Tuesday, 13 August 2013
World Youths
Here are some photographs I took recently from the World Youths Fly Fishing Championship where a stage was held on the river Fane from 22nd - 25th of July. The Irish team took silver at it, a big congratulations to them and all involved! USA took gold and South Africa bronze.
Monday, 29 July 2013
Scotland trip - River Tay at Murthly
July 7th saw myself, Ronan and James make our way North to Scotland for our booked days on the River Tay at Murthly 2. The lads had been to the River Towy in Wales to try for Sewin with no luck and I met up with them after flying to Newcastle. The trip was enjoyable and took in sights like the angel of the north and the impressive drive over the bridge at the River Forth estuary. We were soon passing Perth and making our way to Dunkeld where we would be pitching up our tent for the next few days.
Campsite at Dunkeld, great setup here facilities were excellent and a nice wee river through it to boot. Midgies were out in force the first night though!
Hugging the smoke around the campfire!
Do you like it very well done or very well done?
Next morning we made our way to Murthly 2 and met our Ghillie Tony Black. It was a nice overcast morning and hopes were high. The river was low but it did not matter for running grilse, the main obstacle was the bright sunshine which was prevalent for our stay and also the high water temperatures which neared 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. Tony made us a cuppa and checked our gear and flies. We all had 14ft rods and float lines and opted for small flies the likes of a Willie Gunn, Executioner and Ghillie fly. Tony showed us the stretches to fish, where salmon would lie and tactics for fishing the pools. Ronan and James got stuck into the pools below the hut and Tony brought me up to the Island pool. Its a cracking pool and one I really like the look of, nice fast water at the far bank which tapers into slack water at your feet.
I was using my LeCie 14ft 8 #9/10 with an Airflo rage line and inty poly leader. Casting off my bad side took some time to get into and a salmon slashed at my fly as it scraped across the surface after a dud cast. That got the pulse racing! As I made my way down the pool I connected with one fish which didn't stay on and I lost another. Confidence was high though and we could see Ronan into a fish down the river. The sun was now starting to burn up the cloud cover and after a few more runs down I had nothing to show yet. As the shadows got shorter I gave it one last go down the pool, I put on 8lb Fluoro leader (wasn't forgiven for that) and a small Willie Gunn treble. At the very tail of the pool a fish nailed the fly and showed on the surface. Fish on! Whether it was the change of setup, increasing confidence in casting or just the fact that a fish moved into the pool, I didn't care as I had a fish on. Now just had to land it! Ronan came to my aid as he had finished fishing his stretch and as I told him I had the 8lb breaking strain on with the 14ft rod he had a good laugh at me!
My first fish from Scottish waters, 6/7 pound fresh Grilse from the Tay.
Some photo's of the Beat.
Crikey!
You can just about make out James
Do you like it very well done or very well done?
Next morning we made our way to Murthly 2 and met our Ghillie Tony Black. It was a nice overcast morning and hopes were high. The river was low but it did not matter for running grilse, the main obstacle was the bright sunshine which was prevalent for our stay and also the high water temperatures which neared 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. Tony made us a cuppa and checked our gear and flies. We all had 14ft rods and float lines and opted for small flies the likes of a Willie Gunn, Executioner and Ghillie fly. Tony showed us the stretches to fish, where salmon would lie and tactics for fishing the pools. Ronan and James got stuck into the pools below the hut and Tony brought me up to the Island pool. Its a cracking pool and one I really like the look of, nice fast water at the far bank which tapers into slack water at your feet.
I was using my LeCie 14ft 8 #9/10 with an Airflo rage line and inty poly leader. Casting off my bad side took some time to get into and a salmon slashed at my fly as it scraped across the surface after a dud cast. That got the pulse racing! As I made my way down the pool I connected with one fish which didn't stay on and I lost another. Confidence was high though and we could see Ronan into a fish down the river. The sun was now starting to burn up the cloud cover and after a few more runs down I had nothing to show yet. As the shadows got shorter I gave it one last go down the pool, I put on 8lb Fluoro leader (wasn't forgiven for that) and a small Willie Gunn treble. At the very tail of the pool a fish nailed the fly and showed on the surface. Fish on! Whether it was the change of setup, increasing confidence in casting or just the fact that a fish moved into the pool, I didn't care as I had a fish on. Now just had to land it! Ronan came to my aid as he had finished fishing his stretch and as I told him I had the 8lb breaking strain on with the 14ft rod he had a good laugh at me!
My first fish from Scottish waters, 6/7 pound fresh Grilse from the Tay.
Some photo's of the Beat.
Some of Ronan's Flies for the trip.
The mode of transport, racked up 1800km.
Women drivers!
Guideline LeCie 14'8 #9/10 MF and the LXi switch.
The hut at Murthly 2
Low and lethargic in the evening.
BBQ and some bankside tying on the first evening.
We literally only fished 8-10hrs or so over the two days as strong sun and high water temperatures were off-putting. We might have snook out a fish or two if we stuck at it but we were happy enough to enjoy the sunshine and do some exploring. We checked out the Tummel dam and its fish counter and also got to see a fish in its observation room. Also was refreshing to see a counter with a live reading that is openly displayed! Picked up a dram up there too, lagavulin, 6 quid a go! Like drinking hot turf! Have to admit it was worth the money. James dampened his down by accident with a misplaced milk jug.
The next morning James made up for his bad luck with whiskey and got a cracking fish around the 10 mark and we all had a fish to our name. The rest of the trip consisted of a few beers, more BBQ's and meeting up with forum member Doon-rod and a few other avid fishermen. Very memorable trip and we will be back.
Good park job Ronnie!
Finn - June 22nd
I jumped at the chance to fish with the LXi so headed for the Finn first chance I got, water was clearing but around 3ft so I drove for the Reelin as I love to get fishing on it.
First pool was quiet and as I made my way downriver I though my luck was down. I then came to the garden pool and it just looked in superb order. Second cast in this fish leaped from the water, fly in tow!
First pool was quiet and as I made my way downriver I though my luck was down. I then came to the garden pool and it just looked in superb order. Second cast in this fish leaped from the water, fly in tow!
A well Coloured fish but around the 10 pound mark. Made my way downstream as did the rain clouds and it was not long before the river was unfishable again.
I had plans to fish the next day and I was up for sunrise but there was no drop in height due to steady rain. Drove up and down the river fishing here and there but only managed to lose a fish that took directly below me or on the dangle, a common occurrence when fishing in high water as the fish can sit in slacker water near the banks.
Josie's Bridge
Tube of choice
So with still rising water and waning confidence I called it a day late morning. Ferocious river when its in flood and a sight to behold.
Casting the Guideline LXi Switch
Guideline LXi Switch Spey casting. from Liam Woods on Vimeo.
Made this Video a while back even before we got our drought conditions and you can really see the low height of the river where I normally cast. The LXi switch is a rod that is very easy to pick up and get on with. I am using a DDC shooting head cut to 21grams and a TSL running line. My casting stroke has changed a lot and continues to change and I now favour the lighter heads. Good breeze this day so you can see the benefit of a V loop into the wind. The LXi has a blank with a fast recovery that flexes further down the blank. I really did find that I needed less effort to achieve the same distance and also I did not need to really accentuate the forward stroke for distance. The finish and cork is of a high standard, a rod that offers a lot for its price tag.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Feels like Summer
The recent warmer weather coupled with cloudy and balmy evenings really gave me a notion for some trout fishing. I used the Guideline experience #6 with a 14ft tapered leader and a CDC and elk hair caddis, (ultimate fly round our way!). I am using my Greys Grxi 9ft #5/6, lovely rod and suited the line really well. Got some good results, this chappy and lost a decent fish as it smothered itself in weeds and broke me, felt really decent, 3lb plus. The caddis were swarming late in the evening and into dusk, great sight to see and trout were gorging, eventually my flies were either lost or fell apart so I left the trout to it.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Birthday on the Finn
Myself, Ronan and James were booked into Glemore Lodge for May 18th, which was my 26th Birthday, Ronan's was actually the day before. The water had dropped to below 1ft but fish were around the system, we had the beat to ourselves and Petsie and John joined us also on Saturday. A steady mizzle was persistent through the morning and we knew a rise was on the way, I fished through the graveyard with no luck but fish activity was increasing and that electricity was in the air. I made my way down to the last pool on the Ivy bridge beat above the chapel footbridge, this is a favourite pool of mine for sure, and also a controversial one :). The two runs either side of the Island were in great shape and the water height suited the pool. I was using my 7/8 Lpxe switch with my Watergrip reel and the #9 Switch line with an intermediate tip. Fly choice was a soft hackle cascade on a tube with a tungsten conehead. I fished into the faster water to the right of the Island firstly and at the tail of the pool in a likely seam the line stopped its swing and I gingerly lifted into what I though was a snag, two head shakes later I had my first 2013 fish on and one huge leap later it was off! My strike was poor and I knew the fish was not well hooked, putting this down to early season rustiness! I rang Ronan and told him the news as he was fishing the footbridge. I checked my leader and fly and started fishing through the run again. Around the same spot my swing checked and this time I let loose the loop of line in my hand and lifted heavily. This one was going no where! I got a beautiful sight of the fish as it leaped through the rapids and hugged steadily behind the rock at the top of the pool. A few minutes later and a few snaps from Ronan, I had the fish landed and unhooked and swimming off.
We then made our way back to the Graveyard and fished through it, Petsie missed a nice fish (no thanks to my distraction) and we felt like the day was going to offer a lot. What ensued was a lot of banter on the bank side and when Petie hooked into a Finn springer of 2lbs this added fuel to the fire!
Springer in the net!
He wouldn't show his face;)
After a few bouts of slagging and general belittlement I decided I wanted to give the runs below the Ivy bridge a go. I took off my switch line and reel and replaced it with my Haze HD 7/9 with a TSL running line, .028" or 25lbs and my DDC shooting head which is an 8/9 double handed head cut back to 21grams. I put on a sink 2/3 tip on this setup, this is one of my favourite line combinations, the sink 2/3 tip presents the fly at a level that I like for faster water. I stuck with the soft hackle cascade as it really looked the part in the water. This setup was really fantastic to use for the streamy runs, distance was not paramount but the head could hit the far bank with ease.
It is funny, I originally cut this head when I first started using the switch Lpxe but then I got into using heavier heads on the rod and went as far as 27 grams on it! The switch line is around 25 grams also, I feel I have come full circle though and I prefer these lighter heads, I think a lot of it has to do with my casting and how it is evolving the more I practice. I still feel I have a bit to go before I am fully happy with how I cast but my stroke has become quicker and the lighter heads suit this more. I also find the setup for a spey cast is so much easier with the lighter line even if it is a sink or sink tip. So for my 7/8 Lpxe I now like a line in and around the 21 gram mark. The switch line is still very useful in tight space and small rivers where I have not got the room for a big spey cast or long overhead cast.
About half way down I swam the fly into a little pocket of slack water and again the line stopped dead. I felt some good hefty headshakes and knew I had something better on this time. I shouted down for some of the lads and they came running (kind of) with a few bottles of Heineken in hand never mind a net! I brought the fish in close to my feet to tail it and Petsie shouted, "Mind that short line!" next thing I knew fly was in the air and all was slack! After a bit more slagging the lads went down to the graveyard and I fished towards them. At this stage John had a fish landed and James lost one on a sunray. The rain was really steady now and falling heavier by the minute. On one of the last runs down I hooked into a lively fish and when landing it noticed the long tailed sea lice on its back, a first for me.
Robert getting in on this one, soaked through, rain was strong and steady.
Skagit Boy!
We then met Andrew who completely showed us up going down the beat by hooking 2 and landing one, I good fish around the 9lb mark. He then went on to lose another at the V, plus a fly line if anyone sees it!
Great weekend, but we were glad to get home that evening!
We then made our way back to the Graveyard and fished through it, Petsie missed a nice fish (no thanks to my distraction) and we felt like the day was going to offer a lot. What ensued was a lot of banter on the bank side and when Petie hooked into a Finn springer of 2lbs this added fuel to the fire!
Springer in the net!
After a few bouts of slagging and general belittlement I decided I wanted to give the runs below the Ivy bridge a go. I took off my switch line and reel and replaced it with my Haze HD 7/9 with a TSL running line, .028" or 25lbs and my DDC shooting head which is an 8/9 double handed head cut back to 21grams. I put on a sink 2/3 tip on this setup, this is one of my favourite line combinations, the sink 2/3 tip presents the fly at a level that I like for faster water. I stuck with the soft hackle cascade as it really looked the part in the water. This setup was really fantastic to use for the streamy runs, distance was not paramount but the head could hit the far bank with ease.
It is funny, I originally cut this head when I first started using the switch Lpxe but then I got into using heavier heads on the rod and went as far as 27 grams on it! The switch line is around 25 grams also, I feel I have come full circle though and I prefer these lighter heads, I think a lot of it has to do with my casting and how it is evolving the more I practice. I still feel I have a bit to go before I am fully happy with how I cast but my stroke has become quicker and the lighter heads suit this more. I also find the setup for a spey cast is so much easier with the lighter line even if it is a sink or sink tip. So for my 7/8 Lpxe I now like a line in and around the 21 gram mark. The switch line is still very useful in tight space and small rivers where I have not got the room for a big spey cast or long overhead cast.
About half way down I swam the fly into a little pocket of slack water and again the line stopped dead. I felt some good hefty headshakes and knew I had something better on this time. I shouted down for some of the lads and they came running (kind of) with a few bottles of Heineken in hand never mind a net! I brought the fish in close to my feet to tail it and Petsie shouted, "Mind that short line!" next thing I knew fly was in the air and all was slack! After a bit more slagging the lads went down to the graveyard and I fished towards them. At this stage John had a fish landed and James lost one on a sunray. The rain was really steady now and falling heavier by the minute. On one of the last runs down I hooked into a lively fish and when landing it noticed the long tailed sea lice on its back, a first for me.
The day came to an end then and we headed back to the lodge for some food. We then made our way to Harkins for some stout. Sim likes to go there and take in the Irish sense of humour which Harkins is a fine example of. Few empty glasses later we were on the road home looking in awe at the 7ft banker coming roaring down the valleys. No fishing in the morning so we kept at the grape and grain (to ill effect).
River the next Morning.
We started around 11 and I don't think any of us were in the zone to fish! River was dropping slowly as most of the Reelan water was gone and the Upper Finn was keeping it ticking over. We fished down the graveyard and I used my Le Cie 14'8 with a hover/Inty 9/10 shortcut head and a park shrimp tube on. Big rod for the water but I wanted a bit of use from it before our Scotland trip. It covered the water with ease but still takes some getting used to. I had brief contact with a fish near the tail of the pool and that was about it, I was surprised to hook into anything and really wasn't concentrating, it was a gentle take and another poor strike by me!
Most of the rest of the day was spent trekking around the river to no luck and taking it easy really, we were all a bit dozy from the night before, good lesson to learn for Scotland!
Night before got the better of us.
Fishing the meetings
We made our way down to the beat again which ended up being pretty uneventful! I was struggling to put out a good line! I took to taking some shots and videos instead.
Skagit Boy!
We then met Andrew who completely showed us up going down the beat by hooking 2 and landing one, I good fish around the 9lb mark. He then went on to lose another at the V, plus a fly line if anyone sees it!
Great weekend, but we were glad to get home that evening!
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