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NEW VIDEO: Sailfish on fly [Video]
NEW VIDEO: Sailfish on fly
Check out the skills of a seasoned angler, skipper and deckie as they hook, tag and release a Cairns sailfish using a Van Staal C-Vex fly reel.
Watch a gun fly fisher tag and release a Cairns sailfish!New YouTube video featuring Blackridge fly tackle [Video]
New YouTube video featuring Blackridge fly tackle
Watch Blackridge fly fishing rods, reels, lines and tapered fly leaders in action. In this video you'll see the great value Blackridge fly tackle proving that you don't need to spend big to enjoy fun fly fishing!
Watch the action!
Check out the latest video on our YouTube channel!How to get started with fly fishing [Video]
How to get started with fly fishing
This informative Fishing World clip runs through all the basics to help get you started in fly fishing.WELCOME TO FLY FISHING! [Article]
WELCOME TO FLY FISHING!
Fly fishing is a sport rich in excitement, challenge and tradition. Throughout generations of enthusiasts, the sport has maintained its integrity and attraction. New technologies have introduced lighter, more flexible fly rods and stronger line, but the true spirit of fly fishing remains unchanged.
In this section, we will introduce you to the basics of fly fishing including tackle assembly, commonly used knots, and casting techniques. Remember to always dress appropriately for the weather and the terrain. Your clothes are important for function and for protection from the sun, and from miscast flies. Keep safety in mind each time you pack for a fishing trip.
Remember to respect your fellow anglers. For a long cast, you need a great deal of open space in front of and behind you. Here's a common rule of thumb: If you can see another angler, you're too close. Of course, this standard is sometimes not an option. Try to put at least 50 feet between yourself and others anglers.
Assembling your tackleA ‘Balanced System’ is vital to your fly fishing success. Your rod, reel, line, leader and tippet should be compatible for maximum casting performance. This is why the fly tackle industry follows a common standard for labelling products (five-weight (5wt.), six-weight (6wt.), etc.)
TIP: Blackridge fly tackle makes gear selection easy, with corresponding rod, reel and line weight options, plus a selection of tapered leaders and a standard spool of backing. For example, an ideal ready-made beginner set-up that offers quality and affordability would include a Blackridge 6wt graphite fly rod, Blackridge 5-6 weight fly reel, Blackridge Tightweave Backing, Blackridge WF6F fly line, Blackridge 4X (5lb) Tapered Leader and 4lb Rovex Fluorocarbon Leader.
Choosing a line taperFly lines are tapered in three ways (see image 1). The most popular taper is the Weight Forward taper (WF). With its weight displacement toward the front of the line, the WF taper makes a long cast much easier. The rest of the line is much lighter and smaller in diameter allowing the line to slide easily through the rod guides.
TIP: Blackridge Fly Line is a floating weight-forward design. It’s great value and a perfect choice for beginners and experts alike.
The Double Taper (DT) consists of a long, level centre section with each end tapering to a fine point. When one end of a DT wears out, you can reverse the line.
The Level Taper (L) is the least expensive, and the least versatile, of the three types of line taper. It has a uniform diameter throughout its length. Because casting can be more difficult and your presentation less delicate with the Level line, it is recommended only when using a weighted fly or jig.
Attaching backing to your reel?Backing connects your fly line to the reel and serves several purposes. Backing is generally a 20# test line made of braided Dacron. Do not use monofilament.
TIP: Blackridge 20lb Tightweave Backing Line comes in 50yd spools and is an easy and affordable option for your first fly fishing tackle set-up.
The Arbor Knot is effective for securing your backing to the reel (see image 2).
- Thread the end of the backing around the arbor (the centre piece of the spool part of your reel) and tie a basic overhand knot in the short line.
- With the knotted end of the short line, tie another overhand knot around the long line that goes to the backing spool.
- Now, take the long line and pull the knots snug to the arbor. Trim the tag end. Keep in mind:
- Your fly line forms larger coils on the reel so that line memory (tight stubborn coiling) is dramatically reduced.
- Adequate backing allows you to wind your line more rapidly.?
- Extra backing can be the difference between the big catch and "the one that got away."
The next step is to tie your fly line to the backing using the Uni Knot (image 3).
- Form a one-inch loop in the end of your backing leaving 6 inches of tag. Hold the loop next to the butt of your fly line leaving a half-inch of tag from your fly line to spare.
- Thread the butt end of your backing around your fly line and through the loop several times. Keep the loops uniform and parallel.
- Slowly pull both ends of your backing until the knot comes together, and tighten firmly. Trim the tag ends.
- Wind the line over the backing onto the spool. You can do this easily by inserting a pencil into the line spool to act as an axis. Wind the line with slight tension. You're halfway there!
The leader is an almost invisible piece of tapered monofilament line designed to slow down your cast for a life-like presentation of your fly to the water's surface. The illustration at right (image 4) identifies the three types of tapers found in leaders. Each type causes a different presentation of your fly.
TIP: Take the guesswork out of leader set-up with Blackridge 9’ Tapered Fly Leaders. They’re available in six strengths, from 5X (4lb) to 0X (10lb).
The easiest and most effective way to achieve the leader-to-line connection is the Loop-To-Loop connection. To do this, however, your fly line and your leader must end in loops. You can create a loop in your fly line two different ways: ?You can purchase a Braided Loop Connector—a piece of braided monofilament line hollow at one end and looped on the other. Slide your fly line into the hollow end and glue the seam with a strong, waterproof adhesive. A Braided Loop Connector is a minor purchase and the most convenient way to avoid the trouble of tying a new knot should you break your leader.
Instead of buying a Braided Loop Connector, you may tie an 8- to 10-inch piece of 25# monofilament to your fly line using a Uni Knot (see above). Next, tie a Perfection Loop in the other end of the monofilament (image 5).
- For a small loop in the end of your leader. Wrap the tag end around once. This creates a second loop.
- Place the tag end between the two loops. Then reach through the large loop and pull the small loop tight.
- Trim the tag end.
Once you have a loop in your fly line, use a Perfection Loop to tie a loop in your leader line. Now you're ready for the Loop-To-Loop connection, a handy technique when you are up to your wrists in a stream and your leader breaks. When your line and leader are securely looped on either end, you can make a new connection in no time.
Remember these three steps:
- Make sure your fly line ends with a loop (either a Braided Loop or a tied Perfection Loop) and your leader has a Perfection Loop on the butt end.
- Slip the leader loop through the fly line loop.
- Thread the other end of your leader through the leader loop. Pull snug.
Your tippet is the thinnest section of your fly line system and will need replacing frequently. The Surgeon's Knot provides a strong connection between your tippet and leader (image 6).
- Place your tippet next to your leader, overlapping the two pieces about 8 inches.?
- Treat the overlapped areas as one piece. Tie an overhand knot using the tippet side to loop through. Do this twice.
- Moisten the knot and tighten all four ends. Trim the tag ends.
TIP: Fluorocarbon is the best material to use as tippet because it is as close to invisible as you can get. Rovex Flourocarbon Leader offers the best quality 100% PVDF at great prices, and the light strengths come on small spools that are perfect for a fly vest or short pocket.It’s available in 10 strengths up to 80lb, but those most suitable for fly fishing tippet include 4lb, 6lb, 8lb, 10lb, 15lb and 20lb.
Connecting a fly to your tippetThis is the final step in your line and tackle assembly. The tippet should be approximately 30 inches long and the diameter of the tippet needs to match the fly size for a balanced system. Use the chart below for reference.
Tie your fly to your tippet using the Improved Cinch Knot (image 7). Pay particular attention to this knot because you'll use it more than any other.
- Thread the tippet through the eye of the hook, leaving a 4- to 6-inch tag end. Wrap the tag end around the tippet five times.
- Thread the tag end through the small loop created just above the eye of the hook. This forms another, larger loop.
- Run the tag end through this loop, wet the knot, and pull snug. Trim the tag end.
Follow this table to match tippet and hook sizes. You can also divide the fly size by 3 to get the approximate "X" size of the desired tippet:
The art of castingTippet Diameter (Inches) Hook Size .011 (0X) 1/0 to 4 .010 (1X) 4 to 8 009 (2X) 6 to 10 .008 (3X) 10 to 14 .007 (4X) 12 o 16 006 (5X) 14 to 22 .005 (6X) 16 to 24 .004 (7X) 18 to 28 .003 (8X) 18 to 28 Fly fishing is an art, and the art begins with the cast. The best place to start is with the basics. Keep in mind the first rule of fly fishing: Relax. Find the form that works for you, and enjoy yourself!
The basics of fly castingGrip your rod handle like a hammer placing your thumb on top of the handle for control. With your other hand, pull some line (about twice the length of your fly rod) from your reel. You must maintain contact with this line as you cast.
Begin with your rod tip in front of you, pointed down toward the water, and your line straight. With your casting hand, pull the rod tip up. As you begin the rod movement, gently control the amount of line released with your other hand. The momentum of the rod movement will naturally release more line. Your goal is to achieve a smooth, repetitive motion. (Imagine standing in a doorway and painting the top of the door jamb using one smooth stroke, exerting power with your wrist at the end of each stroke).
The action takes place between the 11:00 and 1:00 positions (see image 8) as you hold the rod handle at about chest height. It is a 3-step process:
- Pull back.
- Wait for the line to straighten.
- Push forward.
To begin, pull your rod tip up smoothly and accelerate your motion at the 11:00 position. At the 1:00 position, pause and allow your line to straighten horizontally behind you. Then, quickly reverse your motion and push your rod tip forward accelerating as you approach the 11:00 position. Allow your line to straighten in front of you and reverse your motion.
As you cast, maintain a horizontal plane with your rod tip between the 11:00 and 1:00 positions. Extending your casting motion beyond the 11:00 and 1:00 positions delays the action of the line and throws off your timing. The goal is to stay within the 11:00 and 1:00 positions in order to maintain a narrow loop.
When you have achieved a solid, consistent motion, and your line is straightening in both directions, aim for a point about 3 feet above the water's surface and let your fly fall on the water.
Practice makes perfectFly casting is a precise sport in which technique, rather than strength or speed, is most important. In fly casting, as in golf, precision and accuracy separate the great players from the hobbyists. The best thing you can do to improve your technique is practice.
Practice when you're not fishing (golfers don't practice their swings during tournaments). Find a nice open area away from hard surfaces such as pavement and gravel that may damage your line. Tie a small tuft of yarn to your leader to match the weight of a fly. Avoid overhead obstructions and be sure to clean your line after each use.
Correcting common casting problemsMost of your casting problems can be corrected in your technique. Again, this requires practice, but it is equally important to understand the mistakes you may be making. Below are a few of the more common problems associated with faulty technique:
Forceful presentation of fly to water: This is usually caused by aiming the forward cast too low. Increase the backward tilt of your arc so that your line straightens out about 3 feet above the water with your forward cast.
Tangled line: This is caused by "punching" forward during your cast or not waiting for your line to straighten. Make sure you accelerate your rod smoothly. Apply power evenly throughout the cast.
Snapping off the fly or a popping sound: The solution here can be found in your backward cast. Starting the forward cast too soon or using insufficient force in the backward cast keeps the line from straightening and causes a whipping action. Make sure that your line is straight in your backward cast before beginning your forward cast.
Caring for your lineProper line care ensures maximum performance and prolongs the life of your equipment. You should clean your fly lines with a soft cloth after every use. For a more thorough cleaning, use gentle soap suds and water or a commercial fly line cleaner. Avoid letting your line come into contact with potentially harmful chemicals such as detergents, sun blocks, insect repellents and fuels. Keep reels with line out of direct sunlight. Avoid storing your lines in areas subjected to extreme heat or cold. During the off-season, remove your line from the spool and hang it loosely. Above all, when using or storing your tackle and line, let common sense guide you.
Fly fishing accessoriesThe following is a list of suggested accessories to include in your next fly fishing trip:
Tippet spools Polarized sunglasses Hat Sunscreen Clippers / small scissors Forceps Floatant Net Waders / hip boots Vest Fly box Insect repellent These are just the basics. Part of the fun of fly fishing is collecting all the gadgets. Your list will change as you become more familiar with the sport. Now, the only thing left to do is to get out there and start fishing!
Fly fishing is a sport rich in excitement, challenge and tradition. Throughout generations of enthusiasts, the sport has maintained its integrity and attraction.Trout Redemption [Article]
Trout Redemption
The amiable John Coles is a fishing guide around the fringes of Sydney. His reputation is second to none. But I am a piscatorial Thomas.
This creeping doubt emerges on the trip down as John seems a little tense in the car. He is on edge, I decide. My fishing buddy Scott is seasoned fly-fisherman. And when not penning funny books, I am a fishing and travel writer. We have tagged along to chronicle John’s manifold talents.
Uncertainty is tempered however when we reach John’s clandestine fishing spot in Goulburn, only a two-hour drive from Sydney. It is everything he promised. The lake is stocked with trout as fat as footballs. And the endless undulating green paddocks, cradling lush soft grasses of varying hues, are spotted with drowsy Black Angus. As we drive around the lake I wrestle a frisson of excitement. The water twitches with insects and frisky trout.
At the wheel John casually mentions he has organised a couple of strippers for us — from Scandinavia no less! Imagine our disappointment when we discover our buxom blonde bombshells from the fjords are simply new fly-line stripping devices. However, the ‘strippers’ are a hit, making it easy to store line and cast sans tangles. They are essentially plastic trays that strap onto your leg or waist with a grove of rubber spikes that snare your line, making fly-fishing a helluva lot easier as often every tenth cast or so sees your line inevitably jagged on a rock or weed, skewering your cast or coming up short of the fish. At the upmarket lakeside cabin we unpack while John prepares pea and ham soup for lunch, cooked himself. John is a gourmet of sorts. Suddenly there is much swearing and clanging. We emerge from our rooms to find him upturning the kitchen, emptying draws and wrenching open cupboards.
‘You’d think they’d have bloody spoons, at least!’ he chides gutted draws. A veritable wind-chime of spoons sits dangling on a cutlery tree on the counter. It is the only thing on the counter. We point at the spoons and wince. John, redder than a tomato in a darkroom, snatches three spoons from the tree.
Pea and ham soup and fly-fishing make poor bedfellows I think as our guide plays a pretty medley on the sphincter trumpet while we connect rods and select flies. Soon we join him for the chorus as we edge towards the water, no doubt spooking the trout. John kindly gives me some scruffy nymphs tied himself especially for the day. They look pretty rough to me. But he swears they are just the right flies for the job. Doesn’t believe in creating trophy flies to only to leave on snags. More doubt.
As I prepare my fly-line, John scoffs at my limp-wristed knots. ‘What are you going to do when you hook a five-pound brown with a knot like that?’ (My knots are crap.) He snatches my line and ties and intricate nail-less nail knot. Impressed, I cock my head and nod, as if admiring a sculpture by Henry Moore.
‘Now, there’s a knot that will never let you down,’ he says, yanking both ends as it instantly breaks. His jaw falls to his chest. With a wild look in his eye he snaps, ‘don’t write about that!’ ‘Of course not,’ I lie.
No doubt John has tied that knot a thousand times and it has never let him down until he hubristically demonstrates it to a fishing writer with a dry sense of humour. (Surely Murphy was a river guide.) Like any good fishing guide John takes his time studying the water as I make mute observations in my moleskine book. He’s still on edge I note. But the day has not hitherto fared well for our trusty guide, what with the self-inflating waders, busted knots and endless spoon jokes. A slick of sweat forms under the lid of his wide-brimmed hat as he selects the right fly for the task at hand.
John reveals that this is the exact spot to fish but Scott leaves us for another part of the water, raising one leg for an encore before waving John away with a spoon joke.
John sighs. Biting his bottom lip he scans the water for an age before spotting a rise. But it is miles out. There’s no way he can cast that distance, I think, dismissing the ever-widening rings. In an instant he shoots his line into the heart of the lake, landing his hirsute fly on the nostril of the fish. The cast is as slick as an anteater tonguing an insect. Strike! He hooks the fish before deftly landing it at my feet. I stare open-mouthed at him, at the fish, at him before he regards me with a wry smile. In my years of mediocre fishing I have never before seen it: one cast, one trout.
Redemption.
The amiable John Coles is a fishing guide around the fringes of Sydney. His reputation is second to none. But I am a piscatorial Thomas.Ideal beginner fly fishing set-up for trout [Tip]
Ideal beginner fly fishing set-up for trout
Fly fishing is incredibly fun; there are few angling challenges as rewarding as landing trout on a dry fly. It’s no wonder trout are the one truly international fish. You can get set-up for fly fishing the easy and affordable way with our top-value Blackridge fly range. It’s priced for beginners but plenty of experts like it, too!
Trout fly fishing set-up:
Rod: Blackridge 9’0” (2.75m) 2-piece #6 RRP $49.95 Reel: Blackridge Graphite Fly Reel #5-6 RRP $49.95 Backing: BlackridgeTightweave 20lb RRP $9.95 Fly line: Blackridge Floating Pale Green WF6F RRP $39.95 Leader: Blackridge 9ft Tapered Fly Leader 2X 7lb RRP $4.95 Tippet: Rovex Fluorocarbon Leader 4lb RRP $9.95
Fly fishing is incredibly fun; there are few angling challenges as rewarding as landing trout on a dry fly.FRESHWATER FLY-FISHING: Getting started [Tip]
FRESHWATER FLY-FISHING: Getting started
Fly-fishing for trout has been around a long time. Mysticism seems to surround the sport, which has more than its share of eccentrics. Some people like to portray fly-fishing as an art form, which it isn’t, and bury the reality behind a veil of technical jargon and double speak. There is also a belief that fly-fishing remains the sport of gentlemen who wear deerstalker hats, tweed jackets and wander about smoking briar pipes and imbibing themselves with claret. All of which is a load of twaddle. Most fly-fishers are normal, everyday anglers who happen to prefer to fish with flies instead of lures or bait.
Izaak Walton's book, The Compleat Angler was first published in 1653. It is still available in print today. Many people wrongly credit Walton with being a fly fisher; in fact his expertise was bait. It was his friend Charles Cotton who contributed the first chapter on fly-fishing in the 1676 edition on the book, adding to the aesthetics of fly-fishing by writing that fishing 'fine and far off is the first and Principal Rule for Trout Angling (sic)'. Cotton also wrote that: 'He that cannot kill a trout on two (hairs), deserves not the name of angler.' Ever since, fly fishers have set out to replicate this elegant approach. However, hundreds of years before The Compleat Angler was published, Roman writer Claudius Aelianus wrote of Macedonians fishing on the Astraeus River by fastening red wool and wax-coloured feathers to a hook and catching brown trout.
Nowadays, Cotton's legacy continues through the layman's perception of fly-fishing being about delicate presentations to rising trout in gin clear mountain streams. This idyllic concept fails to mention the long slogs through bush, dodging snakes or trying to keep your footing on a riverbed consisting of bowling-ball-smooth rocks.
If there is a problem with the fly, it is the addictive nature of the sport. Once you are hooked, there is no getting away. Fortunately, there are no serious health issues to encourage you to break away from what is a fine, outdoor activity.
The basic difference between fly-fishing and other methods is in the delivery system. Unlike bait fishing or spinning, in fly-fishing the weight of the line is used to cast a counterfeit offering to a fish. Two myths that need to be expunged are cost and casting. Fly-fishing is not an expensive sport to get into, and basic fly-casting is a matter of being shown how and then practising.
TACKLE
If you put in time and effort, and maybe take a few casting lessons, you will soon learn to cast well enough to present a fly in a small stream. As for the expense, it’s a bit like buying clothes where labels, not quality, dictate price.
The language of fly-fishing can be confusing to new chums looking to set themselves up, so here’s a basic run-down on an outfit and what the words used mean.
AJarvis Walker fly-fishing outfit for trout, consisting of the Blackridge series rod, reel, backing, fly line, tapered leader and tippet, offers an affordable entry to fly-fishing and provides good performance and value for money. The most popular outfit includes a six-weight fly rod and reel to suit. Fly rods are based on line weights, for example 4-weight, 5-weight, 6-weight line. The reel is little more than a centrepin, and this is filled with a Dacron or braid line backing.
Next comes the fly line, which is attached to the backing. The most common fly line is a ‘weight forward floating line’. This means the line has a taper that runs forward with most of the weight at the front of the line; and the line is designed to float.
A tapered leader is attached to the fly line with a nail knot. A tapered leader is a line that tapers in diameter and strength. Most leaders are about three metres long. They are designed to continue the taper in the fly line and help the fly ‘turn over’ during the cast. The thick end is attached to the fly line. A tippet is joined to the thin end of the tapered leader. This is a fine line, usually about one to 2.5 kilograms breaking strain and a metre or so long. This leader in turn has the fly tied to the end.
Ancillary items needed to complete setting up include waders, polarising sunglasses, a hand net, line cutters, a tapered leader and tippet material, fly box and, of course, some flies. A fly jacket is not essential, but after wearing one, you will feel incomplete without it. Over summer, many anglers prefer to wear leggings and wade in shorts and sandshoes rather than don waders. However, in early spring you will need to wear waders to keep the warmth in your legs.
FLIES
Names like Greenwell’s Glory, Woolly Bugger, Tyhappy Tickler and Tupps Indispensable sound odd but have one thing incommon: they are all trout flies. Most fly tyers are more deeply involved in entomology than normal fly-fishers. They have to be; their craft requires perfection. The flies they tie must not only look the same as the bug they are designed to imitate, but have a similar action in the water. If the trout are feeding on size 20 damsel nymphs, then that is what you must offer.
Most fly-fishers admit there are days when science goes out the window. Days when you offer up something totally irregular, a fly pattern that matches no known local bug, in a size that is much bigger than the local insect population, and you suddenly start catching trout. I mean, why do rainbow trout like their nymph flies to have gold bead heads? I can’t think of a single bug that has a gold coloured bead on its head.
Fly-fishers study the insect hatch and then match the hatch by using a similar fly. There are two basic types of flies, dry and wet.
A dry fly imitates an insect on the surface, usually one that has recently hatched and is waiting for its wings to dry so it can take off. A dry fly floats down river over a trout-feeding lane, and to present them you need to add ‘floatant’ to your leader and fly. A major difference between using dry or wet flies is that when dry fly-fishing you must set the hook. Popular dry flies include Royal Wulff, Snowflake Caddis, Adams, Elk Hair Caddis and Coch-y-bonddu.
A wet fly is a sub-surface offering that may imitate the nymphal stage of an insect, or even small fish. Retrieve these flies slowly. When the trout are hungry, you can feel them take the fly and often hook themselves. Popular wet flies include brown or black nymphs with gold bead heads, Tom Jones, Woolly Bugger, Craig’s Nighttime, Green Matuka and Mrs Simpson.
WADING
Most anglers who fish in rivers or streams end up wading. The combination of current and an uneven bottom peppered with smooth rocks can make movement difficult until you get used to it. Wading is a case of one step at a time. Before lifting your back foot to take a step forward, place your front foot firmly and securely. One way to maintain balance is to use a wading stick. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but strong enough to take your weight.
Until you feel comfortable wading, avoid stretches of fast water, particularly if above your knees. In slow water you can easily wade up to your waist and maintain your balance, but add several knots to the water flow and you can become unsteady. Some anglers wear wading boots with felt soles believing, rightly, that these offer better grip.
When learning how to fly-fish, instructional books and DVDs are helpful. However, to get a solid grounding, seek hands-on assistance. The options are to dig deep and hire the services of a fly-fishing guide for a day, or join a fly-fishing club. My experience of fly-fishers is that they are very willing to help the novice angler. It’s a good way to learn and to interact socially with like-minded fisher folk.
WET FLIES
I’ve walked streams and lakes with many different trout fishing guides over the years and can vouch for their value. All the good guides have a desire to teach. I picked up plenty of tips on techniques that can take years to learn otherwise through trial and error methods. Contrary to what some uneducated pundits think, fly-fishing is not solely about insects or insect hatches; it is also about baitfish.
From September through to December, trout in our southern rivers and lakes are often seen to be feeding on a small, translucent baitfish called smelt (Retropinna semoni) or glassies. These small, elongate fish with a silver flash spawn as new growth is appearing in pastures and along riverbanks.
An old fly fisher I met occasionally on the Barwon River near Geelong had 47 flies in his fly box, every fly exactly the same: a smelt pattern based on the Black Matuka with an extended white wing. This angler specialised in working one particular run, and was successful to the point where he caught more than 60 trout one season while anglers around him were catching carp.
Smelt,or minnow as some folk call them, school in backwaters and eddies; usually little more than small pools surrounded by cumbungi or other grasses. Procreation and survival are the nature of the game. It is a bit like gambling: the fish have to beat the odds; understandably, smelt seek shelter in numbers, never far from cover.
Another basic rule is that where there are smelt, predators will be nearby. Every now and again a smelt will stray and, helpless against the strong current, is swept down a run into the waiting jaws of a trout or redfin.
Sometimes schooling smelt are caught in the open and a trout or redfin will cut loose, forcing panic-stricken baitfish to skitter across the surface as they strive to avoid being part of the carnage.
When you see baitfish skittering about the surface it is not always smelt. It could be the fry of roach or redfin that are being hunted, which is why many seasoned fly fishers adopt the more practical position as referring to any fish fry as smelt.
Hunting smelting trout with a fly rod is about as exciting as trout fishing can get. Spot the action, sometimes see the fish and put the fly in harms way. What more could anyone ask?
Fly tier Mick Hall knows all about smelt fly patterns and how to fish them. Anyone who has walked a river with Mick will know that he can talk the talk and walk the walk. He might be a cack-handed caster, but the fly goes where he wants, including around corners when necessary.
‘When you come across trout crashing the water and see fry skittering across the surface it means the trout are using their body weight to stun them,’ Micksaid.
‘Cast the fly to the middle of the crash and retrieve it very slowly. The take is like a draw away rather than a solid hit. If you see another crash and splash close by, chances are it will be another trout drawn to the area by the action of the first trout.’
Mick’s favourite smelt patterns are the Chaser, which also works well in salt water, the Woolly Bugger, Mrs Simpson and the Lazer Minnow. He said anglers should employ a floating line with a 4.2m (14 ft) leader, including 2.7m (9ft) of 4 kilograms line and the remainder 2kg to 3kg, which is the tippet. He prefers a 3kg tippet with larger flies as it keeps the fly above the line during the cast, and this in turn helps reduce wind knots.
Another method he uses is the hang-and-retrieve technique. This works well in deeper water, say three to four metres, particularly along old riverbeds or roadways in lakes. ‘In deep water for this method I use an intermediate sinking line and a fly like a Woolly Bugger,’ Mick said. ‘The idea is to cast the fly and let it sink while keeping the rod tip about a metre above the water as you do. If the line moves forward slowly, then it is a trout but if nothing happens, give the fly four fast strips and let it sink again and then, if nothing happens, retrieve the fly normally and repeat the procedure.’
Mick said any lake with thick weed beds is a good option as the small fish hide here and the trout will be hunting nearby: ‘The last thing trout want is smelt in the weed beds so they herd the fry and then crash the school.’
A more popular method, particularly with fly fishers who prefer mountain streams, is nymphing. It is the easiest method of presenting a fly for trout. An orange indicator is attached to the leader about 35cm above a gold bead head nymph. The indicator setting is adjusted to suit water depth. The nymph is cast upstream and allowed to come back with the current along the edges of runs where the trout were likely to be taking station. Mick demonstrated how it is done on the Rubicon River near Eildon – he took less than an hour to land a dozen fish to 500g. The cast needn't be long as the rod is held out to follow the indicator as it travels downstream.
'It’s easy fishing and very visual,’ Mick explained. 'I do this because it gives people an idea of how trout take a fly and it is easy for visually impaired people to see what is happening.’ Later that day we hit the Goulburn River near Thornton and several more trout to about 1.2kg fell to the same method.
DRY FLIESPhilip Weigall, author and fly-fishing instructor, is based at the Millbrook Lakes complex at Gordon near Ballarat. He passed on a couple of important tips about fly-fishing that are worth keeping in mind, in case you don’t already know them. The first is that when fishing with a dry fly you hook the trout by sight, not feel.
Philip said ‘Many anglers make the mistake of using dry flies that they can’t see, and if you can’t see the fly you can’t hook the trout,’ which probably explains why fly-fishing instructors often opt for more visual flies like the Royal Wulff. Philip’s solution is to tie a chartreuse coloured wing to some dry flies to make them more easily seen because ‘the trout don’t seem to mind when the fly is on top of the water.’
A few years ago I fished with Philip on a private lake called Deerings that was stocked with browns and rainbows. It was an overcast day for the most part and the water had that steel, grey look that made seeing a fly difficult. When we arrived a mayfly dun hatch was well and truly underway. Fly fishers like Philip become amateur entomologists and he was specific about the duns, saying they were ‘Atalophlebia australis.’
He explained there were two hatches a year—the first from mid October to early December, the second in March. In the nymph or mudeye stage these insects crawl about the bottom of the lake and until they get the urge to move up the water column to the surface. Once at the surface these nymphs force their way through the meniscus or surface film, break free of their eco-skeleton and sit on the water, waiting for their wings to dry.
On this day, the lake surface was a floating tent city as the emerged insects drifted across the lake, drying their wings. As for the trout, they were feeding on the duns as they left their exoskeletons, this being a most vulnerable time for insects
‘They’re caught with their pants down, so to speak, and can’t escape the trout,’ said Philip who proceeded to tie a small Barry Lodge Emerger pattern to his tippet.
When trout feed on emergers, it is a sip or gulp, whereas when taking the insects off the surface the action is splashier. On that day, the dull conditions meant Philip’s only problem was keeping his fly in view. If he lost sight of the fly, chances were a trout would take it and spit it out before he had a chance to react.
Jarvis Walker recommended beginner trout outfit
Blackridge Fly Rod, 9’ 2-piece 6-weight Blackridge Graphite Fly Reel #5-6 Blackridge 20lb Tightweave Backing 50yd Blackridge Fly Line Pale Green WF6F Blackridge 9’ Tapered Leaders 3X (6lb) Rovex Fluorocarbon Leader 6lb (for tippett)
Fly-fishing for trout has been around a long time. Mysticism seems to surround the sport, which has more than its share of eccentrics.
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