The Continuing Adventures of the Fluff Club, Episode 18
(The names and
places are disguised to protect the innocent)
I missed the Christmas, (well December) FC outing - Christmas just got in the way. Anyroadup I made the January one and will now reveal all. We were back at the fishery visited in episodes 2, abortively in 11, plus 15 and 17. Can't actually see a pattern, but there is a sneaking suspicion that the Professor, who does the picking, must like it here.
The forecast gave rain, lots of it, lasting all day, but at least we were above the magic 5 degrees C temperature mark, below which even trout feel the cold. As usual, there were plenty of assorted waterfowl on and beside the pond, looking decidedly dejected in the grey and the rain.
During the preceding week I had tied up two new patterns which I wanted to try. One was a small lure which Steve Cooper (of the excellent Cookshill Fly Tying) reported in one magazine was his top fly on his local still-waters for the past few seasons, basically an orange and green-head ‘tadpole’ thingy (see Total Flyfisher February 2017). The other I trawled up on YouTube: a pattern from Lance Egan (top USA fly-fisher for years and medallist at the world championships) which he describes as 'an outright attractor pattern'. His tying is on a jig hook for river nymphing, but I tied some on standard hooks to try them out; he calls this pattern the 'Red Dart'.
We donned our wet weather wear in the lodge, warmed by the wood stove, bacon butties and coffee. We were a paltry turnout really: the Professor, the Lumberjack, Jackdaw, and Whytee. No wonder the fisheries don't put up the flags and bunting and roll out the red carpet when they hear that our branch of the Fluff movement has booked a visit. Still, we did each get a free fried egg in our sarnies, which might not have happened if there were more of us.
Eventually there were no further excuses for hanging around in the lodge, so we squelched out into the wet. I started fishing from the small point of the eastern bank, so I could cover a lot of water. I tied-on Mr Cooper's fly first, using a 3m sink-tip line #5 weight outfit. It wasn't long before the retrieve locked up and a super fit, fin perfect Rainbow gave my tackle a thorough testing. I returned from bagging the fish by the lodge to see the Lumberjack, opposite me on the island, hook into another of these fighting-fit fish.
Jackdaw, true to form, was fishing close to the lodge, while the Professor had commenced at the far corner of the westerly bank. Before long, still on the same fly, I had a second very energetic battle with a trout in great condition and handsomely spotted, at a shade under four pounds this time.
Off with the first fly and on with t'other. After a few casts I was just starting to think it might not prove suitable for this venue and/or method when the line tightened and my third fish fought hard to avoid the earlier fate of its kin. Three Rainbows bagged, each over three pounds, so only one left to go for ... time to get out of the rain and have a coffee break!
Jackdaw took a nice fish before he stopped for a cuppa. The Professor caught two four-pound plus fish in successive casts, both of them giving his split-cane rod a severe bending. He could easily become a purist, especially when he gets the silk line he says he has set his sights on.
Fortified, I went back to my spot and cast the Red Dart variant out again, only to be beaten up by a heavy fish which absolutely smashed the fly along with my 5lb b.s. tippet! Somewhat impressed I took a spare of the pattern round to the Professor, so he could give it a trial to see what he thought of it. I left him to it and started back whereupon the Lumberjack, now on the other side of the island and opposite the Professor, hooked and lost three fish in a row.
"You should check your hook point's sharp enough" I called across,
"You should check you've got a hook on!" called Jackdaw.
To silence the cat calls the Lumberjack immediately hooked another, and this one stayed on, completing his brace ticket.
Even though the rain was easing off, now much lighter than the BBC had forecast, Jackdaw decided he had had enough and settled for just his one fish. This fishery does give you a credit to use on a forthcoming visit if you don’t complete your limit. Fair play. At that point the Professor landed his third and I returned to see what he thought of the new pattern, only to find out that he had lost a fish on the Red Dart as well, having been snapped-off! The one he had just netted was to a different fly.
Back at my rod I decided the new LE pattern had proved itself sufficiently, and chose to try something else, to check for consistency:
On my previous outing, not a FC one, I visited a fishery close to Winchester. The catch book revealed the year so far had been hard ... one or two fish caught here and there but an ominous number of blanks recorded. It did indeed prove to be hard, not helped by the very low water level. I came across one area where I could observe several trout moving around, in and out of view, seemingly about four feet down. I went through various patterns and presentations trying to glean some interest from the fish. Eventually, fishing a #20 nymph suspended at the cruising depth under a foam indicator, a couple of fish did have a look, but neither would take. I tried other tiny patterns but to no more avail, until close to the point of giving up I tried suspending a #14 biscuit Blob with an orange fluoro floss tag tail and that produced a take at last and a two-and-a-half pound 'bow. I went to the lodge to eat my lunch and have a welcome coffee, it had been a long morning. Mein host told me he knew there were fish around the aerator, but you couldn't see them due to the turbulence. Remotivated and refreshed I started over, casting to the agitated water close to the aerator, soon completing my three-fish limit despite missing one take while talking to a guy who came over to ask what I was using. He had never heard of a Blob, nor a foam indicator!
With that last session in mind I knotted on a #14 biscuit Blob with the fluoro orange tag, dunked it about the margins to get it waterlogged and sinking, then cast it out. Untidily. The fly and cast landed at right angles to the sink tip, creating slack. I pulled the line to straighten everything up, to see a swirl behind the sinking fly, so I pulled another twelve inches, there was a boil behind the fly when suddenly a different trout hurtled in from my left and engulfed the Blob. Another fine fighter, albeit smallest of my four, at under three pounds.
With that, all four Fluff Boys were finished up, so there was a bit of banter while we shed our wet gear in the warmth.
I missed the Christmas, (well December) FC outing - Christmas just got in the way. Anyroadup I made the January one and will now reveal all. We were back at the fishery visited in episodes 2, abortively in 11, plus 15 and 17. Can't actually see a pattern, but there is a sneaking suspicion that the Professor, who does the picking, must like it here.
The forecast gave rain, lots of it, lasting all day, but at least we were above the magic 5 degrees C temperature mark, below which even trout feel the cold. As usual, there were plenty of assorted waterfowl on and beside the pond, looking decidedly dejected in the grey and the rain.
During the preceding week I had tied up two new patterns which I wanted to try. One was a small lure which Steve Cooper (of the excellent Cookshill Fly Tying) reported in one magazine was his top fly on his local still-waters for the past few seasons, basically an orange and green-head ‘tadpole’ thingy (see Total Flyfisher February 2017). The other I trawled up on YouTube: a pattern from Lance Egan (top USA fly-fisher for years and medallist at the world championships) which he describes as 'an outright attractor pattern'. His tying is on a jig hook for river nymphing, but I tied some on standard hooks to try them out; he calls this pattern the 'Red Dart'.
We donned our wet weather wear in the lodge, warmed by the wood stove, bacon butties and coffee. We were a paltry turnout really: the Professor, the Lumberjack, Jackdaw, and Whytee. No wonder the fisheries don't put up the flags and bunting and roll out the red carpet when they hear that our branch of the Fluff movement has booked a visit. Still, we did each get a free fried egg in our sarnies, which might not have happened if there were more of us.
Eventually there were no further excuses for hanging around in the lodge, so we squelched out into the wet. I started fishing from the small point of the eastern bank, so I could cover a lot of water. I tied-on Mr Cooper's fly first, using a 3m sink-tip line #5 weight outfit. It wasn't long before the retrieve locked up and a super fit, fin perfect Rainbow gave my tackle a thorough testing. I returned from bagging the fish by the lodge to see the Lumberjack, opposite me on the island, hook into another of these fighting-fit fish.
Jackdaw, true to form, was fishing close to the lodge, while the Professor had commenced at the far corner of the westerly bank. Before long, still on the same fly, I had a second very energetic battle with a trout in great condition and handsomely spotted, at a shade under four pounds this time.
Off with the first fly and on with t'other. After a few casts I was just starting to think it might not prove suitable for this venue and/or method when the line tightened and my third fish fought hard to avoid the earlier fate of its kin. Three Rainbows bagged, each over three pounds, so only one left to go for ... time to get out of the rain and have a coffee break!
Jackdaw took a nice fish before he stopped for a cuppa. The Professor caught two four-pound plus fish in successive casts, both of them giving his split-cane rod a severe bending. He could easily become a purist, especially when he gets the silk line he says he has set his sights on.
Fortified, I went back to my spot and cast the Red Dart variant out again, only to be beaten up by a heavy fish which absolutely smashed the fly along with my 5lb b.s. tippet! Somewhat impressed I took a spare of the pattern round to the Professor, so he could give it a trial to see what he thought of it. I left him to it and started back whereupon the Lumberjack, now on the other side of the island and opposite the Professor, hooked and lost three fish in a row.
"You should check your hook point's sharp enough" I called across,
"You should check you've got a hook on!" called Jackdaw.
To silence the cat calls the Lumberjack immediately hooked another, and this one stayed on, completing his brace ticket.
Even though the rain was easing off, now much lighter than the BBC had forecast, Jackdaw decided he had had enough and settled for just his one fish. This fishery does give you a credit to use on a forthcoming visit if you don’t complete your limit. Fair play. At that point the Professor landed his third and I returned to see what he thought of the new pattern, only to find out that he had lost a fish on the Red Dart as well, having been snapped-off! The one he had just netted was to a different fly.
Back at my rod I decided the new LE pattern had proved itself sufficiently, and chose to try something else, to check for consistency:
On my previous outing, not a FC one, I visited a fishery close to Winchester. The catch book revealed the year so far had been hard ... one or two fish caught here and there but an ominous number of blanks recorded. It did indeed prove to be hard, not helped by the very low water level. I came across one area where I could observe several trout moving around, in and out of view, seemingly about four feet down. I went through various patterns and presentations trying to glean some interest from the fish. Eventually, fishing a #20 nymph suspended at the cruising depth under a foam indicator, a couple of fish did have a look, but neither would take. I tried other tiny patterns but to no more avail, until close to the point of giving up I tried suspending a #14 biscuit Blob with an orange fluoro floss tag tail and that produced a take at last and a two-and-a-half pound 'bow. I went to the lodge to eat my lunch and have a welcome coffee, it had been a long morning. Mein host told me he knew there were fish around the aerator, but you couldn't see them due to the turbulence. Remotivated and refreshed I started over, casting to the agitated water close to the aerator, soon completing my three-fish limit despite missing one take while talking to a guy who came over to ask what I was using. He had never heard of a Blob, nor a foam indicator!
With that last session in mind I knotted on a #14 biscuit Blob with the fluoro orange tag, dunked it about the margins to get it waterlogged and sinking, then cast it out. Untidily. The fly and cast landed at right angles to the sink tip, creating slack. I pulled the line to straighten everything up, to see a swirl behind the sinking fly, so I pulled another twelve inches, there was a boil behind the fly when suddenly a different trout hurtled in from my left and engulfed the Blob. Another fine fighter, albeit smallest of my four, at under three pounds.
With that, all four Fluff Boys were finished up, so there was a bit of banter while we shed our wet gear in the warmth.
Fino al prossimo
Fluff Club gita.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments and/or feedback are always welcome