Buzzer fishing

Salmonman

Heading out fishing next week and was thinking of trying buzzer fishing this year.Never done it before so some advice would be great.Are there trout feeding on buzzers in every lake or is it just the likes of corrib,mask etc that you can fish them successfully.Also what conditions are best.Always fish wet flies and sometimes dry,northwest of the country

viper123

just fish team of three as you would with wets and you'll be grand.

stylie

Buzzers have to be fished slow. You can fish them on a floating line under a bung or if you are drifting use an intermediate or slow sink. Keep in contact with them as the trout suck them in while cruising so the takes can be arm pulling. Remember a buzzer ascends from the lake bed slow enough compare to other nymphs so its that you have to imitate. Trout feed on buzzers through out the year on rivers and lakes. Its just that at that start of April the DuckFly the biggest of the Chrimonids (buzzers) is hatching and it usually mean the fist top of the water fly fishing we see in a year.
Where are you fishing ?

Salmonman

Donegal,some mountain lakes

fisherking

Ha ha..!
If only...

viper123 wrote: »

just fish team of three as you would with wets and you'll be grand.

Flysfisher

viper123 wrote: »

just fish team of three as you would with wets and you'll be grand.

Afraid not, as said above they must be fished slow. Don't let them sink too deep.

Salmonman

What type of buzzer fishes well this time of year and what colours.Can you fish them in windy conditions or is it best in calm conditions

Ipso

Salmonman wrote: »

Donegal,some mountain lakes

On Donegal loughs I used to do well with a buzzer on point and with a kate mclaren and green peter on the droppers, but fished slow.
Suspended buzzers are slso good.

Salmonman

Do you use fluorocarbon

stylie

Fluro will help you sink quicker and is more difficult to see. For a mountain lake find a boggy spot with deep water in front of it, you should see flies around the bushes and coming of the water. Cast out and either retrieve very slowly or fish them under a bung. Fish a buzzer on the tail and middle with a black hackled fly on the top dropper, something with a hint of red and white works. Or wait for a warm evening and the females will be going back onto the water and you can fish drys.

Ipso

Salmonman wrote: »

Do you use fluorocarbon

5 or 6 pound maxima. In the peaty acidic loughs in Donegal where you don't have prolific hatches fish tend to not be picky. Having said that there are still days they'll not go for anything.

Flysfisher

Salmonman wrote: »

Do you use fluorocarbon

Fluorocarbon tends to sink too quickly when fishing buzzers in calm water. Personally I prefer a good copolymer.
Point fly can be a black epoxy buzzer with fine flat silver rib.
Middle dropper should be a buzzer that sinks at a slower rate than the point fly does i.e. a dubbed body buzzer or herl bodied buzzer. Top dropper should sink even slower than middle dropper and should be a hackled buzzer or a small dark sooty olive.
As for colours black, grey, dark olive or sooty olive work fine.

viper123

fisherking wrote: »

Ha ha..!
If only...

? So I'm just imagining all those fish I've caught on the western lakes over the past 20 years? Yes they have to be fished slow but thats not mutually exclusive to drifting and fishing wet fly tactics. Under bite indicators etc has a place in the world but it's not the only way to fish buzzers - epoxy's maybe.

Ipso

Has anyone tried a long leader with a buzzer on the dropper and dry fly on the point?
My thinking is after casting the buzzer sinks and when you retrieve it should rise as the dry fly has the tip of the leader in the surface film.

mikeweed

Ipso, have you tired fishing it New Zealand style, dry fly on the point, with a buzzer or nymph tied to the bend of hook of dry fly. You need a good buoyant fly to keep it on the surface, and the dropper off it should be as long as you are comfortable in casting (to avoid tangles).

Ipso

No I haven't. Although a size 12 dry fy should be able to hold up a lightly dressed 14 buzzer.

mikeweed

Ipso, have a look at this link:

http://www.fishing-gb.com/fishing-articles/5/the-klink-and-dink-a-deadly-river-technique

this will give you a good idea of how it works and what flies. I have tried it a few times and the takes can be savage, you will be keeping an eye of you dry fly (works as an indicator for your nymph) and all of a sudden its gone....mighty crack.