Dan O’Neill is back with the 10th instalment of his River Whispers series. There’s a lot in this weeks edition, so we’ve split it into 2 articles. Read a comprehensive run down from Dan on how to set up for flyfishing, with some great information here for beginners and improvers, followed by an interview with international angler David O’Donovan below, and all about lure fishing for perch, including an interview with Marcin Kantor here.

“The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails”

This week we follow on from choosing our rod and onto fly lines and leaders, what are all these lines!!! One of this week’s experts is Dave O Donovan, Dave has represented Ireland numerous times and is an exceptional angler.

Last week we looked at choosing a rod and reel set up. Now we need to take a look at lines and leaders. Firstly, let’s take a look at fly lines and where do we start!!I recently went to a tackle shop and there was a wall of fly lines, I thought “if I was a beginner where would I start”. Last week we picked a 9ft 5wt rod as our “vanilla”. With a fly line we will be looking for a 5wt line to match. So that will take you to one of the subsections of the monster wall of lines. Now do we want a double taper or a weight forward. First of all, what is a taper? A taper is the shape of the fly line, the taper of the fly line is the gradual increases or decreases in diameter to put it simply. Longer line tapers give gradual turnover which is ideal for dry fly or delicate presentations. If we were using a short taper, it gives more aggressive turnover for larger flies for example streamers or cumbersome indicators when nymphing. Is there a “vanilla” fly line, we are looking for a general-purpose taper such as the cadence csm fly lines. So, I’m not going to go to deep into this as it’s aimed at beginners. There are weight forward fly lines (Wf-5) or double taper fly lines (DT-5) the bits in the bracket are what you will see on a fly line box. So, if we are looking for a weight forward fly line for our 5wt rod we will be looking for (Wf-5), if we are looking for a double taper line then on the box should read (DT-5). A weight forward line (WF) has a head / belly / running line and is between 90-100ft.A double taper fly line has a taper at both ends meaning you can reverse the fly line. It has a head / long level body / head. Some say it’s easier to cast where as some say it’s more difficult. Before I move on too much further let’s hit on sinking lines/poly leaders and midge tip.

Full sinking line: The entire line sinks, you will see something on the box that says (Di3, Di5, Di7) so the number after “Di” is how many inches per second the line sinks or sink rate. So, if we were looking for a slow sink rate, we would get a (Wf5, Di3) and so on as you look for a faster sink rate or different line weight. You may see “ips” which is inches per second.

Using a poly leader: A polyleader can be bought in a packet in various lengths a polyleader attaches to your floating line and the polyleader sinks. I use them for streamers sometimes when I’m switching from indicator fishing to streamers, it’s great to just attach a polyleader and away I go, they also use the Di system. So, we might ask for a 10ft polyleader in Di3.At times you may see “ips” which is inches per second in this case we would look for a 10ft polyleader, ips 3.

Intermediate line: Sometimes called midge tip an intermediate line is basically a sinking line with a sink rate of less than 3 inches per second. I use these for swinging wets sometimes or on a trout lake for different techniques when i need to be sub surface. It works well for streamers in lower water conditions also.

Sink tip lines: Float to sink (Float / sink 6) or (Wf-5 float – sink 6) so here we have a floating line with an integrated sink tip (no joining knot between the floating line and sinking line). Different companies use different branding but this will give you an idea of what to look for on the box. There is then an intermediate to sink tip which means it’s an intermediate line with a 6-10ft sink tip.

What does integrated sink tip mean? When we use a polyleader on our floating line we will of course have a loop-to-loop connection where our polyleader meets our floating line. An integrated sink tip means that the floating part and polyleader is flush, there is no loop-to-loop connection. This means we can draw in the line as far as we like without the knot bumping through the rod tip and guides, it also will pull out freely if the fish lunges. However, if we get this line, we are stuck with the sink tip and whatever sink rate it is. It has some advantages and disadvantages.

Spey lines: When people hear the word Spey they think of big two-handed rods and a beautiful Scottish river, what a picture that paints. The single-handed rod can perform Spey casts and there is a single-handed Spey line especially for the job. What’s the difference? Long story short when we Spey cast, we form a D-loop behind us then we perform a forward cast to create our Spey cast. So, the D-loop loads the rod. The taper has been designed to allow for the weight to be in the right place when our d-loop forms. This is just a very simple way of explaining it there are of course deeper more technical things but let’s keep it simple for now. The breakdown of a Spey line is Front taper – Body – Rear taper – Handling section – Running line.

What does it all boil down to for me? I would recommend as a beginner to get a floating line then add a polyleader if you are going to be streamer fishing or want to get those wets down a bit in the water. I use Cadence csm fly lines as their price point and quality is unmatched. If you like streamers and wets then you can aim for a more specialized line for that application once you figure that out, something like the integrated sink tip or full sinking line. I have seen people spending hundreds on fly lines and end up settling on one application meaning the other lines don’t get used. A floating line will allow versatility when starting out.

The above is a very basic view of lines and again aimed at beginners as choosing a line can be daunting and result in many many lines that may not suit your application.

You will most likely start with a floating line which means we are looking for a Wf-5 for our 5wt rod. You can also use a DT-5 if you wish but I have found that the people I teach starting out seem to prefer the Wf lines to start with. I would try to avoid a “specialized” taper and go for a general-purpose taper like the Cadence csm fly line range use in their lines. Don’t forget if we need to get down with streamers or wet flies etc we can get a polyleader and attach to our floating line. As beginners we don’t need 5 or 6 lines let’s wait until we have fully established what application we prefer and we can hone in the more specialized equipment if we feel the need to.

Leaders

Ok yes, I said it, leaders. Where do we start. Generally, if you ask for a tapered leader, you get a tapered leader. A leader is made up of a butt section-mid section and tippet section.

Are there different types and what is the “x” about on the packet?. I’m not going to get deep into leaders I’m just going to give you some tips and guidelines as to what to look for as a beginner. So, a leader can be anything from 6ft right up to 20ft and beyond it depends. Leaders can be at times personal preference beyond a certain point. I use a 10ft leader generally.Now,on the leaders you will see a number followed by an “x”.I use stroft mostly as i like it and have used it for many years. When dry fly fishing i will use a 7x or 8x leader. So 7x is .10 diameter or 3 pound,8x is .08 diameter and 2.2 pound. Companies vary quite a lot in diameter to breaking strain so it’s only a matter of checking online or asking in the tackle shop. So, if you’re looking for a .08 diameter tippet section on your leader you are looking for a 10ft 8x leader.

What is an aggressive leader and why would I need one? An aggressive leader would have a longer butt section which carries more energy from the fly line and transfers it into the shorter mid – section which pushes on to the tippet section. We would use this to turn over larger flies or perhaps casting into a headwind. I sometimes use it when I’m fishing 3 wet flies. If you buy some cheap line in a couple of different diameters and practice at home adding different sections in. Have a longer butt section making the mid-section smaller and so on. When practising my casting I’m not going to spend money on a tapered leader to destroy it, I use my own tapers tied from spools. I generally start with 3ft butt section,3ft mid and 3ft tippet. Have some casts and experiment with the lengths a bit, try to make it more aggressive by having a 4ft butt section,3ft mid-section and 2ft tippet section. A longer butt section will absorb and transfer more energy, having a longer butt section keeps more energy in the leader for longer. Play around with it and have some fun.

TIP: Use some very bright wool on the end of your leader so you can watch how the leader would turnover a fly.

What is a progressive leader and why would I need one? A progressive leader is used for more delicate presentations and situations. It consists of a shorter butt section which gives a gradual turnover. The shorter butt section holds less energy which means less energy gets into our mid-section and on to our tippet section, this gives us the gradual delicate turnover, it’s ideal for dry fly fishing and really gives a perfect landing once you get used to it. I use progressive leaders when fishing size 22 or 24 dries.

There is far more to leaders than mentioned and the explanations are aimed at beginners.

Set up so far

• 5wt rod
• 5wt reel
• WF-5 Line
• 10ft di3 polyleader
• Tapered leader (progressive for dries) (aggressive for teams of wets,indicators,headwind/breeze, cumbersome flies).

Interview

This week’s expert is David O Donovan from Cork. David has represented Ireland many times and anyone who knows him knows that when it comes to wet flies, he is something special. I was delighted that David agreed to answer some questions for us. Let’s see what he had to say?

1. Tell us a little bit about wet fly fishing.

Wet fly fishing is probably how most Munster fly fishermen learned to fish.

When thigh waders were even considered a luxury, it was imperative that you could cast a team of flies across the river and ensure that these flies remain drifting in a natural state as they flow downstream. Lifting and rising the rod a few inches would bring life into the fly and would entice takes from feeding trout.

Casting mostly across and letting your team of normally three flies swing down with the current insures all the water is being covered with takes coming at any time.

2. Can you tell us a little bit about some wet fly patterns or is there a universal pattern to start us off on our journey?

This can be very seasonal but in general I like to have a winged fly on my top dropper ie Green Wells Glory, Quills. Sedges, or Olives. My middle fly I put spiders i.e. Greenwell’s, black and silver, partridges of different colors etc. My tail fly will be a fly with body dubbing, this will add weight to the fly when it’s wet. Hares’ ears, March browns, sedges and a pheasant tail with a small bead or a few turns of lead in the body will always work.

3. When choosing a spot to wet fly fish what do you look for, what is considered ideal water?

Fish are everywhere. Wet fly fishing gives the opportunity to cover all areas especially areas that are too deep to wade. Best places are glides. This is the water below fast running water. Fish don’t lie as deep in this type of water and feed closer to the surface when there is a hatch. The wind can be your friend as it can drown natural flies making them easy targets for feeding fish.

4. What way should we set up for wet fly fishing, leader length, tippet diameter?

For a beginner a floating line is fine. It makes picking up the line to recast much easier. With practice you can move to a midge tip or slow sinker to help get those flies under the water.

Four-pound tippet is fine, I use Drennan. I don’t taper my cast it’s just 7 ft to first fly 5 ft more to middle dropper and again 5ft to point fly. Droppers are about 5 inches made with a three-turn water knot.

5. What would be your one beginner tip?

Learning to cast a team of three flies takes time. Start with just two. Let the water tension load the rod when beginning your cast. Don’t over false cast!!! Try to get into the habit of casting in no more than three casts. Lift aim and cast. Keep your flies wet and in the water.

Tight lines

Dave O’Donovan

Go fishing…

Trout Fishing Ireland

Trout Fishing Ireland

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Notes

Growing up in the countryside of Gowran, Co.Kilkenny, I started my fishing journey on the River Barrow with my dad, which is where I caught my first fish, a lovely brown trout. The Gowran River was also a short walk from my homeplace, and on the days my dad couldn’t fish, I would walk through the fields and fish the Gowran River. My love for fishing grew and took me to Mount Juliet Estate, where I began guiding at 13. I went on to become fisheries manager at Mount Juliet Estate and, to this day, enjoy taking out hundreds of clients every year fishing on the River Nore. I enjoy all types of fishing and guide all over Ireland. I am an Apgai Ireland-qualified casting instructor and have Ambassador roles with Cadence and Yeti. I joined Fulling Mill as an endorsed pro guide and am part of the Patagonia pro team. My angling journey has been an exciting one and hopefully will continue to be.

I take out all levels of anglers, from beginner to experienced. I enjoy what I do and count myself very lucky to be able to meet and guide new people to what might be their first Irish fish.

Dan O Neill

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Website: troutfishingireland.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +353857652751

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