casts_by_fly

I've got an invite there and a day scheduled. Was curious what fishes well. Thanks rick

My line of choice is frog's hair. Don't know if you have it over here or not. I loaded up on a bunch before I moved so I still have plenty. Seaguar grand max is another trusted line for me. I have some spools left from before I switched to frog's hair. Very good, very strong. The spools were bigger in diameter (with no additional line on the spool) and the line was a little more expensive. Frog's hair seems a little more limp than seaguar but equally as strong. I've used others in the past with mixed results. Vanish is junk. I have had one good spool in a bunch of attempts. Others have had similar results. In heavier line (8 lb and up) it isn't as bad, but in lighter line any little problem in the line is a weak spot that will break. Knot strength in vanish is very poor compared to other fluoro, even if you wet it and no matter what knot you use. Thanks, Rick

I use fluoro almost exclusively, and fly tippet at that because that's what I have lots of. There are a few considerations with Fluoro. Knots are one. You can't use knots that really cinch down on the standing line. Fluoro is susceptible to heat. If you heat it while the knot cinches (an improved clinch knot is good for that) you'll weaken it. If you try to straighten it by running it through your fingers and pulling (like you would a fly leader) you'll build heat and weaken it. If you leave it in direct sunlight or in the boot of your car in the heat you'll weaken it. If you can avoild those mistakes, fluoro is great. I've been fishing fluoro for 10 years now, mostly on flowing water for trout and steelhead/salmon, and I've used it on fly, centerpin, and spinning rods. It has its times and in certain situations it is tough to beat. Low flow streams with spooky fish is one. Thanks, Rick

so then double digit carp (15-20 lb) would be the upper limit that you would routinely target with a pole? I can understand the incidental catch. I know that you can catch bigger fish that intended. But if you are TARGETTING big fish, I'd have to think that the pole is an inferior tool to a rod. Thanks, Rick

Hi Guys, I've read up on the advantages of poles vs waglers but the question that keeps popping up in my mind is what weight/size of fish are the targets of pole anglers? A rod and reel will be better for big fish fighting. What is the cutoff for a 'normal' upper limit for most pole anglers? Thanks, Rick

I've seen that they are on the EA's list of imported species and are present somewhere in UK waters. I've also seen a lot of very fishy places that largemouth would love on the coarse lakes and canals I've been to. I'd love to know the answer as well seeing as that's where I cut my teeth angling and what I've done the most of over the past 20 years. thanks, rick

they are round and have air in them? Usually on the surface or moving towards it. Sorry, that's the best I can do... ;o) thanks rick

I've built hundreds and sold most of them, though that was all in the US. From what I've gathered in the past and what I can see being here, rod building components are in very short supply, are expensive, and there is little selection. If you are doing just one rod then suck it up and use what you can get here. If you are planning to do more than one then source a bigger order from the US and take advantage of the exchange rate. You'll find much better selection surfing the US sites and even if you have to pay import and VAT it will still be cheaper than buying locally. Rodbuilding.org will have a big list of sponsors that are all good to deal with. I always liked Angler's Workshop and Custom Tackle Supply for what I wanted though. There are a few brits on the forum so search around and see what you find. The exception in terms of availability though is carp/coarse rods. In the US you'll not find a rod marked as a carp rod or a ledgering rod. They will be rated differently and the test curve rating over here doesn't apply over there. That said, you can find some really awesome blanks if you know what you are looking for. thanks rick

I fish light line (or at least comparatively in the US) most of the time. Steelhead fishing in low clear water is tough with heavier stuff so I'll often fish 2-4lb fluorocarbon. Having landed more than my fair share of big steelhead on 2-4 lb line (on fly, spinning, and float rods) I've gained a new respect for what quality light line can do for you. As such, I've dropped down to 4 and 6 lb test where I would have fished 6, 8, or 10 previously. I have no problems fishing 6X and 7X fly tippet for big fish so long as there aren't any snags around. As mentioned above, if your gear is balanced and you know how to use it, you can land some big fish on really light line. My second best carp was landed on 6X tippet (about 3.4 lb test) back home at the river. Since it was wide open river it wasn't a problem and I landed the 20+ lb carp. My PB carp was over 30 and it came on a 5 wt fly rod and 6 lb tippet. Similar situation, open river, no snags. It is important to know your gear though and push it as hard as it will go. You'll loose a few fish in the learning process, but you'll learn just how much pressure you can put on a fish with light line. Thanks Rick

barbless because they do less harm to the fishes mouth. You will get much deeper penetration of a barbless hook than a barbed hook. It makes unhooking the fish a lot easier (once in the net the hook will often back out on its own before you get there). And it makes unhooking YOU a lot easier should you get one into your skin. The only place I don't like barbless hooks is fishing artificials for bass (largemouth/smallmouth) as the artificials have a tendency to throw hooks out anyway. I'm surprised that ALL of the commercial fisheries don't require barbless hooks. Thanks, Rick

hi All, Made it out again tonight to rectify last weeks mistakes. Made a stop to the shop today at lunch and picked up some bigger hooks and assorted others. Last week there were bunches of carp feeding on the surface from the time I got there. Of course I had no good hooks to hold bread. Tonight was a different story. Didn't get the same peg as last week as someone was there but I moved over 3 pegs to give us both some room. Same story as last time. I baited up with some groundbait and corn and settled in for some bream and roach. As I fished the whip in close I had a spinning rod rigged on the top with bread ready to go. It wasn't 5 minutes and the carp were up on top. I got 10 between 5 and 8-ish pounds. I didn't weight any and I haven't weighed many carp lately but they were all heavier than a US bag of sugar (5 lb) but none were pushing 30". All were very solid fish and a few had 'shoulders'. Surprisingly, all were white. I had never caught white ones before so that was new for me. There were a few golds drifting around and a couple commons also, but they were a bit more picky. Good night, glad to be back into it. Thanks Rick

the airline checking them in made the ultimate mistake, but the family should have realized it. It is the airports fault that they were given the wrong flight but their own fault for getting on it. Rule number one of traveling is to know where you are going and how you're getting there. That means knowing what flight you are getting on, what time it is supposed to depart, and what your destination is. With that said though, there is no way I would have left the airport with just a 'replacement' holiday to a destination that wasn't my intended. They gave me the wrong ticket which made me miss my holiday with my family. They then couldn't get me where I needed to be. At the minimum I'd have the make up holiday (only if I wanted to go to the alternative destination anyway) plus a set of first class tickets from the airline to destination of choice. Thanks, Rick

Over here, you can't walk into a bait shop and buy 2 dozen shiners for bait. There aren't many small streams where you can seine your own. So you're limited to what you can catch on a rod and reel first to use later as bait. That is a bit of a pain unless you are targeting something specific. To be honest, if I was targetting big pike and I mean truly big pike I'd start with live bait. Live bait always looks like the natural because it is the natural. It always behaves like an injured fish because it is hindered by your line. There is nothing that sets a big predator off like an injured prey. When the fish are feeding actively then you can often catch as many fish on lures just because the amount of time the lure is in the water and the amout of water you can cover. When the fish are not feeding actively, live bait is the only way to go. thanks rick

If you're drifting in moving water then a lip hook works best. If you are fishing it under a float then one behind the dorsal lets the fish keep swimming with your rig above it. If you are ledgering then one by the tail lets the fish swim longer but one in the lip will have the hook into the fishes mouth as soon as he hits the bait. Thanks, Rick

I fish to catch fish and enjoy my surroundings. I'll fish whatever method is most appropriate. On one of the US steelhead forums the questions always come up about what is the best method, is fly fishing elitist, etc. As mentioned, its all about the conditions. When I was steelhead fishing I could be fishing bait or flies on a spinning rod, centerpin rod, or a fly rod on any given day. Each had their own time. In low crystal clear water, it is tough to beat a centerpin with a single egg. High water was time for a big gob of egg skein. That nice green water condition fished anything well. Shallow water runs was the domain of a fly rod, shallow white water and pocket water was egg sacs on a spinning rod, and anything over 4' deep was perfect for a pin. Pick the rod that is best for the conditions and go fishing.

the best way to catch perch back home was a 1-2" emerald shiner on a small jig head or tipped onto a hair or maribou jig. Fish that under a float if the water isn't deep or fish it more actively in deep water. Tough to beat. thanks, rick

I don't own one or run one. I do know business numbers pretty well. You'd have the initial costs of land, digging, filling and stocking. You'll have ongoing costs of maintenance, insurance, repeat stocking, paying off the loans on the land, and labor. I'm sure there is paperwork and administration costs as well. As mentioned above, the only income you get is putting anglers on pegs. If you already owned the land that had good ponds ready to fish it would be easier, but still not easy. At the end of the day though it is a business. To have a successful business you need income and cash flow while minimizing expenditure. I think it could be a good business if (1) you're in a good area that has enough angler traffic flow, (2) if you can get a decent deal on the land/water with relatively low interest rates on any borrowing, and (3) you are able to organize regular matches to have a steady income. It could be done, but I don't think it would be easy. Thanks Rick

Hi guys, What sizes of pellets are typically used for what fish? Last weekend I started with 4mm pellets figuring I'd be after roach and small stuff. I had some sinking expanders and some softer hook pellets (that aren't very soft). I ended up mixing them into ground bait or just baiting with them on their own. I grabbed some 6mm pellets last night at the lake, but again bread and maggots were doing well enough that I didn't bother to switch. That said, I'd like to learn pellets since they are totally new to me. So, what sizes are commonly used for what fish? Thanks, Rick

yeah, fortunately they hold most of the matches on weekends. Since I'm only 5 minutes away I like the evening ticket for £4 and they don't have so many matches in the evenings (certainly not one of every lake like weekends). They do post their calendar on the website which is really nice. I'm really happy with the place. Thanks, Rick

Hi guys, I fished Risby park tonight for the first time. It certainly won't be the last as I had a really good night. Caught roach, rudd, and bream. The bream were in the 2-3 lb range and one of the roach was over a foot long. There were plenty of carp eating bread off the surface, of course all of the bread I had wouldn't stay on a hook for anything. I know for next time though. I should have known better having fished bread on the surface for carp before. But, I wasn't planning on it. The lakes are really nice and in a great little setting. I'll definitely be back, especially for 4 quid after 5 PM. Thanks Rick should have mentioned that the roach came on maggots, the rudd and bream on corn and/or breadball that was sunk. Half were on a whip, half were on a float rod. thanks, rick

yep. Been tying for a while now, must be going on 10-12 years. Have tied everything from tiny trout to big saltwater. About the only stuff I haven't done is full dress salmon flies. I used to tie for creativity and to fill my boxes out, now I just tie a few at a time for any given trip so that I have a couple specific to the water I'm on. thanks rick

if I had to pick one, it would depend on which country I was in (here or back in the states). Over here it would have to be a #18 olive haystack (though an olive klink would be up there too) on the surface. Back home it would be a #16 CDC and elk in tan or olive. Subsurface would be tough. I really like fishing midge larva to sighted fish on freestones and killer bugs/scud on the chalkstreams. To pick one fly though, it would be a small olive hares ear (some with a bead and flash back) in probably an 18 again. For just plain fishyness in all conditions though, a black wooly bugger can be tough to beat. Drift it, strip it, jig it. It can be a lot of things. Thanks, Rick

thanks Rob. I checked my local today at lunch and they didn't have any. I did pick up a 6m fiberglass one though. It was cheap, but should work well enough on small fish. At the moment I have a 7' spinning rod for fishing floats/wagglers and it works well enough. I think the whip would be easier to manage. Also, my local lake allows one rod and one line or else you pay extra. Might as well have both and not pay extra, right? Thanks, Rick

the super high back cast is called a steeple cast. As mentioned, very useful when you have a lot of low junk behind you. Same as a normal back cast, except you're rotating the plane of the cast counterclockwise. The difficulty that most have with it though is the forward cast. Since you've rotated the plane by 90 degrees, the forward cast should go exactly opposite to the back cast. In this case that would be directly into the water. You can punch the forward cast, but if you are fishing anything buy a single, small, streamline wet fly it can lead to problems. I prefer to throw a high, hard back cast and an open loop forward. You'll not get any wind knots or tangles. For the left/right situation, casting right handed over the left shoulder works, but as you said it can be a bear in the wind. The solution is to turn around. Instead of facing upstream with the river on your left, face downstream with the river on your right. Then use your back cast as your forward cast. You can let the water load the rod a little on the lift and punch out a pretty good cast into the wind with no false casting- just lift and flick. Thanks Rick

HI Guys, I saw one in a shop over the weekend and it felt pretty decent. I think it was a 4m version and I was surprised how light it was for the price. Anyone know anything about them or use one? I was thinking that for less than a tenner I should add a 6m version, just to have on. I have a short spinning rod that i fish floats on, but this pole/whip would do about the same with less fuss. On that note, is this a pole or whip? The one I saw didn't have a ring for the tip, rather it was just plain graphite. It wasn't hollow either though so I don't know how you'd get any elastic through it. Maybe I am missing something? Thanks, Rick