Sight Bobs & Egg Flies

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

By the way Wobbly, I would have thought the same as yourself up to a few years ago. However since my illness I have taken to carrying a small folding chair around and do you know I often cast from a sitting position. It's very handy and I'm convinced it keeps me below the skyline and away from spooking fish.

 

[Wobbly Face (As Per Ed)]

We all sit down when boat fishing, or should do for safety reasons.

Not only are ypou below the skyline Ron, but I think you do less movement when sitting, another plus for not spooking fish.

Caught quite a few fish recently in the margins on sedges and sedge pupas. Always stand back from the water when I do this.

 

[S-Kippy]

Well I use a sight bob from time to time and I suggest there is [or can be] a bit more to it than float fishing.Without wishing to sound arrogant I consider myself a reasonable fly fisherman and I've found that there are days when the bung will catch you fish when more conventional methods wont...especially if the fish are being a bit cute.Yes...you get a good proportion of takes that bury the bob but you also get an awful lot of little twitches that you just wouldn't see let alone feel without one....and on those days I catch a lot more fish than I would without one.

I fish Farmoor a lot...one of <u>the</u> bung waters...and quite often the fish are in a very narrow band/depth.A bung lets you hold the flies in that zone a bit longer because [fished properly] you can slow things down...but it doesnt always work and some days you'll catch more conventionally.I soon have the bung off if its one of those.Like the method it has its place but I wouldn't want to do it all the time.I agree it can appear lazy but that's down to the angler and its by no means a foolproof fish taker. I certainly feel its another string to my bow and I dont think twice about putting one on.

And I have great sympathy with the old boys at Farmoor who find it a lot less physically demanding to use a bung and who might not otherwise be able to continue to get out.I will do the same when I get older though I think I might walk a bit further than 10 yards from the car !

I've certainly got less issues with someone fishing buzzers/nymphs under a bung with a bit of thought than somebody legering a booby...and there is a hell of a lot of that about too !

I used to think fly fishing was expensive too...until I did the sums and stopped going to expensive Southern puddles.Farmoor 1 is £17.50 catch & release and it contains the best looking,fittest and hardest fighting trout I've ever caught.Fantastic value.

Skippy

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Peter Stone introduced me to Farmoor, he used to be a regular there and once caught a dirty great bream on a buzzer underneith a large dry fly he was using as an indicator.

And years ago, it was 1987, I walked out on Grafham dam wall with a friend from South Africa in a mist, and there were two anglers with two rods each fishing boobies with the rods in rests connected to Optonics!!!!

But I digress, there is obviously bung fishing and bung fishing. Oh and I have used the bung too, but mainly adry fly on the point with a couple of nymphs or buzzers on the droppers. I have also used a dry on the top dropper and a couple of buzzers hanging undernieth. And yes Skippy you are right, these rigs do work from time to time, and also can be a dead loss.

Personally I prefer not to use a bung as they can get in the way. I prefer to fish buzzers by using the induced take, which at time is absolutely deadly.

 

[S-Kippy]

Ron

There are still some dirty great bream in there....there is a picture in the lodge of one found dead earlier this year...its either 22 or 24lb which is one hell of a skimmer and fish over 20lb have been caught from the boats.

If by the induced take you mean what I think you mean I agree...but a bung is a lot easier to master !

I love it when they are about a foot or two down and showing occasionally.Short leader to keep the flies up,red db on the dropper and a coves PTN on the point on a 5 weight rod.Lovely !

I dont fish blobs,boobies or lures other than a minkie if they're on fry or very,very occasionally a CW if I'm desperate for a fish.Got nothing against them morally...I just dont want to catch my fish like that.Good luck to those that do but they are missing something I feel....and I get nackered enough fishing nymphs.Dont think I could physically fish a "pulling fly" all day...I'm getting too old !

Skippy

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

There are times when buzzers (midge pupae) are emerging in vast numbers. You would be surprised how fast these things move in order to break through the surface film. When this is happening I like to use buzzer imitations with fair amounts of "breather fibre" fore and aft. It's all about accuracy and hitting the trout at the right depth which is not far down.

Youhave to gauge where the trout will be after it has just rolled with another "head and tail" rise, cast, let the flies sink, (I never use more than two in these conditions) and then give them a long pull which causes the flies to rise in the water in the manner of the real insect, although with exaggerated movement.

The troutnormally hit the flies good and solid, you certainly don't need a bung as you feel the take with your fingers.

Also it pays to watch for wind lanes. These are strips in a stillwater where for diverse reasons a slick of oil is formed which causes the water to go calm. Trout seem to be attacted to the edge of these lanes.

Best "pulling" flies for me this year were Black and Green Cormorant and SA Damsel.

 

[troutcaster]

Why is there this crusade against the use of egg fly’s. If you travel abroad they are seen on a regular basis. Indeed I’ve used them to catch both wild trout and salmon. One has to examine what a purist really is. Will we revert to the use of bow and arrow, what is wrong with using a sight bob, an egg fly or even a chair? When can one peaceful angler be left to their own version of a sport without being bullied by other puritanical individuals. Personally I think life is too short to be bothered by those who wish to Dictate how we should enjoy our leisure time especially when we are not encroaching on others. What does the egg fly imitate. It can- not be the trout pellet as it is effective on wild trout and salmon in rivers. I’ve used it to good effect on the Gave du Pau, Gave du Oloron and Gave du Ousu in France to good effect. Maybe it annoys the hell out of the critters or maybe it imitates something that some have yet to identify. As for using it in trout fisheries and the stories of them being drawn down into the throat, this is the same for many other baits, it depends upon the strike not the type of bait. I’m sure that a fish does not think to itself that a black buzzer is only to be held in the lips..If left for long enough it would be swallowed. The point is if swallowed then the fish should be dispatched and taken. (a different problem) Moral of the story live and let live and do not dictate to others how they should act if they are not affecting you.

 

[Windy]

Hear hear. Well said.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

When can one peaceful angler be left to their own version of a sport without being bullied by other puritanical individuals.

Puritanical?

The original question was:

"But, Is it really fly fishing?

What do you think? "

So, you will receive a whole array of views, traditional and otherwise

But puritanical? I think not.

Personally I wouldn't give one fly box room, but if they are what floats your boat, then fair enough, but please don't brand others as 'puritanical' for having different views.

The use of these devices is as akin to fly fishing, in its traditional sense, as Twenty/20 is to Test Cricket, but again, each to their own, right?

Enough said I think on a thread that is about 9 years old . . . . . .

 

[stikflote]

the waters i fly fish all have benches that you can sit on and fish from,none have rules saying you cant sit and fish,,

what a bl 2222y stupid rule should i ever come across that particular rule
i wont fish ,,i,,l go else where

 

[Alan Tyler]

Wow, one from the depths of the archives ... plenty of robust debate there, but still civilised; it's made me go all nostalgic!