Fly fishing loughs

BoarHunter

I am rather new to fly fishing. I would say that i'm starting to be decent in river dry fly fishing. I went fishing for sea trout and Salmon in Kerry on lough Currane where i caught my first Salmon. We were retrieving a cast with 2 droppers and a tail fly. All wet flies such as green peter and Bibio. Now i am confident that i could make my own droppers and that they could fish properly.
I see some of you fish nymph in the loughs. Do you fish this like buzzer ? Is that static ? How do you drift ? what are the conditions that make you decide to chose one method rather than the other ? Do you use a dry fly as indicator ? and what kind of nymph are used in irish loughs ?

BoarHunter

anyone to advise on this ? :pac:

coolwings

BoarHunter wrote: »

.... I went fishing for sea trout and Salmon in Kerry on lough Currane where i caught my first Salmon. We were retrieving a cast with 2 droppers and a tail fly. ...

I would be looking towards more "fancy" flies for sea trout and salmon, than accurate nymphs. More mobility mainly, and in dark conditions more silhouette or flash in bright conditions ... compared to nymph imitations. The nymphs will still catch though, and might be better for the brownies.

BoarHunter wrote: »

.... I see some of you fish nymph in the loughs. Do you fish this like buzzer ? Is that static ? ...

Not like fishing a rainbow hole at all. Searching is the way. If you anchor up for wild browns, most times you will be fishing a 20-25' radius fish free circle around your boat.

BoarHunter wrote: »

.... How do you drift ? what are the conditions that make you decide to chose one method rather than the other ?

To drift is one way to search fresh water for moving (cruising) fish like wild browns, casting in front of the boat.
Other ways are the Nottingham style casting to the side and fishing the swing, this suits sinking presentations more.

BoarHunter wrote: »

...Do you use a dry fly as indicator ? and what kind of nymph are used in irish loughs ?....

No. The top fly, when fishing traditional drifting style, is used as a bob fly to cut a trace in the surface film, tripping along the wavelets, and bringing up deeper fish which may or may not take it, but often take the middle or tail fly below upon turning away. Watch a natural daddy blowing along the surface in the breeze, and you will get an idea how to fish the bob fly.

BoarHunter

coolwings wrote: »

The nymphs will still catch though, and might be better for the brownies.

That's what i'm looking for actually- Brown trout. Is it just a matter of match the Hatch ? Duck fly, olive, etc ?

coolwings wrote: »

Not like fishing a rainbow hole at all. Searching is the way. If you anchor up for wild browns, most times you will be fishing a 20-25' radius fish free circle around your boat.

Do you retrieve your nymph at all when you're anchored or just let it sink for a while and cast elsewhere ? also do you tie droppers with different stages of the cycle : nymph, emerger, etc ?

coolwings wrote: »

No. The top fly, when fishing traditional drifting style, is used as a bob fly to cut a trace in the surface film, tripping along the wavelets, and bringing up deeper fish which may or may not take it, but often take the middle or tail fly below upon turning away. Watch a natural daddy blowing along the surface in the breeze, and you will get an idea how to fish the bob fly.

Will the 3 wet fly cast work well in most irish loughs ? or Nymph work better ?

coolwings

Match the hatch, and the hatch of the previous 3 days, and the hatch of the 3 days to come. They do not have to eat the most prevalent food, if they are still locked in on the last fad. Also they may prefer the flavour or ease of hunting the fad to come, and switch over in numbers before it is noticeably numerous. But the trout are a population, and just like people some will specialise in this and others in that, so it's not cut and dried. Some trout will hunt corixidae all year and ignore other items.

Do you retrieve your nymph at all when you're anchored or just let it sink for a while and cast elsewhere ? also do you tie droppers with different stages of the cycle : nymph, emerger, etc ?

The denser the stock in the water the better a static bung fishing style works, which is why the bung plus epoxy buzzers under is at it's best in a managed fishery. The more there is empty water, the more you need to keep moving and searching. I always prefer to fish a moving fly on a sinking line, over a bung. But policy must give way to reality, and when one approach fails to work, another should be tried, and soon.

Will the 3 wet fly cast work well in most irish loughs ? or Nymph work better ?

Traditional fishing does better in a wind and wave.
Nymph is merely a choice : approximate vs exact imitation. You learn when the fish are fussy and require a better imitation. But movement is a trigger too, learn what way each food item swims and mimic it's movement accurately. That is more important than "the look".

BoarHunter

Thanks Coolwings this is very instructive. I might get the book you mentionned in another thread in order to get the fly choice right. I understand that it cannot be an exact science and that every year unfold a new weather and an adapting insect life.

A last question ! when i understand Salmon & sea trout are not feeding species therefore the time you go fishing has less importance than getting cloud cover and a breeze. I believe early morning and evening to dusk are the best periods due to insect activity. is there any sense going out during full day for brownies ?

fontanalis

I've had good luck on hill loughs with a size 14 buzzer/duckfly, retrieved very slowly. Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Hares ear nymphs are good as they are buggy looking and could be any generic bug.

coolwings

BoarHunter wrote: »

Thanks Coolwings this is very instructive. I might get the book you mentionned ...

BH You missed a trick
The link is a free download of the book!
Enjoy.

BoarHunter

coolio ! thx again !

dardevle

.......


Hi Boarhunter.. sounds like you got bitten by the bug!, not sure what part of the world you are in but if you ever want a day out lough fishin (lough melvin) you can drop me a pm,


i'm always lookin for an excuse to be on the water!:)


( the fishin widow says i don't need an excuse:p)



...

BoarHunter

Looks like a great place ! you're a lucky man. Thanks for the invite it could give me an excuse for discovering this part of the country. I'm in Clare so it's a long drive.

ironbluedun

BoarHunter wrote: »

A last question ! when i understand Salmon & sea trout are not feeding species therefore the time you go fishing has less importance than getting cloud cover and a breeze. I believe early morning and evening to dusk are the best periods due to insect activity. is there any sense going out during full day for brownies ?

Yes there is sense in daytime brown trout fishing.... but the day MUST be overcast, dull and mild...trout do not rise well in periods of bright sun for various reasons but mainly because the natural 'flies' do not like or emerge well in sunshine..... for day time surface fly fishing the weather is vital that point can not be stressed enough....if it is sunny restrict you fishing times to the evening from 7pm or later onward and dont be afraid to fish well into and after dark....if you find your self on the water and the sun is out then it is best to fish nymph or buzzer deep that will be your best chance as always keep moving to find feeding fish in undisturbed water....;)

BoarHunter

thanks ironbluedun this is what i thought. now i'm getting more motivated in finishing my boat project.

Still a good coat of fiberglass to apply, antifouling and the benchs to fit

Slasher

ironbluedun wrote: »

..trout do not rise well in periods of bright sun for various reasons but mainly because the natural 'flies' do not like or emerge well in sunshine.....

Also because fish have no eyelids, so if they come up near the surface on a bright, sunny day, the sun is shining straight into their unprotected eyes, which is as unpleasant to fish as it is to humans. That's not to say you will never catch trout on a sunny day, it's just less likely.

ironbluedun

Slasher wrote: »

Also because fish have no eyelids, so if they come up near the surface on a bright, sunny day, the sun is shining straight into their unprotected eyes, which is as unpleasant to fish as it is to humans. That's not to say you will never catch trout on a sunny day, it's just less likely.

yes I take your point but on the odd occasion that you get a hatch or emergence in bright conditions trout will come to the surface..... however this does not happen in Ireland much but in some other countries on the continent this is a more common occurrence.....one example in Ireland I can think of is the balling buzzer that can occur in bright sunshine or any other hatch that may occur from time to time...and during such times the trout will come to the surface… generally insects do not like bright sun light and aquatic ones are similar in their dislike for the sun…the trout are more tolerant of the sun than we might think…trout that live in shallow water do not all retreat to very deep water just because the sun comes out….so I do believe it is more, but not all, to do with less food at the surface rather than a fear of being dazzled or lack of eye-lids..….but that’s only an opinion….

fontanalis

You might be lucky on a bright hot day and encounter a fall of ants, saw it once. The fish were everywhere, apart from the end of my line.