Fly fishing, worth trying out?

**nkosi** · 04-06-2020, 10:07

Yellowfish are incredible on a fly setup, but I find them harder to catch than trout.

Carp are another story altogether. Years ago at Sterkfonten I could see a few Carp feeding on the edge of the dam. The water was gin clear and only about 1.5m deep at the end of a point. I was excited as all hell and thought that today was the day.

I snuck up, making sure that they couldn't see me or my shadow and proceeded to present every fly I owned in every size and every colour I had right in front of them, as in centimetres in front of their mouths. This carried on for over an hour and a half with some Carp leaving and new ones arriving. Not one take, not one movement to even look at the flys. Eventually I was so frustrated that I cast a few flies so that they would land on their backs as they sank - they ignored them! I thought that a fly hitting them would at least scare them but no, it did nothing!

I would have been better off grabbing a stick and beating them over the heads or spearing them with it.

**FFourie** · 04-06-2020, 10:12

Originally Posted by nkosi

Yellowfish are incredible on a fly setup, but I find them harder to catch than trout.

Carp are another story altogether. Years ago at Sterkfonten I could see a few Carp feeding on the edge of the dam. The water was gin clear and only about 1.5m deep at the end of a point. I was excited as all hell and thought that today was the day.

I snuck up, making sure that they couldn't see me or my shadow and proceeded to present every fly I owned in every size and every colour I had right in front of them, as in centimetres in front of their mouths. This carried on for over an hour and a half with some Carp leaving and new ones arriving. Not one take, not one movement to even look at the flys. Eventually I was so frustrated that I cast a few flies so that they would land on their backs as they sank - they ignored them! I thought that a fly hitting them would at least scare them but no, it did nothing!

I would have been better off grabbing a stick and beating them over the heads or spearing them with it.

Weighted Black Zulu or Black Woolly Bugger with yellow or red tail fished on bottom normally work. If you can get close enough just dip where they are feeding with slow up and down movement.

**Messor** · 04-06-2020, 10:17

I know they love bloodworm, is there such a thing that mimics a bloodworm?

**nkosi** · 04-06-2020, 10:18

Originally Posted by FFourie

Weighted Black Zulu or Black Woolly Bugger with yellow or red tail fished on bottom normally work. If you can get close enough just dip where they are feeding with slow up and down movement.

Tried that, tried every presentation I could think of, including dipping (I was that close), every Wooly Bugger I had plus all my other flies.

It was very exciting, frustrating and humbling all at once. I was tempted to take up knitting after that but realised that I probably didn't have the coordination for that either.

**Keepleft** · 04-06-2020, 10:19

Originally Posted by nkosi

Tried that, tried every presentation I could think of, including dipping (I was that close), every Wooly Bugger I had plus all my other flies.

It was very exciting, frustrating and humbling all at once. I was tempted to take up knitting after that but realised that I probably didn't have the coordination for that either.

I've had the same, but with trout and bass. Sometimes they just aren't feeding. Or the conditions aren't right.

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**treeman** · 04-06-2020, 10:26

Found that Carp when not feeding sometimes take a pure white Woolly Bugger or a fly they named a RSA (orange white blue, mostly white tied to Mrs Simpson spec).

Being able to see fish and fly is a must as they do not swallow it, but mouth it and require a strike while mouthing.

**Keepleft** · 04-06-2020, 10:29

Originally Posted by Messor

I know they love bloodworm, is there such a thing that mimics a bloodworm?

Fly tiers can tie anything!

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**Antlion** · 04-06-2020, 10:38

I have an old 6/7 rod that I got about 15 years ago. May set it up just to see if fly fishing is for me. I have been in contact with one casting instructor. Question, the part that daunts me the most is leaders and tippets. Some people claim to just use Maxima line as a leader. What's the lowdown when it comes to leaders and tippet setup?

**nkosi** · 04-06-2020, 10:46

You can buy ready made tapered leaders & tippets of varing lengths, diameters and strengths.

More expensive than making up your own but quick and easy and saves time.

Or you can make your own tapered ones by tying together ever decreasing diameters of mono down to the tippet size you want or, you can use a single piece of mono that is not tapered.

Tapered is better though because it enables better energy transfer & control of your presentation of the fly to the fish.