Restocking The Boxes: Winter Tying Sessions NO.3 The Pheasant Tails

So for the third installment of our winter tying sessions, I am

going to show you three pheasant tails you should not be with out for the 2019 season. By now most of you know that my patterns are simple dressings its the I prefer to tie them and I find this style of nymphs most effective. I am convinced that tying complex nymphs for the majority of occasions is not going to increase your catch rate; where as tying good simple, effective nymphs that have a purpose and a rational behind the tying will be time far better spent this winter. 

Relating back to my last blog on Hares Ears and as I mentioned in it growing up on mountain streams those nymphs were very productive and they were my first choice, especially if I was considering  between a hares ear or a pheasant tail nymph. While pheasant tails did catch me some fish they were not as prominent as the hares ear for that type of water. Over the years though and due to moving to the mid lands with different river systems to fish; the Pheasant tails grew with popularity on my casts and now they are a real go to fish catcher through out the season for me.

Here is three of my favorite Pheasant Tails that have proven them selves time and time again for me: 

Nymph No. 1 

Hook: Dohiku Jig 20-16 
Bead: Copper Slotted 2mm-3.5mm
Thread: Piscari fly fine strong Kevlar thread
Tail: Coq DeLeon 
Rib: Copper wire 
Body: Natural Pheasant Tail 
Thorax Dubbing: Hends Spectra dubbing No. 6
This is my best and most productive Pheasant Tail and so simple you can run these out fast. They will work great on a Euro nymphing rig and also are really effective under a dry fly as dry dropper. When myself and a buddy of mine did the 100 river challenge a few years ago this nymph completed the first fifty rivers. I would have used it for the second fifty but I just ran out of them and we had no time to do any tying. It worked on all types and sizes of river under the dry and straight nymphing. 

Nymph No.2 

Hook: Dohiku 611 20-16 
Bead: Copper countersunk 2mm-3.5mm
Thread: Piscari fly fine strong Kevlar 
Tail: Pheasant Tail Natural  
Rib: Copper wire 
Body: Natural Pheasant Tail 
Back: Pearl Mylar (different sizes for the different size nymphs)
Thorax Dubbing: Hends Spectra dubbing No. 46 (cover with pearl Mylar also) Also a pinch of Fox Squirrel behind the hot spot brushed out well.
Hot Spot: Tommi-fly Uv Reflective Thread no. 12 
A little more in this flash back nymph than the first but again relatively easy to tie. This in its larger sizes is a great nymph on the point of a euro rig and you can add some lead in the too in the under body to help you reach the depths you need. 

Nymph No.3 

Hook: Dohiku Jig 20-16 
Bead: Gold Slotted 2mm-3.5mm
Thread: Piscari fly fine strong Kevlar 
Tail: Coq DeLeon 
Hot spot: Glo brite No.4 or 5 
Rib: Copper wire 
Body: Natural Pheasant Tail 
Thorax Dubbing: Mixed dubbing (explained below)
Hackle: two pinches of CDC natural one tied in each side of the nymph. 
For this cracking nymph i use a dubbing some people call Peters special Dubbing and basically how I came across this was one day when I was cleaning out a box where I kept bags of dubbing there on the bottom of the box had gathered different fibers of a multitude of dubbings. It looked interesting so I blended it in a coffee grinder and there it was. I have been using this dubbing for several years now and fine it fantastic. 
When I am fishing this fly I often rub in some dry fly treatment on the CDC it give the fly a realistic look in the water trapping micro bubbles to the hackles. 
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and enjoy tying these flies; if you would like to stock up your boxes for this coming year make sure and contact me through facebook or email. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten beads, Dohiku barbless hooks, Tommi-fly products,the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.
Also check out my new YouTube channel for all my latest tying and hot tips. 

Its All in the Head....What matters most the body or the bead head?.

Recently I posted a question on social media: "What is more important to you the body of the nymph or the bead ?" The results were close enough with 46% voting that the bead is most important and 54% voting that the body is the important aspect of the nymph. For me I am finding more often over the last few seasons that I am more focused on the bead size and colour rather than the dressing behind it when researching what is catching.

Over my last few fishing trips through out Europe, I have noticed a lot of anglers tying there nymphs in a style that has large beads and very small bodies. This observation lead me to this question and wondering if the body of the nymph truly mattered a great deal in the nymphs make up.  Yes you can argue the point it has it purposes of moment and coloured hot spots to help attract fish. For me to understand how important it really is we would have to see actually how successful would a plain bead on its own with out a body.

The bead serves several purposes on a hook, one to find the depth of a fish and secondly the colour options also give it the ability to attract fish takes. So one morning I decided to head to the river and fish just beads on a hook, no body, no tails, no thread, just a bead super-glued on to a bare hook.

Using my normal nymphing rig and fishing no different that any other time, I cast the body-less nymphs into the stream and it didn't take long till I began to get my answer. Within a 20 minute period I had successfully landed up to 18 fish ranging in sizes from six inches to nice lumps around the ten inch mark. The takes were just as aggressive as normal ones and I caught the fish in fast and slower water where the fish had time to inspect the bait.

Now I am not saying that we should abandon the nymph bodies all together, as on any given day one thing will work better than another. However this dose show us that the emphasis on the bead can be crucial and it can be the factor that catches the fish. It is also something that I will have in my box for next year and do some more fishing with to see how it fairs out over a longer period of time on the rivers. This is something for you to mull over during the winter tying months as you prepare for next seasons fishing and are filling your boxes with your favorite patterns .
Check back soon as over the coming weeks ill be looking at some Winter tying and preparations for next season, I will be posting some of my favorite patterns that I wouldn't be without going into 2019.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten beads, Dohiku barbless hooks, the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.

Want to Catch A Fussy Trout: Try Beadless Nymphs

For the last season or two I have been tinkering more and more with beadless Nymphs and getting good results.
We all know that the bead has several purposes on a nymph; one, to add crucial weight to get the fly down to the feed zones; secondly, the colour can be the factor that attracts the fish to take the fly.

But as we all know the colours vary and one day when sliver works the next day it will be gold or some other choice from the array of colours now available on the market. So is there a time and occasion for weighted nymphs with out beads, the answer is yes.

When I like most other anglers began fishing many years ago the nymphs we were using was a pheasant tail maybe with a lead shot up the cast to drag the nymph down to the trout or a sinking line would do the same job. However with the evolution of fly tying the tungsten bead has allowed the angler to present their nymphs to the depths very quickly.

As a competition angler I am always aware the the fish can become used to the different colour beads especially when you are fishing 3 to 5 sessions in a competition. So having some beadless Nymphs can be the answer in those late sessions or fishing in over fished waters and when you are looking to catch those fussy trout.

Tying the nymphs slim and getting some good quality lead and a few small tungsten beads in there will allow the nymphs to penetrate to the required depth, just as quick as a beaded nymph.
Fishing shallow runs and glides you will have no problem in getting the nymphs down to the fish and maybe you will have to punch them up stream a little further in order to allow them more time to get to the bottom.

Also a good addition to this approach is an aggressive leader set up so that when you make the cast the natural turn over of the leaders will ensure the nymphs will enter the water at pace and the nymphs will get down faster. This leader set up is something you will have to make up your self to get the best results. A good light weight rod with a good responsive action will aid you in getting these lighter nymphs to there destination also. Make sure and check out the Syndicate 10 foot 2 weight as this is the rod find good and the one I use for this approach.

Here is some of the beadless patterns that I have useful over the last couple of seasons and are we'll wort having a go with this year for some fussy trout.

The pheasant Tail 

Hook: Dohiku 611 size 16

Thread: Fine strong silk 

Tail: fibers of pheasant tail 

Tag: Glo Brite No.4

Rib: Copper wire 

Body: Pheasant tail 

Thorax Cover: Pheasant Tail

Thorax: Olive mixed dubbing 

Legs: Natural Partridge Hackles 

Another option you have is fishing the dry dropper set up with one or two beadless nymphs under the dry just make sure the distance between the nymphs and dry is long enough so that the flies are where they need to be. Make sure and secure in the beads and lead well with a good strong thread and some super glue. Also, lead and tungsten beads or sheets are the best option for adding weight to your flies using wires don't contain much heavy metals to make a difference and can be more expensive that flat lead. 

The Olive Quill  

Hook: Dohiku 611 size 16

Thread: Fine strong silk 

Tail: Coc De Leon

Under Body: Flat lead covered in olive thread 

Body: Transparent synthetic quills 

Thorax Cover: Pheasant Tail

Thorax: Olive mixed dubbing 

Legs: Pheasant tails tips folded back . 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has sparked some thoughts in developing your fishing and fly tying going forward in the new season. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten , barbless hooks, Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.

Want to up your catch rate this season? A few points to consider for effective fishing

I get a lot of fisher people asking me for tips and tricks on better approaches to effective fly fishing out side of having the right set up and good quality nymphs. Firstly the answer is not spending the winter filling your fly boxes with patterns un-tried and un-tested, if you want to do a winters tying only tie the flies that worked last season and tie them in all sizes and weights. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time working on, and thinking about the small details that result in productive approaches and the things we as angler can do to try and shift the odds in our favor a little bit more. I am no expert but I have some thoughts on the matter. There is a fair bit of stuff to consider when you break everything down, such as beat management, fatigue, fish behavior and the like. However, here is a few important pointers and hopefully there is somethings in this post that you will consider in the coming season when you approach the river that will aid your ability to catch more fish. 

1. Identify the predominant lies and protective lies of the fish in the beat.
It is crucial to discover this from inspecting your beat before you start fishing or enter the water. The predominant lie is where the

fish sit undisturbed and feed away naturally. This could be the shallow margins or the side of the main current near by. But not to far away there will be a place where they go for protection once disturbed, this could be a deeper pocket, behind or under some object in the water. Once you begin fishing and wading some fish will move from one to the other once they are aware of your presence; so you must know when to also move from one to the other to keep catching fish. There can be many of each of the lies in one beat. Discovering these will save you time fishing all the water on your beat and fishing water where there is less or no fish. Moving quickly between the predominant lies in the beat will result in clocking up early scores on the card or fish in the net and knowing where the fish go once you have gone through the honey holes will save time in finding them the second time around and allow you to target pockets of fish in their protective lies.

2. Fatigue and body posture
This is something a lot of anglers don't spend enough time on; you cant fish or wade a beat properly if you are tired and you will lose

your focus during a fishing session. The single biggest problem I encounter when coaching anglers is them getting tired and lose concentration on the water, leader, dry fly or indicator and miss the signs of the takes. So we must focus on how to conserve energy and slow down fatigue of the legs, arms and especially the eyes. Your posture during fishing can help, having an open stance not only will allow you better and safer wading but it will engage your core and help support your back and arm as you reach forward while nymphing. This stance will also allow for better netting practice as when you hook a fish you are now in a position to take a large step forward and move several foot closer to the hooked fish and scoop the fish within seconds of a hook up.
Having good glasses (dont have to be the most expensive) that suit the day light is crucial as the wrong lenses will cause you to having to try and focus harder on the small indicators or dries. Therefore your eyes become tired and you stop looking and miss the signs of a take. Another aspect for good vision and tired eyes is your hat. A long billed hat pulled down over your eyes will tunnel your vision and save on fatigue, this will also allow you to see smaller objects further away. Also it will save you from be distracted by the view or the passing wildlife.

Good core strength will allow you to wade quickly through heavy water, it is worth considering this and some simple exercises will give you better strength in the water and more confidence.

3. Be a predator
Another aspect of posture. Standing straight up is not only bad for

your back and makes it easy for the fish to see you, it is also takes it toll on your concentration levels. If you can imagine any predator in the wild before they strike and their posture before they do so; there body position is curled up ready to strike. This is not only for the speed of the attack but to also have full focus and concentration on its prey. Being a hunter instead of an angler is a lesson I learned many years ago and one that stuck with me and I regually remind myself of. I often say to anglers imagine a photog you is going to feature on the front of your favourite magazine and this photo could be taken at any moment when you are fishing. So do you want to be seen standing straight up in the air sticking out or do you want to be published where you are on one or two knees totally focused on your prey and reaching out to full length in complete control.

4. Hearding and moving fish
In long beats where the fish are spread out it can be good practice to heard or move the fish into pods to maximize your chance of a

good catch rate. Fish will move in different ways depending on the species and the time and place. For brown trout sometimes you need to gently push them to the head of their territory. This is not necessarily the head of a run as there can be several heads of territory in one run, depending on on its size and volume of fish in the section of water. In doing so, you will also heighten the aggression levels of the fish and they will attack your flies out of that aggression rather than looking to eat food. Of course the best thing is if you heard the fish you know where they are.

Fishing from wading up one bank will manipulate the fishes behavior differently to wading up the middle. On larger rivers I like to wade up the middle and push the fish into the banks where they feel safe (into protective lies) and they tend less to run down stream behind me where they are no longer in my catch zone if I am fishing up stream. Fishing a smaller river I tend to fish along one bank and push the fish ahead of me and by casting kind of across the stream (lining the fish) will keep the majority in my catch zone, before the head back behind me.

5. Chain reaction within the beat
It is important to be aware of the chain reaction within the beat once you disturb the fish. This will save you time fishing water where the fish have moved from because of ten minutes ago you pushed the fish from there or spooked them when you were fishing 50 yards down river. Be aware when and where you release your caught fish, I tend to release fish behind me. Also wade in and out of the river well behind the area that you are catching in if you have to bring the fish to a controller.

6. Be aware of your surroundings
Getting caught up in trees, rocks ect is a big problem and one that

will never leave an angler. Wading to release your flies from rock and trees is one of the biggest mistakes of beat management. Tie plenty of your best flies so losing a couple will not matter in a session. A lot of anglers will spend some time looking at the water before a session and rightly so, but few will look at the trees and objects they will encounter fishing and casting in that section of river. I will make a mental map of the beat as I study it and I will identify the sections I have to be on my knees to open up a larger casting gap into tight spots. Ill know the spots where there is some weed on the bottom so ill speed up the drag on my nymphs so they stay just off the bottom and not get stuck in the weeds. This is also the same for rocky bottoms. Allowing a dead drift will allow the nymphs to settle between the rocks and get caught up. However, dragging them through a slight bit faster means the nymphs will bounce off the rocks and are less likely to get caught.

When you have your hat down around you eyes and you are

focusing on you fishing, if you are not aware of your surroundings you will spend a lot of time in the bushes and trees when casting. This will result in you breaking your concentration, disturbing the beat, getting in tangles and loosing nymphs.
It is the lack of focus on these details that cost most anglers from maximizing there catch in a beat and with some time spent on these aspects and errors of the anglers will increase good beat management and more time for your flies to catch fish.
Three most important three words I have learned for good effective fly fishing is DETAILS, SIMPLE, DETAILS

I hope some of this will be useful to you, and there is some points that you will consider focusing on this coming season. Its a bit of a whistle stop to effectively fly fishing a beat, and if you have any questions or queries on any aspects of this post please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in Dohiku hooks, top quality tungsten beads, or Syndicate competition Fly Rods and much more, drop me a line or check them out on my website, Just click on one of the links to the right.