ok, so i ignored the looks and took my fly rod down the canal!

[Nightwing]

Very Cool.

As Newt would attest, I fish anything and everything finny with a fly rod.

My PB carp, at slightly over 43 lbs, was taken on fly gear(on a small crayfish mimic pattern).

I fish about 75 percent of the time with fly gear.

Hillbilly, tie or glue a small piece of white foam on a large streamer hook.

Use a permenent brown felt marker to color one side brown, leaving the other side white.

Looks just like crust, and is a killer for top water carp. As effective, if not more so, than real crust as it will not wilt or fall off the hook, and with fly gear can be cast at distance with no additional weight!

 

[ 10. August 2002, 07:10 AM: Message edited by: Nightwing ]

[Restless Oblivion]

thinking about atempting to land a 43 lb carp on fly tackle..... nice, how long did that take?

 

I spend most of my fishing time either fly fishing or light spinning, and a bit og baitcasting with plugs for pike, and the occasional bit of freelining, its been years since i last took float fishing or quivertipping gear out!

 

I dont belive there is anywhere where you cant catch fish on flys if you have a bit of patience and are willing to experiment, and seeing as i use my 7 1/ 2 ft 4 weight most of the time, any fish feels like a monster!

[Steve Burke]

The first fish I caught on fly gear were rudd on a Wealden pond. I missed 9 out of 10 of the takes at first. After that stockie trout were easy!

 

For those who haven't tried it fly casting isn't nearly as hard as some would have you believe. What's more fly fishing can sometimes be the most effective way of catching coarse fish as well as trout. But above all it's FUN!

[Restless Oblivion]

quote:

---

For those who haven't tried it fly casting isn't nearly as hard as some would have you believe. What's more fly fishing can sometimes be the most effective way of catching coarse fish as well as trout. But above all it's FUN

---

hell yeah, i second that, after a bit of practise its easy enough and after doing it for a while you can cast as accurately with a fly as you can a float, spinner or anything else!

 

Also i 100% agree with the effectiveness of fly fishing, on the river lea near wheathamstead where i fish, id confidently say i could outfish chub for chub any pleasure angler with my fly rod, i ve had over a hundred chub in a a day many times up there up to 3 1/2 lb all on fly, and belive me, the fight on light fly tackle is amazing, even a 6 oz fish puts up a good little struggle, and along th way i catch plenty of perch, roach and the odd carp and dace!

 

If you fish a water where the chub are visible, belive me, you can catch em on fly, give it a try, the excitment of dropping a small fly amid a group of cruising chub and watching one lumber up and suck it in, has to be some of the most exciting fishing out there! and then theres using lures on the shallows, watching a huge bow wave appear behind your fly then getting a huge pull and a massive swirl as you retrive, great stuff!

[Dunk Fairley]

all,

 

look out for a book called "Fly Fishing for Coarse Fish (theory and technique)" by WJ Howes. First publishe in 1959, as part of a series of small instructional books called the "How To Catch Them" series.

 

Quite rare, but worth collecting as they are seldom more than a couple of quid. They are ideal for someone just starting to collect books (I suppose now I've said that, the prices will rise!). My own copy of Fly Fishing, was 59p.

[Steve Burke]

The How To Catch them series are great fun to collect. However getting a full set could take you quite a while (that's half the fun), and some of the rare titles will set you back quite a few bob!

[Nightwing]

Bout' 45 minutes or so, Restless.

I really was underguned, so to speak, with a 9ft 8wt rod, and standard reel.

When chasing big fish such as Chinook salmon, musky, pike, carp, and so on, I now use a 10wt and a large disc drag reel.

[Zinky]

Chevin

quote:

---

Well, I just retired today and now I am going to have a lot of time to try things

---

So off to see Shortie Parker enjoy the fishing.

[Restless Oblivion]

Well, not bad, not bad at all, just got back from another trip down th canal with the fly rod, got down to find it cold windy and damp, so i didnt bother with looking for fish to cast to ( i only saw three chub on the top all day) so i just set up a short 8 ft leader of 4.5 lb nylon, and added a small hares ear nymph on the end and set about roll casting it under the trees and bushes on the far band and just the retriving blind, the first time i tried this, the other times i was casting only to moving fish, and well, damn, it worked alright, took about 3 casts before i got a good solid pull, and caught a 6 oz chub, then followed that up with about another 30 chub up to about half a pound and a small roach and dace for good measure!

 

Not a bad mornings fishing!