Timperley Sports Club, Altrincham, WA15 7LU Issue 78 30/10/2017 WELCOME From your committee to the 78 th edition of your branch newsletter. We still have a few very welcomed and constructive comments on the newsletter and some much appreciated input, thank you. A call still goes out for members to get in touch with trip updates that will be covered to help the newsletter continue to provide an interesting read for us all. In focus is something that can also do with input from others. So as always we hope you will take the time to read the Newsletter & return any comments (good or bad) to us (address at the bottom), so that it can be improved. If there is anything that you would like to see included, drop us an e-mail. Any suggestions on what you would like to do or who you would like see on guest speaker nights will be welcomed. Why not bring a friend, at least to the speaker nights. Feel free to pass on this enewsletter to your contacts, it would be nice to see some more new faces. OCTOBER MEETING: Next Meeting 21/11/2017: Carl Brumby Weaving Techniques. As members are now going for gold an evening covering the weaving techniques is in order. Diary - Upcoming 19/12/2017: Fly-tying Competition with Chris Watson (See below for the complete 2017 diary. Click Here) Speaker night Les Lockey Bob s Pearly Whickhams, an unusual twist to the traditional fly and tied with a feather not seen so often, from a Michigan Blue Cock Pheasant rump. The finished fly was stunning, with the blue iridescent feather giving a delicate glow to the fly. Les seems to have a story connected with each fly he ties and Tuesday the 17 th October saw an evening with our own Les Lockey, tying an interesting variation of flies, including a Golden Olive Bumble, Flat Daddy, Parachute Hawthorn and a Black CDC Shuttlecock more of the flies can be seen on the hand out that Les kindly provided. Les s relaxed fun approach made for a very pleasant evening; the patter always being as entertaining as the tying. One fly in particular stood out, Page 1 of 10 An update on upcoming branch competitions, events and shows. An update on upcoming branch competitions, events and shows. Updates from our Members on news, discussion points or just general chit chat that s worth a read. Editor s Note Facebook still active, trying to get used to posting and allowing others to comment, please bear with us!
this always makes for a most enjoyable evening. Thanks Les for an entertaining and informative demonstration. A good turn out on the night, though some unfortunately were stuck in work!! Thanks to Les for an excellent evening and to Mike for the write up. Our chance to have a chat about anything we d like to kick about, books, materials, patterns, tools, tactics, you name it we ll give it a go. A brief pattern outline that we will change from one month to the next covering a variety of materials, tools and techniques to help you develop your skills. NEXT MEETING: 21/11/2017: Carl Brumby Weaving Techniques As a number of members are now going for gold an evening covering weaving techniques is in order. Covering the shuttle and crochet weave a number of patterns and materials will be used with the difficulties involved highlighted, what to watch out for and what to look out for. A few additional patterns will be thrown in as well for variety. EVENTS UPDATE: Uttoxeter Game Fishing and Fly Tying Fair 2017 The Uttoxeter Game Fishing and Fly Tying Fair was held Uttoxeter racecourse on Sunday 15 th the day and the weather held out. October. Steve, Eddie, Carl, Dave and Chris were tying from our branch and numerous others members were in attendance, numbers on the whole were good for A brief summary of the key foodstuffs to keep in mind if you are planning a trip any time soon! Updates from the national Guild - shows, meetings and general communications and updates. Useful links and excerpts from the Internet of handy information known only to the lucky few!! View the full annual diary for the current year here. A few light hearted lines to finish off the newsletter, before we tackle down and head off home! Page 2 of 10
Chris Watson and Dave Palmer gave a presentation in the theatre which was well supported with Eddie in attendance and the comments were very well received so lets look forward to next year for the follow up! There was plenty of questions and discussions on the tying as well a chance to catch up with old friends. BRANCH COMPETITIONS AND FISHING EVENTS: Christmas competition this year will be at Wal Goch 26th November, usual format, more details to be presented at the next meeting. MEMBERS NEWS: Grayling Fishing in Bosnia I have recently returned from a fantastic fishing trip to the rivers Ribnik and Pliva. We flew from Heathrow to Zagreb where we were met by one of our guides 'Mita' and taken by minibus on a 4hr drive through the stunning Croatian countryside over the border into Bosnia where we arrived at the River Ribnik. The accommodation was Swiss style chalets with 3 double ensuite bedrooms complete with TVs and wifi. The restaurant just across the river served great local food of excellent quality and drink (at a very good price). The Ribnik is a spring fed limestone river approx. 6 km long gin clear and about I metre deep. The trout and grayling can be seen in large numbers over the numerous gravel beds, it is quite common to see grayling in excess of 48cm in large numbers over these beds. Catching these is another story, the guide showed us the Bosnian method for going after these lunkers. A 10ft 2/3 weight rod, 9ft tapered leader with at least 10 to 12 ft 7x Tippet. A size 20 or 18 gold head nymph. Page 3 of 10
The casting style with these long tippets was different from what I had been used to, the method was similar to an oval cast slightly upstream and put in a very wide upstream mend which bowed the long Tippet into a large arc allowing the nymph to have long drag free drift over the gravel beds. Suddenly your line stops and you're in, then the fun starts trying to land a 3lb plus grayling on a 7X Tippet is not what I am used to especially when the fish immediately head for one of the dense weed patches with your hand shaking and thinking I wonder how strong a 7X Tippet really is. I don't need to tell you how many fish were lost in this way but they were made up for by the number and size landed. The grayling in the upper reaches of the river had an orange colour distinct from the normal grey colour. Fishing the dry fly is very similar using size 20/22 cdc patterns imitating the large numbers of stoneflies that are on the water at varying times. One hatch on the Ribnik was quite spectacular - it was over an hour of constant blue winged olives pinging off and being slurped in by what seemed countless grayling and trout all over the river, quite something. Day 4 we left the Ribnik and headed over the mountains to the River Pliva. And arrived at Radoja. The accommodation here was somewhat different as there were two houses split into separate double rooms very clean and comfortable. We were met by Pedja and his wife who greeted us with a glass of Plivovica, a plumb brandy made by Pedja himself. Each day after returning from the river it appeared to be bad manners not try a glass or two, we found this very difficult (????) to get used to. Like the Ribnik all the food was locally produced and on the second evening Pedja cooked suckling pig over a wood burning pit and served it straight to the table with local vegetables herbs and of course the local beer. The Pliva is larger than the Ribnik about 25km long and much wider, also a spring fed limestone Page 4 of 10
river, gin clear and starting at the head of the Pliva valley from a waterfall which is a big tourist attraction in the area. Fishing is just as good as the Ribnik with long 7X tippets, small nymphs and CDCs. Numerous large grayling were again caught and many lost. Finally it was time to head home with everybody having thoroughly enjoyed the experience and looking forward to a possible return next year. Bernie. Thanks for the write up Bernie, sounds like you ve had a cracker there, some lovely pics, you lucky man!! IN FOCUS: OCTOBER 2017 PRODUCT REVIEWS by Chris Watson This month I have selected two fly tying products to review, one completely new and the other that has been around for some time, but in my opinion has seemed to slip under the radar. Also some little gems for you to watch on You Tube. BJR Buggy Dubbing I was introduced to Brian Ratcliff of B.J.R. Flies by Charles Dutton of Right Angle Fishing, we share a mutual passion for both fly tying and top quality fly tying materials. Brian is a superb fly tyer, I highly recommend you take a look at his website www.bjrflies.com. He has been experimenting and developing some of his own fly tying materials and BJR Buggy Dubbing is his latest product that he will be marketing. A couple of weeks ago an envelope popped through my letter box and much to my delight it contained six packs of his Buggy Dubbing. For those of you that have known me for some time you will know that I am a self-confessed dubbing junkie and Brian s new dubbing very definitely feeds that addiction. I find it very refreshing and unusual (bucking modern trends) to see that this dubbing comprises entirely of natural materials, ABSOLUTELY NO SYNTHETICS. It contains one unique natural material that I have never seen used before, you will never guess what it is and I have been sworn to secrecy. BJR Buggy Dubbing is a lovely blend of soft under furs and stiff longer guard hairs. It is very tyer friendly and lends itself to being used across the full spectrum of dubbing techniques for different sizes and types of flies. When picked or brushed out it has a relatively high degree of translucency, I would also consider blending this dubbing Page 5 of 10
both within the Buggy Dubbing colour range and/or with synthetic dubbings to expand its repertoire of tying applications (let your imagination run riot). Brian is currently marketing his dubbing in six different colours in 1 gram grip seal bags, or the full range of colours in a six compartment box. Each colour is beautifully dyed; the range of colours available are black, claret, fluorescent green, magenta, mayfly blend and olive green. For availability, ordering and pricing, please contact Brian through his website www.bjrflies.com. Fly samples using BJR Buggy Dubbing have been tied by Brian Ratcliff. Hemingway s Synthetic Tapered Peacock Quills I have always been one for experimenting with different fly tying materials, ways of using them and creating new fly patterns. For many years I have been a huge fan of stripped Peacock Quill. Up until about three years ago I had thought that there was no substitute for the real McCoy, but was proved to be totally wrong when I was introduced at a show to Hemingway s Tapered Synthetic Peacock Quills. When I had a few quiet minutes at this show I started to play around with these quills, I really liked the results and they really fired up my imagination. On returning from the show, I hit the fly tying vice and after several full blown experimental tying sessions I was absolutely delighted with some of the new flies I had managed to create. The really important factor then was would they catch fish????!!!! Simple answer in the vast majority of cases was a huge YES!!!! There was one slightly more complicated pattern that had been partially inspired by something that I had seen on the internet that I was particularly pleased with, a Caddis Pupa. When I showed it to Stuart Crofts he was very complimentary, suggesting one modification which I have adopted. This fly and an emerger variation has subsequently proved to be highly successful. Page 6 of 10
The original Hemingway s Synthetic Tapered Peacock Quills come in twelve different colours. They are manufactured out of self-adhesive vinyl, printed on one side. They are 100mm long and taper from 0.2mm to 2.2 mm. Wound on to a hook they look incredibly realistic and given a coat of UV resin they really come alive. The only slightly limiting factor is the size range of hooks that you can effectively use them on, you are really restricted to sizes of 14 and larger. Once you have wound on your body and cut off the waste, you can cut a taper into the waste piece and use it to create a second fly. Just over twelve months ago those highly creative people from Hemingway s increased their range of quills with three new products. Holographic in twelve colours, Transparent in ten colours (I would describe these as translucent rather than Transparent) and Fluorescent in six colours. I eventually got round to purchasing two colours of each of the Transparent and Holographic Quills at the recent Uttoxeter Game Fishing and Fly Tying Festival. A few days ago I managed to find the time to experiment with these and was agreeably surprised to find that I liked them even more than the original quills. The Holographic Quills have a really lovely shine to them and look very attractive. With an underbody of floss, tinsel or thread the Transparent Quills give an extremely realistic look to any appropriate imitation. Unfortunately my UV torch has died, so until my replacement arrives I will not be able comment on how they will look with a coat of UV resin, but I am firmly convinced that this will give some incredible results. Whilst I have not as yet purchased and tied with the Fluorescent Quills, I am sure that they will prove extremely useful to both the Stillwater fly tyer, for those amongst us that are looking for a different body material for jig flies and other weighted river bugs. All I will say is don t is don t give these the UV resin treatment as this will kill the fluorescence. Flies shown here, left hand one tied using the Hemingway s Transparent Synthetic Peacock Quill with a red floss underbody and the right hand fly is tied with the holographic version. Hemingway s Synthetic Peacock Quills are available from stockists at 2.99 a pack. For those of you with a bit of time to kill when you have finished fly tying on those dark, cold and wet winter nights you might want to venture on to You Tube. A couple of interesting things you might want to look at are: Gary Lafontaine s Tying and Fishing Caddis Flies, Fly Fishing for Trout and Dry Fly Fishing for Trout with Gary Borger. Although they are not new, all are very enjoyable, informative and well worthwhile spending some time watching. Thanks very much Chris for the excellent input once more, very well appreciated I m sure. Page 7 of 10
THE MONTHLY MENU: The back end of the season is still with us and will continue to give some of the best days fishing of the season. The rivers are open for the second or late emergence of olives including Large Darks and if you are lucky Iron Blues as well as the ever present shrimp and midges. The leaves that are steadily falling from the trees are awash in the stream and though these can be a curse to the nymph or wet fly angler with multiple false takes, the bugs that drop with the leaves are easy pickings for the grayling and this is a great opportunity for the dry or sub surface wet fly. This terrestrial approach is also worth a try on the stillwaters though the LDO is still worth a try alongside midge, fry patterns and water hog louse. The waters are now cool enough with rainbows feeding well into next month before the temperature usually starts to drop off. Though we ve had more than above average temperatures this month which will have helped the fishing, it is worth while keeping an eye on the forecast now though as the weather can at this time of year start to have an impact on the fish and your cast (and your toes)!!. Anyone noticed the ladybirds recently? Our house has been awash with them at times this month especially during the warmer days. HAVE A GO: Glen Pointon is a potteries angler who I believe fishes the Wye and Dove in Derbyshire. While I ve never actually met Glen, his web blog is worth a read and the following SBS for his soft touch grub uses a unique method to give the soft feel that may on occasion give that edge that will get you to those proper finicky grayling. Grayling are reportedly one of the fastest fish (behind Dace and Bleak I think, according to John Wilson), so if you can manage to get them to keep hold of the fly for any increased amount of time it can make the difference, and I think this is where Glen comes from with his pattern. Click here. Page 8 of 10
FDG NEWS: Hook Fish On light gauge grub hook 14 16 Thread Dubbing Orange spot Silicone Syringe Underbody 'fish on tying silk' any colour grey squirrel undercoat acrylic paint clear aquatic safe Syringe (without the needle!) Lead wire if needed Uttoxeter Game Fishing and Fly Tying Fair The guild were present in force at the show, the Main guild had a stand with Chris Reeves and Caroline Emmet present, and other branches were present including Dee and Clwyd (Jack) and the Worcester branch as well as numerous members including some from Surrey and Herts. Again, note goes out that all branch members should be fully paid up members of the main guild for which membership dues were due in September. WEB LINKS: If you follow on from Chris Watson s suggested Gary Lafontaine and Gary Borger links on You Tube, you may notice a few related videos by Doug Swisher. Doug worked with Gary Borger on a series of around 12 or so river fly fishing videos in the 80 s produced by 3M, supplemented by a number of other field sports videos. I heard off a friend who had visited the states that 3M put so much into the series that it almost brought the company down at the time. At the age of 18 I was fortunate enough to stumble across a tackle shop off loading a number of the videos from the series and I must say the techniques I picked up have been really invaluable to my river fishing over the years. So keep an eye out too, start here with Doug Swisher s Strategies for Selective Trout. BRANCH FACEBOOK PAGE this is a public page that all of us can view and where anyone with a Facebook account can post a message. We will use it initially for basic communications and some photo s so let s see how it goes. Photos from this month s meeting are on there. Please see below link: https://www.facebook.com/nwfdg/ North West Branch FULL DIARY 2017 19/01/17 46th Annual General Meeting followed by a Bring and Buy. 21/02/17 Speaker night Don Stazicker 21/03/17 Fly-tying evening with Eddie Wilkinson focussing on Grayling flies. 18/04/17 Speaker night Carl Humphries 16/05/17 BBQ evening at Marton Heath. 20/06/17 Matching the Hatch - Entomology night with Eddie / Carl 18/07/17 Casting + DVDs night with Bernie Page 9 of 10
22/08/17 Fly-tying evening with David Palmer Winging and Wets 19/09/17 Speaker night Rob Smith (North Country Spiders) 17/10/17 Speaker night Les Lockey. 21/11/17 Speaker night Carl Brumby Weaving Techniques 19/12/17 Fly-tying Competition with Chris Watson 2017 Tying Competition A reminder goes out that the 2017 tying competition has some great prizes up for grabs so be sure to give it your support! Details have been sent out previously and can be refreshed at the next meeting. THE LONG LINE RELEASE: (AKA the one that got away!) Where does seaweed look for a job? In the Kelp-wanted ads Noah started building several arks for various parts of animal kingdom. One was a split level job for all the fish a multi-storey carp ark. What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh. How do fish go into business? They start on a small scale. A fish swam into a wall and said, Dam! What do you get if you cross a trout with an apartment? A flat fish. What fish sounds like a telephone? Herring, herring herring, herring I think I owe you all an apology now! Page 10 of 10