[emerger]

An Chuileog,

That's good your having some fun in the early mornings, i've often witnessed some good early morning rises whilst out fishing for salmon. That's a pity you have lost some decent trout recently, what hooks are you using?? I like to use hooks with an offset bend or if the hooks aren't already offset I will sometimes do it at the vice before tying.

Scott C

[Noel Kelly]

Hi Scott, I don't tie so no idea. Its not something that I would normally worry about but its just that its happened last 2 mornings on good fish.
I have heard of offsetting the hook before but never tried it. I will now, cheers  

[Steven Kidd]

Hi all,

Can someone tell me why the best trout rise in the most dangerous wading places........under a tree where you can hardly cast.......and in the black dark?....

Just back from the lower Don, I think I found the place that owesn Iain a mobile phone and a digital camera!.....some absolute cracking trout in there.

Good sedge hatch as well.............

[Noel Kelly]

Was on the river this morning before 3. Not many fish rising, had a few on drys best approx 1lb as I was playing it the one I had been waiting for rose nearby but just once.
Heard and saw a huge splash in a deep back eddy, a salmon I guess similar big splash in the same area yesterday.
Any suggestions on how to tempt it?
Switched to down and across pulling which worked so well yesterday morning and had about half a dozen more but nothing like the activity yesterday. Guess the bright sunshine from sunrise was taking its toll.
My best pair of maui jim sunglasses went for a swim as well  of course the lanyard was on my £5 pair that were safely tucked away in the car      

[Matt Henderson]

I managed a few hours on the middle don yesterday.  Sadly I couldn't negotiate for a late pass so it was mid afternoon in the hot sun.  There were quite a few splashy fish rising probably salmon or sea trouts. Managed to winkle out a few trout the biggest about maybe 3/4lbs.    Fished a nymph on the point and then a spider on the dropper.  Sadly left the camera in the car. 

Also wore my pair of prescription sunglasses yesterday for the first time.  Magic!  Able to see the little trouts playing round about my feet in the water! 

[Iain Goolager]

Out last night - which is not good on a schoolnight as getting up this morning was a drag - old age nathat.

Had quite a few fish in the 3/4 - 1 1/4 lb bracket which was nice on nimpfs n spiders but dry fly sport was good although very limited. managed one at 1 1/2lb and lost (here we go) a nice fish in the 3lb + range 

Life's too short to be watching fitba.

Iain

[emerger]

Nice meeting you tonight Iain, Would I be right in saying there was a run of Rainbow trout on the don tonight???

[Iain Goolager]

Nice meeting you too Scott (and your interesting flybox).

Yes the Steelhead were running 



Pity that I couldn't muster any Sea-Trout or big Browns.

Anyone willing to share a decent sedge pattern? Here's my generic one but I felt that the profile or something wasn't right tonight, had to revert to a big Klink.


Iain

[Noel Kelly]

Rainbows on the Don??? Rate you are going Iain I wouldn't be surprised to see a grayling next or a mackerel Have bows been caught before? If these are sea run fish then they would make super eating right? I want one.

[Noel Kelly]

Just home from the river and an excellent night. I have often wondered where were all the 1-1.5lb fish but I found them tonight. Landed about 1/2 dozen in the lb+ bracket in a 15 min period. As is becoming the norm for me lately I lost the best fish of the night, got broken off on a possible 3lbr.. Met a guy who has fished the beat since the 70's who had returned a 5lbr which he had on wets.
Most fish I have ever seen rising but I was having a major tangle night. No rainbows, grayling or pollock to be seen.

[Iain Goolager]

Good stuff Noel,

I was out yesterday evening, which was quite a bit cooler than previous days with less surface activity but still enough to be enjoyable. Only managed to bank half a dozen or so fish in the 3/4 lb range but on a wee Klink it was nice sport.

Sea-Trout were being caught 

pm sent

Iain

[Richard Tong]

Been reading the reports every day and it sounds like fun in the evenings...Ben you've been quiet and now you've returned from up North I expect you will be out (leave the silver tourists alone!) and reporting. Noel that's bad news about being broken and it had to be your biggest fish...bad knot or actually snapped? At that time of night you could fish stronger twang...I have been using the 'no name knot' this season and it's quick,simple,doesn't eat leader and has never let me down.

Rivers down here are desperately low and water temp was taken the other day at 70.2F!! Have not seen a Yellow May last 3 trips (after World Cup matches),we could have mortalities. Caught my biggest Wharfe Trout on Monday...it was huge...19.25" and 2lb 15oz (well it looked huge to me as normal fare is 12-13" with occasional 15/16") but Camera was out of battery. That fish means as much to me as any I have caught. I have a mate who guides regularly on Wharfe and biggest he has had/seen was 17". He of the Baetis Nymph,Heptagenid Nymph etc has fished these rivers for 50+ years and has also had his 2 biggest ever this season (3lb 4oz and 2lb 15oz). He also said that he has never ever seen the rivers so low-we need about 3 days solid rain but little chance of that at the moment

Richard

[Noel Kelly]

Hi Richard, lost that fish early enough about 9 I reckon. It went straight into a very fast deep flow and as soon as good strain went on was gone. Leader broke at the knot I think so maybe time to look at other knots alright like the one you mentioned. I'm still using the same knot that I have been using for years and always had confidence in though.  I'm starting to question my nylon, bought in bulk 2 years ago in various strengths, had no problems last year but have lost a hell of a lot of good fish this year come to think of it. It had been kept out of the light but I
 guess exposed to fairly extreme temperatures between winter in shed and recent weather in back of car 

[Richard Tong]

Noel !!!!! Keep it in the house in a drawer and you won't go wrong. Bulk nylon....hmmm never bought it but that I have seen advertised is cheapo stuff usually and sometimes not that well known usually. Who knows it could be okay. My view is that you value your fish and fishing, I assume that your gear is not the cheapest. Your leader is arguably the most important piece of equipment that you have once you have hooked a fish IMO so why scrimp on this? False economy. I would give myself a kicking if I lost a fish through a badly tied knot and it is many years since this has happened (and that's when I fished for 'average' trout). To lose a fish like the ones you boys are getting would result in a lot of self recrimination for me.

I would go out and splash the cash on decent leader material and be very careful with your knots. I tend to use Frog Hair leaders 12' with a 4X tip on Don and usually add a tippet of 5X which is 4.9lbs. Using this I have never been broken on Don/Deveron in a straight fight except by a huge Trout on Deveron last year which ran me round a rock and the leader frayed after it jumped for the 3rd time and this year again on the Deveron where a 3lb + Trout broke me but looking at the leader Paul and I reckoned it had cut on the beasts teeth(was applying a lot of left and right side strain). Those big Trout are too precious to lose through badly tied knots/dodgy leader material,


Richard

[emerger]

Froghair supple butt leaders with 4.9lb tippet for me as well, sometimes go down to 3.6lbs when the waters low and clear. I have heard froghair goes off quick, but I've never had any problems, can't fault the stuff. Scott C

[Richard Tong]

Scott,

The spools have a 'use by date' on them which I like. The ones I am using which are 4X,5X and 6X are all from last year as are the leaders some of which I have not used yet. Not had any problems with it going off personally. Expensive stuff but it is all relative-paying £4.99 for a spool or whatever it is is not a big deal and am not bothered about getting more for less as long as the material itself is right for the job. It is supple,knots well,stretches just right and does not kink like some other stuff I have tried in the past

Richard

[Iain Goolager]

Richard,
do you make a loop (a permanent loop - perfection, etc.) in your leader when tying in the tippet using the no-name knot. Or just form a loop in the leader and snip this tag too when finishing the joint. If you get my drift.

Iain

[Richard Tong]

Iain,

I tend to use a 3 turn overhand knot to tie the tippet to the end of the leader. Paul uses Perfection Loop to Perfection Loop and I have occasionally used this and see the sense-leader remains the same length no matter how many times you change the tippet due to it getting too short. Thanks for this...may go back to the loop to loop!Overhand knot is neater and it is one knot as opposed to two. Swings and roundabouts I think!

As a slightly seperate matter do you guys (Noel,Iain,Scott) all fish the same beat in the evenings?? We may have a wee sortie sometime in the Summer for a couple of evenings and could do with a pointer as to some productuive stretches etc

Richard

[Iain Goolager]

Due to my Steptoe and Son approach to the finer points of leader set up I often find myself mismatching the leader and tippet material and diameters, this has caused a few problems with the reliability of the 3 turn water knot - which is typically a neat and reliable join in similar lines.

So for an industrial remedy to often a hastily adapted nymph to dry set up I use a loop to loop method, which I've used religiously this year with no problem regarding breakages and, I think, with no detrimental effect on frightening fish.

I'm going to try the no name knot though as it's bound to catch more fish.

Iain

[Iain Goolager]

Visited an old haunt with the local guide tonight.

Here's my best - fractionaly over 2 taken on a large Klink.



Iain

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Iain

Nice fish and nice photo, have you got a polaroid lens cover on that camera or something?

Cheers
Mike

[Noel Kelly]

Was out with Iain last night, that guide is full of shite and only wants the best fish for himself Armed with my new knot (the orvis knot) which tested very good at home I felt much more confident than I have recently.
Warm breeze despite the weather front that was passing through so was hoping for some rising fish .
Very different to the previous night when on the water. Little fly life or at least not very obvious in the wind.

As we joined the river we saw a big splashy rise from a good fish which got us both animated straight away
I left Iain to it and carried on downriver.
Seen one of the otters running along the opposite bank and slipping into the river which caused a big alarm amongst the ducks.
After a fruitless half hour or so started to pick up a few 1/2 lbrs. Moving downriver the action seemed to be increasing and Iain was getting settled into a promising looking spot with a few decent looking risers in front of him.

Even with a few spinners about, the usual paraduns were not being so eagerly accepted so it was on with the black klink.
I headed down to a spot that I had recently lost a good fish at and the area was all activity with lots of decent rising fish.
Had 2 in quick succession from one spot, best one about a lb when the one I had been waiting for put in an appearance in the form of a big splashy rise.
After about 10 casts it finally sipped down my offering and I tightened into it with a confidence that has been lacking lately. Its amazing how different I felt when playing this fish in the fast powerful flow, having doubts about the leader set up is a killer but that's all in the past now hopefully. 
Best of the night and for a while 2.7lb

   

[Richard Tong]

I think I've been calling the knot I use by the wrong name when I look up the 'No Name Knot' on the Internet it ain't the same as the one I use. The correct name is Davys Knot and you can view it at

www.pechetruite.com/Noeuds/Davy-knot.htm

Paul also calls it 'The Knot' in his September '09 article and I usually tie it as per the diagram in this article(with an extra turn). I stopped using a half blood with Frog Hair a few years ago after a couple of  fish took the fly and I had a curly leader end showing the knot had slipped-the tucked half blood would have sorted this problem but I just changed to a different knot. I started using the 'Pitzen Knot' also called the 'Sixteen-Twenty' which is great and never had a problem. The big minus is that it 'eats' the leader. The same can be said of the 'Orvis Knot' so I use Davys Knot/The Knot and it is quick,secure and does not eat tippet material,

Richard

[Iain Goolager]

nice photo, have you got a polaroid lens cover on that camera or something?

Mike,
any photo's posted are the result of a point and shoot lottery 

polaroid lens cover? whatsat?

Iain

[Iain Goolager]

out tonight, weather promising but turned cold and the hatch wasn't anywhere as good as I'd hoped.

Managed a fair few smaller fish to the nymph and paradun.

Banked a 3lb Sea-Trout & lost another .


Iain