The Highs and Lows of Life, Work and Salmon Fishing.
(with apologies to ABBA for thieving the lyrics!)

Mamma Mia!  Here we go again………………     Boom…….bust!

We work all night; we work all day, to pay the bills we have to pay. Ain’t it sad!
And there never seems to be a single penny left for me. That’s too bad.

January. Dark, cold, wet ................................ depressing isn’t it?  
Yet we breath a huge sigh of relief when the last Christmas decoration finally gets put back in the box and taped up to hibernate for another 11 months. My children are nearly weaned off the Mamma Mia DVD, and almost seemed happy about their return to school.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the Nicorette patch which has been firmly placed on my arm for the past 2 weeks.  I hesitate for a moment and ask myself why on earth I am admitting to this, as I could potentially have 4,000 of you nagging me if I am ever caught with a cigarette again!  However, I have even thought about putting a second one over my mouth as the Terry’s Chocolate Orange longingly calls to me from the depths of the utility room.

My, My, how can I resist you?

Not to worry though, this problem has also been solved.  The gym membership has been renewed, and the 09 swipe card is hanging proudly on my car keys.  Funny how it makes you feel good, knowing that you can go, even if you don’t!  Maybe it’s a female thing.

Oh, will I ever learn?

New Year, New Season, Fresh Start……………. the credit cards have done wonders for bank clearance, yet so has Ian, Connie and the rest of the river team to make our fishing easier as…

I can still recall our last summer, I still see it all,
walks along the (flood) plains, fishing in the rain,
Our last summer, memories that remain.

All the rain, all the floods, all those times wishing we could fly fish but had to resort to spinning rods as we couldn’t fly fish from the bank.  So…...

You want to know………… What’s the name of the game?

Well, it’s………………..  Fly Lines.

We may not be thinking about replacing our rods this year, but we will still go fishing.  Fishing is not a luxury - it is a necessity - even if it’s only for a few hours.  But how can we make the most of the equipment that we have?  Balance it, optimise it, float it, sink it, and don’t forget to clean it.

Yes, this is the part that catches out many of us. 
Put yourself in the situation of going to buy a fly-fishing outfit.  You walk into the shop, look around for the most expensive rod that you can afford thinking that this is going to help you cast better.  Next you choose a nice shiny reel with a price tag that states quality, and of course, very importantly, looks good.  You add these prices together in your head, baulk at the thought of your wife finding the credit card statement, and you resort to buying the cheapest fly line on the shelf.

You can take away my Loop Classic rod and reel, replace it with a brush shaft and the cheapest reel on the market, but please don’t take away my fly-lines. Only then might I have half a chance of being able to cast my fly to the fish. Isn’t that what fly-casting is about, getting your fly to the fish in whatever way you want to get it there?

Balance it.

This is why we need to take a deeper look at fly-lines, as the fly-line has two very important functions.  The first is to make the rod bend (load) efficiently, and the second is to use the line as a means of transporting your fly to the fish.  How can we achieve either of these functions if we do not have a line that balances the rod, or is not helping us to transport the fly because of poor quality?  How can we fish effectively or cast efficiently?

I cannot tell you how heart-breaking it is for me to see someone coming for a lesson after struggling by themselves for a few years with a line that doesn’t suit the rod.  How depressing to think of the wasted time when they could have been enjoying this sport, and how many have simply given up and moved on to something else, something which is more instantly satisfying?  Yes, it is great to see the relief on someone’s face when you explain that one of the biggest problems is that the line is too light or too heavy for the rod but, I know how frustrating it is when your fly is not going where you want it to go. I have been there, and I remember only too well. If you are a beginner, or are not sure if your line does truly match your rod then please ask a casting instructor, or at least someone who is very experienced to try it out for you.  This tip could save you a lot of time and frustration.

Optimise it.

The second most common problem that I come across is that the head length of the line (this is the fat bit of the line that is used as the weight to bend the rod with) is too long for the given fishing situation, or for the caster’s ability.  If you find that you are casting with fat coils of line constantly lying at your feet and the line won’t shoot then the likelihood is that the head length is too long for you, or your situation. 

To keep this as simple as possible, I will say that there are 4 head lengths for the double handed rod.

Shooting Head is 50 foot or under, Short Head is between 50-60 feet, Medium Head is between 60-70 feet and the Long Head is generally between 70-80 feet. Yes, we can get longer, but most of us just want a line that we can go fishing with!

The most common head length that is sold in this country is the medium head line, which quite frankly is too long for a lot of our small rivers, fishing situations and casting abilities. It is important to note here too that there are different lines for different people, and people have lots of opinions on this subject but in general………….

- If you are a beginner, or if you are fishing on a small river, have lots of trees or bushes tight against your back and are restricted from wading very far out then please buy either a shooting head or a short head Spey line. Do you remember last summer, all the high water and disappointment because we couldn’t fly fish from the bank?
Do I have the answer – yes - shooting heads!

- If you have some experience, are fishing on a bigger river, or can wade out a bit to avoid catching on the bank behind - then the medium head line would be good for you and this situation.

- If you are an experienced caster and are fishing a large river, and can wade out comfortably to avoid the bank - then this line may be the one for you.  It has many advantages, one of which is that you don’t have to pull very much line back in before you cast again.

Float it or Sink it?

High water, low water…………. warm water, cold water…….     
fast water, slow water …………. clear water, coloured water? 
Floating lines, sinking lines, sinking tips, shooting heads, combinations…….

I don’t wish for this to sound confusing, but for successful fly-fishing you must be conscious of these things at all times, but especially for Spring fishing. There are lots of books and websites on this subject but quite simply there are different densities (sinking rates) of fly lines for given water heights, water temperatures, water speeds and water clarities.  Get this wrong and you can seriously decrease your chances of catching fish.

I am not going to try to explain this in a paragraph but generally it goes something like this:

-          The colder the water temperature is, the bigger the fly, the deeper it goes and the slower it moves.

-          The warmer the water temperature is, the smaller the fly, the higher up in the water you can fish it, and the faster it can move.

Of course, fish often like to break these rules, but we mere mortals need something to work from.  If you wish to know how, why, and when, then please either research this or find an instructor in your area who can explain it to you. (APGAI-Ireland website http://www.APGAI-Ireland.ie)

Clean it!

Clean it?  Why, how? How many of you have ever done this?  I know, not many of us felt it necessary.  The fly line dies, you use it to tie up your sweet peas, and buy a new one, simple wasn’t it?

Fly lines get dirty like anything else, and should be gently cleaned after being used for any length of time.  They pick up dirt from the river bank, and believe it or not also from the water. Dirt, algae and dust that are dispersed in the water will adhere to the outer skin of the line. 

Simply put your line in a bath of warm water and using a mild soap, wipe the fly line down with a soft cloth. After wiping the line clean, apply a light coating of a fly line dressing.  This will help to re-lubricate the line, most even have built in sunscreen, it helps to protect from the aging process, and gives the fly line a slick and clean finish (sounds like I am advertising a L’Oreal skin cream, and before someone asks, no I have not tried it !). Used on the fly-line, I do promise that you will instantly cast further.

Maybe this season we will have bright sunshine and the rain won’t come, but if we have a repeat of the last two years, the river rises and conditions become tough again for our normal fly-lines then, with my shooting head………

I have a dream, I’ll cross the stream.

Here’s to ABBA and hope that we will have Another Bountiful Blackwater Annum.