[a]

Ok, so the weather tells me its time to go fishing again. Took my south fla cousin out to catch a fish for dinner as he requested. Loaded up on some live bait for him to cast, got to my spot. My second cast with the fly rod produced a nice trout. We were both watching when it hit, rolled and thrashed on top then took off. Some times its too easy other times i feel like im flailing the water with feathers and hair. This fish took an EP green and white mullet imitation. Oh ya, the fish never felt ice, he(she) was kept alive in the release well until filleted, he loved it, freshest fish he ever had.

 

[Ultralite]

that's a nice trout... i bet cuz enjoyed that...thanks for the report and pics...

 

[Brad King]

I am just starting to fly fish for trouts and red's. What should I pay most attention to? My problem I think is casting distance, and lure retrieval. I wanna work the rod tip to much kinda like a spinning reel.

Really nice fish:bowdown

 

[Bait Bucket]

Nice Job!:bowdown

 

[a]

With a lack of sight fishing that we suffer around here, blind casting is the norm. Distance casting!, means putting your fly in front of more fish. Once you get your fly out there, if its big enough to be seen bythe fish you'll catch them. Learning to cast longer distances certainly isn't a handicap when sight fishing either.

Oh ya your supposed to impart the action to the fly by retrieving it, shaking the rod tip would create slack, allowing a strike to go undetected. Point your rod tip at or into the water on the retrieve, you need a straight line to the fish to set the hook.Tight Lines!

 

[Brad King]

thank you for the advice

 

[true-king]

L.D.D (10/3/2007) With a lack of sight fishing that we suffer around here, blind casting is the norm. Distance casting!

very true, that's the problem i've had blind fishing for trout/reds on fly. longer casts enable you to cover moreground and have a better chance of your fly passing a fish.

 

[timeflies]

I've always been a believer in hitting your target rather than casting farther. Just like blind casting with a spinning reel....You may not be able to sight cast fish but you can see color changes, potholes, rockpiles, whatever. Always throw to a target that you believe will hold fish. Also, remember that you are throwing a fly that doesnt attract as much attention as say a mirrorlure or skitterwalk. You aren't pushing as much water, aren't putting out as much rattle, vibration, flash, etc.....Therefore, your fly needs to be closer to the fish than a conventional trout lure, because it doesn't attract as much attention. Distance is good, but dont overlook accuracy and a quiet entry.

Good luck.

 

[FlyLipps]

That is a very nice fish LDD! And I agree with your advice to Gloryboy, this isn't a great area to sight cast and distance does matter, especially for specks. I understand the concept of hitting a target, and agree about the importance of accuracy. However it really does come down to numbers and the further you can accurately cast the longer you can keep your fly in the water. Furthermore, I fish with a lot of flies that make noise, give off vibrations, create flash, and rattle just like other artificials.

 

[a]

hey Flylipps, finally found 1 of those lipped flys, incredible action! But how do you keep them from twisting the line? small swivel?

 

[FlyLipps]

LDD

As you might have imagined I have tied hundreds of lipped flies and have had a difficult time narrowing down what actually causes a particular pattern to spin. I believe some patterns incorporating a FlyLipp spin no matter what I do, so obviously the Lipp is a factor. I have tied other patterns that "occasionally" spin, some I am able to correct, others not. And then I have tied patterns that never spin. Unlike large lure manufacturing companies, I don't have access to the testing facilities or to stringent control of manufacturing tolerences. Hand tied flies are just that, and even subtle variations make a difference, therefore isolating the exact cause of spin is difficult, to say the least. But I am narrowing it down so it is not the problem that it used to be. Balance seems to be the biggest culprit. I have read where "some flies spin when they are out of balance", I have found just the opposite to be true. I think flies are more apt to spin if the are perfectly balanced, much like a pinwheel. By offsetting the weight or the resistance of mass, a fly is less likely to spin.



However, to answer your question, yes I do use a #8 swivel. Originally it was to compensate for spinning. However, I continued to use them even though they are no longer necessary. They actually makes a lot of sense. They make changing out tippets much easier, like going from mono to wire, or heavy to light, or simply putting on a new tippet. It only means tying a single knot. Secondly they make a leader last a LOT longer, you don't "eat" into your leader section every time you change tippets. I make my own furled leaders and incorporate the swivel right into leader construction. I could fish an entire season and never have to change leaders, only tippets. And thirdly, I actually vary the size of swivel to increase or decrease the sink rate of my leader section. I usually fish a floating line in six feet of water or less. However, I construct most of my leaders from flourocarbon to increase their sink rate. This allows me to fish a floating line with a sink tip. But some flies I have designed actually float. A larger swivel will act as an anchor and the fly will suspend above it, but only the length of the tippet material. The first stripping motion causes the FlyLipp to dig in and the fly darts to the bottom. And a long strip will even kick up a nice mud plume.



Sorry to get so carried away, I just love this stuff!

Greg

 

[a]

Flylipps,

The fly i found was most likely commercially produced. It isred & white, with a spun head, kinda flat on the sides. When i retrieve itup close i can see that its not spinning. I do tend to move a round a lot with the trolling motor,im thinking the extra speed makes it spin???

 

[FlyLipps]

LDD

Is the lip rigid or somewhat soft? I'm curious as I have not seen any that are commercially produced. With the patterns that I have worked with, you can move the fly pretty fast, and if they have been "tuned" properly they will swim true. Actually I have been out testing a new lipped spoon fly this morning that runs so true that I have to intentionally twist the Lipp slightly to make it flash. Isn't that just like fishing, I spend the past three years getting the things to run straight and then go and design a pattern where I want them to roll up!!

 

[a]

Cant seem to find it! It had a loop made of copper twisted wire on the front, encased in epoxy. From the loop back was spun deerhair clipped very short on the side . It wiggled back & forth nicely on the retrieve.