albannachxcuileag
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Posts posted by albannachxcuileag
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best of luck on your quest - us single fly fish girls are hard to come by.
I nearly choked on my coffee when I read this! The connotations were running through my mind like an express train.
Caption, - You think it's funny when I wax my legs? Just wait until I pull this off!
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Easiest way to cure those problems is go fishing with someone who can cast and watch them. It is all in the timing, as soon as you get that then then look out fish!
DVDs are not the best way to learn but either tuition or lessons from a fly fishing mate do the business.
I used to do a lot of grass carp fishing when I first took up the fly rod but they are real buggers to catch!
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Hey Al, the girl has imediate family over in Ireland and will be going down sometime, by chance you near Roscrea??(SP?) or Limerick?
Other side of the country from Limerick - head towards Dublin on the N7 / M7 and take the M9 / N9 for Killcullen and cut off for Dunlavin and you will be near enough there! Let me know when you are over and I can maybe help out
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Rob,
Rathcon is run different from most fisheries across here. The general pellet pig factories where they truck them in and you haul them out, you can just turn up, pay your money and throw any crap and be guaranteed to catch.
Rathcon is spread by word of mouth and has to be pre-booked before you can fish. The quality of fish in the lake are superb to say the least. These are hand selected and are kept in a holding pond where they are conditioned before being trickle stocked to the lake. Fish kill is not practised by most anglers at Rathcon, unlike the 'pig farms', preferring catch and release although you are allowed one for the pot if you so desire.
The fighting quality of the fish is incredible, I have had a 3lber take me 20 yards into the backing on a screaming run and fought like hell to get him into the net. Unlike the 'pig farms' that don't give a sh*t about quality but only the money, Rathcon fish are fully finned, fighting fit and grow on at an alarming rate due to the abundance of feeding in the lake. The larger of the fish in the photos was a conservative 10lbs but there are fish that are rarely netted that almost make the 20lb mark and if you get one of these on then be prepared to start sweating, feel like your arms are going to drop off and hope that you really did tie those knots properly!
I have posted before about this place but it is a Diamond in the Emerald Isle as far as fishing goes. You really have to fish for your fish and when you get days / evenings like I have had the last couple of weeks then you really appreciate them!
Any of you Calgarians who come across to Ireland, let me know and I will gladly take you to the best small lake fishery in Ireland.
TLs
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"Go Fishing"
"What?"
"You heard me, go fishing, I want to get the house cleaned"
VROOOOOOOM!
So, I took myself off to Rathcon, amazed at the generosity bestowed upon me by the missus, she
must be after something expensive in retaliation I think!
I had a great day out apart from not getting my strike correct when fishing dries for some reason
and lost a lot of fish that should have been in the net but never mind, there was better to come as I
switched over to nymphs and immediately landed this little fellow.
I was surprised to see such a well developed kype on a fish of about 3lbs, he was a real fighter too.
I got a visit from the resident cob who was wondering what all the splashing was about - the photo
turned out better than it looked in the view finder and I am quite chuffed with it.
Looking to the right of this photo you can see the willow that I station myself next to for the sedge
bonanza that starts around 9 - 9:30.
Normally the Great Red Sedge does not appear until dusk but this chappy must have set his alarm clock
wrong as he climbed out onto the reeds right next to me.
When dusk fell it was time to tie on the deer hair and start twitching and this was one of the greedy
feckers that came up for it.
He was joined a little while later by his bigger brother who decided to take me out to the backing and
perform some spectacular aerobatics coming out of the water about 3 feet in the air.
He really knackered my sedge and it was so dark I was lucky to change the tippet and tie on a new one
and manage to get one more to the net to finish the day in grand style by being able to tick off every
weight box in the returns book!
A day to ponder over later.
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Having managed to finally start using the Orange Otter fur from that master dyer, Tango, here is a little something or nothing that hopefully will do the business.
Materials -
Hook - Grip 14723BL size 12
Thread - UTC Olive 70 Denier
Rib - Fine Silver Wire
Abdomen - Dyed Orange Otter Underfur
Hackle - Dyed Orange Otter Guard Hairs
You can substitute the underfur with Orvis Superfine dubbing as the dubbing on properties are almost similar and the Guard hair with any other type.
A word about the Grip Hooks. I first found out about these from a South African tyer and was able to get some from the UK as there was a stockist there. This pattern of hook I like a lot as it's holding power is amazing for a barbless. The manufacturer is Scientific Fly.
Step 1.
Mount the hook in the vice
Step 2.
Thread into the bend and secure the ribbing wire
Step 3.
Dub on the underfur to the thread, if there are some guard hairs caught in along with this it just helps the scruffiness.
Step 4.
Form a tapering abdomen
Step 5.
Wind on the rib counter to the dubbing and secure. Break of the excess wire by wriggling it
Step 6.
Splitting thread can be a real pain in the ar*e but since I started making my dubbing needles using sewing machine needles it has become a lot easier, look for the ball point type. To hold the split thread apart I just use an offcut of booby foam, works a treat!
Step 7.
Pull a pinch of guard hairs from the pelt and insert these in the split thread to form the hackle, not possessing the MP tool set I just stuff them in and hope for the best before spinning the thread to tighten up the hackle.
Step 8.
Wrap the 'hackle' on and finish off with a whipped head and a dab of varnish. Pull out any hairs that are out of place and you are done!
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One of my problems when tying flies is crowding of the head. I either tie to close to the eye or end up
with enough space to park a Discovery so I adapted the SBS from Tango to this method of tying the
Balloon Headed Caddis.
The use of Peacock Ice Dubbing gives it an added attraction that has worked well for me, not saying
that the original version doesn't as it gave me a red letter day to remember!
On with the show -
Materials
Hook - Grip 13021 size 12 Damsel 1x long
Thread - Olive UTC 140 Denier
Butt - Glo Brite No12 Fluo Green fine
Abdomen - Orvis Peacock Ice Dubbing
Wing - Natural Roe Deer
Balloon - 2mm Orange Foam from Wapsi cut into a 4mm strip for this size of hook
On to the vice!
Step 1.
Secure your hook in the vice and run the thread from the eye to the start of the bend in touching turns
Step 2.
Tie in the butt material
Step 3.
Form a slight 'rugby ball' shape and trim off the excess material
Step 4.
Form a dubbing rope with the peacock ice dubbing, does not need to be slim as caddis have a
substantial sized abdomen
Step 5.
Form that substantial abdomen and leave some room at the eye end of the hook
Step 6.
Tie in the foam strip as close to the eye as possible and bind this down tightly squashing the tag of
foam onto the hook shank
Step 7.
Take a small bunch of deer hair and trim to the length of wing you want. The deer hair I used is of
reasonably uniform length and I don't use a stacker to even the tips but if the stuff you have is straggly
then use a stacker to even up the tips. Tie this in and bind tightly over the butts while holding
the wing section to stop it flaring too much
Step 8.
Now fold over the foam strip and pull tight over the deer hair butt section and tie down tightly to make
it balloon.
Step 9.
I whip finish the balloon with two sets of 3 turn whip finishes as I do not use varnish on the foam. This
gives good enough grip on the foam and holds it together enough to get destroyed by the trout
Step 10.
Slide your scissors along the deer hair to trim the foam as close as possible. Pull out any straggly
looking deer hairs for aesthetic purposes - the fish don't mind actually what it looks like when they
are sedge feeding as they tail slap it under and return to grab it
And there you have it, my variant of OE's take on Roman Moser's Balloon Caddis Variant from the vice of the mad professor. -
Step 7.
Form a slim dubbing rope with the seal's fur
Step 8.
Dub on the thorax tightly behind the hackle
Step 9.
Fold over the wing case and secure with a couple of wraps of thread
Step 10.
Once again hold up the fibres and trim to give an angles cut
Step 11.
Return your thread to above the barb and catch in a few pheasant tail fibres for the tails
Step 12.
Trim these in the same way as before and then start to build up the abdomen 's taper with thread. When you want to build up the taper, reduce the area that you are covering with the thread gradually and ensure that you keep using touching turns to keep things smooth
Step 13.
Now the abdomen is almost completed with the taper and your last layer should cover the abdomen from the tail fibres and end behind the wing case
Step 14.
Complete the tying with a whip finish and try not to create a bulge at the finish point
Step 15. (optional)
Skues did not have access to the modern varnishes and super glues that we have nowadays so here you can apply a protective coat to the threaded abdomen if you wish
Foot Note -
If you have a copy of this month's FF&FT (June) take a look at page 63. There is an article that tells of a dramatisation of "The Great Debate", an imaginary debate between Skues and Halford created by Professor Gordon M Wickstrom and published jointly by the American Museum of Fly Fishing and The Whole and Ancient Company of Anglers at $40 inc P&P to the UK.
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When I first posted a backwards CDC buzzer on FFF little did I know that this method of tying owes it's origins to none other than the esteemed champion of nymph fishing, George Edward MacKenzie Skues.
Skues thought to challenge the thinking prevalent at the time of the other great trout fly exponent, Frederic Halford, who's school of thought championed the dry fly to the exclusion of everything else at the time with the use of wet flies being denounced as being unethical and not representative of any form of insect life.
It wasn't until Skues published his book 'Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream' in 1910 that a challenge was made to the then ruling 'Establishment' supported by Halford and co, the dry fly purists. With this book he established a revolution in fly fishing to which the dry school raged with controversy and heated debate ensued, Skues on the other hand had backed up his writings with careful observation of trout feeding and determined that nymph fishing was as valid a method as dry fly fishing as the trout fed on this stage of the insect as readily as it fed on the dry, more so in reality as nymphs are always present in greater numbers than dries at any given time on any water, be it still or running.
Today's knowledge backs this up and in fact proves that Skues was a true genius of his time as fishing the nymph became a method whereby you could fish when dries were not present on the water.
His next book 'The way Of A Trout With A Fly' followed in 1921 and backed up his ideas and gave us all the opportunity to pursue trout using the sunken fly to which modern nymph fishing owes it's origin.
This dressing of this nymph is adapted from that very book (page 129) and employs the backwards tying method I had thought at the time was unique to the backwards CDC buzzer I had SBSed.
This prelude owes it's thanks to an article from the Irish Angler.
So, I present for your enjoyment and delectation of the eye, Mr George Edward MacKenzie Skues Backwards Nymph.
Materials:-
Hook - wet down eyed of your choice
Thread - Olive
Thorax - Olive Seal's Fur
Wingcase - Pheasant Tail Fibres
Abdomen - Olive Thread
Tail - a few Pheasant Tail Fibres
Ribbing - Skues did not use ribbing on his original so I have omitted this on the SBS but you can add a rib if required.
Proceeding under the assumption of right handed tying capabilities.
Step 1.
Thread up your hook of choice with an even touching layer to a point above the barb
Step 2.
Return the thread to the hook eye keeping it even and with touching turns
Step 3.
Select a bunch of Cock Pheasant Taial fibres and secure to the hook by the tips
Step 4.
Ttrim off the tips by holding them up and cutting at an angle, this helps in reducing bulking and steps when covered with thread
Step 5.
Cover the trimmed tips with your thread and return it to the eye area
Step 6.
Secure your hackle by the tip and then trim the excess that is above the hook shank then wrap the hackle on the hook with a couple of turns and secure
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Fantastic pictures, Jeff!
You guys are lucky to have such a beautiful backdrop for your fishing.
Some healthy looking fish too, that fat one has had far too many doughnuts!
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Din,
this is an old shootout on vices (a new one is currently being undertaken) and gives some solid advice as well as a good selection in different price ranges. I use a Peak and have found it more than adequate from lures to micros.
Good luck in choosing.
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That is one excellent SBS! You must have the patience of a saint to do all that hard work! Will need to give them a go for across here on the Liffey.
TLs
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The other day these things were everywhere including up my nose, in my ears and on my jacket. The fish were head and tailing as they hatched and I snagged a couple out of the air to see what they were taking but could not match it with anything I had at the time so this is the result.
size 18, cream thread ribbed with brown thread and Savage Hair winging, a dab of a black marker and a smidgeon of superglue to hold it together.
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Look for a Bloke XL50 9ft 6 weight, there was a Canadian dealer chucking them out for around $300CDN, fast actioned, well made and a dream to cast.
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Step 7.
Palmer the hackle with 4 or 5 turns and tie in
Step 8.
Run the rib up the abdomen in the opposite direction of the wool and hackle and secure
Step 9.
Pull any stray fibres back and secure with thread
Step 10.
Tie in the wing with as little of the stubs sticking out as possible
Step 11.
Trim off any stray ones and return the thread to the base of the wing
Step 12.
Dub on a small amount of dark Hare's Ear mix dubbing
Step 13.
Whip finish and apply a small dab of varnish to the thread avoiding the dubbing to complete the fly
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I could not think of a better name for this so it will have to do. I use Klinkhamers and Deer Hair sedges a lot on still water on their own or as an indicator for a nymph or buzzer. I wanted to create something that gave a bit of both and this is the result.
Nothing complicated in the tying but an oddity in the palmered hackle dept.
The Chadwick's substitute came from a materials swap with Klaas, many thanks for this.
Materials -
Hook - Tiemco TMC 200R - not my favourite make for this style
Thread - UTC 70 Denier Rusty Brown
Rib - UTC Brassie Red wire
Abdomen - Poseidon Killer Bug Wool (Chadwick's 477 substitute)
Hackle - Grizzle Cock
Wing - Picric Deer Hair
Thorax - Dark Hare's Ear mix
Procedure.
Step 1.
Mount and thread up a hook of choice to the barb area
Step 2.
Tie in the rib on top of the hook shank to keep it slim
Step 3.
Tie in the abdomen wool. The Poseidon substitute comes in 4 ply and I split this down to 2 ply for this tying
Step 4.
Select a hackle with fibres slightly longer than the gape of the hook
Step 5.
Catch in the hackle at the midpoint of the hook shank
Step 6.
Wind on the wool taking it past the hackle trying to avoid trapping any fibres
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My wife works for Guinness in the Storehouse, Dublin, the tourist part of Guinness brewery and a Canadian couple were there doing the tourist thing yesterday and she asked them where they were from. Calgary!
She mentioned that I take part in this forum and they said any chance I get to go to Canada, I should fish the Bow!
Calgarians promoting their fishing, nice one!
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To dispell ignorance, apply education. It works.
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The mayfly season is almost upon us here in Ireland and this Mayfly Swap was run by one of the Irish guys, Murt, in preparation for it. The standard of entries for this was exceptional, especially those from the beginners who have recently taken up the vice.
Looking forwards to getting a few of them in action on the Loughs here.
Check out the home made acetate wings from Bigboab, a beginner!
Enjoy!
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Across this side of the pond we tend to favour 7/8 weights for loch / lough / lake fishing from a drifting boat but I have tended towards a 6 weight for both my loch and river fishing although I should be thinking about getting a 4 weight for the river.
I have a 12ft Daiwa Tournament Osprey Whisker Kevlar 5/7 weight that I bought many years ago and used to use for loch fishing and also on the Tweed for trout, it converts to a double hander as it has a 6" extention for the butt and can really throw line despite being a soft actioned rod compared to what is now available.
My main rod is a 9ft Bloke XL50 fast actioned 6 weight which unfortunately broke playing the 3rd fish of the day the other week and this I use on both river and loch, this has been described by one angling journalist friend of mine as a bloody poker! Anybody worried about the handling capabilities of a 6 weight should know that this has landed a 14lb fighting fit rainbow without any effort!
There are a few more including a 10ft Shimano Biocraft XTR 8 weight, a 10ft Daiwa Lochmor 7 weight, a 10ft Shakespeare which I think is 8 weight again and of all things, an ABU Conolon 11ft 3" 7 weight which I have loaned out to a buddy who broke his loch rod recently.
Oh! and a 17ft telescopic dapping rod!
Just to update this and get the thread back on track -----
I have just acquired a 4 piece 10ft 7 weight Bloke XL50 to play with on the loughs across here. Can't wait until it arrives on the doorstep!
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This little thing appears on the diet of still water trout and when they fixate on it you cannot get them off it!
Small but deadly and works a treat!
The tying is very simple, even for me on a hook this size, B405 size 20, Datam Glo-brite floss shade 12, 1 strand of pearl Savage Hair which does both the tails and wings (frugal Scot!), a touch with a black marker on the thorax and a whiff of super glue to fix the wing, thorax and head!
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Across this side of the pond we tend to favour 7/8 weights for loch / lough / lake fishing from a drifting boat but I have tended towards a 6 weight for both my loch and river fishing although I should be thinking about getting a 4 weight for the river.
I have a 12ft Daiwa Tournament Osprey Whisker Kevlar 5/7 weight that I bought many years ago and used to use for loch fishing and also on the Tweed for trout, it converts to a double hander as it has a 6" extention for the butt and can really throw line despite being a soft actioned rod compared to what is now available.
My main rod is a 9ft Bloke XL50 fast actioned 6 weight which unfortunately broke playing the 3rd fish of the day the other week and this I use on both river and loch, this has been described by one angling journalist friend of mine as a bloody poker! Anybody worried about the handling capabilities of a 6 weight should know that this has landed a 14lb fighting fit rainbow without any effort!
There are a few more including a 10ft Shimano Biocraft XTR 8 weight, a 10ft Daiwa Lochmor 7 weight, a 10ft Shakespeare which I think is 8 weight again and of all things, an ABU Conolon 11ft 3" 7 weight which I have loaned out to a buddy who broke his loch rod recently.
Oh! and a 17ft telescopic dapping rod!
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Wrap the abdomen and secure under the thorax area
Run the rib up the abdomen and secure in the same place, cover the tags with thread and run back to the start of the thorax
Tie in a length of the straggle for the thorax
Wrap this to behind the eye bearing in mind you have to secure the wingcase over this
Stroke the fibres of the straggle back from the eye and to the sides before bringing the pheasant tail fibres over it and securing with a whip finish and varnish
This gives you a slightly modern twist to a well established pattern. Weighting can be added in the form of lead wire wrapped at the thorax area before wrapping the straggle.
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Walker's Mayfly Nymph pattern is a stalwart in any fly fisherman's fly box, it is probably one of the first nymphs that you buy and also a very productive one, not just in the Mayfly season. This is the famous nymph after having had the 'treatment' from the mad professor!
Materials:-
Hook - Kamasan B830 or B800 size 10
Thread - UTC 140 Denier Brown
Rib - UTC - Dark Olive Wee Wool
Abdomen - Lureflash Superbug wool
Wingcase - Cock Pheasant tail fibres
Thorax - Veniard's Brown UV Straggle Standard
Mount the hook in the vice - always a good idea!
Thread the shank up to the barb area
Tie in a goodly bunch of fibres from a cock pheasant tail feather and pull them through to length before tightening the thread loops
Catch in the rib material
Followed by the abdomen material leaving a tag for bulking up
Wrap the thread up to the start of the thorax catching in the tag ends of the rib and abdomen keeping the wingcase on the top of the hook
Another Good Weekend
in Photo Posts
Posted
Lorney,
magnificent fish! You must have really enjoyed that outing.
Here is a photo of a 3lb triploid with a well developed kype which it should not have due to it's age and being a triploid. For some reason this one developed one and compared to larger fish caught that same day he was the exception in possessing one.