Beginners guide to fly fishing, Part 1 - the fly rod

The fly rod

Technological advances have made the fly rod a wonderful engineering achievement in itself. They are supremely light, normally made of a carbon/graphite composition which makes casting them a pleasure. Depending on what your target fish species is and the location, there are different fly rods for different occasions. Fly rods are differentiated by their AFTM rating (Association of Fishing Tackle Manufacturers of America) between 0 and 15, which not only suggest the ideal line weight (we'll get onto that) but also the target fish (weight). Here's a rough break-down of AFTM ratings and their applications:

• AFTM 0-2 - chalk stream fishing, very delicate presentation, approx. 1-2lb max. fish weight
• AFTM 3-4 - small streams, also delicate presentation, similar target weight to AFTM 0-2
• AFTM 5-7 - ideal for rivers and size still-waters, max. fish weight 15lb
• AFTM 8-9 - ideal for still-waters and reservoirs, coastal fishing for sea trout
• AFTM 9-11 - stronger action is ideal for pike and salmon fishing
• AFTM 12+ - suited to salmon and tarpon fishing

Modern fly rods normally specify the AFTM just above the handle as either a single digit or 2 digits i.e. #5 or #5/6. On some older rods three AFTM ratings would be suggested i.e. #6-8, though these are rare nowadays.

A good choice for starting out is a #5-6 or #6-7 weight rod giving the option of both rivers and still-waters.

Beginners guide to fly fishing, the equipment

Fly fishing implements 4 essential components - the rod, the reel, the line and the fly. That's it! Easy right?! Well the most important is in understanding how these components work with one another.

I'll be compiling a multi-part guide that will walk you through each of these components, until you're confident to start fly fishing...

Part 1

Nice weather for flytying

Screenshot of the FRV.dk website, showing the island of Amager (Southern Copenhagen) to the left, and the Øresund (Copenhagen to Sweden) bridge in the lower middle of the map.

Not ideal conditions for even the stoutest of shooting heads... Phew!

Thanks to FRV.dk.

... means more time at the vice... :)

Cod and flies please

As we're experiencing a somewhat blustery period here in Copenhagen I felt some reminiscing of the more productive times were in order. October 2010 was a particular good time for some fly fishing for cod (torsk) off Amagerstrand. While cod are not a particularly sought-after quarry for fly fishers, late evenings in the summer/autumn months on the coast of the Øresund sees the arrival of large shoals of cod hunting their evening foodstuff, making for some exciting sport!

This evening's brace fell to a tanned shrimp imitation, although they were evidently feeding on other prey.

Great fighters on a 5wt!

So you want to start fly fishing!

I spent my younger years course fishing and the occasional sea fishing trip when the weather was amicable. Back then, for me, fly fishing represented a more articulate 'version' of the hobby (or sport if you're of the competitive nature). That's not to say course fishing, sea fishing and the myriad of variations between are not advanced or articulated, but fly fishing held a certain Je ne sais quoi - some culmination of waving 30 yards of line around, the delicate presentation and the astounding fly patterns to ponder at the waterside - that made it something special.

And so for the benefit of a friend who responded with a quirky smile when I explained I frequently go of fly fishing on the coast, I felt compelled to write a quite simple introduction the art of fly fishing.

For the web-savvy, here's a shortcut to the rather clinically, but usefully written wikipedia fly fishing entry.

Grizzly chartreuse-yellow clouser (minnow imitation)

I've been having some good responses to hackled fry imitations recently, something about the air-trapping qualities of the packed barbs maybe? Well I thought I should diversify my current tropical patterns and tie a hackle-sporting clouser variant.

Grizzly chartreuse-yellow clouser (minnow imitation)

Here's the finished pattern, tied on a F314 size 4:

Step 1
Start off with a loose sparse wrap from 4mm behind the eye down to a point opposite the barb. I'm using 6/0 uni thread as I like the accuracy but it's good to use a higher grade also.

Step 2
Secure approximately 2 & 1/2" of chartreuse-yellow mixed with a few strands of Angel Hair. Substitute the angel hair with any similarly sparkly material. Ideally about 1/2" should protrude beyond the crook of the hook. Secure the chartreuse evenly around the hook-shank, forming the body, up to a point 5 or 6mm from the eye.

Step 3
While at the head, tie in and secure firmly a pair of dumbbell eyes, I'm using 2.5mm here, 3mm would also suffice. Return to the rear and tie in 4 inches of Pearl Mylar, 5 inches of 1.5mm copper wire and the grizzly hackle. Return with securing turns to the head.

Step 4
Neatly turn the mylar towards the head and secure with 2 turns of the uni-thread. Now wrap the copper wire towards the head leaving 1 to 1.5mm gaps. Approximately 4mm from the dumbbell eyes, tighten the copper turns into touching coils, this will increase the weight around the head area. Secure and trim, it's a good idea to add a few extra turns, covering any sharp edges at the end of the copper wire.

Step 5
Secure the hackle using pliers and make neat turns between the copper wraps in the same direction. When reaching the touching copper wraps, make ample turns and secure and trim to end. Now angle the protruding chartreuse-yellow back towards the crook and secure with 4 to 5 turns.

Step 6
Pinch-in 3.5 inches of off-white polar hair and secure with 3 turns. To aid in creating the head cone, trim the polar hair about 3mm in front of the dumbbell eyes. Add sparse, tight turns across the entire head area to secure all materials. Whip finish and trim the uni.

Step 7
The final step is optional, depending on the thread chosen to tie-in the materials. Using higher grade chartreuse-green thread, I've created a smooth cone head. The same effect could be achieved using Bud-Bond or Veniards Floo Gloo, head cement etc. Whip finish and varnish accordingly.

The completed grizzly clouser.

Fly selection for Vietnam

A selection of Clouser minnows I've been tying for an upcoming, long-awaited trip to Vietnam for some fluffchucking in warmer climes... more on that later!

I'll be adding a step-by-step for the grizzly hackled clouser/minnow on the right shortly...

Live and let live...

The failure of British multiculturalism through tolerance

David Cameron gave a speech at a security conference in Munich today, (see excerpts here). Accepting that multiculturalism has left some members of the white community feeling unfairly treated, he stated that whilst racism and intolerance are rightly condemned "when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who isn’t white, we’ve been too cautious, frankly too fearful, to stand up to them".

While the open-mindedness and acceptance exhibited by Britain is widely celebrated and can be attributed to a functional democracy - is it not time to cease accepting and tolerating everything?

Where did this sudo-tolerance come from?

The critique of British tolerance is nothing new. The trend originated in the sixties in reaction to Roy Jenkins' liberal reforms against racial discrimination. But is British tolerance still a strength?

How can Britain be strong as a nation, when our multiculturalist tolerance, once our greatest virtue, has become our weakness or Achilles' heel?

Singapore furled / twisted leader DIY

Turning over the heavier than normal flies/lures here on the danish coast proved a challenge on a number of outings. The trouble was that while the #8 flyline itself was ample in weight, the leader between the flyline and the fly would often collapse, leading to tailing loops and rather annoying wind knots, which inevitably weaken the leader strength. Ideally, a stronger and sturdier leader is needed to reduce the likelihood of these problems. The Singapore leader design is simple, tapered and can be made at home in 10 minutes!

Easy homemade Singapore furled leader or simply "Singapore leader"

Being rather practical, I decided against purchasing individual breaking-strength spools of monofilament (or the popular flourcarbon), and opted to try out this somewhat traditional method of furling your own leader, Singapore style!

Rather than try and write out over complicated instructions here's a video that simplifies the process somewhat, but is a great instructional:

For the purpose of seatrout fishing here off the coast of Sjælland in Denmark, I used 8lb for building the Singapore leader. Doubled over, that's 16lb, and doubled again it's a 32lb connection to the flyline. It's actually on the heavy side, but with 6 feet of 8lb as a tippet connected to the 8 feet Singapore leader, it turns over the largest of lures in my fly box with ease and good presentation.

Flyfishing in Denmark - beginning the art after a 15-year break

They say once you start (fishing) you can't stop, it's like an itch, always having to satisfy that urge to outwit and catch a stronger, cannier and larger fish. The others wonder what the point of it is.

Well, life got in the way of my fishing habit, and it is a habit once you're hooked. How did my habit get re-ignited? It was a purely impulse buy of a cheap 'fishing kit' in a local supermarket, all the necessary bits, complete with "Made in China" telescopic rod! Perfect for a bicycle riding fisherman.

All this occurred mid-spring of 2010 and by high summer after catching a few tiddlers, I could already feel the pangs of needing a more adequate setup. After reading the local fishing material available, sea-trout were evidently the prime target here in Denmark.

The idea of flyfishing in denmark was seeded.

So what is SEO environmental living?

Is it Search Engine Optimised environmental living or the Sustainable Ethics Of environmental living?

Who knows! Let's see where it goes...