Starting fly fishing

ardinn

Williamjg wrote: »

Would my 6wt rod be able for salmon if I was to try and get a license next year.

Generally no - I am not sure of the size of the Salmon in the corrib river but I wouldnt chance. 7# minimum usually - but if you do hook a 25lb salmon on a 6# at least it'l be a bit of craic!!!

Should I use wet or dry flies when fishing for trout in the River Corrib and would I need a net to land the trout

Use a net yes - Unless they are very small. You can fish wets, dries, nymphs, dry droppers, whatever you want. Each method has a time of day, a purpose, and some advantage over the other. While learning to fish you will radiate to one particular method you like and will spend most time at that.


And if there are any usuals to the River Corrib would you be able to recommend any spots that are good for trout fishing

I havnt a clue!!

Join a club and ask someone who knows what they are doing to show you!

Williamjg

ardinn wrote: »

Join a club and ask someone who knows what they are doing to show you!

Thanks for the help much appreciated

Williamjg

I have another question
When I’m fishing and I have my fly tied to the end of my leader and I want to change fly do I have to untie or cut the knot to get the fly off the leader and then tie on the the new fly or is there an easier less time consuming option because if I have to be cutting the leader I will be making a mess of the taper I know swivels are not the option because there too big (I think) but is there a piece of gear like a swivel that I could use maybe

UrbanFret

you're over complicating the thing. I often had to use pike line as a leader. opened and retied it over and over. If you are fishing drys which is the most rewarding method in my opinion. You want to parachute the fly into the water. get out into the back garden stick a dinner plate in the garden and practice landing the fly in it. If the fish are rising land the fly upstream and draw it across the fish and strike. If you can come across an old gentleman who has done it all his life, spend a few evenings with him and he'll share his knowledge and fill you with lies as well, but it will be well worth it. I wouldn't worry much about hooking a salmon, you're unlikely too for a while.

ardinn

UrbanFret wrote: »

. If you can come across an old gentleman who has done it all his life, spend a few evenings with him and he'll share his knowledge and fill you with lies as well, but it will be well worth it. .

:D:D

Williamjg

The stuff came today and I have it all set up and ready to go
Planning on going on Saturday for my first trip

Williamjg

Just wondering
If I’m fishing a river is it generally ok for me to walk along the bank of the river in someone’s field while fishing

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Williamjg wrote: »

Just wondering
If I’m fishing a river is it generally ok for me to walk along the bank of the river in someone’s field while fishing

Generally clubs have permission to access the river bank for their stretches of water. Of course, it goes without saying that we respect property while there.

Williamjg

Probably going to fish the river Clare for trout
Anyone know a good spot where I might catch a few

Doc Farrell

Best to join one of the clubs and they’ll give you all the info u will need. If you fish on club water without membership they will be very unhappy.
Go to the local shop and get the 5 favorite local flies and 5 nymphs in size 12 to 16. Get a pair of snips and some floatant. U really only need to cast 20-30 feet so just take it easy. Try to be as quiet as possible. Taking the advice of a local angler will save you years of frustration. Look up roll casting in YouTube . That’s all u need to begin.

Doc Farrell

https://youtu.be/8mdILXk8byk

Rows Grower

Williamjg wrote: »

Probably going to fish the river Clare for trout
Anyone know a good spot where I might catch a few

I wouldn't be over familiar with the river Clare but I can tell you anytime I fished it years ago the farmers were sound out once you ask permission first. You'll need a salmon licence too even if you are only fishing for trout but you can get one of them for small money handy enough.

You probably will get a couple of decent sized trout, make sure you go back to the farmer and offer him his choice.

Courtesy like that goes a long way.

Fish upstream and use a worm.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Rows Grower wrote: »

I wouldn't be over familiar with the river Clare but I can tell you anytime I fished it years ago the farmers were sound out once you ask permission first. You'll need a salmon licence too even if you are only fishing for trout but you can get one of them for small money handy enough.

You probably will get a couple of decent sized trout, make sure you go back to the farmer and offer him his choice.

Courtesy like that goes a long way.

Fish upstream and use a worm.

Most of the Clare is controlled by clubs who have long standing agreements or permissions in place with landowners. It is the club that the OP needs to sort out first. He shouldn't need to go looking for permission from individual landowners who may not even live within miles of the stretch of water. In 65 years fishing rivers I've never heard of giving or offering any catch to the landowner.

OP really needs to contact a club before going near a River. Club membership or permits have to sorted before wetting a line. He also needs to find out the rules regarding what size of fish he may keep and how many and what stretches of river he may fish. Of course he may follow a catch and release philosophy.
A landowner cannot grant permission for a non-member to fish club waters.

Rows Grower

Liliana Odd Armchair wrote: »

Most of the Clare is controlled by clubs who have long standing agreements or permissions in place with landowners. It is the club that the OP needs to sort out first. He shouldn't need to go looking for permission from individual landowners who may not even live within miles of the stretch of water. In 65 years fishing rivers I've never heard of giving or offering any catch to the landowner.

OP really needs to contact a club before going near a River. Club membership or permits have to sorted before wetting a line. He also needs to find out the rules regarding what size of fish he may keep and how many and what stretches of river he may fish. Of course he may follow a catch and release philosophy.
A landowner cannot grant permission for a non-member to fish club waters.

A landowner can grant permission to a non club member to fish club waters.

It all depends on the long standing agreements and permissions that are agreed.

A lot of landowners (who own the fishing rights) have stipulations in place that they, their immediate family or guests do not need to join the club or have the permission of the club to fish the waters.

This is how I was able to fish the river Clare when I did, there were no contact details for a club on display so I sought out the farmer, asked for and was granted permission. I asked would he eat a trout if I got one and he said he would.

When I returned a few hours later he was surprised and said in all the years he had given anglers permission to fish I was the only one to ever return and give him a trout. He told me there and then that I had his full permission to fish his stretch of the river anytime I wanted.

He gave me his name and told me where his land started and finished.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Rows Grower wrote: »

A landowner can grant permission to a non club member to fish club waters.

It all depends on the long standing agreements and permissions that are agreed.

A lot of landowners (who own the fishing rights) have stipulations in place that they, their immediate family or guests do not need to join the club or have the permission of the club to fish the waters.

This is how I was able to fish the river Clare when I did, there were no contact details for a club on display so I sought out the farmer, asked for and was granted permission. I asked would he eat a trout if I got one and he said he would.

When I returned a few hours later he was surprised and said in all the years he had given anglers permission to fish I was the only one to ever return and give him a trout. He told me there and then that I had his full permission to fish his stretch of the river anytime I wanted.

He gave me his name and told me where his land started and finished.

I'm sorry but I beg to differ. The landowner may have given permission but it may not have been his to give. Many clubs have bought or leased the fishing rights to waters & access, and it is only they who may legitimately grant permission. The OP needs to check with the clubs to see which stretches they control. It's no big deal, easy to do and freely available.


In Ireland the law is such that one person can own the bed and soil of a river and another the fishing rights, be that a club or another individual. Fishing rights are not automatically the property of the owner of the adjoining lands.

Rows Grower

Liliana Odd Armchair wrote: »

I'm sorry but I beg to differ. The landowner may have given permission but it may not have been his to give. Many clubs have bought or leased the fishing rights to waters & access, and it is only they who may legitimately grant permission. The OP needs to check with the clubs to see which stretches they control. It's no big deal, easy to do and freely available.


In Ireland the law is such that one person can own the bed and soil of a river and another the fishing rights, be that a club or another individual. Fishing rights are not automatically the property of the owner of the adjoining lands.

I have no problem with opinions that differ to mine.

The landowner, who also owned the fishing rights did have authority to allow me to fish.

He told me that he allowed local anglers who formed a club to fish there and erect signs that it was water controlled by the club, but he had reserved the right to fish it or allow his family or guests of his fish it.

This is by no means a unique situation, I'm in number of clubs myself and part of a syndicate that control some of the best game fishing in Munster.

When the owner of the fishing rights allows a guest to fish they are shown the same if not more courtesy than a full paid up member.

They are not expected to pay or contribute man hours to the upkeep or protection of the river like the rest of us.

Also I am a welcome guest on other rivers around Munster which are controlled by clubs of which I am not a member, again this is opportunity is afforded me by the owners of the fishing rights.

I've never once had a problem.

Most of fishing leases are done on an annual basis and all clubs should hold an AGM. It would be foolhardy in the extreme for any club or syndicate to try and dictate to the owner of the fishing rights who he/she will allow to fish for the following season.

I have also experienced issues on a river where a local club was formed and self appointed themselves as owners of the fishing rights. They had no standing in law.

They erected signs saying the river was strictly for members only and was strictly fly fishing only.

This was an ongoing issue for years, there were angry words exchanged on the river banks and quite frankly there was some despicable attempts at intimidation of anglers from outside the area by local anglers.

After much discussion and numerous meetings among concerned anglers the legal advice received was that particular river was always free fishing to the public.

The club eventually accepted this and changed their signs to request anglers who fished to acknowledge there is a local club and contribute through them to a conservation fund for the river, which is very fair. The key point of this is that it is a request, as they acknowledged they do not own or have control of the fishing rights.

Laws around permission for fishing in Ireland can sometimes be a bit more complex than a sign proclaiming the rights are reserved.

Like I said at the start, I have no problem that we may have different opinions, it may simply be because we've had different experiences.

I hope your 66th year angling is your best one ever.

Tight lines,
Rows Grower.

Williamjg

Went out for my first time today to the river Clare
Was there for a hour or so and the my rod broke 😞. Was very disappointed

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Williamjg wrote: »

Went out for my first time today to the river Clare
Was there for a hour or so and the my rod broke ��. Was very disappointed

How did it break?

Williamjg

The part where the poles connect hit off a fence

Rows Grower

Williamjg wrote: »

Went out for my first time today to the river Clare
Was there for a hour or so and the my rod broke ��. Was very disappointed

Catch any trout?

Wibbs

Rows Grower wrote: »

You'll need a salmon licence too even if you are only fishing for trout but you can get one of them for small money handy enough.

Really? I'm not so sure about that RG. I've fished many's the river(Slaney, Liffey, Blackwater, Dargle, Boyne, Blackwater etc) that held both trout and migratory fish(lakes too and overseas with it) and didn't have a salmon/seatrout licence because I was clearly fishing for trout*. And in any confab I had with landowners, river keepers or club officials never once had any issue with that. Maybe the laws have changed in this? Though it would be a pain if they have. I mean coarse anglers fish many waters with migratory game fish in play and they surely don't have to get a salmon/seatrout licence?

Fish upstream and use a worm.

The chap is fly fishing.

Liliana Odd Armchair wrote: »

In 65 years fishing rivers I've never heard of giving or offering any catch to the landowner.

Funny enough S I have. Namely through my dad. When we happened upon a water that didn't have any club attached he always made a point of offering fish to the landowner we got permission from and it was gratefully received. He just had seniority years on you S, 68 years. Though he started in the 1930's to be fair. Really gladdened to hear you're rocking those kinda numbers and that wealth of experience is out there and even better here giving advice.

OP really needs to contact a club before going near a River.../...
A landowner cannot grant permission for a non-member to fish club waters.

While I agree with you S, RG has some case in play. It can depend on the local arrangement. But yep, your advice is the more prudent; approach the local club. Less potential hassle that way.

Rows Grower wrote: »

I hope your 66th year angling is your best one ever.

Tight lines,
Rows Grower.

+1000

Williamjg wrote: »

The part where the poles connect hit off a fence

Ouch. :eek::( It must have gotten some smack to break. Though thin walled carbon rods can be delicate enough. I've seen a few break down the years. Obvious dangers being car/boot doors, being caught in bushes and the like, though have seen a few break for no obvious reason too(old glass fibre and cane rods had their issues, but tended to be more robust in general, though cane rods came with a spare tip so..). Sorry to hear that W. I dunno if you're ever in Dublin, but I've a couple of older carbon flyrods laying about you're more than welcome to.


*though on three occasions I've caught salmon with trout gear. All on the dry. Twice by mistake, once by sorta design. The first was in my teens when I watched a consistently rising what I thought was about in old money a one pound trout under a tree on the upper Slaney. Tried matching the hatch, but got nowhere. Tied on a 14 Tups and fired that at him and he took and I set the hook. Man did I get a shock at the power that responded. I thought I was going to end up in the papers with a record brownie. Coming to the net I was sure, because it looked like a "huge" Brown trout. Until my dad showed up and pointed out it was a Salmon long in the river, hence the colour. Long in the river it may have been, but strong it still was. Took little gentle handling in the current before off it tore.

Williamjg

Is there a way of repairing it or something I can do
I searched online for a spare section of the part that broke but no luck
Do tackle shops repair them or is it a diy job

Doc Farrell

Williamjg wrote: »

Went out for my first time today to the river Clare
Was there for a hour or so and the my rod broke ��. Was very disappointed

Don’t let this break you, it’s possible a good shop might have a piece that will match the one that broke. Or take Wibbs offer and use one of his old rods. Just make sure the weight of the line used matches the rod.
To be honest, use your local fishing shop, use your local club, use local river knowledge and advice. Otherwise u are just making life more difficult than it has to be. Go to a good Galway shop nearest the river and show them the damage.
I’m turning into the shopkeeper from the League of Gentlemen, ‘this is a local shop for local people!’

Williamjg

Doc Farrell wrote: »

Don’t let this break you, it’s possible a good shop might have a piece that will match the one that broke. Or take Wibbs offer and use one of his old rods. Just make sure the weight of the line used matches the rod.
To be honest, use your local fishing shop, use your local club, use local river knowledge and advice. Otherwise u are just making life more difficult than it has to be. Go to a good Galway shop nearest the river and show them the damage.
I’m turning into the shopkeeper from the League of Gentlemen, ‘this is a local shop for local people!’

Thanks doc. I sent a message to Shakespeare themselves to see if they will sell me just the section that broke and hopefully they can help. If not I will head to town and have a ask around the local shops for local people and see if they can help

Williamjg

Wibbs wrote: »

Ouch. :eek::( It must have gotten some smack to break. Though thin walled carbon rods can be delicate enough. I've seen a few break down the years. Obvious dangers being car/boot doors, being caught in bushes and the like, though have seen a few break for no obvious reason too(old glass fibre and cane rods had their issues, but tended to be more robust in general, though cane rods came with a spare tip so..). Sorry to hear that W. I dunno if you're ever in Dublin, but I've a couple of older carbon flyrods laying about you're more than welcome to.

I really appreciate the offer Wibbs and I thank you greatly I’m going to try and repair my current rod or replace the part but if that doesn’t work I would love to take you up on the offer
I really do appreciate you trying to help and it means a lot to me that that people like yourself doc farell and others who are more experienced are helping the likes of me who is determined to get into fly fishing even if a wooden pole gets in my way
So I thank all of you for helping me in my journey to a new long lasting sport

Williamjg

Rows Grower wrote: »

Catch any trout?

That’s the worst part as soon as the rod breaks I see a large trout jump from the water and grab a fly from the surface and then I begin to see them all appear as if they knew my rod had broken and it was now safe to feed

SeaFields

Williamjg wrote: »

That’s the worst part as soon as the rod breaks I see a large trout jump from the water and grab a fly from the surface and then I begin to see them all appear as if they knew my rod had broken and it was now safe to feed

Ha! Get used to that William. Once you get into it properly, you'll spend days fishing and not see a thing and not catch a thing....

... but as soon as you pack up a trout or salmon will jump right in front of you, just to let you know they won this time.

Rows Grower

For anyone else thinking of starting off I got a Sigma Combo 9ft 5WT after reading the start of this thread and it's a great piece of kit in fairness.

I only got a chance to try it this morning and it is a joy to fish with, I caught nothing and still enjoyed the hour or two.

I just need to put an extension on the protective cover and she'll be good to travel under all those trees between pools in two pieces.

Bought it from Slaney Fishing, top class advice and service.

TomOnBoard

Williamjg wrote: »

Thanks doc. I sent a message to Shakespeare themselves to see if they will sell me just the section that broke and hopefully they can help. If not I will head to town and have a ask around the local shops for local people and see if they can help

Is it a 3 or 4 section rod?

I've broken many a rod since the graphite took over from glass... NEVER in a fish... ALWAYS in a car door or boot or banging it off something. They're super strong when force is spread down the full length by the line, but they are really brittle if you bang the side of the rod against anything hard.

I've had rods repaired too. The fishing tackle shops can do a good job on the tops, but they're never the same after.

I usually try and buy the same again and that way, unless I break the same piece, I have spare parts..

Williamjg

TomOnBoard wrote: »

Is it a 3 or 4 section rod?

it’s a 4 section