| Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND ....................................................... |
| wayland |
Fly fishing.Do any of you lads on this forum partake in the noble art of thrashing the water? |
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| roiphil |
I used to dangle my maggot   , a few years back but not any more
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| wayland |
Did`nt we all  I am interested in trying it out in the sea this year. I dunot know weather fresh water tackle would be ok for this. Any experts out there?
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| blowin |
I am aspiring to thrash the water as soon as I can stop catching the heather behind me ! I have had just a few sessions on the lochs & small mountain streams . First attempt was with a Lidl 30 euro kit -- rod , reel , line , tapered leader and even a fly already tied on the end for you . The brown trout were rising everywhere . In the course of a couple of hours I landed 6 , lost a similar number , missed countless rises and got altogether over-excited and jumping about , what with the midges and all . . Fantastic fun even tho the fish were small and I have never been able to do it again .
I could really do with a bit of coaching when we eventually meet up .
But to answer your Q , I noticed that the sea angling forums were getting quite a few posts from people who were venturing into saltwater fly . You could try the Irish one www.www.sea-angling-ireland.org Good luck |
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| wayland |
I am no expert, I do practice on the lawn during the summer and can do a reasonable cast of 25 yrds or so. I have been putting small circles of string flat on the grass to give me something to aim at. A bit of a hoot it is. As for catching the heather behind you perhaps you could try the "Spay roll" which workes in places where you have no room for the back cast. I asked about fly fishing in the sea because I have seen Mullet feeding on the serface as do Mackrel in the summer. I have just the right mark local to me to try it. I have never cought six brownies in a session
Blowin. Well done mate. |
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| blowin |
I will tempt you to visit one way or another .
Unfortunately they are small in the waters around here , a 1/3rd Lb isn't bad and 3/4 Lb would be good , but they are absolutely everywhere . That is not to say you can always catch them tho' ! Mullet on fly -- imitation bread flake is the obvious one but the killer is apparently like a small white maggot . You use these when conditions cause massive hatches of those little black sand-fly things which come from banks of rotting seaweed . I have only ever witnessed it once -- it was almost surreal ( certainly put Hammer Horrors to shame ) -- the weed was alive with maggot , newly hatched flies were pouring out of holes like lumpy black treacle , and 5 Lb + mullet were almost beaching themselves to get at the grubs . |
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| wayland |
Five pounder Mullet beaching themselves.  Have you been drinking mate? Sounds great up your neck o the woods. I once found a showl of mackrel having a feeding frenzy right up to the beach. Made the water look like it were boiling.
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| liamdenn |
hi just a note on the salt water fly fishing or swff as its known. The mullet are especially hard on a fly. there are 2 methods, one is to chum them with bread or minced fish. the other is the maggot method. This involves going to the sea shore on the first day of a big tide(this happens every fortnight) The mullet will know exactly when this is and you will see them sipping the maggots from the surface right at the shoreline. It happens close to the time of high water. If you do not get there on the first day of the big tide the maggots will have been washed out of the seaweed by the previous tide. So to find our where this happens just find somewhere with loads of rotting seaweed on the shore. kick through it and you will find the maggots. If anyone needs a few maggot flies give me a shout and I will send them on to you.
Easier by far though would be to swff for pollock macks and bass. you fish a leader of about 12lb and 10 feet with a fly that looks fishy!!! a mack feather would do at a push but only if there are loads of fish about. Hopefully this helps a little but ask away if there is anything else |
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| wayland |
Interesting post Liam. Fly fishing in the sea is a new one for me but with the amount of rocky marks and inlets it may well suit here. Mind you fishing the rocky marks has proven costly in lost tackle. Where I come from we had miles of sand and not a rock in sight. Got to learn the local marks obviously. Not had the gear out for ages 
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| bref |
Well if you can spare the money there are some very good articles re SWFF in the Irish Angler magazine written by a man from your neck of the woods Wayland. I think its about 5 euro a shot, but some of the articles are very good. I like it (the mag) despite the price and even though some of the writers are horribly ignorant about commercial fishermen(I stifle angry growls sometime when readin). I think it is worth it to try and find out where stocks it, and then keep an eye on the articles each month, and buy when you see something that interests you!!
I have the gear and have tried it a couple of times(I use the same gear for pike) have blanked every time, almost blinded myself a couple of times(never without sunglasses again) and stuck a hook it the back of my head once(not so stifled growling) but it is very enjoyable.... http://www.irishangler.ie/currentissue.php |
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| wayland |
For the past two years all I have done is practice my casting on the lawn. With my soft rod and weight forward line I can manage 25 yards on a good day but thats about it. Seems not far enough for a serious attempt at sea fishing. I have never tried to fish for the pike with fly gear. Not too sure that I could handle one without getting into a right yup
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| blowin |
I'd say that 25 yards is a bloody good cast !
I can only get about 25 feet but that has been good enough for brown trout in the streams around here . That is with a kit from Lidl . I can't remember whether it cost 19 or 29 euro but it was a carrying case with all the basic gear neatly packed inside . It was even rigged up so all you had to do was plug the 2 sections of the rod together and cast . Well worth the money for a complete novice like me . I would like to get out to about 40 ft out in the lochs but can't see a dry fly from that distance anyway so am concentrating on accuracy fairly close to the bank . Have to admit that I cheat with wet flies  -- tie a half filled bubble float to the end of the line , with a few droppers tied on to the last 6 ft ( between you and the float ) . Not very sporting but not illegal AFIK and hope .
The locals have been known to use a device which they call an "otter" . That is like a miniature boat hull which planes away from you ( ie out into the loch ) as you tow it along the bank .......with more than a few droppers tied on to the last thirty ft ! That isn't very sporting and it certainly isn't legal either ! I haven't tried saltwater fly yet but am pretty sure that a cast of even 40 ft would open up all sorts of possibilities . It is certainly far enough for mullet , pollack off deep marks , and bass ( if there is such a thing ) in the narrow gulleys or close-in breakers . Good luck
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| wayland |
Interesting use of the bubble float. I have used a bubble float with a feather rig in an attempt to catch mackerel over rocky marks. Although unsuccessful I think that it is not a bad method. The bubble is tied where the lead was and so the feathers are horizontal to the surface if you catch my drift. 25 yds is by no means a long cast. If you think that the leader is about eight feet, that does not leave much fly line to make your twenty feet mate. Not enough in fact to have contributed anything to the cast I hope to be around your neck "o" the woods this summer. Perhaps we might thrash the water a bit  As to not being able to see the dry fly from a distance, I know what you mean I think that I will need to run a few droppers one of which would be huge and take the place of a float. Needs must and all that
Cheers. |
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| liamdenn |
quite often fishing in the sea requires a good cast. The wind is often in your face and a long cast can make all the difference. If anyone on the forum wants any help on the casting I would be happy to help if i can. Although it sounds obvious the key to all fishing and particulary fly fishing in the sea is to have a lot of fish in front of you. If there is just one or two bass or pollock around they have so much more time to have a look at a fly lure or bait. However if there are loads of fish about they have to make up their mind that bit more quickly. So the main advice is to try and get the conditions just right and hope that the fish turn up. Full tide around dusk on a nice warm evening is probably the best all round conditions. | ||