What have you tied today?

[scotfly]

Small simple flies like those two crackers take some beating.  : :

Yesterday i had to stop using the mole one, it was catching to many out of season Grayling.

Grayling season starts on the 16th June.

[Fishtales]

There is no season for Grayling in Scotland, you can fish for them all year. It is traditional to fish for them in the winter though which is probably what buzz meant.

[whinging pom]

Being dour dry August we are happy for what tugs the line down on the Brook at present.
Last night amongst huge clouds of dancing Black silver horns, I was trying some small sedge patterns (18 baloon caddis).
The dace and roach were rising at every thing, and very few trout to be seen, so it was a good night to play around!
I was managing to connect every third or forth strike with the dace, which I would normally put down to slow reactions, but is as likely that the hook just aint setting and the flies bouncing out ( especialy with stiff hackles).
[I wonder if it could also be Micro drag causing a slight problem with the line of the drift......... another time! The main thing is they weren't hooking].
I tried floating a skinny hares ear nymph and the slimmest pheasants tail with no improvement. Then a few sherry spinners moved up stream and so, accordingly, I changed to the nearest thing in the box, a size 18 cranked spinner.
I then hooked everyfish that tried, including a few pesky trout getting in the way of my research. I lost count at about a dozen fish in half an hour. SO today I will be tying more cranked spinners!



This one(that caught about a dozen fish last night) the wings are almost in line, an earlier one had the wings more off set more. The hooking quality was the same for both, I put it down to the cranked shaft rather than the wing position.
PS the fly may look fat but thats a 0wt fly line on the rod

[Wildfisher]

That's a nice looking spinner WP. I tied up a load  of similar patterns for fishing the Mataura earlier this year, but never had a chance  to use them. It was cold in the evenings and just did not happen.

Biggest problem I have is seeing spinners  on the water, the eyes are not what they once were!   

[whinging pom]

We just had David Murray-Orr, the Mataura guide staying. We were talking about the frustration of the Mad Mataura rise. He believes that most people read it wrong and see a few spinners and as its evening assume its a fall of spinners, when actually the fish are nymphing just under the surface. Certainly the only fish I have caught during the carnage have been to nymphs on the lift. (But feel like I have fluked due to the sheer numbers of trout on the go).
I guess like our BWO's they are are usually hatching at the same time as the spinner fall. Which convieniantly gets me back to the spinner pattern. When its the wings are tied on to the crank in a more contorted fashion your left with one wing sticking up off the surface. Even Mr Magoo would be able to see that drifting back towards him.

[paulr]

It's time to take advantage of those pesky alien invaders 

[Guddler]

That is a marvellous imitation, Paul. Have you ever seen a crayfish flee before or is that one just straight out of your own head?

[haresear]

Paul, the crayfish is super. Maybe fish it on a sunk line or trundled along the bottom behind a tungsten beadhead?

I guess like our BWO's they are are usually hatching at the same time as the spinner fall. Which convieniantly gets me back to the spinner pattern. When its the wings are tied on to the crank in a more contorted fashion your left with one wing sticking up off the surface. Even Mr Magoo would be able to see that drifting back towards him.

How is the cranked spinner for line twist, Pom?

Funny you should say about the hatching nymphs on the Mataura in the evening. The limited success I had in the evening this February was all on sunk abdomen flies (emergers) which would bear out what you say.

Alex

[paulr]

Thanks Guddler,
Unfortunately a river I fish has a real problem with American Signal crayfish, after some moron tried to farm them in the past. I had a look at a few american crawdad patterns and cobbled that wee guy together.

Cheers Alex,
It has a lead underbody so sinks well. I was just planning on fishing it under an indicator-as if it has been dislodegd and swept downstream.I like the idea of making it move naturally along the bottom though.
Surely those big trout must eat the buggers!?

Paul

[muddler9]

On Yorkshire's R. Wharfe in recent years, a number of unusually large (5-6lb+)  trout have been caught. It's thought that they got that big through eating crayfish. Some anglers are experimenting with crayfish patterns with some success. Give them a swim.