Skinny Dipping

Well, maybe not quite skinny dipping but going almost butt naked.

Before leaving to visit our family in the States in early December, I had a number of people ask, “how come after spending so much effort in covering the hook with fur and feathers that the fish are not scared off by the bare steel.” It’s a moot point when one considers that we spend a lot of time creating imitations of the aquatic and terrestrial insects prey items, lengthening and fining the leaders and tippets, especially when we are attempting to fool so called spooky fish, even going as far as sneaking around looking a little like the hunchback of Norte Dame. Many flies are sparsely tied to almost be a bare hook, or as some do by tying a #16 imitation on a #12 hook. And yet the so called selective trout don’t seem to care a damn about the hook no matter how visible and prominent it is – contrary to how fussy we perceive them to be. Somehow it doesn’t add up or perhaps we credit the trout with too much intelligence?

Its certainly not the first time the question has been asked. it’s rather one that has come up almost since the first fly was cast, and there are possibly as many theories as there are flies – I have heard quite a few expressed on the subject.

I like to think that trout are programmed to feed on a limited number of insects and instinctively become familiar with them, size, shape and colour, the positive factors. If I recall the term I heard used was, “trout can key into repeated identity”. These are the things that trigger a response in the trout’s brain. The hook although visible, is a negative factor, but because of the known positives in the natural, the things it is used to, the hook does not feature as a part of their search engine – so it doesn’t feature in their response to eat the imitation. It’s as if they don’t acknowledge the negative.

This is given that the imitation is tied to include recognisable features of the natural. I have nothing scientific to prove it and I’m also not aware of any research into brass, shiny hooks verses black or gunmetal. I like to swim my flies before I cast them to see what they look like in the water and I have more confidence fishing imitations tied on black or gunmetal grey hooks as opposed to brass – they appear more ‘natural’ and are certainly less pronounced.

These are the subjects that can keep flyfishers busy for a long time and I don’t
know if anyone has the definitive answers, I suspect not.

I”‘d be happy to hear other points of view.

ONE FLY DAY

I guess we have all had them – those days when all it seems you need is just one irresistible fly.

I have had a couple of ‘one fly days’ recently. On the first occasion despite trying a CDC and Elk I was fishless after 20 minutes. I changed to a Wolf Spider and took a pretty small rainbow on the first drift. From thereon the trout rose to it steadily all day.  The only fly changes were to replace the bedraggled spiders for fresh ones.

On the second occasion I started the day with a slightly modified Wolf Spider and ended it with the same fly, a little battered, but still holding its distinctive spider profile. The modifications were to make the imitation easier to tie and more durable – it involved replacing the front Pheasant Tail fibre legs with a a few hairs from a Squirrel tail.

The wild browns happily moved a long way out of their lies all day to intercept the drifting fly. Tied in #14s and #16s the Wolf Spider offers a decent sized mouthful of protein, the reason in my view, why the fish are prepared to swim so far to fetch them. Of course the fact that the imitation offers a familiar profile doesn’t hurt. The efficacy of the Wolf Spider is not debatable.

I have had a few favorite flies over the years and none less that the little Mayfly Spinner, tied in the Ellis triple wing style and using organza for the wings, but and here’s the rub, despite still being in my ‘good fly’ box, it’s been nudged off the podium by the Wolf Spider.

I have been saying for some time, but I’m now convinced that this little Wolf Spider imitation deserves a nod in the South African indigenous flies hall of fame.

I’m not into naming the flies I tie, I think it a little pretentious, but in this case it was the doyen of S A fly fishing, the Good Doctor, Tom Sutcliffe himself who suggested it be named Brigg’s Spider ……. coming from him, I’m comfortable with that.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2016. All rights reserved

HE AIN’T HEAVY

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” –The Hollies

The road is long

With many a winding turn

That leads us to who knows where

Who knows when

But I’m strong

Strong enough to carry him

He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

By default I am characterised as a dry fly purist, by some. I guess there is more than a modicum of truth in that, but not in the true sense of the definition of  a ‘Halfordian purist’ – I’m rather wired to dry fly fishing.

I do prefer casting dry flies any day over chucking lead, but if the dries are not attracting attention, I can’t say I won’t tie on a nymph as long as I’m catching fish.  If I’m not, it begins to wear thin quite quickly. Let me clarify something here – the kind of nymph fishing I’m on about is those tied with lots of weight to dredge the bottom of the stream. I learnt how to fish these bombs by paying attention to a couple of good friends that go to them as easily as I go to dries. I once had my ‘heavy’ nymph unapologetically called a ‘wimp’ and then had a fly dumped in my hand and told, ‘THIS is a nymph’ – big tungsten bead and body pregnant with lead that in flight and a tailing loop could make concussion a reality, ok that’s pushing it, but it was seriously heavy.

The Wimp

Before I’m hung, drawn and quartered, I do accept that nymphing with lots of weight is effective and will sometimes get you into fish and often bigger fish than a dry can at times. Contrary to what I used to think, nymphing does take a lot of skill – I once read, you need concentration, great eyes, the ability to visualise in three dimensions and mystical patience, but on the other hand, it can be easy enough that a beginner with a little coaching and a big strike indicator can sometimes get into fish right off the bat.

I still prefer to use weight sparingly, it’s effective and its known that the fish spend most of their time feeding on nymphs, larvae, pupae and all manner of drowned bugs in the water columns. So it’s not just the depth charges that work but lightly weighted nymphs fished a few inches below the surface as emergers. Even neutral density nymphs are good, lightly greased to float in the surface film or squeezed wet to get them below the surface – sometimes behind a dry fly indicator as long as it designed to also catch fish.

My nymphs are cheaper because no expensive exotic materials are needed and they’re quicker and easy to tie than the dry flies I use. The physiognomic differences between the nymphs in our streams are insignificant and have no real application in tying a more effective fly, except size. Size can be a trigger for a feeding response although a reasonable likeness with some familiar features doesn’t hurt.  What I’m saying is that there is a likeness amongst the species of nymphs in our streams, other than their size. One imitation in a variety of sizes will do the job. There is a freedom about tying nymphs – as long as it is carrot or cigar shaped, brownish, olive or black, a tail, spiky thorax with a few sparse hackle legs or teased out guard hairs and resembles with a little imagination, one of the bugs that live in the stream, you are in business.

The size difference -#12 and #28

It’s personal so before anyone plans on sending me down the plank, I’m not a fan of the currently fashionable glossy UV resin coated nymphs despite how good and part of the empirical evolutionary advancement, I’m told they are. Others will have their own ideas, but I like to think about what I’m trying to imitate and use materials that move a little – some realism and movement giving it life. Of course there is no quick fix or serendipitous road to success with fly design, but I have been able get away with a traditional Zak as the foundation, unweighted and weighted, some with wing cases, others with a flashback, a few with beads in natural colours and occasionally a subtle touch of shine or a hot spot. You can do the same with the GRHE or PTN, and that great man Frank Sawyer couldn’t have been wrong.

One nymph with variations fits all

This just about covers all you need for the little bugs that creep, crawl, and swim below the surface of our streams – realism, not exact imitation, looks and behaves like a bug …… just saying.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2016. All rights reserved

WOLF SPIDER

Every now and then someone ties a fly that the fish can’t leave alone – the Wolf Spider may just be heading in that direction. Although I have waxed lyrical about it before (The Wolf Spider), I just couldn’t resist spreading the news again.

 This past river season has been seriously affected by extreme drought conditions caused by that less than likeable El Niño – I have fished less this season than I have in decades. There have been a few average days, some even worse and a couple of blank days.

 What prompted me to share this was that the Wolf Spider has on a number of occasions turned some average days into good days fishing. The first was on the upper Bokspruit in the North Eastern Cape when a slow day became a 20 fish day after struggling to raise a trout. And, then a week ago on the Injisuthi in KZN the Wolf Spider accounted for almost all of the fish caught, and while I seldom keep a count, I can tell you there were many. It has proved itself as a good searching pattern, a master of deception – a kind of insurance policy against being skunked. I have even been stood to a few decent single malts from friends that have experienced the intrinsic worth of the Wolf Spider as a fooler of trout.

And, as a parting shot, a few random thoughts on fly tying ……….

 We all want to tie flawless flies with every feather or hair in place to please ourselves, but at the same time what the fish don’t appreciate is kind of theoretical. In coming up with my version of the Wolf Spider I cut materials to the bone and retained only what I thought were the recognisable features of the natural. I believe that flies should be tied to catch fish, they can be pretty, should be well tied, but extra steps, superfluous materials and unnecessary turns of thread should be avoided. They should be thoughtlessly expendable as shotgun shells to a waterfowl hunter. One thing is a given is that sooner or later even your best tied flies will be lost to the bushes, occasionally chewed to pieces or snapped off in a trout.

The Wolf Spider meets the brief – may not be perfect, but it works.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2016. All rights reserved

 

 

A FLY COLLECTION

I have been accumulating flies for many years, but I have never seen it as a “collection”. I stashed them in fly jacket pockets, corners of old fly boxes, in the brim of fishing hats and the drawers of my fly tying desk. When I come across them they usually get tossed into an old wooden box that once contained a fly tying kit.

Some old flies and bits-n-pieces collected over the years

Some flies I asked for as references for future use others because they were just plain pretty or displayed an unusual tying technique and many for no clear reason. Then there were whole fly boxes from long lost family members in Scotland and even some exciting historical stuff – including an original Mark Mackereth Maribou Spider and Theo van Niekerk’s TVN with cut strips of gold paper from a cigarette box for the ribbing. The flies came in all manner of containers like old tobacco tins, 35mm film canisters and spectacle cases – others through the post as gifts from flyfishers – doctors, accountants, farmers, actors, carpenters, a few trout bums and others I hardly know or never shared a beer or leaky tent with – even a few from well-know flyfishers from other parts of the world with letters from the tiers like Mike Valla and Oliver Edwards. A set of Frank Saywer’s flies tied by his grandson Nick Saywer – a PTN, Bow-Tie Buzzer, Grey Goose and Killer Bug. And, then the many flies nicked from friends fly boxes while their backs were turned – no names mentioned because I’d like to break the news to them first and offer my apologies … of course I have no intention of returning the flies and in any event I have it on sound advice that by the laws of prescription there is a presumption of the legal right of possession based on long-term exercise of property rights.

The flies arrived in all manner of containers

Even whole fly boxes

Original RAB’s tied by Tony Biggs

A selection of Oliver Edwards flies

Catskill flies – a quill Gordon and two varieties of the Hendricksons tied my Mike Valla

Recently I brought it closer to what could be described as a ‘collection’, by sorting, placing in suitable containers and scribbling down details of how I came by most of them and from whom. I don’t see the collection as having any financial worth and that doesn’t bother me, but the flies do have sentimental value. They’re fun to just scratch through, study as examples for my own tying or as a talking point when the guys come around and conversation drifts to flies and the art of fly tying.

 I guess I do have a collection ……

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2016. All rights reserved

A DRY FLY FISHERMAN NYMPHING

It’s Saturday 20 February 2016 –  I hover over the computer keyboard with the welcome sound of steady rain on the patio roof and the smell of damp earth wafting in on the cool air through the open window. It’s some relief from hot, humid days and the devastating 2015/16 drought. I smile to myself and take a sip of the good 12 year old – my thoughts drift to fishing one of my favourite streams for wild trout, dry flies and the occasional nymph.

I am a dry fly addict, but not cast in the mold of Frederic Halford who advocated the exclusion of all other forms of fly fishing. Dry fly fishing isn’t stuffy or pretentious and followed by a tweed and bamboo-secret-handshake-brotherhood. Practiced rather because of the visual heart thumping appeal and neurotransmitting adrenaline rush. And, for the artistry and creativity they offer in the tying. I am a dry fly junkie that fishes nymphs – just not half as much as dries.

There is no point in arguing the fact that the bulk of the trout’s food, small aquatic insects crawl, creep and swim at the bottom of the stream. It is the place where the trout are most comfortable, which explains why nymphing is the most effective way of pursing trout.

 

I have had a few fishing buddies, masters at nymphing (nympho’s) – and, they’re  good at it. Much of the credit for what I know about nymphing goes to them, MK from earlier days and a youngster PT who I hold in high regard, aka “Seun”. – being in their company, listening, watching and absorbing I have acquired a modicum (not their fault) of understanding of the techniques and with it some successes have come.

Standing thigh deep in the run, slightly crouched, expressionless and focused – like a heron hovering motionless over its prey, ready to strike. Graceful, with a flick of the rod he lobs the nymph upstream, his arm extended straight and parallel with the surface, he follows the drift and casts again, flip, drift, swing, occasionally he raises the rod tip and tightens the line. Every third or fourth drift the rod bucks, a fish – masters at the game.

 

The mechanics of nymphing maybe not too complicated or difficult, but determining a strike is another matter, considering in most cases it’s an unseen fish and unseen fly. The skill of intuition and being able to see things that aren’t immediately evident are key. As is fish sense or the ability to see what’s right there without having to sort through a whole pile of thoughts and theories. Simply put, enlightenment without complication. The strike is signaled by a hesitation, dip, jerk, bump or something like that of the indicator or as I prefer on small streams, the end of my floating line. It could even be signaled by movement, shadow or flash on the bottom. It was G. E. M. Skues who said, “that cunning brown wink underwater.” This is where it gets difficult because to separate these signals from all the inevitable refractions, winks, bumps, wiggles and dips caused by currents, surface turbulence and ticks as the fly nicks the bottom structure. I have to some extent managed to get the hang of it, there are no secrets, it just takes a while and learning to set the hook on an invisible strike, an instinctive quality, with hardly thinking. There is a moment of tightness in the dance of the leader in the current a signal that a trout has mouthed the fly.

 

I’m able approach the river with a nymph on the business end now feeling a little more comfortable and confident but, always in the knowledge that the streams and their trout will in their patient way, put me down when I get too cocky and PT will cock an eyebrow when I change back to a dry fly.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2016. All rights reserved

 

SPENT BUT NOT DONE

I may be sticking my proverbial neck out a little further than necessary and inviting some debate by saying that the Mayfly Spent Spinner, may just rate as one of the finest small stream dry flies …. It has certainly done it for me and has been a long time favorite. Not only does it perform well when the dead and dying naturals drift downstream as easy prey for the trout, but even as a searching pattern when the fish are being finicky as they so often are. The answer to that is simple; this is a small insect that the trout are used to seeing fairly frequently, it’s familiar, it has a recognizable profile with wings flat on the surface, long fine tails, slim abdomen and plump thorax – these are insects that it has eaten before, probably hundreds, maybe thousands and liked them.

I used to tie them with the traditional hour-glass wing, but changed a few years ago to the Ellis Triple Wing style and my experience has shown that the more natural looking wing shape has made a difference. I now also have a preference for organza thread as the material for the wings – it has a sheen that resembles the translucence in the insect and it holds its shape far better than other materials I have used in the past. I use a fine wire hook and tie from #14 down to #18 although #16 is my go to size generally.

Give them a try …. I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed …. I’d like to hear from you.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2015. All rights reserved

A SURFACE HANGING FLY

There it is again, the surface bulges, a tell tale bubble, a flash of colour, the white of a open mouth – dry fly time, or is it? Any surface activity usually has most of us scrambling for a dry fly with adrenalin pumping excitement: sometimes it works, but it doesn’t mean that we have made the right choice – what we should have done perhaps is tie on an emerger.

Emergers have become one of my favourite flies probably because there have been many times that they have rescued me from failing to match what the fish are actually feeding on. They are possibly the easiest food source for the trout, as they remain trapped often for some time in the surface film – emergers remain underutilised by flyfishers.

The tension of the surface film is a major obstacle to mayflies and other insects – making them vulnerable and an easy meal for the trout.

The Klinkhamer is one of the best known and very good emerger pattern. Originally designed by Hans Van Klinken and first fished by him on Norway’s Glomma River in 1984 – it has become the foundation for many varieties since then by fly tyers worldwide.

My version of the Klinkhamer

I used it some years ago as the inspiration for a small emerger pattern I called the Berg Emerger – intended to imitate a small mayfly nymph in the surface film struggling to release iteself from its exoskeleton (shuck). I attempted to include a number of triggers with what I believed were the three most important features – a trailing shuck (kitchen cling wrap), a translucent halo in the thorax representing the opening in the shuck where the dun slowly emergers (antron) and a deer hair wing over the eye of the hook. The profile and shape is also an important feature which can be achieved by using hooks like the TMC 212Ys or Hanak 390BL – a deep surface hanging fly.

The early Berg Emerger – dubbed body in my view is not the best for this fly because it doesn’t sink through the surface film as well as the quill bodied version – an important feature.

Being the quintessential tinkerer, I have modified the pattern and been through various versions to make it, in my mind, simple to tie and a better representation of the natural incorporating materials to achieve this – I suppose you could say it has been the slow emergance of the Berg Emerger.

The latest version has fine rubber strands to represent the trailing shuck (kitchen cling wrap is a good alternative), striped peacock quill for the abdomen, CdC thorax and deer hair wing. The CdC is the new magic – not only does it provide extra buoyancy, but translucency and movement giving the perception of a struggling insect as it tries to free itself from the shuck and burst through the surface film.

The latest Berg Emerger – does all I want it to.

Now, all that’s needed is a good flush of H2O and we can get back onto the streams.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2015. All rights reserved

 

 

PUFF THE MAGIC CDC.

Cul De Canard (CDC) or translated, “Ducks bottom” – the place where the feathers come from, surrounding the preen gland, the uropygial gland, not that we need to worry too much about that! The buoyancy of the feathers is due to the preen oil secreted by the gland and used by the duck for cleaning and waterproofing its feathers.

These feathers were first used in the 1920s in dry flies for fishing the clear streams of the Jura Mountains along the France-Switzerland border – the original CDC pattern was the ‘Moustique’. Reliable research suggests that it was either Charles Bickel or Maximilien Joset that should be credited as the first to use CDC in fly construction. But, it was only in the 1980s that there was real wide spread interest in CDC when Slovenian, Marjan Fratnik introduced his revolutionary F Fly. New techniques and wonderful fly patterns were developed by pioneers the likes of Gerhard Liable and Marc Petitjean. The rest is history – today CDC is used extensively in a wide range of flies, not just dry flies and for almost every component from trailing shucks, bodies to parachute hackles.

Scratching through my materials recently I came across a packet of old unused CDC Puffs – probably bought because I hadn’t seen them before and like many of us do, just add them to the rest of the mountain of fly tying materials we are inclined to horde. The Puffs are small immature feathers without developed quills that surrounding the preen gland – oilier, they are ideal for dry flies and emergers and especially small patterns.

I have always wanted a small Kinkhammer/Para RAB style fly – To justify their existence amongst my materials, the CDC Puff pulled the idea together and so the first experimental ‘Klink Para RAB’ for want of a better name, has come off the vice.

Anyone interested in learning more about the history of CDC in fly tying, the pioneers, the techniques and some interesting patters, should get hold of a copy of Leon Links book, ‘Tying Flies with CDC – The Fisherman’s Miracle Feather.’ I’m sure Craig Thom of Net Books – http://www.netbooks.co.za/ – would be able to help with sourcing a copy, if not in stock.

All you need is a #22 Varivas 2200BL B hook, tying thread for the abdomen (I use the hyper-fine Jan Siman for all my flies smaller than #18 – http://shop.siman.cz/), a CDC Puff, and squirrel tail hair for the hackle tied Para RAB style, a little concentration, 20/20 vision or magnifying glasses.

It is yet to be tested, but I have a good feeling for our mountain streams – fingers crossed.

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2015. All rights reserved

BOYHOOD MEMORIES

I am a real sucker for nostalgia and memories from my childhood days – I’m told that’s what happens, as you grow older – it’s called reminiscing. Today was one of those days while sorting through a box of memorabilia that I have kept just because I felt at the time I put it there, that it was important for some reason or other that isn’t always clear or easy to explain – just boyhood memories I guess.

In what is a veritable Pandora’s Box amongst all the bits-n-pieces, I came across a crinkled white packet with 2/6 (two shillings and sixpence) penciled on the flap, in it flies I had bought all of 55 years ago from Farrer’s Sports in King Williams Town. I can’t be sure of what the 2/6 represented, but if it was for the 6 flies you will get an idea of what flies cost then – from memory it soundS about right. Other than the Walkers Killer which I think sneaked its way into the packet, the flies in sizes 10s and 8s, four Yellow Tailed Invictas and two Connemara Blacks were in a perfect unused condition. I have no idea why they were never used, but for today’s little pleasurable discovery and trip down memory lane, I’m pleased they weren’t.

Whenever I’d saved up enough pocket money I’d ride the 5 miles from Zwelitsha Township (we lived in the middle of a black apartheid styled township at the time – a story of its own for another time) on the outskirts of King Williams Town to Farrer’s Sport shop to buy a few flies and stare and marvel with mouth watering wonder, at the few reels and other bits of fly fishing tackle in the glass-topped counter. At that time the flies and most of the tackle were imported from Hardys like the small Hardy Gem reel my parents presented to me when they realised I couldn’t stop thinking about rivers and brightly coloured trout swimming in cold, clean water – https://callofthestream.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/in-the-beginning/

All images and copy in this post are copyright Peter Brigg Photography © 2015. All rights reserved