[Matt Henderson]

All,

I would like to learn how to fish upstream.  I've tried just casting upstream and letting the like come back towards me.  But the line bellies and I have to retrieve super fast to have any hope of staying in touch with the flies.  I'm sure I must be missing something.  Can anybody post an idoits guide.  I can't help but feel that upstream nymphing and dry flies would be a useful tactic on some of the stretches on the Don.

Cheers

Matt

[Noel Kelly]

Hi Matt
You are probably putting out too long a line. You need to be in touch with your flys all the time. Fishing drys I rarely cast more than 2 or 3 rod lengths and this will be to rising selected fish. If prospecting I will only have a few feet of fly line and a long leader, flicking the flys upstream to likely spots.
Nymphing i am still trying to get to grips with.
Since you have started facing upstream you have already made a major step forward towards bigger fish.
 

[Irvine Ross]

Matt

Start striping line as soon as your line hits the water and don't let it form a belly. One that happens the belly will drag your fly downstream and you won't get any takes. You have to retrieve at the same speed that your fly is drifting, so in fast water that means a fast retrieve. You can also track your rod downstream with the fly so the tip of your rod is always downstream of the line in the water.

Good luck

Irvine

[slippy]

  Upstream nymphing short line and leader, lift rod tip to keep in touch, no retrieve. Oversize line if need be, but keep it short, 10, 20 ft. heavy nymphs to get down, if you see fish, go upstream and fish down and across. DT lines are good.

[Matt Henderson]

An Chuileog:[\b]

How long a leader I normally fish with around 12ft of leader. 

slippy:[\b]

So prospect upstream with a heavy nymph and then fish like a standard wet fly once you've found the fishes?

[Noel Kelly]

12 ft would be good Generally I would say as long a leader as you can turn over effectively so that will depend on how many flys, how big they are, upstream or downstream wind etc. I normally fish two drys at a time unless very windy or getting dark.