OwdTrout

So long as you obey the first and most important commandment of all, you'll be OK... DON'T GET CAUGHT If there is a site I'd be interested as well could stage through there on my way north. Cheers, OT

The spies have been out. Finally we have a photo of Mr Lureflash's highly trained pheasants. Apparently it takes up to a year to teach a pheasant to tie the overhand knot. Then they just leave them to work alone like this fine example. Another month and it'll be history for this poor chap. Still several fly tiers will be grateful they don't have to knot their own, Cheers OT

If its legal I'm happy for you to do it, (unless you enjoy it, in which case it is probably illegal). I have tried this and I don't do it now. I have learned to do things properly and, I suspect, using indicators slowed the process down. I tend not to use split shot. Remember in Yankiestan they can still use lead in many places. For a given weight the shot tends to be smaller. Do the science yourself, it starts "If a body is totally or partially immersed in a fluid..." So for a given weight in a given flow the lead shot will fish deeper. Then there is the other thing. I dislike having to fish in a motor cycle helmet. It just isn't the correct millinery for fly fishing. Fish with split shot on your line and you'll soon know what I mean. Cheers, OT

Quite simply the general rule is, or was, nymphs are usually weighted wet flies are not. Of course there are now exceptions, like bead headed wets and floating nymphs. The idea is to work out how deep you need to be, and fish a pattern that gets to the depth. Its little wonder you haven't had much success with the wets. Down and across was described by Pritt (I thing it was) as "the Devils work". The way to fish them is upstream traditionally. Long rod and a short, gentle roll cast, so as not to dry them out. By long rods I mean 11 to 13 feet. Then track them back downstream. Another way is to cast up and across making an aerial mend before the line lands (throw extra line upstream). Then track them down to about where you would make your cast fishing across and down. For spiders to be really effective you should be covering rising or boiling fish. The reason you are missing takes downstream is that you are pulling the flies away from the fish. Fish usually face the current. This brings up two of the three problems you are having. First you are fishing for fish that can see you very clearly. Second is as I mentioned above, you are pulling the fly away from the fish. The third problem is to do with imitation. Can you name one nymph that can power across open water at the same pace as your fly when you are swinging it? I can't. Rather than a carefully tied spider you may as well fish a mackerel feather. At least that could be mistaken for something that could swim that way. Something you might find useful is the modern Duo Method. This involves a big bushy buoyant dry fly and a weighted nymph. Of course the weight of the nymph will dictate the size of the dry. This is one of the ones I like to use. You can hang a very heavy nymph under this. As for what nymph to hang under it the choice is as endless as you want it to be. However two will cover most of your fishing if you want to keep it really simple. This is the heavy one. Two layers of lead wire under the body. Or something like this with either dubbing or pheasant tail under the body. Although I can never resist fishing one of these. Well one did bag my largest ever wild brown of about 27 inches. Then comes the final problems. How far is the nymph from the dry? Well I use enough mono that when it hangs down at 45 degrees behind the dry it will be as deep as I want it. This is a very rough rule of thumb, but I find it ok. There are three ways you can attach the nymph. 1, Dropper - Put the dry fly on the dropper and the nymph on the point. 2, Two in the eye - Tie the second length of line to the eye of the dry. 3, New Zealand - Form a loose knot in the end of the mono and slip it over the hook of the dry fly. My experience is that the New Zealand method tangles the least. Other than that there isn't much to choose between the three. I hope that is at least some help. Cheers OT

Just about the toughest paint would be smooth Hammerite. However why not get it re powder coated. It isn't that expensive, and you'll never do as good a job with paint as they will. Cheers, OT

Several years ago I bought a new floating line which came with two braided loops. I can't now remember if it was Grays or Snowbie but it was one or t'other. The loops were small and secured with a drop of super glue. This prevented me shoving the end of the line into the double walled section of the loop. The resulting gap was so soft that I couldn't get my leader to turn over at all. After struggling with it for half an hour or so I took the loop off and nail less nail knotted a length of heavy mono on to the line. Suddenly I could cast again. If you do use a braided loop don't be tempted to secure the loop with super glue. That is where one end of the braid enters the other. Thread your line into the loop a point where it is inside the inner section of braid then put the tubing on. Another way of attaching your leader is this very neat way. Also there is the way that Dave Whitlock uses. Stick a needle into the line at the tip and out the side. Take the needle out and work the butt of your tapered leader into the fly line. Secure with a drop of Zap-A-Gap super glue. He has even used this method for bone fish. He might, I don't have the confidence. Cheers, O.T.

Remember the proper reply for when casting on grass. Stranger, looking at you funny: "Have you caught any yet" You, with straight face: "You're the third." Cheers, OT.

According to the Met Office I wasn't going to be able to fish today for high winds. When I looked at the weather it was bright clear and still. Another great forecast form the Met Office. I wouldn't mind if we didn't pay them so much to get it wrong. Met Office weather presenters are the highest paid civil servants. I wouldn't pay them in washers. Once again work conspired to stop me getting out, but I made an escape today, though it was a little late. At the river there were plenty of fish rising. A lot of them much lower in the pool than before. Before I had tackled up it started to rain then hail. Sheltering by a wall I added a new tippet to my furled leader. I must make some more of these this one is starting to show its age. Its only 3 seasons old and will probably last another two, but they are easy to make so why not? Two came to my stuck shuck emerger and another to the Muller. The Muller is a parachute style fly the creator of which I can't recall. It was published in FF&FT a couple of years back. It is distinctive in the way the hook is shaped. The shank is bent down a little about 1/3 of the way back from the eye, where the "wing" is placed. Mine are tied on some small keel hooks I acquired a few years back so I don't have to modify the hook. After that the rise started to go off the boil. Fish still rose sporadically, but I couldn't get them to come to my flies. The river was higher today after the rain through the week, and noticeably warmer. If anything more fish were showing so its looking good for the next few weeks. This afternoon I discovered some new scissors for my fly tying. What's great about them is they are very small, with big finger holes and fine blades. What's even better is that they come with a lifetime guarantee. The blades are Titanium bonded Much better than stainless steel. Especially the cheap stuff most tying scissors are made from. These are they Now I'll have to get to the vice and use them. Cheers, OT

Been there, done that. Ask Al!!! Far better to learn to do it yourself. A latched boilie needle is basically a knitting machine needle set into a handle. It is a hook with a hinged latch to form it into a tear-drop shaped loop when it is closed. You can get it either from a shop that does knitting machines, (don't know what they charge) or from a tackle shop dealing in carp gear (about £2 often less). Don't buy the one sold for tying knots in pheasant tail fibres, they cost £7:95 3 years ago. Rather than pay that, get the boilie needle and send me the fiver. It is not difficult to knot them on the tail feather like this. It makes storage less of a problem. You can do it while having an inane couple of hours in front of the TV. I can't I don't have one. Cheers, OT

I've never fished with them, though I have tied them. Quite honestly the best thing to do with a quill is cut the end off and bake it in hot sand for about 15 seconds. Then it is ready to make a pen from! Sealing the cut end is always a problem. As for daddy legs two things. First find a tame carp fisherman, sneak up on him, (not difficult they are a rather sedentary bunch) and steal his latched boilie needle. They are great for knotting pheasant tail fibres. The other simpler method is to but a full feather ready knotted. The last one I bought only cost about a fiver and lasted me a couple of years. (I was tying commercially then). It is quite amazing how they train the pheasants to do this. Such a waste though, as, for the feather to be of any use, it must be "harvested" before the bird drops it. Discarded feathers are of little use in fly tying. Once the bird has knotted all the fibres its curtains for it, or should I say the pot. Cheers OT

At this time of year timing isn't everything... its the only thing! Here in the north people fishing flies deep because they can't see rises tend not to do too well. It isn't that the fish are feeding deep, they are just not feeding. Sometimes a nymph is the only way to go, but it tends to be one fished only a few inches below the surface. Like for me last Sunday. The successful fly was an Orange Partridge fished not more than 6 inches deep. Thanks again Vagabond. Fly Fishing Small Streams landed this morning. Its average Gierach. Mind you his average standard is simply brilliant. Jim, There is a bit of advice about nymph fishing that is essential in John Gierach's Trout Bum. Student: Master how does one know when the fish takes the fly? Master: The moon is reflected in the deep pond, my son. When you can fish a nymph you'll understand that! I'm not enough of a word smith to begin to describe how to go about fishing upstream nymph to unsighted fish. Just stick at it, and it'll all start to make sense. Er, did I just say that? No it won't, but it will start to work. Cheers OT

A quill body for a daddy is a traditional pattern. I well recall Alan showing it to me, many, many, many years ago. these days I just use a length of suede chenille singed at the end for daddy bodies. Like this- Cheers OT

I recall, some years ago, reading about using spider patterns for mullet. Worth a try. Cheers, OT

"The problem with ruling people is who you get to do it. anyone who wants the job is the last person who should be allowed anywhere near it." Douglas Adams H2G2

Al, technically they are not peeled. The outside of the bamboo isn't stripped away at all. One of these days I'll have a go at building one myself. If I was doing it commercially they would be a lot more than the price of that one. It may be a lot of money, but, when everything is considered, its not expensive. One craftsman working at the top of his game can only produce a maximum of about 40 rods a year. think of that in terms of what you earn. Divide your salary by 40, then add say 20% to cover the investment in tools and materials and another 15% vat. That's your wholesale price not including overheads for your workshop etc. For many people building cane rods is a side interest, but why should someone subsidise your fishing tackle by doing another job to part pay for it? Of course this is for hand plained rods. Milled rods would be nowhere near as expensive. It just proves that we no longer value the skills of craftsmen. It reminds me of one fly tier who insisted that you don't need an expensive vice. His was £2.5'6 in 1952. So I asked what he was earning in 1952. It was more than a weeks wages. And now the same person earns more than the price of a LAW vice a week. In real terms that's a huge fall in price. Lawrence is one of the top engineers in the country. Certainly the best working on Fly fishing / tying equipment. I can get very cynical about how little we value these skills. What's Richard Carter making these days, and why? Cheers, OT

Thinking of those reels reminds me of where they came from... Steve, here is the ideal rod. make sure you are sitting down! Cheers OT

What is wrong with the old system twos you liberated from me for too little folding all those years ago? OT

Sorry but i can't get it any more. My last lot came from Lathkill but that was years ago. A quick search has brought nothing up. You could use one of the wader repair adhesives in place of it. Cheers OT

If you want to splash out a bit I came across something I hadn't seen before in Italy the other year. Built cane overfit furrels. What a difference they make. there is no flat spot at the furrel. It is hard to describe in words, you just have to cast with it. If I find the photos I'll put them up. Only problem was the £800 price tag. Cheers, OT

Here's a thought for you. On small streams your average cast is much shorter than normal. Probably less in feet than your average cast on a still water is in yards. AFTMA ratings are based on a 10 yard cast. So if you are going to be casting less than 10 yards you are under lining your rod. Stress builds up a lot in modern highly tuned carbon rods. This is not helped by a lot of fancy roll casting, snake rolls etc. Torsion (twisting force) is the load a tube copes with worst of all. Now you have been fishing with your shiny new 7' 3 wt carbon rod all morning. In order to make the shorter casts needed you have put a 5 wt line on it. Or you have built up more stress by using a 3 weight and forcing the rod to bend with insufficient load on it. As you make your way upstream the river opens out into a good size pool. Over by the riffle towards the head of the pool a good fish rises. You unhook your dry fly from the keeper ring open your shoulders and start to false cast. Its a fair way so you put a double haul in, and shoot the line. Not enough, so you make one more false cast. What happens next? There is a sickening noise and your rod has an extra section to it. One without a joint, where it shouldn't be! The solution is to choose a rod that can cope with the shorter casts yet can make the longer casts as well. Without needing to use a heavier line. Carbon isn't good for shorter rods. This is where cane rods come into their own. They are not tubes; unless you spend very silly money on a Winston (the price usually has a "K" suffix). Therefore, can cope very well with roll casts of all kinds. They have weight of their own, so do not need the weight of the line to flex against. Also as an added bonus they "kill" fish faster (that's a very old fashioned term for playing fish). A shorter fight usually means that the fish can be returned with a higher chance of survival. Above all else though they are simply so much more pleasurable to fish with. My carbon rods are just plastic tubes. Precision tools to do a job. My cane rod has soul. It's more like an old fishing friend than a tool. My recommendation would be to go for a modern cane rod in about 3 or 4 weight, not longer than 7'. Stephen Woolly in Ashborne produces some excellent ones. At less money than you might think. Go on treat yourself. Cheers, OT P.S. Good fly rods are made from Tonkin bamboo. Palacona has its uses, its best in the greenhouse for supporting tomatoes!

Even better. The PVA I have used is a fly tying one that is used for creating shell backs. I haven't found an alternative for Softex yet. Cheers OT

Often this problem is caused in the manufacture of the line. Lines are extruded in a continuous length. Then cut to size. this leaves the end of the line open to water ingress. Also if your line doesn't have a crack in it now it soon will have. You have glued the sleeve over the braid. Creating a very stiff section. This will eventually cause the line to crack. You will soon have to cut the end off and replace the loop. I've given up on braided loops. The method I use is to strip the last 3/8" (8mm) of coating off the core. Fold this back and whip it to the line to form a loop. I coat the whippings with "Softex", but you will have difficulty getting this. PVA glue with a little water added will do, but make sure it is dry before you fish it. This gives me the benefit of sealing the end of the line as well as making a smooth loop. Cheers, OT

I've been having an explore around this site, and have found the "Blogs". So I've started one off. Further tails of my misadventures will appear in OwdTrout's Pursuit of Brown Spotty Fishisessess for anyone who can be bothered with my ramblings. Cheers, OT

What a difference a week makes! After last Sunday's great start, I spent all week looking forward to getting back to the Irwell. work rules out a mid day trip in the week. Yesterday dawned bright and clear, not too windy, it looked ideal. by 7 am I was sat at the tying table cranking out flies at a good rate. Sustained, as usual, by a steady flow of coffee. Anticipation was building nicely, until 9:20 that was. When I was disturbed, mid whip finish, by my door bell. It was Mr Plod. He kindly informed me that they had just had to break down the front door of one of the residents. The property couldn't now be secured so could I attend until the emergency joiner arrived to replace the door. Ah the joys of being an estate manager. At least there was time to get to the river so long as the joiner turned up soon. To my joy he did, but, there is always a "but", Mr Plod had not been restrained in effecting an entry, and the joiner didn't have a door to replace the wreckage with. The resident was safe. At least I didn't have a body to deal with. Finally I got away just too late for the fish. Back to the vice, and finish Alan's flies then. There is always tomorrow. This morning it was a good bit cooler, thanks to a strong gusty wind. On the way to the river I have to cross it via a road bridge. Looking over the parapet revealed that the water level was down about 18 inches on last Sunday. Hmm, not promising. As I set up my rod a few minutes later, the trout started to rise. This stretch is sheltered by high banks. Access isn't easy. I had hoped for some shelter from the wind. I had hoped in vain. Gusts of wind found their way into the steep valley, and made casting difficult to impossible. two fish rose half heartedly to a Klinkhammer, but it soon became obvious that they had their sights set just sub surface. Once again the Large Dark Olives trickled off. I didn't see a single one taken from the surface. The big splashy rises should have given me a clue sooner, that the fish didn't want a dry fly. They were just turning at the surface for insects just below it. Well what to fish? I decided to go back to something that has worked for hundreds of years, and fish North Country Wets. A Polt Bloa on the point, Orange Partridge and my favourite Hare's Lug 'n' Plover on the top. From bob to point about 4 foot. fishing them upstream as one should. (Was it Pritt who said, about fishing these flies across and down "'tis the devils work, my son, and do not let me catch you about it."?) After about ten minutes the Orange Partridge brought a nice brownie to hand. By this time the rise was petering out so I made my way back to the bank. My feet being numb with the cold, (some would say to match my head) I stumbled on the bank falling and jarring both shoulders with the impact. I certainly don't bounce as well as I once did. My knee pads earned their keep as I landed heavily on my right knee as well. A pair of strap on knee pads to go over your waders is a worth wile investment. That was it for me, not a total loss but the river had the better of me today. I wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes the river should win. Otherwise where is the sport. we'll see what next weekend brings. Cheers, OT

As always on the first day of the new season, I set off to wet a line. Since the close of last season I've moved, new job new home. My new place is only 5 minutes from the Irwell, on foot. That means new season and a new river to explore. Local knowledge I had gleaned yesterday in the toy shop gave me a starting place. I'm beginning to fear the local toy shop. They have started offering me coffee when I enter. It’s not good to be that relaxed around tackle for sale. This morning it was bright and warm, if a little windy, when I went to clear the last bits of coarse tackle from the car. Those odds and ends that seem to live in the boot. "Well a good day to wet a line, but probably in vain", I was thinking. Still, opening day has to be marked. About 11:30 I set out in my waders, stick in hand. The Irwell here is quite large. Standing on the bank watching I couldn't see any sign of a fish. I could however, see large dark olives (baetis rhodani) hatching off. Maybe there is hope of a fish to start the season. About 12:15, having moved twenty yards downstream I spotted a rise. Worked out the best casting position and waded into place to cover the rise. I hoped it wasn't an early season "oncer" that doesn't rise again. By the time I was in place that one rise had turned into 5 or six fish rising frequently. My hopes soared. A feeding fish is a fish that can be caught. My first cast landed nicely upstream of a rising fish and the fly disappeared in a swirl. In my excitement I struck too soon, missing the fish. Calm down, these are trout not grayling. Three casts later another swirl and I was into a fish, a good one too. Then I wasn't. Soon I had missed 2 and lost 3. Despite this a lot of fish were now rising, time to stop and think. I changed fly. When I had arrived I had set up a duo of a size 18 Klinkhammer (a big fly even in that size) with a size 18 bead head nymph a yard below it. They came off and on went one of the all time best dry flies, a CdC and Elk. Either the change of fly, or the pause to relax a little, worked. Minutes later I was playing a hard fighting brownie of about a pound. It took a good couple of minutes to land that fish. During the close season I have been very lax in my fly tying. After loosing another fish I didn't have a similar sized CdC and Elk to replace my now drowned fly. In its place I tied my own stuck shuck emerger. Today that was a better fly than the CdC and Elk. As I worked up the pool it accounted for two more fish, one larger and one smaller than the first, both good hard fighting brownies. At this time of the season dry fly will often out score the nymph. There is usually a short window in the middle of the day when the fish will rise. Sure enough at 1:45 the fish switched off. As I walked away there wasn't a rise anywhere. There is no use fishing a nymph; the trout haven't switched to the nymph, they have stopped feeding. That is the best opening day I've ever had, and bodes well for the season to come. Now it is time to play catch up with my fly tying. I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot this year. Cheers, OT