casts_by_fly

Hi guys, After all of the advice last week, I finally settled on Twynersh in surrey. I figured with 8 lakes, we could find some fish somewhere that were hungry. We only fished for 4-5 hours mid-day, but caught a bunch of roach, skimmers, and perch from lakes 2 and 3. There were a bunch of carp rolling in #2 and I saw a couple really big ones. Both #2 and #7 had a lot of visible carp. I think it was a slow day in all though as I didn't see anything else landed aside from a few odd roach. We had a good time though and got some well needed sun. Thanks, Rick

bluerinse, I made up a batch tonight. Mixed white bread that was dried out, peanuts that were stale, plus some seasonings. I took a small bag down to the local duck pond and the carp and silverfish were going nuts for it. Towards the end I made a little ball with some pond water and plopped it in. For the next 10 minutes the fish were going nutz digging it out of the silt. I saw 8-10 carp and who knows how many silver fish (couldn't tell just what they were since the water is muddy) all at once for a golf ball sized lump. I'm sold. Thanks, Rick

bluerinse, I'm going to have to try this one tonight. I have some stale bread rolls and some peanuts to grind up anyway. Might add a little vanilla to the mix in the processor. Add corn on the bank. That was my basic mix that I was going to try this weekend. Now I'll just have it nearly premade. Thanks Rick

My advice to beginners is always to either find a friend who fly fishes or to take a class/hire a guide for a day or two. See if you like it and then decide from there. If you are decided that you want to do it, then find a shop that you feel comfortable with, tell them what you have done and what you would like to do. They will know what is best given your area and opportunities. Cost is relative. If you want to fish chalk streams in may for trout, you can expect to pay a good bit of money just for the day passes. If you want to buy the best and most expensive gear then you can expect to spend a LOT of money on gear. If you want to start with a more modest budget you can find perfectly serviceable rods and reels for not a whole ton of money, you can fish areas that are not as expensive, and you'll not be out a whole bunch of money. As for gear you'll need, at a minimum you're looking at a rod and reel, a fly line with leaders/tippet and backing, and some flies. If you fish already you probably have nippers, small shot, possibly waders, polarized glasses, landing net, and the assorted random stuff that you use for all types of fishing. So my best advice is to try it out a time or two either with a friend or better with a guide/class. If you like it, then buy your own rod/reel setup and get to plunking. Can't help with areas since I'm not down there. Thanks Rick

I can't help with the coarse fish here, but back home I loved high and muddy conditions for stream fishing (trout/steelhead mostly). The reason being is that the fish are still there, they are still feeding, they are just concentrated in different areas. When the water comes up, they move to slack areas which are nearer the bank. Any slack spot will hold fish as most of the stream is moving too fast for them. So it greatly limits the places you have to look. Also, in those conditions the fish only have a limited amount of time to see the drifting bait. You can fish heavier line and bigger baits/hooks. The takes are much more decisive because the fish knows they either eat or it is gone. It is the same as fishing heavy white water in non-flood conditions. Of course this all pertains to drifting baits/flies for fish and not ledgering. It applies to float fishing very well. Thanks Rick

well I thought I had it figured. I read the bedfont lake description on the fishsoutheast site. All looked good until I read on the boyer leisure site that bedfont is now annual pass only. Next! I'll keep looking. Thanks, Rick

jack, nice catches. Was that fishing out of the PA side or further up into NY? I'm from Pittsburgh originally but living in the UK now. Are you from the UK now living in PA? Thanks Rick

Hi Budgie, I'd be up for that, though I don't live in london so weekends would be the only option. I've read up on the wandle and it looks like a remarkable story. Thanks Rick

thanks guys, that gives me a few to check out. I'll have a look trough those and pick one. The grand union still sounds good because there seem to be a few places where she can people watch while 'we' fish. That was the appeal of the Thames, though float fishing would be impossible for her there. Some of the lakes sound good too. I'll report back afterwords. Thanks Rick

HI Rabbit, I prefer rivers but I think it would be a little tougher for her. Like I said, my hope was to find a place to cast out a few wagglers/loafers with a caster or two under them and sit back. I thought about the Thames around Hampton Court Palace, but that would be ledgering which I don't think would keep her interest. And, I don't have the tackle to sling lead around. I have a 9' medium power and some lighter trout weight rods. My 7' light power is perfect for throwing a 3g drennan for little fish and I think she'd really enjoy catching on it. I figured to take the 9' rod as a ledgering rod for whatever bottom feeder might be coming through (pellets and a small feeder were my thoughts). Bream hold my interest, though I think roach/rudd/perch will hold her interest (and shorter attention span). I've fished the Test (for grayling) as well as the Driffield west beck (up here in Yorkshire) so I'm familiar with chalk streams. Not quite what I'm looking for this weekend but I will certainly have a look for myself. I've done a bunch of google searching and searching on this board, but not knowing the area so well it is tough to know what is where without google mapping every place. I've found a few this way, but nothing that has tripped my whistle so to speak, in that it would be good for her. Thanks, Rick

that's one good way to do it. Personally I prefer to nail knot a piece of monofilament (diameter appropriate to the fly line weight) to the line and tie a perfection loop in the end. Then tie the same loop in your leader and you're good to go. You can switch leaders if you like or even add a sinking tip. I keep the piece of mono short (about 4-6") and it is normally 20, 25, or 30 lb test hard monofilament. Alternatively, if you have one light rod that you keep for delicate operations you can do a no-knot connection. It takes a bit of skill to do, but basically you can warm up a sewing needle (lightly) and the tip of your fly line. Insert the needle into the core of the line and work it in about an inch. Poke the needle through the side of the fly line to make a hold and pull it all back out. Thread the needle back into the fly line tip the opposite way so that you can thread the tip of your leader into the eye of the needle and pull it from the hole you made 1" up the tip out through the center of the fly line. Pull the needle and the leader tip though the tip of the fly line until you get the leader butt almost in. Put a small drop of superglue on the leader butt and pull the last bit into the fly line. Put a tiny dab of glue on the hole and on the tip of the fly line and let it dry. That is the slimmest and most delicate connection you will find. It won't pull out on big fish, but you have to be mindful of how much you cut back your leader or else you'll be building a leader mid-stream. Thanks Rick

Hi Guys (and I presume gals), My wife and I moved here a year ago from the states. I've fished since I was 4 but she has recently started flyfishing since she met me. We realized a couple weeks ago that she has only every been fly fishing, not 'regular' fishing as she called it. So, I decided that she and I were going to go. Now I'm trying to find a place to take her next weekend and have a few thoughts, but would like a little more help from those that have been there. I was hoping for somewhere that we could go, cast out a few rods, and sit back and watch the world go by between fish. I was hoping for somewhere that has a decent number of fish of whatever type and size so that she stays interested. In that respect I was thinking that roach might be perfect and/or perch. She is also visual, so float/waggler fishing on still water would be great. She lives in Chiswick, but we both have cars so driving isn't a problem. I was hoping somewhere between london and Slough as ideal, but again I'd take a better venue over a closer one. Any thoughts? I was spoiled for choice back in the states. I had half a dozen streams, a couple ponds, a bunch of big lakes, a river, and the beach all within a short drive, plus some of the nicest trout waters in the country within 2 hours. It was easy to go out to the state park with a handful of maggots/casters (we called casters wax worms) and catch some bluegills, crappie, and bass. A couple dozen in an evening was nothing. I was hoping for something similar over here. Thanks, Rick