Fooling Trout On the 1st of April. Whats working on the rivers at the moment

So its been a while sense I have posted something on the blog, this was due to the arrival of my son a while ago and a slow start to the season. But after getting out for a few hours recently on a lovely tributary to the Nore in Kilkenny here is an update of where the fishing is at the moment and whats working.
For us anglers here in Kilkenny we don't have the pleasure of fishing before the 17th of March and the majority of rivers in this region of Ireland are slow starters unlike the Munster rivers that get flying in early February. It is normally around April before we start to see good movement of trout from there winter lies into the runs and some evidence of fly life that might get them interested.
At the moment the temp of the water around here is still about 8 to 9 degrees and with a rise of one or two more degrees we will see huge improvements in the fishing.
This morning I managed to get out on the water for a few hours on a stream near by my home, while the Nore is still too high and cold to produce a catch, these tributaries are where I do the majority of my early season fishing. With the odd but little foliage on the trees and not much fly life in the air, it was only the nymphing set up I took with me.  I picked a stretch that had a nice mix of water from fast water to glides where I would have plenty of options to find some fish. At this time of the year here the fish can be still in pods or groups and not fully spread out in the spring/summer lies.

I began fishing the tail waters of the pools, this calmer water is the most productive water for me this time of year. While it is flat it still has enough movement to euro-nymph with great results. It was only one cast or two and the fish start coming, some by the doubles. In the side margins I pick up a few salmon Parr. These averaged from 6 to 9 inch fish and while they were sporting indeed at this early stage of the season that was not the catch i was looking for; also great to see them in the river in abundance.

Once I began fishing in the deeper channels of the pools and glides, I began meeting some lovely trout in great condition for early April. This trend continued through out the 3 to 4 hour session from pool to pool. For my set up, it was a syndicate 10 foot 2 weight rod with a 20 foot leader and tippet. The leaders was an aggressive taper with Mirko Skafars Neon wax as the indicator instead of any bio colour mono. I find this a good set up as I can move the indicator wax as I am fishing different depths of water. For the tippet I was using shogun .12, because the water was dull in colour and I could get away with the heavier tippet.  A good thing to remember is that use the maximum diameter of tippet you can get away with, I can nymph with as low as .06 but if I can get away with .12 I will use that. This heavy tippet also means that at this time of year when I am fishing 3mm to 4mm tungsten beads dragging the bed of the river I wont lose as many nymphs and because the water is slightly coloured it dose not bother the fish or effect the results to my net. 

The nymphs were simple and two or three trusted nymphs of mine a pair of copper beaded pheasant tail and a gold beaded hares ear nymph. I was switching between 3mm, 3.5mm and 4mm depending on the depths of river I was fishing. When I was fishing the tails of the pools and the slower glides I would let the nymphs sink to the bottom and one I felt the tighten of the nymphs down deep I would flick them off the bottom with a slight movement of my wrist and drop them back down again through out the drift, this produced some good takes. It is also worth you while allowing the nymphs to swing around behind you as this produced some nice results also.

It was great to get out for the few hours and begin to see some real movement from the fish , also nice to get some action with a few nice lumps in the net also. It is to be a long season ahead with  comps and various fishing adventures so make sure and check in regularly and i will try keep you updated. Next i am off to the Munster Blackwater to get in some practice for a pairs come coming up
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and enjoy the 2019 season. 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, flies, 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. 

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. 

Restocking the boxes with some great and trusted nymphs: Winter Tying Sessions No.1

So over the next few weeks and months I am restocking my fly boxes with my most trustworthy patterns for next season and as I come across thew good ones Ill post them here in our Winter Tying Sessions so you can have them for next season too. 
To begin I have two perdigons that are a must in my box, I tie them from size 22, 2 mm beads right up to 3.5 mm beads on a Dohiku size 16 jigs or 301 hooks. I always use Dohiku hook I feel they are the best on the market and they take a good sharpen which is important for getting more than one session from your nymphs.
Now I am not a angler that fishes perdigons a lot they can be good alright at times but I do think they have a time and place where they work best, so don't become over reliant on them or spend a heap of time tying random nymphs during the winter just to fill boxes for the sake of it.

These are simple nymphs but they are also tried and tested over the last two seasons. They can be fished in the smaller sizes under a dry fly also. I do find they work best in the hard streamy water when you are euro nymphing and they can be successful in the slower water also under the dry. 

Nymph No.1

Hook: Dohiku Jig or 301 22-16
Bead: White Slotted or countersunk Tungsten 2mm-3.5mm
Thread: Black Tommi-fly Uv reflective tying thread
Tail: Dark Coq de Leon
Rib: White Tommi-fly Uv reflective tying thread (Spin well before winding up the body)
Resin: Solarez Thin UV Resin (put on first coat all over the fly then put your colour resin or marker on the bead and body then re coat for a second time)

Nymph No 2

Hook: Dohiku 301 20-16
Bead: Copper countersunk Tungsten Bead 2mm-3.5mm
Thread: Purple tying thread
Tail: Dark Coq de Leon
Rib: Hot red or hot orange Tommi-fly Uv reflective tying thread (Spin well before winding up the body)
Resin: Solarez Thin UV Resin (put on first coat all over the fly then put your colour resin or marker on the bead and body then re coat for a second time)

The second fly is based on a fly from the great river angler Eammon Conway from Tain Fly Rods, his results on rivers fishing this style of nymphs is outstanding to say the least.
I do love the Tommi-fly UV threads for doing the majority of this style of fly tying and its ideal for fine ribs and hot spots. It is a fine floss with very intensive colours. I also find it retain it intensity when covered with the resin where other flosses like glo-brite can be too heavy and become kind of translucent when covered.
 On our next winter tying sessions we will be looking at some of my most trustworthy Hares Ear nymphs and caddis grubs, make sure and check it out.
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.

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.

The Last Cast: River Nymphing In Autumn

Were well into that time of the year now when the leaves are turning and the evenings are more noticeable shorter. While the sedge fishing can still be productive on occasions and the day time rises of hungry trout are becoming more prolific, nymph fishing at this time of year can also still be very productive. Here is a couple of nymphs that tend to catch the eyes of the hungry trout during the Autumn months.

It is this time of the year we see the return of the Iron Blues, the colder evenings and gusty winds encourage hatches of this fly on the rivers. For the dry fly purest there is a opportunity to get in the last of the surface action before the winter sets in and the seasons close. This little nymph can produce some good catches if you come across hatches of the IBD.

Hook: Size 14-20 301 Dohiku
Bead: Tungsten White 2mm-3mm
Thread: Wisp Hot Orange
Tail: Coq De Leon
Rib: Fine Sliver Wire
Body: Grey Heron or substitute (grey thread will do the job also)
Thorax: Black Hare and UV mixed
Collar: Thread used for the fly

Hook: Dohiku Jig Size 14-20
Bead: Orange Gold sixe 2mm- 3.5mm
Thread: My Nano silk
Tail: Coq De Leon
Rib: Fine copper Wire
Body: Pheasant Tail Natural
Thorax: Orange Spectra Dubbing

I am finding orange to be a great colour this September as tags, tails, collars and these beads. Orange gold, I call them, have proven to be a serious addition to my nymph box this season. This simple Pheasant Tail is undoubtedly one of the greats. 

Hook: Size 14-16 Dohiku Jig
Bead: Tungsten Gold size 3mm to 4mm
Thread:Orange
Tail: Partridge Dyed Orange
Rib: Gold Wire
Tag: Glo-Brite Orange
Body: Olive dubbing Mixed Hares Ear and Squirrel
Thorax: Spectra Dubbing Oeange

Loving these olive nymphs for the deeper pockets in the rivers,where the fish tend to hang out this time of year reserving their energy for the migration months to come.

Here is a couple of the simple fly's that will give you a very sporting afternoon on the majority of rivers around the country this time of the year.

The season has come to its encore here in Ireland and you should try and get out as much as possible before the winter sets in. I hope you enjoy the last remaining days of the season and tight lines.  

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, Tungsten beads, or the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods then check them out on my website. www.piscari-fly.com. Thanks for reading. 

Fly fishing in the Czech Republic

I am just home from a short five day fishing trip to South Bohemia, Czech Republic on the river Vltava. I went to this part of the World to practice for a Championship that will take place here in four to five weeks time. I have traveled to various places through out Europe similar to this trip and I find the short stay can be very productive in gaining experience and knowledge of fishing rivers, nymphing techniques, streamer and good dry fly fishing. The trips if well planned can be cost effective and you can access some cracking fishing and meet up with some really experienced anglers with out costing a packet. I will put up a post shortly on traveling to some of these destinations and tips I have found useful on how to get there, organizing your trip and value for money.

This trip was like most others I began in Dublin and landed in Prague, then a two and half hour drive through the countryside lead me to Pension Florian, Frymburk my accommodation for the trip. The cost of pensions in this region are very reasonable and good quality too.

A prearranged meeting on the Wednesday  morning for half five came quickly and once I grabbed a coffee I followed Milan Hladik to the lake venue for our first session. It was the first day of the trout season in this region and the lake was packed by the time we got there, but we squeezed into a spot and had some nice action pulling lures catching some rainbows and charr. For the afternoon I moved to a river section on the Vltava called the Devil stones, this section of the river runs through

woodlands  and the water is channeled through a gorge of boulders that offer great pocket nymphing for dark wild brook trout. There was a nice hatch of olives on this section and the fish were picking them off as they tumbled down the rapids, catching these opportunistic trout was good sport as I lost myself for a couple of hours jumping around the rocks to see what the next pool held in store.

Day two I focused on the middle sector of the competition water and after a spell of investigation of the beats I fished a section just outside Vyssi Brod. This area of the river is catch and release so it holds a nice stock of trout, some rainbows and grayling. The trout were freely rising to the hatch of morning sedge's in the sunshine and offering them something in the right size and colour they would oblige you with some sport. In the faster water the nymphs produced some good fishing also.

On the Friday I moved further down the river to the larger waters around Rozmberk. I have fished this sector before and know that some searching might have to be done to find some quality fishing as this section is heavily fished by anglers spinning and fly-fishing. But setting up a nymphing rod and a streamer rod while covering a section of water you will come across some good sized rainbows, browns, grayling and charr. The water here is heavier than other sectors and you must be comfortable with deep wading to achieve good results.

The smaller river sector you have to shorten up your leaders to be able to pin point where you want your nymphs to land and be able to maneuver them through the rapids while on the larger sectors a longer leader system will produce better results as the river opens up you can fish the nymphs much further away from you effectively.

The trip over all was well worth it for me and now I can take the information and prepare myself better for the coming championships. This location is worth a visit for all anglers and here you can have the opportunity to meet good anglers through nymphing schools and fish some different European waters. The average costing for the trip to this location was in the region of 550 euro including all costs with some beers thrown in there two. You would be advised to make contact with the local angling bodies to arrange you permits for the region before you travel and make yourself aware of the local laws to fishing.

With some key tournaments around the corner, Irish training days and the prep for the World finals entering the closing stages make sure to keep an eye out on the blog.

I hope you enjoy reading this post and if you have any comments or questions just drop me a line below, also you can sign in and follow us. Thanks for reading.