Soft Wing Success

[Otter]

6 Months of research have concluded and have resulted in my fly box containing a large number of softwings , purely on the recommendation of Mike Connor's. Trusting a fella fisher aint easy, most of us are liars at worst, exaggerators at best - but I took Mike at his word and made the softwings number one choice when conditions are right.

Today they got their first serious swim and the greenwells softwing above accounted for 7 fish, the best a superb 2 1/2 lber , in 7 years fishing this river I can safely say it is in the top ten of the best fish I've taken for this river where 1lb is a good fish.

Thanks Mike - I owe you a barrel of guinness.

[GlassJet]

Congratulations Otter! I always said that fly would catch, I just knew it...

Wish i could say the same - got out for an hour or so yesterday, same today, and yesterday they were coming up and sipping for midge, but my killer midge patterns were singularly ignored... (back to drawing board) but in the end, couldn't resist it, so I cheated I'm afraid - put on a GRHE on a tiemco #19 and took two in three casts!

The third, I saw there were some dark olives floating down, not many, but heard a couple of positive takes, so put on #14 GRHE tied with a furnace hackle and fished damp - got the third! (Does that count as a soft hackle?)

Today was the same #19 GRHE and a weighted Hare's ear nymph... but this will be the year of the spider for me, I am determined

This is the smaller of the two rivers I mainly fish, and is always slow to start, to be fair...

Andrew.

[Otter]

Had the same problem, lots of midge sippers - got three on one pattern but for the most part it was ignored.

Am also determined to use spiders , will take time though to get the confidence going.

[GlassJet]

Am also determined to use spiders , will take time though to get the confidence going.

That is more than half the battle, I'm sure - confidence. I saw them bubbling up, and thought one of those midges I'd tied on he point and a Stewart's on the dropper has got to do the trick here. But as soon as i tied them on and got ready to cast them, all the confidence i'd felt at the vice melted away!

Tried a couple more what I thought were likely combinations, no luck. In the end, snipped off the dropper and fished the little GRHE (ie a method with which I felt both confident and comfortable) and result.

But, I too am determined to persevere with the spiders. But, one thing I am going to try: I think the bare, Pearsall's silk bodies are beautiful to look at, and look superb in the photographs, but I have never had much luck with them, or seen anybody else do so more to the point! I''m going to try putting a bit of 'life' in there, either with a rib, or my preference, a bit of mole or vole substitute dubbing, a la waterhen bloa.... we'll see.

Time to start tying fish catchin' flies, not photographin' flies...

Andrew.

[Otter]

Time to start tying fish catchin' flies, not photographin' flies...

Andrew.

Them is words of wisdom....... there oft is a world of difference betweem them.

A quote I head recently , " Susessful anglers fish flies that the fish like, not flies that the angler likes"

[Rabmax]

This is good news Otter as i have tied up quite a few soft wing spiders. I have been fishing mostly nymph patterns as the fish are hugging the bottom.The fish where you live Otter must be in better condition as any wild fish i have caught have been very thin & very sluggish .I have never seen the trout as thin as they are in the rivers i fish the harsh winter must have taken its toll. Cheers

[GlassJet]

I have never seen the trout as thin as they are in the rivers i fish the harsh winter must have taken its toll. Cheers

Hi Rabmax, where are you? I had five in all over the weekend - none big (biggest 10") but all very bright and lively wild brown trout.

Andrew.

[Rabmax]

Hello Glassjet i am in Ayrshire Scotland i have had a few stocked fish one about 2 1/2 Lb that's been fat but all the other trout have been very eel like .I think the fishing is about 1 month behind normal this year would imagine larger rivers like the Clyde the trout will be in better shape.The temperature is dropping again at the moment & it's snowing again up here

[skunkaroo]

Them is words of wisdom....... there oft is a world of difference between them.

A quote I head recently , " Successful anglers fish flies that the fish like, not flies that the angler likes"

I dunno, Ott... flies that don't look good to me don't catch fish, because I don't use them

Aaron

[Otter]

This is good news Otter as i have tied up quite a few soft wing spiders. I have been fishing mostly nymph patterns as the fish are hugging the bottom.The fish where you live Otter must be in better condition as any wild fish i have caught have been very thin & very sluggish .I have never seen the trout as thin as they are in the rivers i fish the harsh winter must have taken its toll. Cheers

I was in general surprised by the quality of the fish, of the 20+ fish that I landed most were in better condition than I expected . Given the attrocious flooding experienced back in nov/dec and the unprecedented artic conditions in january I worried that the fish may have suffered greatly. the big worry off course is what damage was done at spawning and we won't know the answer to that for a few years. Fly life would appear to be behind schedule, and given the return to artic weather it may stall further. What was noticeable was the huge number of fish that were feeding voraciously on midge.