A bit of anarchy for you!
Many years ago now, when I first started using flies in Saltwater, in the North Sea, from the North Yorkshire coast, it was practically unheard of. Many people laughed at my attempts, my flies, and my equipment. At least at first. I did not have much money to spend on all this stuff, in fact hardly any, and was thus continually obliged to "make do and mend".
Nevertheless, I caught plenty of fish. Amazing how soon the smiles can be wiped off a whole line of "Beachcasters", by some bloke coming along and hauling out a bagful of fish on primitive and unheard of equipment, and by using techniques they had never even considered. Quite apart from not using "bait" as such. That it was absolutely revolutionary, is putting it mildly. Strangely enough, practically nobody tried to copy it. Something which still puzzles me.
Satisfying though it may be to wipe smiles in such a fashion, that was not my main reason for doing it. I wanted the fish, not only did I want them, I actually needed them to feed my family.
Nobody in his right mind will ever mistake me for a "purist"! There have been times when I would use anything at all, under any circumstances at all, legal or illegal, in order to catch a fish. I had no choice, I was dependent on catching them.
Fortunately these times are long gone, and I no longer have a valid reason for being quite so rabid. Also, I have been fortunate in that I have been able to indulge in all sorts of tackle and experiments over the years that ensued, in a wide variety of places.
Nevertheless, I have never lost sight of my original reasons for fly-fishing, in the salt or anywhere else. I wanted to catch as many fish as possible, in the shortest possible time, and with the least amount of cost or fuss and bother. Fly-fishing was the only way to do this with any consistency.
I have heard all sorts of objections to this, indeed people get quite heated about it for some reason, and proceed to argue about it. It was the nonetheless the truth when I started, and it still is!
Of course, I don't "need" to catch the fish any more, but I still enjoy doing so, immensely!
Even given that my definition of fly-fishing may be just a smidgeon broader than many other people's definitions, it still puzzles me that so few actually realise how effective it is. This has partly to do with most people's pre-conceived notions of fly-fishing. The picture that springs to most people's minds, even many anglers' minds, is that of upstream dry fly fishing on a chalk stream. This is fly-fishing of course, and very enjoyable it is too, but it is a method whereby the angler is artificially restricted to certain tackle and techniques, which make it more difficult to catch the fish in the first place.
So, without further preamble, here is my definition of fly-fishing. If you have a more or less weightless artificial construction somewhere on the business end of your tackle which is designed to fool and hook a feeding fish, then you are fly-fishing.
That wasn't too hard was it? Or are you still gasping for breath? Never mind, you will get over it, just think of all the fish!
One of the first articles I ever wrote, for an American magazine, ( which paid nowt, and apparently set the tone for all such future endeavours in this regard!! ) concerned itself briefly with the problems involved in reaching areas which are simply not reachable with conventional fly-fishing tackle. To whit, by using a fly-line. I intimated that I would provide some "tricks" in order to overcome this to an extent.
Well, the simplest "trick" is to do away with the fly-line, and simply use a lead weight! Using any halfway reasonable rod and reel, it is possible to propel a 30g weight a very long way indeed. Reaching maximum distance is also a matter of some skill, but it is a d**n sight easier to achieve than long distance fly-casting, and there is no way even the best fly-caster in the world, armed with the best possible equipment, and under optimum conditions, is ever going to reach even remotely similar distances using a fly-line.
One can simply do this, and very successful it is too, with the appropriate flies. It does of course suffer from some disadvantages. One of which is, that lead weights will not float very well, and thus it is difficult to present flies that would otherwise be used with a floating line, or an intermediate, or those that require precise sink rates and the like.
Hang on a minute? Perhaps one could use a floating weight? Indeed one could, and an ever-increasing number of people do exactly that, when fishing the Baltic for sea-trout and other fish.
The simplest form of this is to use a so-called "Bubble" float. This is a plastic sphere, which is partially filled with water to give it casting weight. One may obtain these in varying diameters, and wonder of wonders, they can even be matched exactly to the casting weight of a fly rod!
There are now even special "combination" rods available, (although some people have been building and using these for years), basically consisting of a fly-rod with a detachable "fighting butt". This allows one to mount a fixed spool reel, (or others, but we will come to that), and use it properly.
This is a remarkable advance! Instead of being limited to fishing areas a hundred feet away, we have increased our distance potential at least threefold! Furthermore, we are far less likely to be disturbed by windy conditions, or tight casting spots!
Techniques are quite simple, and identical to the techniques one would use with a floating line. The bubble float is threaded on to the main line (10 to 15 lb BS nylon is a good choice, but one of the new special braids is even better!), one requires a bubble float with a central hollow stem, a rubber shock bead is threaded on, and a swivel is attached.
One may now mount ones leader, anything from 6 to 12 feet, and then the fly. The fishing is more or less exactly the same as it would be with a fly line. One has a direct connection to the fly, (which is why braid is better, it does not stretch, and even the tiniest "pluck" will be felt immediately), as the float is mounted to slide freely, the same amount of control is possible, and one can cover a great deal more water as well. All the techniques described in previous articles can be used, with no restrictions whatever!
Of course one has the weight of the float on the line when fighting a fish, but this is a minor disadvantage in view of all the other advantages. What is more, even the most expensive bubble float you can find, (they come in all shapes and sizes in the meantime), will never cost more than about a pound or so! Now it may well be possible to buy a fly-line for a pound as well, I am a cautious individual by nature, and so I hesitate to say that it is even unlikely.
What is however extremely likely, is that you will have to pay a very great deal more for a halfway decent fly-line.
These then are our basic considerations of "special techniques". We can of course go on to refine them even more.
Many people have problems retrieving such a rig at the right speed when using a fixed spool reel. They are simply far too fast! One may buy a very good "sidecast" reel nowadays, which immediately obviates such problems. They are not even all that expensive. To cast, the reel is flipped over so that the spool is horizontal, when the cast is complete, the reel is flipped back to its normal position.
One or two people have told me, "But you can't manipulate the line with your fingers. It will tangle". Quite true, but why bother anyway? Use the reel to retrieve. This has a number of advantages. You can retrieve at any reasonable speed you like without involving yourself in various ridiculous prestidigitation. You don't need a line tray or anything like that, because you have no line blowing or floating around. You have no "slack" to wind in like a madman, when a fish takes it is "on the reel" immediately. You can wear gloves if necessary, and avoid cold chapped and damaged hands, and of course you also avoid line cuts and similar things, as except for when you cast, there is no need to touch the line at all!
Sounds brilliant to me! Indeed it is brilliant, and frighteningly simple!
But there is yet more to come!. "Fascist", "Fetishist", "Fifth-columnist", the anguished cries ring out, as a result of all this heresy. Oh well, into every life a little rain must fall!
Wouldn't it be nice if there were floats which behaved exactly like fly-lines? You know, a floater, a slow sinker, etc?
Well there are! About sixty percent of the fish I have caught on the Baltic in the last ten years have been caught while using them! Indeed, it would probably be fair to say that I would not have caught even a small proportion of that sixty percent, had I not used them! Taking it further, about 90 percent (probably more in fact), of the fish I have caught under adverse conditions, or at difficult venues, have been caught while using them. Many times when it was quite impossible to use a fly-line in any case!
So what are these miracle things then? They are called, (absurdly enough), "casting floats". They also have very interesting sounding Italian names, depending on their function. "Sbirulinos" is one of these names. They were in fact invented in Italy, and guess what for?
Presenting bait delicately and precisely, at all depths and under all conditions, for catching very difficult trout in lakes and ponds!
Here is a picture of my "Baltic float wallet". Apart from rod, reel, (Mono) line, and flies. It contains everything necessary for fly-fishing quite comfortably under practically any conditions on the Baltic (or anywhere else for that matter).
Unfortunately, I know of no English site that offers these special floats. Here is a site in German which has a range from Trabucco, with explanations etc.
The whole wallet, including the contents, does not cost as much as a single half-way decent fly-line, and the set replaces any fly-line, under any circumstances, and will still allow good fishing when a fly-line is nothing but a nuisance and a liability!
I can belt these floats out over a hundred and twenty YARDS!! if required. Even in a howling gale, I can still reach forty or fifty yards or more, with consummate ease. I cannot do that with conventional fly-lines. No matter what super-dooper-tapers, or "special" heads I might use. It is simply a no contest!
So, if you want to try saltwater fly-fishing, get a couple of these floats, or even use the bubble float I mentioned. There is no need to spend a fortune on fly gear, and a great deal of time and effort learning how to use it, you can go fly-fishing immediately!
Remember, all we have done here is to take the fly-line out of the equation. Everything else, including the flies, tactics, etc remains the same. One still needs all the knowledge and information, But one has broadened ones scope very considerably, at the same time removing one of the major difficulties, most especially under adverse conditions.
Many "dyed in the wool" fly-casters will not wish to do this. Fair enough, you don't have to.
As I said, these "floats" originated in Italy, and are used for a wide range of purposes. They have now become very popular in mainland Europe, most especially for catching trout in "put and take" lakes. Most experts at this particular form of angling use livebait, usually maggots, meal worms, tebo grubs, and similar stuff. Flies are also extremely successful.
Originally known as "Bombardas", and a host of other Italian names, depending on the particular type and function involved, they resemble very streamlined pre-weighted floats. In the meantime, they are produced by quite a few firms, and a large range of weights and types is available.
There are the original floating models, and a whole host of newer models with various characteristics, and properties. Intermediate, (neutral density), slow sinking, medium sinking, fast sinking, etc etc being just a few. There are models which are made of special plastic materials, which renders them more or less invisible in water. They are also practically indestructible in use.
The original floating models function much like the old "bubble float", but are much more accurate, the weight and density is consistent, they are much easier to cast, and due to their design, cause very little surface disturbance when retrieved. In fact when retrieved slowly (which is the best retrieve speed for seatrout anyway!
, they cause none at all. They are available in weights from 3g to 60g, from various manufacturers.
My own Baltic "set", is made up of a range of various types, which starts at 25g, and ends at 40g. There is no reason for me to use any much finer/heavier gear, for my particular purposes. (Mainly fishing the Baltic of course). They can be used to present a whole host of things to the fish, very accurately, and with perfect control.
For presenting flies, rubber worms, muppets, and various other lures and live bait, they are unbeatable.
One may fish very slowly, just as with a fly-line, and the presentation is excellent.
Casting restrictions which might cause problems with a fly-line, like trees, bushes, rocks, cliffs etc at ones back, are no longer a problem. Casting is of course simplicity itself, and can be quickly learned, there is no need to learn any complicated (and exhausting!!!), casting techniques, like double hauling etc.
They are of course very much cheaper than fly-lines, and far more versatile.
I prefer "active" angling methods, to "static" ones. They are also invariably a lot more successful. That is to say, that I prefer fly-fishing, or even spinning, to just sitting and watching a rod top, or a float. This equipment lends itself to a whole host of "active" presentations.
There are only three knots in the system, leader to fly, leader to swivel, and mainline to swivel. A normal swivel may be used for pure fly fishing, the float is threaded onto the main line through its central stem, (usually of clear flexible plastic), at this point I usually add a synthetic rubber "Shock bead", and the line is then knotted to the swivel. I use tucked half blood knots for this, (I can tie them blind, or with freezing fingers!) and have never had a problem.
These things may of course be used with practically any rod, like the modified fly-rods mentioned, but for my specific purposes, I have found a thirteen foot light carp rod most useful, as this also allows me to use other methods, if I feel like it. It also makes using much longer leaders easier.
Please remember, I use this equipment in the ocean, where there are virtually no rules or regulations governing what one uses. Such equipment may well be illegal on other waters!
If people are interested, I will post the pictures.
TL
MC
. As soon as it was dark I had cut them off and the trusty knot was back on the end ;D
)
, they cause none at all. They are available in weights from 3g to 60g, from various manufacturers.