a wee hares ear slow is my usual tactic in a flat calm. and strangely a golden olive winged wet fished really slow used to work a treat.

[richarda]

One point no one has brought up is that fish can be moving very fast and if you cast to a rise the fish may will be yards away ands does not see you fly. Try watching which dirrection the this is moving in and try to predict where he will rise and place your fly accordingly.

Richard

[Braveheart]

One of the greatest assets an angler has, is his eyesight, another is observation.
9/10 times the evening rise is a misnomer, it should be more aptly called the evening bulge.
If you watch the "rise forms" closely, you will see that the fishes Neb rarely breaks the surface. The fish are in-fact taking rising buzzers, the "rise" you see is actually a bulge caused by the fish taking buzzers just below the surface.
That is why you struggle with dry's, the fish are locked onto buzzers. You will get the odd fish with dry's, but if you switch to buzzers you will dramatically increase your catch rate.
The only exception (normally) to this will be when the caenis are hatching, and when the spent adults cover the water, but if you use your eyes and observe this, you will have no problems.

[lynbuell]

another point not made would be to try a washing line(booby on point) and buzzers or nymphs on droppers...the speed of gentle retrieve would determine the depth...