Hooked On Fly Fishing

This book belongs on every fly fisher`s book shelf. This book is not, a “come with me while I do it” book. This book is, a “How To” book, crammed with knowledge, tactics and smarts to enhance every fly fishers sport. In entertaining detail every aspect connected with the pursuit of; Trout, Yellowish, Black Bass and Catfish on a Fly Rod are rolled out. The greater emphasis is on Trout, but all the others do receive more than adequate cover. Those who are already immersed in the sport, I would encourage you to read this tome. However, newcomers to the gentle art of fly fishing need look no further. Within these pages, readers will find every aspect, covered in fulsome, readable and user friendly detail. Here`s a brief snippet:- A History of fly fishing. - Detailed specie information how they live and what they live on. - Entomology for the fly fisher. - Tactics for stalking and finding the fish.- Artificial Flies. - Fly Tying. - Casting a Fly line; Dispels the mysteries and myths around fly line casting. -Tackle; Rods, Reels Line and terminal bits. - Fly fishing Knots. - Catch and Release (CAR) a pro`s and con`s discourse. - Conservation of our riverine habitat and their eco systems. FLY ANGLING - A BRIEF HISTORY - It may surprise the reader to learn that mankind has a history of angling, not just fishing, going back thousands of years. Claudius Aelianus, in the 3rd century AD. He wrote of Macedonian fishermen "who tied red wool and cocks wing feathers to their hooks to catch fish of speckled skins". In the year 1496, Dame Juliana Berners, Abbess of Sopwell priory, near St Albans in Hertfordshire, England, penned her detailed work "TREATISE OF FYSHINGE WYTH AN ANGLE" (Such was the quant English language of the 15th Century.) FLY FISHING TACKLE - It is in this chapter that we deal with the "tools of the trade" so to speak. Rods, Reels, Lines, all the fascinating stuff we see in the tackle shop! Each is explained here in a functional sense. FLY FISHING KNOTS - Although not strictly an item of tackle, knots in themselves are very much part of our terminal tackle. Indeed they are every bit as vital to the tackle rig as the line, leader and tippet, for they join it all together. CASTING A FLY LINE - Charles Ritz, the famous hotelier and fly fishing exponent also observed. “Whatever you do, don’t go fishing until you have learned to cast.” The old adage, practise makes perfect-still holds true. As a guideline to understanding the basics of fly line casting, I have endeavoured to explain the various basic tenets. TACTICS FOR TROUT - Upon arrival at the angling beat, spend at least some time observing conditions. In order to hunt successfully it is necessary for the trout hunter to know the habits and habitat of his quarry. THINK LIKE A TROUT:- Trout require certain conditions in which to thrive. Quality of water, the right Ph. balance, clarity, oxygen feed, temperature range, enough food and so on. With your accumulated intelligence and knowledge of the trout, think; – “If I were a fat rainbow trout, where would I be in this pool, river, lake, under these specific conditions? BASS ON THE FLY ROD:- Bass Fly Fishing Lures are a far cry from the relatively delicate nymph utilised on trout. The Bass has an enormous mouth and an appetite for large food items, so lures are made to be as large, or as ‘large seeming’, as possible. YELLOWFISH ON THE FLY ROD:- We are indeed fortunate to have such a sporting fish in so many of our rivers with which to round out the fly angling scene. Indeed many fly rodding exponents actually prefer the yellowfish as angling quarry to all other freshwater fish, including trout. CATFISH ON THE FLY ROD:- Of course the angler setting about its capture on fly rod will have certain adaption’s to make from the delicate systems used in trout angling. For instance, the fight with a catfish of say 4kg on fly rod could last up to 30 minutes, and include ten or so powerful runs. ARTIFICIAL FLY’S:- I shall not be breaking new ground in saying that to take a fish on a fly or nymph of one`s own tying is the very epitome of the sport. Some are in the mould of what is termed, the exact imitative style. Yet others are of less exact tying, but are still representative of the creatures upon which fish will feed, and therefore trigger a response in the their feeding instinct. A SMALL DIRECTORY OF RELIABLE ARTIFICIAL PATTERNS:- All those listed here are reliable catchers under the right circumstances. CATCH AND RELEASE (CAR):- There are pros and cons to this practise. I talk here mainly about naturally breeding fish in our rivers. But also, about any place one may release a caught fish, be it a pristine Cape stream or a put and take dam in Mpumalanga. CONSERVATION:- Too often the average man sees an entire river as being the healthy pristine little half mile he's on at the minute. This is simply not the real situation. Suffice it to say, that the management and conservation of our water resources, whether they be natural river, bore hole, farm dam, or syndicated half mile, is an increasingly problematic, engaging and incrementally expensive one.