Is it me or are our Blobs & FABs getting way smaller?
I think that we are these days, and there are number of reasons for that. The main one being ( in my eyes ) angling pressure, something our waters see a lot of now, in fact post Covid I’ve never seen them so busy. And when it comes to pressured trout, then they are far more likely to take a smaller, less obtrusive Blob or FAB ( I think that may be a contradiction in terms, Thoughts?) on our heavily pressured waters. I think that’s also why we’ve seen a rise in the use of more muted colours on these fly styles flies. Washed out colours, Biscuit, Olive & Candy, that don’t scare the trout seem to be finding more favour. These less in your face flies really come into their own especially fished through the summer months and on into Autumn.
In the case of FABS the smaller fly, uses less foam and so is less buoyant allowing the user to present their fly through more of the water column, a free-fall technique that works very well with the now ubiquitous washing line technique. The old ones were constructed with a lot of foam, and they sat up high, like Boobies, but with less foam they can allow your cast of flies to crawl down through the water.
Smaller FAB’s tied on 14’s are far more common place now, but some are still pretty bright!
Large Blobs and FABS are ‘pulling’ flies and they are designed to get the trout to chase, and so they need bulk. The smaller ones we utilise are fishing more slowly, and covering more water too. Combine smaller Blobs and FABS with Nymphs and you have the ideal searching method up near the surface of the water.
For me, I arm myself with these flies in various sizes and colours, as I tie each to do a particular job, so it’s best that you’re prepared for all eventualities!
A Draycote Rainbow, ‘fooled’ by a size 14 Biscuit FAB, but would it have taken a bigger and brighter fly?
Caveat..
The oldies but goldies are still employed at times of coloured water, cold water and of course when the fish have been recently stocked.
The bigger, bulkier versions of this style of pattern definitely reign supreme early on in the reservoir year.
Early season and BIG Blobs still take some beating!
If you’d like to tie a particularly effective Blob that works very well in ALL sizes try this one…https://youtu.be/lmxiAu8bqdI
1. Never believe everything that you are told
Car park talk is often very misleading! You’ve a lot of people wanting to do better than you, so take most of the ‘hero chat’ with a pinch of salt.
“Yeah, I had 25 today, I reckon and I’ll be done by lunch time come match day!” Silly buggers!
I see this a lot and most of these HEROS are still scratching their heads come the late afternoon!
2. Check an area or a method but don’t get blinkered into thinking either is crucial
Saying the above, it’s always worth checking good solid info, there are some good guys out there, an area or a method may need looking at.
It can or can’t work but until you check it out, you’ll never know, so a little time spent scouting can help.
3. Move about and cover some water
You really can’t afford to stay put in an area for too long on practice days.
Use your time wisely and move about. This is anther common mistake I see anglers make. Sitting on top of fish catching one after another is never going to last.
A couple of trout or indeed takes in an area is enough for me, I don’t need to fill the boat!
4. It’s often important to find out where there’s NO fish than it is finding loads of them
Don’t be too worried if you’re not finding any action, you’re not over fish. This is good, you know that these areas are not worth targeting come match day! It’s not time wasted when you know where ‘NOT’ to fish!
5. Watch for takes
This can be done with any line from floaters to fast sinkers. I don’t want to give too much away with the sinking lines but with floaters, watch the loop that you create between the rod tip and the water, if it moves it’s a fish, hit it.
Don’t wait for the take at your hand, you can miss it or worse, strike to hard and snap.
This fish was taken by watching the top dropper on the hang, it moved, I struck!
6. Don’t be hasty in lifting your flies clear of the water to recast
The Hang is often talked about, it’s basically stalling your flies during the lift on sinking lines, it’s lethal at times.
But hanging means hanging, each fly left for a time before lifting clear of the water, 3 to 10 seconds, not 1, lift, 2, lift, three lift and cast!
I also like to move the rod tip as I do the hang, the fly quivers and it’s often enough to illicit a response.
Mark your lines at 10ft intervals back from the tip, 3 is enough, you can hang at various depths now!
7. Spoon your catch
Most of us don’t bother, the boys that know what they’re doing do. They know that often it’s imperative to know what the fish are eating. Not only to copy it, but at least to use flies that suggest it, to get an idea of size and colour of the food items being targeted.
And also to see how they should be fishing, presenting their flies to mimic the food source the trout are after!
It takes a few seconds, spoon your catch, it gives you a better idea of what’s going on underwater!
8. Target better trout
I do this ‘A LOT’ and it can be feast or famine, but if you know how to target these special fish then you’ll have a HUGE marginal gain on your boat partner!
It may mean less takes and often fishing in quieter areas, something most anglers appear scared of, but it’s worth it.
On the first 2 day National on Rutland, 2016?? I’d bagged stockies superfast on day 1, but on day 2, I’d only managed 1 stockie by 1pm, worrying to say the least!
I had to get the okay from my boat partner. Martin Griffiths (he’d had a bad day the 1st day, his boat partner took him to some strange places) to head away to quiet water and go hunting big fish, and after giving him the fly, my little Popper Fry, Steve Cullen’s Popperfry he agreed.
I landed another 2 fish (and lost more) but these fish were both over 5lb. my three fish on day 2 were beating other bags of 6 stockies!
Bigger fish bulk the bag weight up pronto!
9. Check your hooks
We neglect this far too often, I have done it and it has cost me dearly. You get a take, miss it, then another, but you just keep fishing, DON’T! Check the hook!
It’s only to easy for a fish to turn the hook point over on a hard take. You need to be on top of things! I carry a hook sharpener a good one that cost decent money, it’s a great investment!
10. Keep your own council
If you nail it in practise, why tell the world? By all means talk about the day, a method or an area, be sociable, after all that’s what’s all about for some, but if you want to be better than others, don’t give the game away, loose lips etc!
Low flows and an altercation with gravity make for a tough day on the river!
Yesterday was my first proper trip up to my river, what with one thing and another a young family a little boy that is mad for sport, and all the palaver of that goes along with that I’ve had little or no time.
Being friends with the riverkeeper I know what’s going on week-in-week out whatever is pretty much on its knees but there was fish to be caught.
The plan, as per the Blog, was to nymph the fast water in the hope of winkling out a fish or two.
My setup at this time of year is simple, a long rod, to keep well away from the fish and two nymphs, spaced around 60cm apart on my cobbled-together leader. The flies contained very little mass, so relatively lightweight, nothing above 3mm tungsten, and on some slower moving parts, tungsten gives way to brass, a lesson taught to me by Czech Master, he wasn’t wrong!
My target, every time I go to my river, during trout season is to catch a trio of wild fish, rainbow, there are loads in here due to the proximity of the Wye, a brownie, and a grayling! I also make a point of walking the river, to see if fish are rising, they always are on this river and catch on the dry.
After a 2-hour drive, I arrive, with clear skies, bright sun, and a temperature hovering around 24C and that’s at 11am!
After getting set up, I head straight to my favourite nymphing pool, and I am stunned at how low it is.
Knee-deep water at the tail is replaced by ankle-deep flows, still, it’s a start and one of only a small handful of fast-moving water. The tail, so often the most productive area, gave me nothing. It was not until I was fishing in deeper, faster water that I had my first take. A stunning little rainbow that gave a huge account of itself with the fast flow helping his attempts to get free. Soon enough though he was in the net. The pool, all of which only 20 of the usual 70 yards, fished, gave me more than I thought. A total of nine fish a mixture of trout and grayling, and all fighting fit with thankfully no sign of argulus. Something I see all too much of these days on slow-moving summer rivers!
My next haunt was a 15-minute trek downstream, however, on my way, I saw some water that looked right, bedrock pretty much all the way across the river, apart from a 6ft gutter on the far side, water that’s not normally fishable!
I headed over, fishing the whole section, and again quite surprised at just how many fish were holding in this ever so small, but fast section of the river. All brown trout in here with one decent one nudging ¾ of a pound!
As I left and headed up the banking, (which no one is usually foolish enough to slide down, never mind crawl back up) scrabbling on my hands and knees… disaster. I lost my footing, and as I turned, facing from the bank to face away from it to see where I was going, my ever so beautiful nymphing rod ended up below me, on the edge of the river. As I hit the bottom my momentum pushed me forward, as I knelt to try and take the impact, I heard the carbon snap as part of my leg hit it. I could have cried, 2 hours to get here, 2 pools fished, and now what?
I am not in the habit of carrying two nymphing rods while pleasure fishing, so I headed back to the car for the dry fly rod, needs must, and all that!
Well, did I cover some water looking for a riser, I did miles, I deserved a medal never mind a rising fish!
Too hot, no wind, little flow. It was a struggle, to say the least. I had mates on the water too, they saw nothing, I was up against it, that is for sure.
But, a lot of perseverance paid off, I only saw three I knew I could reach, each one on the opposite bank tucked in under the shadows of overhanging branches. weirdly, my usual feel safe for these fish a small CDC and Elk Caddis, was met with indifference!
However, a switch to a high summer favourite, a lumpy little foam beetle, proved to be a good bet. Two of the fish, one grayling and one hefty, little brown could not forego the chance of a decent mouthful.
All in all (apart from breaking my favourite rod) a good few hours on the water!
For more hints and tips for summer water, check out this Blog..Summer Nymphing
STEVE CULLEN FLY FISHING 