River beginner

[River Chatter]

Great advice Haresear. My tactics are similar, but because I fish the same river often I plan my approach with known holding areas in mind a lot. I always make sure that I arrive below my hotspots in the best possible position to cover any fish while doing my best to avoid distrubing them. If someone is fishing above me I either give them a wide berth and walk a fair bit upstream past them (enough distance to avoid being rude - few hundred yards at least) or kick back and smoke a Cuban and wait for the water to settle again - 20 minutes is usually enough - depending on how cack-handed the previous fisher was!  It's a small river I fish so covering different parts of the river isn't really practical. As for flies I've had success with similar flies to Haresear, but persevere with the dry flies more than I should.

[invictor]

hi guys

I don't think anyone was suggesting you contact a member directly, although I'm sure members in the know don't mind being contacted with a PM.

But speaking for the rest of us clueless buggers, I like to see advice on the forum where we can all benefit from it.

Yes, I agree, no probs being contacted but evryone on the forum will benefit from posting Q&A's , thats what its all about after all..........
saying that , it took me a while to get brave enough to ask some daft questions  :lol:   :lol:    :lol:

Totally agree lads that's what forums are for, and this is the best by far.

Harpo, Admin, Iv had my share of blanks just like the rest of us, but I think Ive came away learning or questining something from every outing.
I fished the river twice last year, caught a 9 incher at Abington lost a nice one cause of a broken hook,
got my first grayling 1/2pound at Rosebank during the Sept. weekend. Ask me about anything else I did
and I would have to think hard.

I expect to have a lot of blanks but the day will not be wasted.

Haresear, that was exceptional just what I was looking for, THANK YOU.
could you tell me a dressing for a ryacophila, I haven't done that in entomology yet,

[haresear]

Haresear, that was exceptional just what I was looking for, THANK YOU.
could you tell me a dressing for a ryacophila, I haven't done that in entomology yet,

You're welcome Invictor and I'm glad you found it useful.

My ryac is simple. Lead wire underbody, dirty yellow or greenish abdomen tied very slim (I use superfine dubbing) thorax is brownish possum or more recently glister dubbing  and an olive or brown  shellback ribbed with tan flexifloss pulled tight (mono does fine too).

The last article on nymphing in Fish wild has a photo with a few ryacs in it...  http://www.fish-wild.co.uk/showbigimage.php?image_id=2008Nov021225645697Nymphs_and_indicators.jpg

Alex

[east wind]

As for the actual fishing. I like to look at a few areas until I get a piece of water to myself. I stay out of the water as much as possible and when fishing blind, always assume there is a fish lying tight to my bank. There often is.

If I have to walk downstream to get water to myself, I'll avoid walking along the bank if at all possible and while I'm doing this, I'll take advantage of cover to sneak up to a vantage point where I can try to spot fish. If I see a good fish I go for it there and then. If I don't, I circle around and continue downstream to my chosen starting point.


If I am forced as often happens, to fish up behind someone, I fish differently. Whereas before I would have stayed out of the water and fished the near bank, I now watch how the other guy is fishing and more importantly where.

He will likely be scaring all the close in fish so most of my targetted areas will be the steady deeper runs and fish lying on the far side. If fish aren't rising, I'll try the nymph under the indicator and I'll be treating that indicator just like dry fly, avoiding drag like the plague.

I'll be much more likely to wade now, to avoid drag as I know the previous angler has spooked all the close in fish anyway.

In a roundabout way that's what i was trying to get at in another thread.

Alex, are you saying that given preference you would fish only the near bank and ignore other good looking spots in the middle or far banks. Obviously talking about the bigger rivers here.

I certainly fish the bank I'm on first but then I'm in to get closer to the other areas before moving on especially if i know they are good holding areas. By habit i am normally on the shallow side if i can help it anyway and often have to get in to access the good water.

And sometimes i wonder if that gets a few shakes of the head, but bugger it if i need to get in i get in, and its softly softly does it.

Any thoughts ?

Cheers,

EW

[Harpo]

health wise it probably isn't smart (bacteria and chemicals in the fur, water and any previous caught troots)

Up to the point that you typed the above I thought you meant you crouched down and "sooked" it in the river, not yer mooth!

[haresear]

Alex, are you saying that given preference you would fish only the near bank and ignore other good looking spots in the middle or far banks. Obviously talking about the bigger rivers here.

I certainly fish the bank I'm on first but then I'm in to get closer to the other areas before moving on especially if i know they are good holding areas. By habit i am normally on the shallow side if i can help it anyway and often have to get in to access the good water.

And sometimes i wonder if that gets a few shakes of the head, but bugger it if i need to get in i get in, and its softly softly does it.

Any thoughts ?

East wind, it depends on the water I am fishing I suppose. Up at Crawford I only really wade to cross the river, because there is no need to otherwise.
You know that long straight where you and I bumped into one another briefly below the Duneaton? I will wade certain parts of it, but only after fishing my side first, whatever bank I'm on. I prefer to just wade far enough to let me make a long cast to the far bank if fish are rising there. It they aren't rising, I'll probably keep my feet dry and just fish the water I can reach with a long cast. I might go in to ankle depth, but I don't class that as wading.

I once fished up that stretch slowly and had 10 good trout and grayling from very shallow water, all within a few yards of the bank. My pal was amazed when he heard that, as he thought it was all too shallow to hold decent fish.

Must say I don't like working my way upstream in the water unless vegetation or high banks forces me to, but that is rare on most of the upper Clyde. There are some areas however, such as pocket water, where wading is the best approach for sure. I'm thinking of the area near the fir trees between Abington and Crawford as an example. Much of the right bank below the trees is dead water and the fish will all be in midstream or on the left bank.

In my experience, big fish aren't necessarily found in deep water. When feeding, they are more likely to be up in the head of a run and they will drop into deep water when danger threatens or they cease feeding. My biggest Clyde trout was caught from water only about knee deep. (and I've got wee legs . I was fishing the same area one day when a farmer came down in a tractor and crossed the river right at that point.

The biggest Clyde trout I ever saw was certainly 8lb plus :shock: and was cruising extensively in water so shallow the tail fin was above the surface at times. That's one reason why I'm not afraid to fish shallow water first, before fishing the more obvious deeper water, which of course I will do too :.

Having said all that, if I am fishing up behind someone, and I'm on the shallow side, then I get right in there as the near bank is dead water anyway .

Alex


 
 

[haresear]

Really sound advice Haresear.I have a problem with DHE not `sitting ` upright in the water

Bob

Thanks Bob. I posted this on the wrong thread earlier :roll: . I find it helps to keep the abdomen slim and not at all spiky. The thorax should be spiky and I go easy on the deer hair both for quantity and for length. I've seen some examples where the wing is too far down the shank. I prefer it to be right up near the eye.

As long as you allow the cast to straighten in the air first, before falling to the water, the fly should land and sit right.

Alex

[east wind]

East wind, it depends on the water I am fishing I suppose. Up at Crawford I only really wade to cross the river, because there is no need to otherwise.
You know that long straight where you and I bumped into one another briefly below the Duneaton? I will wade certain parts of it, but only after fishing my side first, whatever bank I'm on. I prefer to just wade far enough to let me make a long cast to the far bank if fish are rising there. It they aren't rising, I'll probably keep my feet dry and just fish the water I can reach with a long cast. I might go in to ankle depth, but I don't class that as wading.

I once fished up that stretch slowly and had 10 good trout and grayling from very shallow water, all within a few yards of the bank. My pal was amazed when he heard that, as he thought it was all too shallow to hold decent fish.

Must say I don't like working my way upstream in the water unless vegetation or high banks forces me to, but that is rare on most of the upper Clyde. There are some areas however, such as pocket water, where wading is the best approach for sure. I'm thinking of the area near the fir trees between Abington and Crawford as an example. Much of the right bank below the trees is dead water and the fish will all be in midstream or on the left bank.

In my experience, big fish aren't necessarily found in deep water. When feeding, they are more likely to be up in the head of a run and they will drop into deep water when danger threatens or they cease feeding. My biggest Clyde trout was caught from water only about knee deep. (and I've got wee legs . I was fishing the same area one day when a farmer came down in a tractor and crossed the river right at that point.

The biggest Clyde trout I ever saw was certainly 8lb plus :shock: and was cruising extensively in water so shallow the tail fin was above the surface at times. That's one reason why I'm not afraid to fish shallow water first, before fishing the more obvious deeper water, which of course I will do too :.

Having said all that, if I am fishing up behind someone, and I'm on the shallow side, then I get right in there as the near bank is dead water anyway .

Alex

Alex,

good advice and i reckon my strategy is almost just about close to being nearly the same  :? , mibbee just don't execute it as well as i would like.

Although i fish the shallow water, I have said a few times before that i really need to spend more time on it before going in. I have seen a good few fish scarper so how many have i not seen ?

I don't go breenging in, i take loads of time but by the end, that part of the water will have been fully fished before i move on.

Just hope you don't end up fishing behind me too often  :lol: :lol:

Anyway you have other rivers to enjoy before getting your favourite run spooked by me. Enjoy the trip.

Cheers,

EW

[haresear]

Thanks EW.

I'm not sure if you will be able to access this link (could be members only) but there are some big fish in really shallow water in this thread on a NZ forum. Enjoy... http://www.flyshop.co.nz/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=10;t=1085;st=10

Alex