FLYMPH FORUM

This story kind of grew from the tying section and has ended up more of a fishing subject. Much like the Pogo story.

Marks wonderful wee fly has turned into a very effective pattern for me over the last couple of days- even though it does not really match the hatch of any naturals to be found in the waters I have been fishing it in. Our mayfly spinner here, the Lil Dorothy may be being taken for one of those as the body is a mahogany/red colour, I am not sure, but over the last couple of days it has worked well for me.

After yesterdays initial success, I decided to head out again today. Due to work commitments it was a little later in the afternoon and I would only have a couple of hours of usable light left in the day. So the choice was easy, somewhere close to home. I was going to fish the same stretch close to the bridge of yesterdays quick succession 6 trout landed, but on arrival the weather was so settled calm and sunny that I decided a quick walk up to the top pool of yesterdays beat was within the grasp of available light.
20 minutes later I had arrived and I believe the river has become even lower overnight, more of the central rock ledge that divides the pool was evident. Nothing rising and I was beginning to doubt my choice of rod- 8 1/2' #4 weight instead of the VXP 9' #6 I would usually carry to this pool.
I was tidying up last night and moved a rod case I had not used this season. It contains a Cabela's Wind River 4 piece graphite #4 weight rod sent over to me by a very generous forum member from Texas, we had been emailing a bit and I had mentioned the fact you could not get a nice #4 weight rod here for small stream work. He mentioned one day Cabelas were specialing a #4 weight rod out at under $40 and one arrived here in the mail not long after.
I paired the rod with a nice wee composite reel from Fiskar's of Denmark that were being specialed out here for under $40 and lined it with one of the 22 #5 WF lines from Monic I have (a deal too good to pass up). It is a good set up for wee fish in wee waters, not requiring huge casts. This pool is deep-fast and could hold trout in the double digit poundage range...........
After feeding out enough line to reach from the rock ledge to the foam line against the artificial flood protection bank of rock and again fishing the single Lil Dorothy as yesterday, I made just three casts into the foam line before a nose split the surface and I paused then lifted the rod to set the hook home.
Well- all hell broke loose and I wish I had someone there to take video. Brown trout here do not often leap once hooked, Rainbow- yes, but Browns usually bore down deep and try to rub you off. This trout took me by surprise for a moment and if not well hooked I would have lost her. The wee rod held up well, the reel has no drag and I did get caught a couple of times by the handle as she decided to run opposed only by the check of the wee reel. It was about then I remembered I had set the reel up as RHW for this very reason- hold the rod in your right hand and you can palm the exposed rim with your left without catching the handle!
The trick with fishing this pool (besides the funny turbulent water) is guiding the trout back through the rock ledge without busting the tippet with rock rub. I thought she was ready first time I guided her through a gap- she was not and it is just as well there is room on that wee reel for a full line and a generous amount of backing. More runs and much leaping later I had her back in the calm water and ready to beach, a fine conditioned 21" hen, full of eggs ready for spawning. The Lil Dorothy was well placed in the jaw, bend behind bone and was going to break either tippet or hook before coming loose. Not that I was putting a lot of strain on with the #4 weight.





After releasing her to play another day, I rinsed the scum off the Lil Dorothy and waded out to try again. The light was still good and although no trout were rising- there had to be more right?
Three short drift casts again....... number two for the evening. This one a lot stronger and did leap a couple of times, but behaved much more normally and bored deep- and ran up and down the pool for a good 20 minutes. It was a real challenge of wits and use of unfamiliar gear before I was sure I could lead him through into calm water. The Jack fish was 23" and bigger in the head than the hen, but not as well conditioned. I estimate they weighed around the same- but he was sure stronger and more of a battler.



This time there was no way the hook was coming out, couldn't have asked for a better placement security wise- but it does expose the tippet to a lot of teeth.....



On the subject of tippet, I have just started using some stuff I picked up very cheaply, but I am greatly impressed with. Never used or heard of it before and it was a bargain bin find- Warrior Globe. Advertised on the spool as "highest quality fishing line material from Japan". Nice stuff, limp with no memory, good knot holding and strength, low diameter per breaking strain and I get 100m spools for a lot less than 30m tippet spools!

Better shots of the pool fished this evening. I wade to the rock ledge (about the last rock exposed upstream in this shot) where the depth is about half thigh and the current slack enough not to upset balance.



Casting from that position and over the "messy" water just past the central rocks- the aim is for the the foam line a few feet from the rock bank.



After 6 trout yesterday and these two today that fly had lasted well- until I was drifting it across and down on the way back to the truck and caught a smaller trout which was a long range release. I got the fly back- but the wool yarn body was shredded.
I mentioned somewhere else confidence is an important part of flyfishing. As important to me as fishing to either sighted/rising trout or high probability water and choosing the correct size and colour of fly. I have a few fall back patterns I have a lot of faith in, Mr Libertones Lil Dorothy is making a late 2013 season run to be one of those patterns. I honestly think I could not have done a lot better fishing a different pattern over the last couple of days- who knows, I may have even done worse!

Seems like you have been having fun jeff, great pictures.
I just cannot get my head around the size of the trout in your rivers - ive caught one trout over 3lbs in seven years on my local river, hooked two other's of similar size.

thanks for sharing, well done.

It is exciting to see the waters and trout where you live, Jeff. Thank you for taking us along. Those of us who routinely fish for trout in the 6-12" size range are truly envious of you and DUBBN.

Now here is a bloke who really knows how to test a theory. "Orange" just seems to work in the fall of the year, even in the Antipodes.

Excellent post. I really enjoy these virtual fishing trips from you and DUBBN. Thanks for sharing.

Mataura mayfly;

Great report on the effectiveness of the small rod on not so small trouts.
Outstanding pix as well and the narrative is a joy to read.
Between you and Wayne, the urge is maintained so's I don't feel like
a claustrophobic (thanks spurlcheck), in a confined space.

hank

Thanks for the nice comments everyone.
The trout size "gain" may be greater here- but the challenge or the sport is no different. The little fish still put a grin on my face, sometimes a bigger grin just through their boisterous nature and aggressive takes. You can fish "wet" style here and the take from a larger trout is so delicate it feels like someone brushing past your shirt sleeve from behind- you are not sure if it happened or not. That is one of the reasons I like using glass rods to fish across and down here- to me the sensitivity is better transmitted through a glass rod than stiff graphite. The wee fish usually hit like a freight train, often hooking themselves.
I fished for wee trout in wee water in Northern Ireland last year and loved it. The act of the fishing is no different and can be more challenging than the normal find your fish and cast to it here. Locally I often either choose the fish I wish to try to catch or fish water that is too strong for wee trout, or fish the area of a pool that I think will be the dominant position. That way I increase my odds at landing fish like you see in the photos, but if they were not here I would have just as much fun with 6-12" trout all the time and be able to experiment a bit more with lighter tackle.

Hank, I am glad someone mentioned the rig I used yesterday. I am not sure the target consumer for that rod, but they are no delicate #4 weight. I guess it is reflected in the price of the rod- you gets whats you pay for, but even with the #5 weight line you have to have a fair amount of line out to load the rod and whist not horrid- it is not exactly a finesse rod. If it is meant as a "beginner" rod, it could really frustrate a beginner, especially with #4 weight lines (and I have tried it with several). The wee Compo 4/6 reel from Fiskar is very simple, very light, corrosion proof (composite body) and large arbour, nice wee reel but not ideal for around here, something with a nice smooth drag that you can use to protect tippet and coerce fish in the direction you want them to take is fairer and easier on the trout I feel. Light gear that you cannot muscle a little with leads to trout that may be played out to near exhaustion.
But, it was still fun to take the wee rig out for a session yesterday!

Mataura mayfly, Howdy;

Thanks for the more in depth rod report.
Here's a fella that tends to agree with ya.
http://flogginwater.wordpress.com/page/20/

I haven't checked his blog far enough to see what the
Common Cents system indicated.
http://www.common-cents.info/caq.htm#
Some of you engineers (Ray), might get a kick outa this.
Used it on the fly rods I have and seems to be accurate.
If anyone overseas is courious 1 cent (American), = 38.61 grains.

hank

Beautiful fish, Jeff. I'm so happy you are having fun with my fly.

Mark

hankaye wrote:Mataura mayfly, Howdy;

Thanks for the more in depth rod report.
Here's a fella that tends to agree with ya.
http://flogginwater.wordpress.com/page/20/

I haven't checked his blog far enough to see what the
Common Cents system indicated.
http://www.common-cents.info/caq.htm#
Some of you engineers (Ray), might get a kick outa this.
Used it on the fly rods I have and seems to be accurate.
If anyone overseas is courious 1 cent (American), = 38.61 grains.

hank

Hank, I was more impressed by the Pike taking the baby Mallard!!!
Interesting reading the others aspects of the Wind River rod, much the same findings here- but I would class it as a backup rod or budget rod for an experienced fisher rather than a beginners rod. Only because it takes a bit of "knowledge" to make it perform as well as it can. Too many beginners buy gear based on price and try to teach themselves to cast with it, when a couple of hours spent with someone experienced and casting different material/actioned rods and they might find something that suits a whole lot better.

The common cents approach is a good one- if you ever come across an unmarked custom rod or an older rod that has lost any script or decal that held the line weight recommendation details. This method allows you to figure a good starting point for a line weight for any given rod.
Don't get me started on how many mass produced rods are built off spine though!

Mark it has been fun, for want of a better word. The whole experience of taking a pattern invented by a well known and accomplished tier, one that had little (or no) hold on the local ideals or market and tie some variations, take them fishing and see what comes of it. It has been both a pleasure- and a heck of a lot of fun. I hope it to be a long continued friendship.