Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Terry Coging

The dreaded Blob!
« on: 10/08/2018 at 18:52 »
Blobs work. Real stockie bashers.  But why use them at all?  Boat partner and I watched two contest fishermen  hauling out one fish after the other yesterday. The reservoir has been dour of late due to heat and no fly life, but weekly stocking had continued. So there were a lot of stockies about that were bred on pellets and with no experience of flies. Surface temps were lower yesterday and the fish moved up.  The blob murdered them.  We asked ourselves why should anyone want to do this inane, repetitive thing and feel good about it?

James Laraway

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #1 on: 10/08/2018 at 19:46 »
I have to ask myself why people do upstream nymphing and dry fly 🤣

Terry Coging

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #2 on: 10/08/2018 at 19:59 »
James. Although I don't do upstream nymph and dry work these days, there is far more skill to it than  repeatedly casting a none fly out and boating a load of stockies.  After a dozen they should have moved on and practised for the days that are harder,  or gone to the pub.
We caught a lot less but we did get a couple of over wintered fish. Far more rewarding.

Euan Innes

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #3 on: 10/08/2018 at 20:20 »
I usually go fishing A LOT when the dreaded Blob is about, because  I don't get shouted at...

 :z1

Graeme Stewart

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #4 on: 10/08/2018 at 21:10 »
My understanding (and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) is that 'the blob" represents daphnia, which is naturally occurring.
I have fished twice this week on a local reservoir and caught more than I ever have  on small diawl Bach's and yellow owls - which are supposed to represent naturals but aren't an exact representation of anything.
I really don't want to be controversial, but how many wet flies do we use that are exact representations of natural fly life?
The cost of a fly fishing day ticket on a stocked fishery these days is not cheap,  and there may be the fisher who wants fish to eat, or those who do it for "status" ("I caught xxx today" etc etc).
I learned by pulling cat's whiskers, boobies, humungous etc. I'm now trying to be more of an angler than a fisher by using smaller "flies" and being patient.
For me, the competition is with myself now and how I "outwit" the fish, maybe some people aren't at that stage yet? 
I'm probably rambling, so please correct any misconceptions or inaccuracies in my thoughts!!

James Laraway

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #5 on: 10/08/2018 at 22:34 »
Now I think about it there is more to fishing a blob than buzzers under a float ..

Terry Coging

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #6 on: 11/08/2018 at 08:37 »
Probably right James. At least you get some casting practice with the blob.  In fact from observation repeated casting with short retrieves seems the most effective way of attracting fish.  Two in a boat. repeatedly casting within a few yards of each other must represent pellets hitting the water at feeding time.  I watched a guy (another competition angler) fishing our clear club lake and could see the new stockies turning towards the plopped blob from several yards away. 
It's an endless debate "What is fly fishing about"?

Eddie Sinclair

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #7 on: 11/08/2018 at 16:27 »
I guess we need to ask if the blob is a fly? Is it an artificial tied on a hook with material either synthetic or natural that can be presented with traditional fly fishing techniques and equipment. So that so far is a yes to the blob. Is it something that I would add to my armoury in my mostly wild fishing Loch and river preference? Probably not. However all of my fishing these days is purely pleasure fishing and not competition fishing. Many years ago when I did a fair bit of competition fishing often on recently stocked waters, if the blob or any other of the many lures that have been introduced by the likes of Sid Knight or Bob Church and others which were primarily designed for efficient removal of stickies would give me an advantage then I would certainly have used them. In line with other posts it is a case of different strokes for different folks. Many of our other
Flies which I do use often like emerging buzzers Dawk Bach’s etc were also born out of the competition arena. So we should not scorn the diversity within our noble art but embrace which ever Avenue suits us as individuals and live and let live with the other guys. As with anything if they are happy with their interpretation of sport so be it. I will still be happy shortlning down a highland Loch or pitching a dry or a nymph on the river. However that does not mean that I am doing things right or morally better than anyone else. Each to his own.

Eddie

Clive Smith

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #8 on: 11/08/2018 at 19:28 »
I started fishing about 1959 (year not time  :wink) course fishing on the local pond, we only used worms, bread or maggots now course fishing uses all sorts of baits, it is still course fishing. My first encounter with a fly fisherman was in 1969 when I went for a job interview in the City of London for a merchant bank, I had put fishing as a hobby, the interviewer put me down and said the ONLY REAL fishing was with a dry fly on a Scottish river. I decided then that I did not want the job and that fly fishing was the realm of rich ar....les and not for me. A lot has changed from then I am pleased to say, I have been fly fishing for a couple of years now, the reason I fish is to catch fish, I only do catch and release as I have done since I first started nearly 60 years ago, I see nothing wrong with a blob or a buzzer under an indicator, why is a dry fly in a team OK, or do we pretend that is not why we use it. My son and grandson had a great day fly fishing with a "dog biscuit" imitation fly for carp, they caught 5 in 3 hours and it looks like my grandson is now hooked, how can that be wrong or has nothing changed since 1969.

Terry Coging

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #9 on: 11/08/2018 at 19:57 »
I agree with Eddie and Clive.  Maybe this thread should have been 'Relentless Stockie Bashing' rather than the Dreaded Blob.
I go coarse fishing regularly.  Always have.  I will take my trusty Elephant bike down to the canal early in the morning, with my rod strapped to the bike in the time honoured way.  I am after the elusive 2lb roach. 1lb 15oz so far.  No snobbery with me. I just enjoy seeing fishermen set some sort of values in what they do.  Spending 10 hours on a boat hauling stockies out with the blob is not my idea of fishing or sportsmanship.

Eddie Sinclair

Re: The dreaded Blob! New
« Reply #10 on: 12/08/2018 at 16:56 »
I usually go fishing A LOT when the dreaded Blob is about, because  I don't get shouted at...
 :z1
I take it mrs Euan does not read the forum  :z4 :z4

Bob Mitchell

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #11 on: 12/08/2018 at 17:43 »
To me fishing is about wandering about with my rod casting here and there and sometimes catching a fish. Others want to fish to prove they are better at catching fish than others good luck. Catching recently introduced stockies certainly rainbows very little if any skill is required and to me is pointless.Having said that I spend a large amount of time after the silver tourist which each year is getting more and more pointless.
Bob.

Graeme Stewart

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #12 on: 12/08/2018 at 20:36 »
Bizarrely, I've just watched an old fly fishing "tutorial" from 1983 (in conjunction with Benson and Hedges no less) with Arthur Oglesby. One of his guests was Bob Church.
Bob was trying to introduce Arthur to "a new fly" which was called a dog nobbler, in very controversial, loud colours such as pinks, oranges and whites.
A great day seemed to be had by both fellows, and even the introduction of a sinking line was seen as new and revolutionary.
To me, the sport is continually evolving and new methods such as sink tips, midge tips, flurocarbon, fast action rods etc are advances in technology which all sports adapt to.
It was great to see the not too distant past and be given a reminder of how far technology has brought us.
Unfortunately, it was totally spoiled for me when, at the end, the camera cut to Arthur and Bob on the bank - with around 20 or 25 Rainbows lying next to them.
To me, that's where competition angling and recreational angling differ. I will take fish from a stocked fishery, but even if there was no limit on the number of fish that could be taken, 20 or 25 just isn't sport in my eyes.
 

Barry Robertson

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #13 on: 16/08/2018 at 17:35 »
Pulling a heavy bright bumble through stockies will get same kind of results as a blob - Only the blob will out fish it by a mile on its day!

Seams a snobbish comment to put down a blob  :z6
If fish were hard on buzzers and you were getting fish after fish would you then take of your buzzer and fish  something different, I think not.
A blob is not just for fresh fish. When  fished in a team of nymphs it can make the nymphs perform better, they may not want the blob but it brings them into your cast and in turn induces more takes and fish.
Moral of the story - Give the fish what they want on the day  :z6 Times change as do flies  :z18

Terry Coging

Re: The dreaded Blob!
« Reply #14 on: 16/08/2018 at 21:15 »
Yes Barry. Perhaps you missed my subsequent post about relentless stockie bashing.  I did qualify my post a bit away from the blob towards unsporting attitudes.  I have used Blobs as an attractor but don't do it any more, just does not seem like fly fishing.  If my attitude towards relentless stockie bashing is snobbish - then so be it.

On Saturday I will be fishing in a club coarse fishing contest. Senior and junior partnership. Don't know who my junior partner will be but I will try to teach him/her sportsmanship, finesse and above all, respect for their quarry.

 




Barrio Fly Lines - designed in Scotland - Cast with confidence all over the world

Barrio Fly Lines

Designed in Scotland

Manufactured in the UK

Cast with confidence all over the world

www.flylineshop.com