Gadgers and Stoneflies.

[Fishtales]

Sorry Bob it was Donald that mentioned gadgers  :roll:

The gadger was the exciseman and as the stonefly nymph is usually called a creeper and the exciseman crept about the countryside looking for smugglers and illicit stills then it is probable that is where it comes from :dunno

[Fishtales]

They like warm, dark, moist places :shock:

[Black-Don]

Never knew shearney was a Clyde style colour but am sure I've heard it used in reference to fly tying. Maybe somewhere in the list of Clyde style flees that appeared on here a while ago ?

That is very interesting re. gadger's Sandy, these auld anglers knew a thing or two.  :wink:

[Fishtales]

Stonefly have no hair on the wings, or body as far as I know. Once you have seen the big browns chasing the Great Red Sedge about at Hillend on a summer evening you would soon change your mind about whether they like them or not I have watched fish chase sedges across the water at various lochs snapping at them like a terrier at a trouser leg. They will sometimes follow them for yards their heads coming out of the water at intervals as they tried to catch them. They will also come up and slap them with their tails to drown them and then take them underwater. Knowing they have done that and leaving the line alone for a few seconds before pulling it a few feet is one of the hardest strikes not to make. Even after making the strike it is sometimes better to leave the line alone and then retrieve slowly and wait for the pull. It can be exciting fishing in the late evening/dark of a still summer night. Assuming of course the Caenis aren't out too then it is hard to figure out what they are taking; then it is on the tail with the sedge, grease all the leader leaving the droppers and putting #16/18 Caenis nymphs on them and fishing the lot in short pulls in front of cruising fish and waiting to see what they take. Very frustrating when they are rising all round the leader and not touching your flies

[Malcolm]

The problem with the stonefly may be that very few adults land on the surface of the water for the troots to have a go at.  Egg laying females tend to crawl into the water or make their way down stems and consequently may be taken under water.  Males don't return to the water.

There have been loads of the big stoneflies around on the surface of the water recently just floating down. They are such poor swimmers - they don't sit on the surface but swim in it - that I don't know why more fish don't see them as a really easy meal. I know Alex saw one get hammered but I've never seen it.

Here's a picture of one from the weekend in case anyone wants to tie an imitation. These are over an inch long so I think a Long shank 8 would be about right

[attachimg=1]

[Fishtales]

Here you are Bob.


http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ghYtAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA388&dq=gadger+fishing&hl=en&ei=rFajTcuPDsWk8QPty72rAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=gadger%20fishing&f=false

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0WdEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA127&dq=gadger+fishing&hl=en&ei=rFajTcuPDsWk8QPty72rAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CGIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=gadger%20fishing&f=false