Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Nico Foyle’

20lb Rainbow Trout!

September 24th, 2016 No comments

It’s fair to say that I’ve never really cracked the canals! I’ve had a reasonable number of attempts over the years but the really big fish always seem to get the better of me. I’ve hooked them once or twice but just briefly. This time was different, this time I hooked 3! Two of which were sighted which made me question my spending 2 full days scouring the depths with a di7 and a Dore’s Mr Glister. The 3rd I hooked was right on the bank, close to the surface as I was lifting to recast. Again, not backing up my di7 tactic. I lost them all anyway; one was in the 15-20lb class. Jeff decided on pretty much just sight-fishing for them and luckily for us there were a few to be seen when we fished it in July. He persisted until he got one! A monster cruised through a few 10 to 15lb fish and bullied them out of his path before inhaling Jeff’s fly with his permanently open jaws! The battle was on.. Jeff tamed him pretty quickly and I put him in my weigh-net which luckily goes up to 30lbs. 20lbs on the button!

Most people know the canals for being a place where salmon are farmed and wild trout get huge feeding on pellets. A recent survey shows evidence to support that trout feed on a huge natural stock of food such as snails and cockabullies, kilometres away from the cages. This makes it a much more interesting fishery indeed. I have often walked the edges for kilometres while casting a fast sinking line without success. Much of the canals are 6m deep so I might not have been deep enough. I guess I need to keep experimenting! I might make it back up there pretty soon, Nico is dying to fish it so that’s a good enough reason for me!

Loads of stuff coming up in my next blogs, I’ll be talking about 11 days fishing in Ireland for 7 species, Stu’s Superior Flies (I just received a box of his flies they’ve landed plenty fish already), Guiding and whatever else comes to mind! This blog is a little rushed because I have a tonne of stuff to sort out before the season opens on Saturday.

Tight Lines all

Ronan..

For guiding bookings and information you can contact me at ronan@sexyloops.com You can also check out my facebook page which is updated regularly with what’s happening right now!  www.facebook.com/ronansflyfishingmissions/

Categories: Expedition Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

You Should Winter Fish!

July 11th, 2016 No comments

I was chatting with a friend recently about the spawning season in NZ. After giving it a little thought we realised that taking both browns and rainbows into account the spawning season is at least 6 months long. I have certainly witnessed brown trout making redds in April and I have seen rainbows still in spawning mode when their season opens in November. This is good for us winter anglers! All fish don’t spawn at the same time so throughout the winter months we can target fish which are not in spawning mode. I have heard the question posed about the ethics of winter fishing. The answer is, as long as you’re an ethical angler it’s no problem. Personally, I avoid fish which are showing the signs of imminent spawning. To clarify; fish tightly paired up, fish on redds or fish making redds.

Winter is an exciting time to indulge in your sport. Fish congregate around river mouths providing some great opportunities for the winter angler. Sinking lines and streamers are usually the best bet here. Some rivers are open year round, on these rivers you can intercept fish on their spawning run. It’s possible to have summer quality sight fishing with nymphs in the dead of winter. Most lakes are open year round and because all fish don’t spawn together there are always fish to be caught. Benmore is a prime example of this, Dunstan too; both blind and sight fishing. Winter will test you and push you as a fisherman. To be very successful, you need to be able to cast a lot of weight from time to time. Fish are often sitting in deep runs and the only way to get down to them is with weighted flies, sometimes as much weight as you can manage! I have recently added Loon soft weight to my fly-vest on Chris Dore’s advise. This stuff is great! Even if you don’t have bombs in your fly box you can add some soft weight to virtually any fly and make it go down. It has often been the difference between catching and not catching for me this winter. Casting fast sinking fly-lines is another skill that winter fishing will teach you. Sometimes the only way to effectively fish a large river like the Clutha or a deep river mouth is with a di5 or even a di7. A stripping basket is important. I like to use 7 or 8 weight fly-rods for a lot of my winter fishing which keeps my finger on the pulse for when I need to fish with heavier gear abroad. Generally speaking, there is little need for sinking likes during the warmer 6 months of the year so winter provides a great training ground. Winter fishing in NZ, as long as you push yourself a bit, will make you a well rounded, better angler.

It’s been a great few weeks fishing with friends! I’ve had plenty days on the water; river and lake from boat and bank. The photo’s and their captions tell the stories. I hope you enjoy them..

I have plenty days available for guiding this July, please feel free to enquire about winter rates or if you have any questions about bookings for next season.

Tight Lines!

Ronan..    ronan@sexyloops.com

 

Categories: Expedition Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,