Fly Fishing in Summer
Fly Fishing in Summer
Fly fishing is a sport that conjures up an image in my mind of long balmy summers on the water (or in the water), fly fishing rod in hand and casting a long line with a juicy dry fly to a rising trout. That is sometimes a reality, however, most of the time, especially for those of us that fish still water stocked lakes and reservoirs, we find ourselves fly fishing for fish that we know are there but will not take any form of fly we cast to them.
Why is this the case?
Well, after many years of fishing in this situation and speaking to many many fishery owners, the reason seems to be a culmination of a lack of oxygen in the water and inactivity due to the heat! Yes, I said heat, I live in the North of England where the weather in the high of summer can be cold and rainy as it can be hot and sunny, you can never plan any outside activity in this country that can be spoilt by rain! So how can the weather affect these hardy steel heads and trout, and more importantly how can we trigger a bite in these conditions?
My answer is again to think like the fish, where would you go if you were hot and bothered and need some fresh air? You would try to find all of those things wouldn’t you, well, steel heads and trout will go to the best source of oxygen in in the coolest water, so we have 2 clues there.
Oxygen
Oxygen is made in various ways with water. It is sometimes pumped into big reservoirs and lakes to ensure a good supply to the trout and steel heads, but it is also found by river entrances, lapping shorelines and underwater streams. You can easily see the man made aerators, river entrances and lapping shores but you should ask the fishery manager if there are any underwater streams…you might be surprised with their answer! These are the places where we should be heading to, especially the man made aerators as the fish will congregate around these as they are a good way of ‘churning’ the water and produce found for the fish.
Coolest Water
Steel heads and trout will find the best water for themselves in summer and that normally means they are deep down, you may find you have to use a sinking line to catch these fish, so go searching for them. Ideally you should be fishing deep down near to a source of oxygen and you will increase your chances of catching in hot days by at least 10 times. OK, when the day turns into dusk they will start to rise and maybe take emergers or dry off the surface but in the middle of the day….go deep and bubbly!!
Best of luck
Carl
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Sinking Line
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Sinking Line
Using Sinking Line
Whilst fly fishing, why do fly fishermen and women need to use different lines? Well, the short answer is to get the fly you are using to where the fish are. Fly fishing is an unusual sport as most of the time whilst fly fishing you don’t know if the fish are there at all. Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Floating Line
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Floating Line
Fly Fishing - Floating Line
In the art of fly fishing, there are many variants of fly fishing line. The important thing to work out before selecting which fly line to use while fly fishing is to understand where the fish are. Now, while fly fishing, you will be able to tell if the fish are on the surface as they will rise and you will see this, but what if they are not rising. To be successful at fly fishing you must think about Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice
Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice
Caught on which fly?
What is the first thing all beginners ask when they meet another fly angler who has caught fish? Well, I know what 90% of people would say the first question would be…………”what fly did you catch your fish with”. That is really an irrelevant question, the question should always be Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishing Tackle for Beginners
Fly Fishing Tackle
Fly Fishing has many different facets, but the consistent theme through the whole sport is that your tackle must be the correct standard and individual items must be compatible with all your other tackle items.
Tackle Standards
I always tell new fly anglers that the standard of you tackle must be tip top, don’t worry so much about getting the most expensive Hardy rod, Click Here To Read The Rest
Marvellous Mayflies
Marvellous Mayflies
Trout Taking Dry`
Mayflies were one of the first winged insects, with fossils dating back over 300 million years – long before the dinosaurs! There are 51 species of mayfly known from the British Isles today and they range in size from less than 5mm to over 20mm.
Mayfly larvae, and the mayfly adults emerging from the water, are a vital source of food for many other freshwater creatures, especially fish such as trout and salmon. Mayflies, and other riverflies, help ensure that our rivers, lakes and streams are home to a rich variety of wildlife. Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishing Beginner/Newbie – Guaranteed to catch a fish!
I often speak to the fly fishing newbie and more often than not they have ‘blanked’ or had 1 bite all day. Well, 95% of the time they are fishing on a stocked still water, so lets use that example and I know that no matter where they are fishing there will be plenty of fish in the water. So why don’t beginners catch many fish. The answer, Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishing Faults and Fixes
Fly Fishing Faults and Fixes
I am going to list a few fly fishing faults an the way to get around them, if you want real detail, download the free report!!
All flies tied on Basic Fly Tying Equipment
Leader Tangles
Yes, we have all done it. Pretending not to see the little knot in your leader. You have just seen a fish rise right in front of you, it looked a good size fish and its well within you casting distance. Change the leader or not? Absolutely, you must change your leader if you cant untangle the knot, you may hook the fish with the knot in the leader, you may even land it, but your breaking strain goes to roughly 35% of the stated breaking strain! So, if you are using 6lb fluorocarbon, you will not land a fish of 3lb, you should always remember that. Change it if you cant untangle!!!! Click Here To Read The Rest
Check before you Fish
Perfect Location...but no fishing!!!!
Fly fishing hazards are every where as we all know, but the biggest hazard I encountered recently is taking all of my travel fly fishing gear away with me only to realise fishing is not allowed in the resort! I have just got back from a weeks holiday in Egypt, what a fantastic place, rich cultural history, wonderful people and unbelieviablly hot weather. Click Here To Read The Rest
Fly Fishery Review – Dever Springs
Fly Fishery Review – Dever Springs
Dever Springs
Dever Springs is set in the Hampshire countryside, yet with easy access to the A303, they get visitors commuting from Cardiff and London on a regular basis. The lakes are crystal clear and are home to some huge fish, I had a fantastic days fishing at Dever Springs and would suggest anyone who get the chance to try it out, although if you are a beginner, you might want to speak to Neil about a lesson first. The River Dever runs through the fishery and is a fantastic addition to the fishing, you could not really ask for anything else when fly fishing. The fishery is great for, stalking, river fishing and all other method of fly fishing. Click Here To Read The Rest
