Greasing Leaders

[haresear]

Over the last few weeks I have been frustrated by fish taking nymphs on the point of emergence. Usually there would be a displacement of surface water and sometimes the back of the fish would touch surface, but at no point did the lips show above the surface.

Although I managed a few fish on dries and usually sunk abdomen types, I was concerned that I was unable to get more than the odd fish, despite trying various profiles of dries and hanging pheasant tail nymphs off the dry NZ style.

Last night I came across a few fish behaving in the same way. I tried dries in various shapes and sizes down to one of Hans? specials on about a  #22. Not a sniff 
I then tried a small PTN. Nothing. I eventually spooked the first fish I spotted bulging and moved on.

There were two more bulging fish upstream. Neither of those would take a dry either, nor would they take a wire nymph or a PTN. In desperation, I put on a size 18 or a smallish 16 unweighted spider and spat on it to make sure it would sink. I put a tiny wisp of yarn a couple of feet from the fly as an indicator. Still nothing, but the two fish I was targeting were still bulging constantly in shallow water. :?

Maybe my spider was getting down too much? It was all I could think of although it seemed unlikely. I greased up my leader to within two inches of the spider to make sure it would sit just under the surface film and no more.

First cast with the new approach and there was a healthy boil, resulting in a nice fish at 1lb 4oz.

There was another good fish rising just upstream in really shallow water. I had a couple of casts which were ignored, before it occurred to me that the leader may have been getting down too much, so I greased up again and recast. Fish on and a fine specimen at 3lb 4oz was eventually netted.

There was a really healthy boil upstream and I knew this was a big fish. He was sitting at the prime lie at the head of the pool, so was likely to be the biggest or most aggressive of the fish in the pool. I tried the wee spider on the greased up leader again. This time I didn?t see a boil, just the yarn sink. Fish on again.

This one was a beast of a fish and it was only later in a long hard fight that I realised it was a big rainbow escapee. :shock: It was a lump of a fish at 7lb 12oz and although it was a rainbow, I couldn?t bring myself to bump it on the head, it was a fully finned fine looking fish that had given me a hard struggle on that tiny hook, so I slipped it back. No doubt it will come a cropper at the hands of someone else.

I came across just one more fish late on. It was cruising all over the place, so hard to pin down, but eventually got him to take an emerger with a soggy bottom. Another very nice indigenous fish at 4lb 8oz.

Next time you are faced with fish in the surface film, give the wee upstream spider on a greased leader a try. I know I will.

Alex

[Ythanjoe]

Handy tip , not so sure I'll get the same results in practice though, but heres hoping.
Joe

[haresear]

Fantastic trout Alex that's a great idea on how to present the spider just under the surface, it's worked a treat for you. must have been a great feeling to suss it out and reap the rewards well done.

cheers

Brian.   

Thanks Brian. I must say it was down to Malcolm of the forum that I tried this. Thanks Malcolm

Malcolm told me that he has had a few nice fish this year by fishing a spider on a dropper with a dry on the end as a sighter. A sort of NZ dropper in reverse. Something else worth remembering :

Alex

[Clan Ford]

Malcolm told me that he has had a few nice fish this year by fishing a spider on a dropper with a dry on the end as a sighter. A sort of NZ dropper in reverse. Something else worth remembering :

Alex

That's my technique :shock:  but then again I only catch half punners.  Some great fish there Alex and isn't it good when you "crack the code"

Norm

[haresear]

isn't it good when you "crack the code" Very Happy

That's what it is all about Norm. Concentration, observation and adaptation Hey, that sounds quite a snappy mantra

Alex

[Harpo]

fishing a spider on a dropper with a dry on the end as a sighter. A sort of NZ dropper in reverse. Something else worth remembering :

Brilliant stuff Alex, sounds like I could of done with this technique  on the Almond this week(although it wasnae a 3lber :shock:) - I just could not see what the fish was taking, no insects in the film/surface but still boils and rises. The fish wouldn't take dries, emergers, Nymphs
So I had to leave him sising as i'd run out of ideas :x

Cheers

Stuart

[paulr]

Cracking session Alex.
You got your rewards for your clever thinking.
cheers
Paul

[haresear]

sounds like I could of done with this technique  on the Almond this week(although it wasnae a 3lber

That's exactly the point Stuart. I have to say I may not have gone through all the options if the fish were smaller, but the principle remains the same. No doubt I'll get eff all tomorrow if I apply the same logic :?

Wee Bri,

Bob Wyatt's approach to imitation/suggestion is sound in my opinion. I've read a fair bit of Bob's stuff and if Harelug ever gives me his book back I may be able to go over that again some day....

The way I look at it is...

If you can see them taking something, give them it or something like it and present it naturally, where they are feeding.

If you see good wholesome insect food going over/past the fish and they aren't having it, then give them something radically different.

Ardbeg, I've just read your post as I was typing. It makes sense and is something I've never considered. I'll store it away mentally for next time I come across a problem fish.

Alex

[Tweed]

Really interesting stuff - I was skunked on the Almond as well last week with similar rise forms and I'll defo give this technique a bash next time.

Cracking fish as well - that last one is an absolute beauty .  Oh, for a session like that on the rivers . . . . one day . . . 

Andrew

[haresear]

Postscript.

I (eventually) managed to fool another fish taking what I think must have been ascending nymphs today. This one ignored the spider, but ended up taking a pheasant tail nymph on the greased up leader. Another fine fish at 3lb 12oz

No more on the nymph/wets but I managed another very fine fish after that on a size 24 :shock: dry. Thanks Hans

Alex