During 2021 Phil Oxley produced three articles in our own group magazine to help us lesser mortals who don't really know a lot about Fly Fishing. Well we were so impressed that it was suggested that we reproduce them here for anyone to read.
MKSG - Fly Fishing and Fly Tying. Phil Oxley
As some of you are now starting to get into a bit of fly fishing I thought it may be helpful if I were to give a few of my thoughts on the subject as I have had to go through a learning curve with this over the last few years since I started. I thought this first section could be on the tackle you need, the second section on the actual fly fishing and the final section a bit about fly tying which I now also do. So, I always said I would never get into fly fishing as I was quite content with fishing for coarse species which I have done since being around eight years old. However, I finally relented after being badgered by Paul to give it a try by joining the Group trip to Testwood in 2012 to have a go for the monster trout there. Paul set me up with some gear and showed me what to do and I commenced to catch some very big fish. I am afraid from that day I became hooked, so to speak, and whilst catching those fish was not hard it was a whole different way of catching fish, particularly when you are stalking the monster and watch it take your fly. That day, as Des rightly says can only be described as carnage as you will have seen from the photo that Des put in the April issue of our mag, with several members of the Group catching their PB trout. A trip with Paul to Summerfields was made shortly afterwards and whilst the trout were no where near as big I found it just as exciting and that sort of sealed that I was to become a fly fisherman. A trip with Paul to the tackle shop at Grafham a little later saw me parting with a couple of hundred quid or so on some fly gear and I was then all set to explore this wonderful world of fluffy chucking. So, as you all can see it is really Paul’s fault that I am now addicted to chucking flies at trout. As some of you have been fly fishing much longer than me please feel free to add to, agree or disagree or whatever on what I have to say as it will all help those of you who are starting or thinking of starting out on this most enjoyable branch of our sport. As I, in the main, only fly fish for trout on small to medium sized still waters most of what I have to say will relate to that type of fishing. I am sure that if you wish to fish the really big waters there is plenty of information around to help you do that once you have got the basics sorted out. Without going into a lot of detail about tackle here are my thoughts that come to mind.
Rods
There are many different types with differing lengths, weights, stiffness etc along with costs varying from under £50 to well over £500 for a rod. There are lots of different manufacturers and different types of guarantees and lifetime warranties. I have both Snowbee and Aleka rods and in the main prefer the Aleka as they are a softer blank and give more feel when casting - more of this later in the actual fishing section. It is good that the manufacturers give lifetime warranties on the better rods, but they are not really giving you anything with rods up to around £200 as the cost of a replacement section will be in the £40 to £50 range. It does, however, save you having to buy a new rod in the event of a breakage. Modern fly rods are delicate bits of kit with the walls of the blanks being thin, hence why they weigh next to nothing. However, they are susceptible to being easily damaged and breaking at the most inappropriate times. I have had two break whilst playing fish and another whilst casting. There are several reasons why fly rods break some of which, not counting the obvious like walking into things, standing on them, trapping them in car doors etc are - Damage when line is pulled through the top section which can create a stress point angle. Loose spigot/socket joint which can create huge stress at contact points resulting in a break since the spigot and socket are not snug and tight. (My last rod breakage occurred at this point). When a beaded fly hits a section of the rod during casting which can cause damage to the rod blank which can then result in a future break when the rod is under stress. So without going on I think with rods you pay your money and take your chance but I do not think that there are many bad fly rods out there. Just always remember that they are fragile bits of kit compared to most of the rods we normally use.
Reels
These at the end of the day are only line holders and if like me you play your trout by holding the line and not off the reel using the clutch, almost any fly reel will do. It is important to have some backing on your reel in case you do hit that big fish whilst most of your fly line is out on the water and the fish takes a lot of line. To be honest though in my experience they have to be pretty big trout to do that. Sizes of reels are designed to take certain line sizes plus some backing, and are made to match the rod weight you are using. Reels can cost from a few pounds to several hundred and generally there are single spool or cassette types where you can have different types of lines on the cassette spools. Diameters and widths of drums vary also for the same line weight but obviously the narrower the drum the bigger the diameter. I have several single spool reels and cassette reels and my preference is for a single narrow spool as the line is held in larger coils with a larger diameter reel. Weights of reels come into play (remember you are holding the rod and reel all the time in one hand) but generally most modern reels are quite light. My favourite reels of which I have two are the Hardy Ultralites but they are expensive at over £250 each. If you are going to play trout off the reel then smooth clutches are important but I think most modern fly reels are pretty good.
Lines
Where to start, floating, intermediate, sinking, sink tips, midge tips, weight forward, double taper, colours, taper configuration, lengths, core types, manufacturers, etc, etc. It is bewildering really and this is just for trout fishing. I have tried lines from several different manufacturers - Snowbee, Hardy, Sonik, Cortland, Scientific Anglers, Greys, Airflo, John Norris plus some unknown brands and to be honest I don’t think there is a lot to choose between them despite each manufacturers claims. So what do you need to start off with, well a floating weight forward line to suit the rod you are using. I tend to use one weight of line more than the rod designation as this helps with casting, particularly when you are starting out. So with a six weight rod I will use a seven weight line. Having said that I am just as happy using a six weight line with the six weight rod now I am a little better at casting. Lines can be quite expensive from the well known manufacturers, upwards of £50 to £60, but you can get them much cheaper from other outlets. It is nice if you have a line that lays dead straight on the water, but I haven’t found one yet that does and the best I have found to date is the Greys Platinum line. I had a Hardy line which was like a snake laying on the water which I sent back to them and which they replaced, but to be honest the one they sent back wasn’t a great deal better. If you find a line that lays dead straight on the water let me know I would be interested to know about it. It used to bother me that my line did not lay in a dead straight line and stretching the line before use does help, but I don’t worry about it nowadays and sometimes watching that slight kink in the line straighten tells you a fish has taken your fly. One thing to watch when fishing is to try not to stand on the line. It is generally not a problem on grassy banks but on hard surfaces such as platforms, particularly if they have wire netting fixed to them to prevent you slipping or, on stony banks you can very easily damage your line. You suddenly find you have cuts or nicks in the line, but all is not lost as they can be repaired, providing the core is not cut, by carefully using superglue and a coating of Loon UV Knot Sense over the repair. I have several lines with this type of repair which I still use. Finally, when you have had a day out fishing, wipe/ clean and dry your lines before winding them loosely back on to your reels ready for your next session. Do not wind them back onto your reel tight as this can form memory sets in your line. You should also get any twist out of your line before winding back on the reel. I find there is usually a bit of twist in the line after a few hours session which is easy to see if you strip the line off the reel at home onto the floor. Generally if all the coils lay dead flat on the floor there is no twist but if some coils stand up a little by themselves there is some twist. I generally remove any twist after each session by pulling the line through my fingers whilst holding the line tight and if there is twist you will see the line untwisting. Wear a glove while doing this as you can almost burn your fingers from friction. Why is it important to remove twist, well if you are casting and you get a bunch of your line suddenly stop at the first rod ring, stopping your cast, that is generally caused by line twist.
Leaders and Tippets
You can buy tapered leaders in different lengths and strengths for attaching to your fly line to which you then attach your tippet length. These tapered leaders do help in turning the flies over on the cast and I have used them. Generally though I prefer to make the leader and tippet up by using different strengths of fluorocarbon. Attaching the leader or fluorocarbon to the end of your fly line can be done in several different ways either by using proprietary braided loops, a welded loop in the end of the fly line (some lines come with this) or one formed by whipping the end of the line into a loop or, my preferred way by attaching the leader with a needle knot to the end of the fly line and smoothed over with a little Loon UV Knot Sense ( I think I have shown this previously in one of our mags). Some people also use a tiny tippet ring whipped onto the end of the fly line. So, generally my leader and tippet is made up as shown below.
Lengths of the different strength fluorocarbon are not set in stone and can be varied but I generally start with an overall length of around twelve to thirteen foot for fishing two flies. There are several fluorocarbons on the market for forming your leader/tippet but I have always used Fulling Mill and am quite happy with it.
Flies
There are literally hundreds of flies of different patterns and sizes, some really well known and some not. I will say more about flies when I continue with a section on fly tying, but if you start off with a few buzzers, nymphs and lures of differing patterns, they will all catch fish on their day. Beware buying cheap flies as you may find the hooks bend quite easily and the flies fall apart quite easily also. When buying flies have a good look at the hook or try and find out what hooks the person tying the flies uses. I will say more about hooks when I come on to fly tying. There are many places you can buy flies from fly fishing shops, internet companies, eBay, waters where you are actually fishing etc.
Fly Boxes
These come in all sorts of different configurations and sizes. When I first started I bought a really big fly box made by Wychwood which is called a competition fly box and which will hold hundreds of flies and I did carry it around but decided it was too heavy unless you are boat fishing or don’t mind humping weight around. Nowadays I only use boxes that will fit in the pockets of my fly vest. For buzzers and nymphs the Snowbee slim line boxes are excellent. For lures I use a double sided pocket box and for dry flies I prefer boxes with compartments which do not flatten the hackles. All the boxes in the photo I carry in the pockets of my fly vest. A good idea is also to put little labels inside your fly boxes with your name and mobile number on, just in case you put them down and walk off without them as it is amazing how much a full fly box would cost to replace. Hopefully, whoever found it would be good enough to inform you so you were in with a chance of getting it back. Fly vest Not essential but very useful with it having so many pockets and if you do not need to carry a seat then a vest will hold everything for you for a few hours fishing.
Floatant and Sinkant
There are different types of floatant to help your dry flies float and also Mucilin to help your leader tippet float if required. Mucilin can also be used to help the end of your floating line stay afloat as after prolonged use it will tend to sink a little. Sinkant, of which there are several different kinds is also used to help your tippet sink when you require it to do so.
Flyline baskets or line trays
You wear these fastened around your waist and strip your line into them and there are several different types on the market. Not essential but very useful if you are fishing on rocky banks (see above) to prevent you standing on your line. Also useful if fishing on sandy banks as the sand sticks to your wet line as you strip it in and it drops on the ground, which is not good, and feels awful in your hands when casting. I bought one when I used to fish at Ringstead Grange when it was a trout fishery as the banks were very sandy there. Some fly fisherman use them quite a bit particularly if wading as the stripped line then stays where you want it.
Hats and Glasses
During casting your flies can travel at quite a speed and the last thing you want is a fly in the back of your head or worse still your eyes. So always wear a hat and glasses be they Polaroid’s, your subscription glasses if you need them ( you can get sunglasses that will fit over these) or a pair of safety glasses. A sudden strong gust when fishing in windy weather can very quickly change the direction of your arialised fly line. I have had the fly hit me on the back of the head several times during casting and a hat gives you some protection.
Priest
If you are going to take fish for the table then you will need a Priest to dispatch your fish. I always carry one but it is very rare I need it as I always fish catch and release. However, for whatever reason you have to dispatch a fish the priest is a very efficient way of doing it.
Bungs
These are useful to fish flies static, and whilst this method is frowned on in some fly fishing circles it can be a very effective method on it’s day and may catch when retrieving flies doesn’t. There are several different systems on the market and you can easily make them yourself. I am sure Paul will be able to give details of how he makes and uses bungs when fly fishing.
Small Scissors and /or nippers
As you may well be changing your tippet and flies several times during a session then these are really essential.
Tackle bag / Seat
A tackle bag is useful if you are out for the day and need to carry food and drink plus waterproofs etc but if you are out for only a few hours and the weather looks set fine you don’t really need one. Remember I am talking about fishing small trout waters so you will never be really that far from your car if you have to nip back for a drink or your waterproof. Myself I general carry an old traditional wicker fishing basket as my old knees do not like standing up for several hours and I can then have a sit down now and again. Some trout fisheries have seats around them in places but not all. All the other items you are likely to need like forceps, landing net etc you will already have in your coarse fishing gear. So that is about it for my thoughts on tackle, I don’t think I missed anything but if I did hopefully someone else can pick up on it. Some of it is a bit basic but if it helps those of you just starting to do a bit of fly fishing then it will have achieved it’s aim. For others of you in the Group who have done a fair bit of fly fishing and can add things from your own experience or preferences please do so and I look forward to reading about anything you can contribute. Next month I will try and give my thoughts on actually fishing for the trout.
Phil July 2021
Fly fishing and Fly Tying - Part 2
So, last month I covered some of my thoughts on the basic tackle you will need when you are just starting out fly fishing for trout and hopefully some of you who also chuck flies at trout will have added your two pennyworth on tackle. Now onto my thoughts on the actual fishing and again there are others in the Group who have more experience and been fly fishing a lot longer than myself, so please add, disagree or whatever as it will all help those in the Group who want to get into this branch of our sport or just fancy a go now and again.
First of all, please remember I am generally talking about fishing small stillwaters for trout and if you want help with fly fishing the big open reservoirs, then you will need to seek advice elsewhere.
So, the first thing to remember is that most waters are regularly stocked in order anglers do catch something when they go. A day ticket on a trout water is expensive compared to most coarse fishing day ticket waters and some feel the need to take fish to eat to make it a viable proposition. If those anglers continually blank at a fishery, they stop going there, simple as that really, so the waters need to have a continuous decent stock of fish in them. There are quite a lot of waters where you have to kill all you catch until you have your limit and then either have to pack up and go or buy another ticket, as there is no catch and release. There are other waters where you have to kill the first specified number of trout and then you can catch and release. All this makes for a good turnover of fish and providing there are sufficient numbers stocked makes them relatively easy to catch. There are other waters that sell tickets for either catching and killing or catch and release. Then there are other waters, like the Wakefield Trout Syndicate I belong to where you have the option of taking so many fish a week and/or catching and releasing. Some anglers do not like the catch and release option as, as time progresses and the fish are caught and released a few times they become increasingly harder to catch or should we say more challenging to catch. Trout soon seem to learn that chasing and grabbing bright fluffy things being wizzed along in front of them means a trip to the bank, if they are lucky enough to be returned that is. Now, couple catch and release waters with adverse conditions i.e. warm water in still hot weather conditions and catching the fish becomes extremely challenging and you certainly see a lot of anglers having blank sessions. Not that it bothers a lot of us who fish catch and release as it is a part of fishing we accept just as we do in coarse fishing. Talking of water temperature we should remember that trout are really cold water fish and in my experience feed a lot better in cooler conditions and I have caught them when the majority of the lake I was fishing had an ice lid on it. Having said all that I still see some anglers really struggling when there are plenty of catchable trout in the water, as they insist on using big lures with the same continuous basic retrieve all the time, which the trout very quickly wise up to. Now, let us look at some specifics.
Weather
I have found that the cooler, overcast and windy weather is generally far better than warm still conditions with bright skies. A bit like coarse fishing really. I am happy fishing in rain and stormy conditions, but draw the line at thunder and lightning. Hot weather is not good as it warms the water too much. Remember we are talking of small stillwaters which are generally not all that deep, they may have odd deeper areas but more shallower areas. The deeper reservoirs, I would think, are the better places to fish in high summer. I know some trout fisheries do not stock fish in the warmer weather and some close if the water gets too warm, until it cools down a bit. Unfortunately some waters close in the colder months, not because of the fish, but because a lot of anglers do not like being out in the cold and wet and, if anglers are not visiting it makes it unviable to keep the fishery open. The Syndicate I fish is only open between mid April and mid October and having fished it a number of years know the best fishing is the early and late parts of that six months. Unfortunately, the remaining six months of the year is used for shooting on the estate and people letting off guns around lakes does not really mix with fishing. Pity there is shooting really as I would much prefer to have a ticket for the colder months.
Location
With trout you may have to keep moving to locate the fish if they are not showing. However, this can be used to your advantage particularly over the early period following the fish being stocked. When trout are first stocked they tend to stay in a shoal and move together in that shoal as that is how they have generally spent their lives where they are bred, so, if you catch one trout persevere in that area for a while as there will be others there. I have found this to be the case on several occasions on several different waters where you will catch a number of fish before the shoal spooks. Eventually the shoal will spread out and then you will need to move around and try different areas to find fish. As with most other fish trout like areas of snags, weed beds, drop offs etc. Quite surprisingly they also like being close in to the bank, until they are disturbed, as if you are quiet you often see trout swim by just in front of you. So, a few casts parallel with the bank close in can often produce a fish. If trout are not giving their location away by showing you just have to keep moving to try and find them. I tend to fish each area by fan casting in front of me and counting the fly(s) down to different depths to try to find where the trout are and at what depth they are holding. The depth the trout will be at will change according to light levels, water temperature, affects of the wind on the water and where the food is to be found. So, after I have cast my flies I give the line a pull to straighten it and then countdown say 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 seconds etc on consecutive casts before starting the retrieve to try and find the depth the trout are holding at. This can take quite a time if you fan cast all the way from left to right at each different countdown. The alternative I tend to use to try and shortcut this a bit is to make my first cast to the left and countdown to 5 seconds and retrieve, then the next cast a little to the right of the first and count down to 10 seconds and retrieve and so on until I have covered the water in front of me. This may entail going up and down the depth changes several times depending on the width and depth of water in front of you. Obviously, if say at the fourth cast at a countdown of 20 seconds you catch a fish or get a tug then you will keep in that area and depth for a while. Having said all that it may be that there are trout there but they are just ignoring the fly(s) you are presenting to them or the speed or action at which the fly(s) is being retrieved. So you may need to do it all again trying different fly(s) and retrieves. I tend to reduce the time spent by using two different flies on the tippet and constantly changing the retrieve all the time I am bringing the flies back in. I know, starting to sound complicated but you will soon get into it. It is just a matter of finding where the trout are, what depth they are holding at, what fly they are prepared to take and how they want it presented in order for them to take it. On the small stillwaters the area of water in front of you is usually not all that great before you are moving to the next area, so it is not as bad or take as long as it may sound. Fortunately, recently stocked fish are hungry as up to now, until they were introduced to their new home, they were used to having food thrown at them each day and did not have to fend for themselves, so to speak and, therefore, anything that moves in their vicinity will grab their attention. As I said earlier it is when they have been stocked for a while and having paid one or more visits to the bank that they learn to ignore the big flashy things and find natural foods available to them. Flies that more represent their natural food then become more important.
Casting
There are, I would say four basic casts which are the roll cast, the normal back and forward cast, the single haul and finally the double haul cast. There are more advanced casting techniques but these are outside the scope of these notes and not something that I use. There are plenty of books and videos on learning to cast but my advice to anyone starting out is to have some casting lessons with an expert, which I didn’t. Looking back now, I certainly wish I had have had some lessons which would have stopped all the bad habits I have now got into. Having said that, most of the time I can cast a reasonable line and good enough for the fly fishing I do. Instead of me trying to explain all the casts I suggest you look on YouTube as there are plenty of tutorials there. But again have some lessons, it will pay in the long run. When you first start, you will want to cast as far as you can, don’t, just learn to cast short distances to start with. You will see some guys on trout fisheries casting really long lines, but these guys have most likely been at it for several years. Other things worth considering to start with are - Wherever possible, if you are right handed always try and get any wind behind you and from your left and vice verse if you are left handed. Keep away from trees and bushes behind you, they have a habit of reaching out and grabbing your flies. They still grab my flies if I give them the chance or forget they are there. Don’t have your leader and tippet too long to start with or you will get tangles. Start by using one fly only, any more is a recipe for disaster until you can cast reasonably well. Learn to feel the line pulling on the rod in the cast in order to know when to change from back to forward with the rod and vice versa when casting. Hence why softer rods are easier for feeling this pull. The forward and back strokes with the rod are all to do with timing and feeling that pull on the rod helps you with this. Do not try to arialise too much line, it doesn’t work. Remember the weight in the line is at the front, hence why the lines are called weight forward. Once you have gone past the front tapered section where the weight is, the line will just collapse if you keep trying to cast it backwards and forwards to let more line out. I see that a company called Sunray sell lines that are marked with a different colour so you can see when the line will be fully loaded and ready for shooting out. If your casting is all going wrong, STOP, because if you carry on it will get worse. Just take a breath for a few seconds and then start again. Casting is like anything else, it takes practice to get right, but don’t worry too much. Unless you are casting a dry fly for really spooky fish, it won’t matter too much and you will get better as you go along. Even now I still cock up some casts, most of the time my casts are okay and sometimes they are even perfect. The fish will not be giving you marks out of ten for each cast so do not worry too much about it.
Retrieves and Methods
There are several different retrieves, the main ones being the figure of eight, slow constant pulls, fast pulls, rolly polly and even static. Generally a figure of eight retrieve is where you gather the line into one hand in a figure of eight as you retrieve and this can be very slow to quite fast. Stripping line can be in short to long pulls at different speeds and rolly polly is where you stick the rod under your arm and retrieve the line hand over hand quite fast. I see several anglers on my Syndicate Water always fishing the same way - one foot slow pulls or strips all the way in generally using big flashy lures and quite often blanking. Every day the trout, particularly on high pressured waters, will have seen these lures moving past them at a variety of constant speeds. They do learn. Sometimes the trout will follow your fly but will not take it, you should therefore vary your retrieves both on each and within each cast, generally called mixing it up, to try and induce the fish to take your fly. If you are getting knocks or tugs from the trout, try quickly speeding up or just stopping the retrieve as the sudden change can often induce the trout to take the fly. Suddenly increasing the speed of the retrieve when getting close to the bank can also induce a following trout to take the fly which it thinks may be suddenly loosing its meal. Sometimes stopping the retrieve altogether and letting the fly drop through the water and then starting again can have the desired effect and you hook your trout. Try something that is completely wrong. I remember seeing a group of trout in the corner of a lake one day and I tried several different flies all to no avail. Finally I put on a buzzer and fished it slowly by them as a buzzer would move through the water column with still no interest shown, so tried pulling it as fast as I could past them, which is totally wrong for buzzer fishing, but this produced seven trout for me. At the end of your retrieve always fish the hang by holding the fly steady, letting it drop or suddenly moving it in a different direction and if a trout has been following it can be enough to get the take. A good adage, as someone said, is to always think a trout is following your fly and try different things to induce it to take it. There is one other, what you could call a wind retrieve when fishing buzzers or very small nymphs in a side wind. This is where you cast out and let the wind do the work by blowing your line round in an arc. You can also very slowly figure of eight at the same time if you want to. Trout do seem to like this presentation.
So far we have talked about retrieving flies within the water column at varying depths and speeds but there are obviously other methods which all have their day -
Bung fishing is where if you are getting no interest from retrieving flies at various depths and speeds you can try suspending your fly(s) under a bung at various depths. You can fish this totally static, let it move with the wind or very slowly move it which causes the fly(s) to move up and down in the water column. This method is frowned on by some fly fishermen as it is really just float fishing, but on it’s day it can beat all other methods. In the past I have found it to be very good with both buzzers and squirmy worms.
Dry Fly fishing is fishing a fly that floats on the surface of the water, rather than in the water column, which the trout come up and take. This is not a method I use very much and I am sure Paul could give more useful information as it is a method that I know he does like using. Booby Fishing is more for using in deeper waters with a sinking line where the booby fly floats up just off the bottom when fish are feeding there. It can, unfortunately, be a source of deep hooking fish. Booby flies can also be pulled across the surface of the water to try to induce trout that are high in the water column to take them. I have no experience of the methods so cannot advise really.
Washing Line method is where two or more flies are held up just under the water surface by a booby fly or blob fly on the end of the line. Can be very effective for trout feeding near the surface but not a beginners method as there are too many flies to get tangled together on casting. Emerger fishing is where flies have a piece of foam tied into them to just hold the fly, usually a buzzer, in the surface film for when the trout are feeding there.
I must admit my favourite method is buzzer fishing. Buzzers or chiromonids to give them their correct name are eaten in vast quantities by trout at all levels in the water column as they rise from the bottom to the surface to hatch into flies. Generally I fish them by casting out, counting down to the different levels as previously discussed and then very very slowly retrieving them. Occasionally I will do a long slow pull which will raise the buzzers up in the water column and then I will let them sink down again ( buzzers naturally go up and down in the water column) and then start the slow retrieve again. Takes on buzzers can be quite ferocious and as I noted previously if no takes are forthcoming, try something different with the retrieve.
Flies to use
As noted previously newly stocked trout are suckers for bright flashy lures, but as they become educated by being caught and returned learn to avoid these. The natural looking nymphs and buzzers then come into their own. Some days some colours work better than others even with buzzers which are not much more than a thinly dressed hook. Black and green certainly seem to be a very killing colour combination and I have caught a lot of trout in both lures and buzzers with this colour combination. My favourite buzzers were black with emerald green cheeks (which represent the wing cases) until I tried black with orange cheeks which I found better still and these are still my go to buzzer. I could go on for ever about flies and will say more about them when I come onto fly tying. However, I think if you have a selection of lures, nymphs, damsels and buzzers in your box in different colours to start with you will catch okay.
Playing, landing and unhooking trout
So, you have chosen your fly, cast out and finally hooked a trout. Being anglers you don’t need me to tell you how to play a fish. However, you will find that trout can be quite acrobatic both in and out of the water and keeping a tight line on them, particularly when using barbless hooks, and the trout are leaping out of the water is essential. Some people advocate playing the trout with the rod held close to the water which tends to stop them leaping so much, but this is quite alien to us coarse anglers where we tend to keep the rod up as much as possible. I prefer to play trout by holding the line, rather than off the reel, as it easy to let line slip through your fingers when the fish wants to take line and then quite easy to pull it back in again, but you will find what suits you best. Loosing some trout, particularly when using barbless hooks is inevitable but, unless you are taking the fish to eat I think it is better to use barbless or hooks with crushed down barbs. I see some people playing trout for ages and I sometimes think they are just playing to the crowd, so to speak. I prefer to get my trout in as quickly as possible, unhooked and back in the water very quickly. Trout do not like being out of the water very long and if my knees allowed I would unhook them all in the water where possible. One of the reasons I use barbless/debarbed hooks is to make unhooking far easier as I fish catch and release. When I get the trout into the bank I usually give it slack line to see if it can shed the hook, which odd fish do, or if not they are quickly into the landing net. It is amazing how many trout manage to throw the hook in the net but if they don’t it is very easy to pick the hook out of their mouth and they are quickly returned to the water without being handled. Trout do not like being handled. I have seen no end of trout being fought on the bank flapping around as anglers try to hold them down to get barbed hooks out, before being finally returned to the water. Do they all survive, I very much doubt it. If you are taking your fish to eat it does not matter too much, but if you are fishing catch and release do not handle the fish unless you absolutely have to. If you are taking fish for the table you will have to kill it, which again is quite alien to some of us coarse anglers, but if you have to it is something you will get used to doing. All I would say is do it as quickly and effectively as possible. If you are taking fish to eat don’t forget to take something to put them in. You can buy waterproof bags for this or just take big polythene bags or carrier bags.
Obviously, what I have had to say only scratches the surface in some ways and you will be able to learn far more from fly fishing books and the vast amount of information that is available on the internet and YouTube.
I think that is about it but I am sure I will have missed something in my thoughts on the actual fishing, which no doubt will come to mind later. However, I am sure some of you other fly fishers will be able to add to this from things you have learned from your own times on the bank chucking flies at trout. So please add, agree or disagree and I look forward to what you have to say. Hopefully, with this and your contributions it will all go towards helping our other Group members who are just getting into a bit of fly fishing or just having a go now and then.
Next time Fly Tying - a hobby within a hobby
Fly Fishing and Fly tying - Part 3
So, I have given my thoughts on basic tackle and my actual fishing for trout in small stillwaters and, hopefully some others of you will will have commented or contributed your own thoughts, all of which is designed to help other members of the Group who want to give it a go now or at sometime in the future.
As I have said before it was never my intention to get into fly fishing, but I did. I then said that whilst I was really enjoying my fluffy chucking I couldn’t really be bothered getting into fly tying, but then I did and I am really pleased I did so. It is a hobby within a hobby and whilst it can be a little frustrating at times is something I now really enjoy doing. It is such a great pastime that there are some tiers who can produce what can only be described as works of art that will never have a swim on the end of a line. To them producing the flies is an end in itself and looking at some of the imitative flies they tie, if you could not see the hook you would not be able to tell them from the actual insect they are copying. But I could never hope to be in their class, but then again the flies I tie are just intended to catch trout. Do the imitative flies you tie have to look exactly like the natural insect you are trying to copy, I suppose it is nice if they do, but I do not think it is essential in the vast amount of cases. If it was most of us fly fishers would catch far less trout. I am on several Facebook fly tying sites where those new to tying will put pictures of flies they have tied and ask for advice or comments on how to improve on what they are doing. Good advice is given but I would say that over 90% of those commenting say that whilst the flies may be far from perfect, they will still catch trout. Here I am just talking about imitative flies, but a lot of flies do not imitate anything but still catch enormous amounts of trout. So, unless a trout is closely inspecting a fly before taking it, as perhaps in dry fly fishing, I don’t think it matters too much. Having said that, if the trout are preoccupied on one particular food source, then you need to have a fly closely resembling that food source. ie match the hatch as they say. I could go on and on about this but it would just become boring and I would suggest that if you have a selection of different flies in your box and you are fishing a water where trout are regularly stocked, hungry and feeding, you will find a fly that they will take. If you are interested in looking at all the different flies available, not only for trout but all fish species, there are several books devoted to the subject, but a really good reference is the Fulling Mill 2021 Collection catalogue which you can download for free from fullingmill.co.uk.
So why bother to tie your own flies -
You can tie patterns that no one else has
You can replicate flies that constantly catch fish for you
You can experiment with different ideas
It is very rewarding catching fish on flies that you have tied
You will never run out of flies that you know catch you fish
You know exactly what materials you are using
You can use hooks of your own choice that will not bend or break in normal fishing
Your flies will not fall apart easily, particularly after catching a fish
You will not be too concerned with loosing flies as you can always tie some more
You will get great enjoyment in just tying flies, but be warned it can become addictive
Will you save money tying your own flies. The short answer is no, due to the amount of gear that you buy to enable you to tie what you want. It is amazing how it builds up.
So how much does it all cost to start tying your own flies. Well, there are several ways you can do this. You can buy a kit that will have everything in it, tools and materials, to get you started tying several different fly patterns. These are available from several different fly tying shops on the internet and range in price from around £70 to £150. Alternatively you can pick up kits cheaper, some second hand, on EBay. You can also buy tools individually which will tend to cost more but would be perhaps of better quality and that way you can get exactly what you want. As far as materials are concerned there are several fly tying shops on the internet that sell all the materials you could ever want or again there is eBay. If you do a bit of fly fishing or intend to do more a kit could make a good birthday or Christmas present from your better half.
With materials it all depends on the type of flies you want to tie and getting loads of different materials can be quite expensive, hence why a kit to start with can be more economical. I note that Sportfish sell Veniards Premium Fly Tying Kit and Fly Tying Vice for £75.49 including free delivery and has all the tools and materials you need to tie lots of different patterns. Check it out on their website if you are interested.
Without going into all the finer points or details of the tools you would require, a basic list would be a vice, bobbin holder and threader, scissors, whip finishing tool, dubbing needle and hackle pliers. Something to hold all the tools in is nice to have but not essential. This is something you can make yourself out of a couple of bits of wood.
Basic tool set up.
The other thing you really need is some good lighting. I have a LED light which I can put directly above the vice. Also I find most useful is a piece of white card behind where you are tying to give you a good contrast.
A rubbish box is a must really to put unwanted bits of materials in, which you should do straight away or you will find those bits get everywhere, particularly bits of marabou feather which just seem to float off into space and end up all over the place.
If you are going to be varnishing a lot of flies you need something to hold them in whilst you are doing it, particularly if you are putting several coats on and fly holder clips that sit in a base are the way of doing this.
Just a word on vices which at the end of the day you get what you pay for. Those contained in kits will generally be very simple lever vices which clamp onto the edge of your work surface. Better quality vices generally cost from around £80 upwards and the top of the range bits of kit could set you back over £500. There are many varied types of vice from lever operated where pressure on the lever tightens the jaws on the hook, through to clamp types and screw operated types. I have both a lever and screw operated type and am happy using either. You can also get rotary vices, which my Scottie vice is, so that you can rotate the jaws of the vice to wind materials onto the hook, however this is a function I very rarely use. One thing that is important if tying any amount of flies is the quality of the jaws themselves as they need to be hard enough to constantly clamp on hooks without wearing, or the hooks start to slip. Both my vices are pedestal types in that they sit on their own base and here it is important that the base is heavy enough so that the vice does not move whilst you are tying your flies.
My general set up is as shown below
There are literally hundreds of materials you can use but these generally are as follows with a few comments of things I have found as I have gone along.
Hooks
There is a vast range of shapes and sizes to cater for all the different types of flies that can be created. It is best to stick to the well known brands and most of what I use are either Kamasan, Fulling Mill or Osprey. Hooks for dry flies are generally thinner and not as strong as they have to be as light as possible for the flies to float on the surface. Do not expect the same strength from a trout hook that you would from hooks we normally use in our specimen fishing, but most are more than adequate for the trout you would normally expect to catch from small stocked stillwaters.
Threads and flosses
Thread is used to securely fix materials, used to form the fly, to the hook. It may even be used in layers to form the bodies of the flies as in buzzers. There is a huge range of colours, diameters and materials available. Some stay round but others you can flatten by untwisting the thread as you use it as in forming the body tapers on buzzers. Some threads come plain and some pre waxed. What is important to learn is thread control when tying flies to ensure you have just the right amount of tension maintained on the thread as you wrap it around the hook. Floss is much thicker than thread and used mainly for making the bodies on flies.
Hackles
Most hackles come from domestic foul and some foul are reared solely for their feathers but these tend to be really expensive. Feathers from both hen and cock birds are used and it is worth remembering that the feathers from the hen birds are much softer and are used on flies that are intended to sink whilst those from the cock birds are much stiffer and less absorbent and are used more for dry flies. Both neck and saddle capes are available in natural and many dyed colours. Generally I have found that you get what you pay for and in cheap capes there will be a lot of feathers that will be too big to be used on the sizes of hooks we use for trout flies.
Dubbing
This can come from the body hair of animals such as rabbit, hare, seal and others. There are also many man made alternatives available with all sorts of blends and colours. The softer materials are generally easier to dub around the thread for forming fly bodies. There is a knack to forming the dubbing on the thread and whilst the experts make it look very easy, it is something you need to practice.
Feathers
Those from ducks, turkey, goose, pheasant, partridge and peacock amongst others are widely used again in their natural colours or dyed in many different colours. Marabou, one of the most widely used is the soft mobile plume that comes from the domestic turkey. Do not be tempted to use feathers from road kill or shot birds, unless they have been treated to kill all the mites that may be in the feathers, or they could transfer and ruin your other fly tying feathers if stored together.
Hairs and Furs
Hair and fur from several animals are used for some flies the most well known one being deer hair.
Tinsel’s and Wires
Tinsel’s come in a lot of different sizes and colours either on a spool or in hanks. Some come with a different colour each side. There are also Mylars which shine different colours depending on how they catch the light. I mainly use both for the cheeks on buzzers or the flash strips in damsels. Do not be tempted to use tinsel from Christmas decorations as the colour usually comes out of it when you apply varnish to it. Wires come in all colours and in several different diameters and are generally used to form the ribbing on flies and also to stop the trouts teeth from destroying the fly to easily.
Plastics
Foams, thin flexible strips and strands come in all sorts of colours and forms for fly tying. Flexi floss is one material I use quite a bit for buzzer cheeks.
Wools and Yarns
These in the main are used to form the bodies of some flies. Also included in this category are chenilles in different forms.
Beads
These are used in different forms and colours to form heads and eyes on flies. The metal beads, particularly tungsten help flies to sink quicker where incorporated.
Wax
This can be used to coat the tying thread making it sticky which helps other materials stick to it. ie dubbing.
Lacquers and Varnishes
These can be obtained in different forms but I only use one, this being Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear nail varnish. You can buy your own or borrow the wife’s, just remember to give it her back.
This list, if you have read thus far, is not endless as there are other modern materials becoming available all the time. If you are interested just have a look at any fly tying material suppliers on the internet.
Obviously this is a long list but you would not need it all at once. If you were to buy a kit then you would have quite a bit to start with. Myself, I started by buying just the materials I needed to tie a particular fly(s) and built up my collection as I went along over time.
Other items I have found useful are a toothbrush for brushing out dubbing on a completed fly to make it look more ragged, a cigarette lighter to burn off any bits of stray cotton on buzzer bodies before varnishing and a scalpel for cutting materials off flies you have tied that you maybe are not happy with. Obviously, if you get into fly tying you need to store all your gear somewhere and I have found plastic hobby boxes with plastic dividers for the smaller items most useful and plastic resealable bags for the larger items.
Tying the flies
Things you will need to learn, even if it is the hard way as I have found at times.
Holding the hook very firmly in the vice is essential as if the hook slips when you have almost completed your fly it can undo all your good work. When I have fixed the hook in the vice I usually give it a push down with my finger nail to ensure it is not going to move. You should get a ping noise as your nail slips off the hook and it springs back.
Thread control I have already mentioned which is achieved by holding the bobbin holder in your hand and keeping just enough pressure on the cotton bobbin within it to allow it to rotate as you wind the cotton around the fly. Just how much pressure comes with practice but you will find with the thinner cottons that you will break some until you get used to this control.
Do not crowd the eye of the hook with materials or thread or you will find that when you come to whip finish the fly you will end up covering the eye of the hook. This appears to be one of the most common mistakes that all new to fly tying make unless they know different and bear it in mind. Again, something I learned the hard way.
Try and learn some core techniques before starting to tie flies such as securing the thread to the hook, whip finishing, forming bodies from feather fibre, applying dubbing to thread and, applying collar hackles. There are others but these will do to start with.
Always remember when varnishing the head of a fly, to keep the varnish away from the body or hackle feathers and always ensure the hook eye is clear of varnish on completion.
Once you start tying flies be patient, your first attempts may not be great but do not get disheartened, you will get better and more confident as you go along. With any new fly pattern you start to tie I generally find it takes about three attempts to get it some where near right so don’t give up easily if you decide to have a go.
Finally, when tying flies it is essential that you are comfortable, sitting at the correct height and distance from your vice. With vices that fix to the edge of your work surface you have to position yourself to suit the position of the vice, but with pedestal types you can position your vice where you want to suit where you sit.
So, if you have got this far without giving up, or nodding off, and are still reading you may even be interested in trying your hand at fly tying. I must warn you it can become addictive as you want to try tying different types of flies. I will not try and tell you how to actually tie flies as there are others far more able and qualified than myself. There is plenty of information out there to help you in the way of books and videos on the internet and YouTube. One of the best books to help you on your way should you decide to have a go is shown Below.
This book which helped me enormously when I first started was recommended to me by Johnny Boy who ties flies and was a long standing member of our Group. On YouTube you will find loads of videos of people showing you how to tie flies and you can also find videos on core techniques etc. In fact everything you really need to know. Some of my favourite tiers on YouTube are Davie McPhail, Mak of Makflies and Steve Cullen. Check them out if you are interested.
I hope I have covered all the basics and perhaps just a little more to help you along your way if you should decide to have a go at tying up some flies. I am by no means an expert and still learning but am here to help in any way I can if needed, just let me know.
So, that is it on this little series on my Fly Fishing and Fly Tying. I hope if you have stuck with it you will have found, if not all, some of it interesting. Also, that it has been, or will be of some help to those of you who may decide to get into having a go at chucking fluff at trout now or in the future. If it has, then it has served its purpose.
Phil
September 2021
