New to Fly Fishiing

tallus

ok I know this is a bit off thread guys, but I recently took up fly fly fishing after something of a layoff. My problem is I dont know what type fo fly to use? any helpful links would be appreciated. I have been trying my luck around the blessington lake/poulaphouca areas. nothing so far tho

Illkillya

Don't see how its off topic... seems to be very pertinent to me. I know very little about fly fishing but afaik they tend to use flashier/more colourful flies on the stillish lakes, while you use more plain/drab flies in the rivers. Also - white flies in the evening, darker flies on a sunny day. Could be completely wrong there though, I would ask a local tackle shop guy myself but then I'm sure you can find the advice online... although there don't seem to be any good Irish fly fishing websites around.

tallus

Cheers Illkillya, and I agree about the online help comment. I searched high and low and found nothing. Thanks for the advice, will try it out next time I go fishing, maybe this evening...

liamo

tallus wrote:

ok I know this is a bit off thread guys, but I recently took up fly fly fishing after something of a layoff. My problem is I dont know what type fo fly to use? any helpful links would be appreciated. I have been trying my luck around the blessington lake/poulaphouca areas. nothing so far tho

I'm fairly new to fly fishing myself but if I can help ....

I've fished in a couple of the fisheries Anamoe, Aughrim. I believe that Rathbeggan is worth checking out. The trout aren't so tame that they'll actually place themselves on your hook and give the line a helpful tug, but at least you know that there are fish there. I've also received some very helpful tips from a couple of fishermen that frequent these places. Additionally, you can also sometimes get casting tuition from an instructor there (for which you'll pay, naturally).

As to the question of flies, I bought a nice selection of flies and have ended up using only a couple of them regularly. The only one that I've had any success with is a small black midget.

From my research on the web, when trying to match your fly to the local insects, size is more important than shape or colur, and, if in doubt, go smaller rather than bigger.

And, yes, I also found it very difficult to get any information on-line.

Regards

Liam

adonis

with fly fishing its very important to check out the wind and its direction..
northerly winds are useless for fishing, cos the wind is cold and the flies wont hatch if the winds are cold..also the surface water is cold, and trout arent into that, they'll stay low.. so look on your weather forecast for southerly, south westerlies, and westerlies..sometimes in the summer an east wind can be warm too..fishing in northerlies is nearly a waste of time.
also, check what flies hatch where..in rathbeggan its those little black midges just below the surface, but that may not work on a place like blessington as the fly hatch (hatching of flies) maybe of a different breed..the best thing to do is to catch a fly and try to identify it..or alternatively get one of those spoon things that u can put down the trouts mouth and find out what he/she is eating.. also, try to fish near trees or long grasses and dont forget keep that rod at 12 o clock and your elbow close to your ribs!
hope its of some assitance

tallus

Thanks a lot for the help guys it's mucho appreciated ;-)
T