Flies for mullabawn

xxVickyxx

I was fishing today in a lake in mullabawn (spelling may be off) its out by forkhill- manmade- fishing for rainbows.

Everybody around me was catching, but I caught nothing. At literally the very last minute before I left somebody there told me I was using the wrong fly and line- I had a montana with a floating line. He said I should use a bloodworm (is this right?).

Anyway Im going back tomorrow, its last my chance for awhile (I dont have my own transport). So I need some advice. I know its short notice. But I kinda need to know what flies I should buy/tie before I go out tomorrrow (and maybe what line). I dont want another day off watching everybody else catch.

thanks for any advice xxx

bribren2001

xxVickyxx wrote: »

I was fishing today in a lake in mullabawn (spelling may be off) its out by forkhill- manmade- fishing for rainbows.

Everybody around me was catching, but I caught nothing. At literally the very last minute before I left somebody there told me I was using the wrong fly and line- I had a montana with a floating line. He said I should use a bloodworm (is this right?).

Anyway Im going back tomorrow, its last my chance for awhile (I dont have my own transport). So I need some advice. I know its short notice. But I kinda need to know what flies I should buy/tie before I go out tomorrrow (and maybe what line). I dont want another day off watching everybody else catch.

thanks for any advice xxx

First of all the montana is a classic rainbow fly and i have had great success on it over the years so to fish a montana was the right move but i usually fish it on a intermediate or sinking line. Are you just fishing the one fly, try maybe 2 or 3 depending on your experience...

Yeah bloodworm exist but id usually only fish them when i see them(there basically red worms that you will see on the surface...... If you do see a few tomor then yeah put one up on a floating line with dry flies or fish it with a intermediate line and a figure of eight retrieve depending on the wind...

Rainbows are aggressive feeders and will take the most extreme of flies....

How were the others fishing that were catching, were the fishing wets or dries...give you an indication aswell!!

Tight lines....

coolwings

I'm willing to bet the ones that were catching fastest were using a buzzer pupa (google!) or epoxy nymph (same) fished motionless and sunk vertically under a floating indicator or indicator putty or a bulky floating hackle dry fly like eg a grey duster. The fish take the sunk nymph the float goes under, they strike and hook most of them. An occasional fish will take the indicator fly off the top.

The level fished is critical, alter depth until you get takes, if takes slow down search the levels again, the fish will be intercepting rising buzzer pupae on their way up to the surface to hatch, and taking most at the level they are thickest at, but not going up and down to find them.
patterns to alternate, buzzer pupa, epoxy nymph, black & peacock spider, black pennell, claret spider, silver body black hackle spider (known as silver pennell, or black and silver) in sizes 14 - 16 near the surface, and 12-14 near the bottom.

Having said that, it's the easiest way to catch rainbows, but not the most productive, or the most enjoyable. But the results are why it's most popular.

Your Montana would be best fished along the bottom, on a sunk line with 4-6' leader, or off the floating line with a very long leader with a weighted fly somewhere on it to get things into the lower 1/3rd of the water.

The most productive method would be an intermediate (slow) sinking line fished at such a speed so it sinks to the level the people are "float fishing at" and using a team of three buzzer nymphs all of them, presented ultra slow retrieve, in the horizontal, and all at the precise depth that matters. You can get that with the floating line, a 12-14' leader degreased, and grease the line tip so it doesn't get dragged under. Retrieve at 1" 4 seconds, slower if you can, smooth no jerks, and let the fish reactions to it fine tune the approach.

If there is a ripple, or a wave, fish in that, and not in the calm flat water, don't cast further than you can cast with neat landings.

Some fish will be hunting sticklebacks against the marginal shelves, a polystickle, Alexandra or anything red, silver and green in 3/4 - 1" will also catch, fewer, but expect bigger size fish than the buzzer hunting fish.
Some fish will be specialising on corixidae (water boatmen). A 12 corixa, intermediate sunk line, or leaded corixa with long leader off a floating line, pause to let it sink and 1" jerks x 3, pause, and repeat will catch those fish.

xxVickyxx

Thanks for the advice guys. I meant to write back sooner to let you know how I fared out.

Unfortunately I went out the second day armed with all the adivce I got here but still nothing- Montana on sinking line.. the epoxy nymphs / buzzer pupa with a grey duster as an indicator and lastly 3 nymphs on one cast and still nothing. THough I didnt mind. Nobody else caught anything except one guy who pulled them in one after the other. Even the people who were catching the day before didnt catch anything. So at least I wasnt alone lol....

Anyway I have fallen in love with this sport. SO much so Im going back tomorrow/today... with a mate from college, she has done lots of fishing in America where shes from- lets see how well she does here lol

xxVickyxx

Further updates:

Me and my mate went out again today. We're just back. Once again we didnt catch anything. But since the other 4 people fishing didn't catch anything I was happy enough, but I still really want to catch a fish. I got talking to the owner and he said that it was a bit too hot today

BTW: I was using slow sinking intermediate line, weight forward. And I had 3 epoxy nymphs and one grey duster floating on top. And my mate, she used a black fritz...

coolwings

xxVickyxx wrote: »

.... he said that it was a bit too hot today

BTW: I was using slow sinking intermediate line, weight forward. And I had 3 epoxy nymphs and one grey duster floating on top. And my mate, she used a black fritz...

Those are good tactics, and willl begin to work for you. Try to get fishing after 7pm and before 10am if you can, the cooler parts of the day - it will be worth it.

Best of luck.

Compton

I fish a team of 3 buzzers and a bloodworm/egg on the point under a bung and it works great.

Also lures pulled slowly (fig of 8) on a sinking line on hot days is good too.

If they're rising the CDC and Suspended buzzers can be good.