cudafly

Blackdyke Fly Fishing Report 7th April 11

2011-04-24T11:49:00.001-07:00

Good news at blackdyke this week we have installed some flat platforms into the bank to ease your aching legs. The fishing has been good again with small dry flies> Best flies include black gnats, hawthorns, buzzers,small damsels and blood worms all taking fish. Lots of rainbows are seen around the margins and in the clear water the trout can be seen following your fly. Tuition is still available for more details please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 or visit the website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk.

Lake of Menteith Fishery Report 19th April 11

2011-04-24T11:27:00.001-07:00

Quint has sent this really cool photo of a trout after taking a fly - Enjoy!

: Trout after taking a fly

Lake of Menteith Fishery Report 12th April 11

2011-04-24T11:15:00.001-07:00

Quint has sent CudaFly some more great photo's from the 12th April 2011 - Enjoy!

: A Great Rainbow Trout

: A Great Buzzer Hatch

Lake of Menteith Fishery Report 29th March 11

2011-04-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Quint has sent CudaFly some great photographs from the 29th March 2011 - Enjoy!

Bratton Water Fly Fishing Report 27th March 2011

2011-03-31T14:36:00.001-07:00

The fishings been good at Bratton Water this week with lots of natural insects hatching off the lake.
Pete Grant, Bideford, N.Devon,caught this overwintered brown weighing 5lb 6oz.

: Peter Grant 5Lb 6Oz Brown Trout From Bratton Water

And 10 year old Casey George, Barnstaple, N.Devon, bagged 4 good rainbows on his first fishing trip with this one weighing in at 4lb.

: Casey Jones 4Lb Rainbow Trout From Bratton Water

For more information visit us at www.northdevonflyfishery.com or call Mike on 01271 850642

Blackdyke Fly Fishing Report 28th March 2011

2011-03-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

This week at blackdyke trout fishery has seen the anglers enjoying the spring weather with lots of fish showing in the upper layers. Floating lines have been working well with hares ears, montanas, small damsel nymphs and a selection of small drys taking plenty of fish. I would like to thank all who participated in the trout masters fish off and congratulations to mr Ian balls who will be in the final at Grafham, good luck Ian. For any other information please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 or check out their website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk .

Meadow Fisheries Fly Fishing Report 14/3/11 to 24/03/11

2011-03-31T13:32:00.001-07:00

Fishing has picked up with the better weather. Tiny buzzers through to tadpole and lures have been successful. Lots of midges about and people have caught on dry fly as well.
Local Fishing club Mickle Trafford came on 20th March and fished for the Meadow Fishery Silver Plate - the winner was Mr S Antrobus with a bag weight of 5lb 8oz.

Other big fish were.
Mr Croft - 4.8 Gold head cats whicker
Mr Harrison - 6.9 Gold head
Mr Green - 6.12 Montana
Mr Jackson - 8.7 Yellow Fritz.

Mallard Lake is closed on Saturday 26th March as we are holding the Trout Masters Fish Off.

For further information contact the fishery on 01244300236 or visit the website at http://www.meadowfishery.com where a free mainland UK delivery offer is available for orders over £150.00

Lake of Menteith Fishery Pre-season Report

2011-03-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Quint from the Lake of Menteith Fishery sent us this pre season fishing report. Looks like some nice fish going in for the upcoming season. You can also see how cold it has been this winter up there. For more information on the fishery contact bookings on 01877 385664 or visit their website http://www.menteith-fisheries.co.uk/

Blackdyke Fly Fishing Report 21st March 2011

2011-03-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

Another Good week at Blackdyke trout fishery lots of fish showing all over the lake eating snails, small water muscles and black buzzers. The best flies have been natural imitations, Montanas, peacock spiders, hares ears,diawl bachs and buzzers. Tuition is still available, with the fly tying afterwards in the afternoon on the 26th March come down and improve your technique. For any other information please contact Paul Speed on 07525730447 or visit the website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk.

Blackdyke Fly Fishing Report 15th March 2011

2011-03-22T16:48:00.001-07:00

This week at Blackdyke has seen allot of the larger resident rainbows being caught. Twelve fish all over 5 lb have been returned safely to fight another day. Best flies this week have been black and green lures, montanas, cats whiskers and damsels fished slow on a floating line. Christopher speed caught his best ever rainbow a nice 4 lb 13 ozs - well done. With the weather a little warmer some of the float tubers have been out on the lake enjoying the good sport. For any other information please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 or visit the website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk.

New Trout Fly added To Steve's Custom Fly Shop - Crystal Montana

2011-03-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Crytsal Montana's have now been added to Steve's Custom fly shop. This fly is a great all round nymph / lure trout fly pattern that can be used throughout the year and is tied in the UK by Steve Personally.
You can find this fly priced at £0.95 each at
http://cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/Gold_Head_Crystal_Montana_STROUT49.html

If you want to tie this fly here are the instructions.

Fly Tying Method

Hook - #12 Bead Sproat
Thread - Black
Tail - Black Marabou
Rear body and thorax cover - Black Chenille
Wings - Strands Pearl Crinkle Flash
Thorax - Chartreuse Chenille

Tying Procedure

Bed the hook with tying thread and continue to the rear of the hook. Take a pinch of black marabou and tie this in at the rear, bed the hook shank well with tying thread making sure there are no bumps from the marabou. Select a section of micro black chenille and using your thumb and forefinger strip the chenille to reveal the inner core. Tie this in at the rear by the core only - otherwise you will get a big bump at the rear of the fly. Wrap the chenille around the hook up to 3/4 the length of the shank. Tie off and pull the chenille up and back to the rear ready to use for the thorax cover. Take three strands of crinkle flash and tie following the shank of the hook as pictured and repeat on the other side of the fly. Tie off and trim both sides the same length. Strip a section of micro chartreuse chenille, tie this in and wrap towards the eye. Tie off and trim. Take the black chenille that was tied off and pull forward for the thorax cover. Tie this off, whip finish and varnish the head.

Blackdyke Trout Fishery Fly Fishing Report 7th March 2011

2011-03-11T16:07:00.001-08:00

This week at Blackdyke with the change in the weather getting colder the fish are again taking lures. Damsel nymphs and cats whiskers being the most successful flies. Plenty of fish seen in the margins so short casts producing plenty of takes. We have a new selection of Iain barrs flies come and have a look. A couple of nice catches at the weekend.
For more information please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 visit the website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk.

Cheshire Fishing Fly Fishing Report 2nd March 2011

2011-03-02T14:25:00.001-08:00

The fly fishing is picking up nicely and people are catching on black buzzers as small as size 16 with orange being the best colour for lures.

Barbara Nyang fron Northwich banked 8 rainbows on an orange lure to the chagrin of her partner who managed to catch five. Well done Barbara.

Eddie Evans from Port Sunlight took a nice 5lb 11 oz rainbow on a white fritz lure and John Hodkinson from Crewe caught and returned 27 trout on small black buzzers and nymphs.

For more information visit their website http://www.cheshirefishing.co.uk or telephone 01829770041

Blackdyke Trout Fishery Fly Fishing Report 28th Feb 2011

2011-02-28T05:17:00.001-08:00

Blackdyke trout fishery is in top form at the moment with more anglers on the bank the fish have spread out across the lake close to the margins. Lots of limit bags being caught with buzzers being the main fly. Apps bloodworms and small black dry’s also catching well. Sat March the 5th resumes our coaching sessions with fly tying tuition in the afternoon from 2pm. All are welcome, for any more information please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 visit the website http://www.blackdykefishing.co.uk/.

Meadow Fishery Chester Fly Fishing Report 28 Feb 11

2011-02-28T04:36:00.000-08:00

The North West Fly Fishers fished Meadow Fishery on the 20th February. The match was won by Mr Slater with a bag of 12lb 7 oz with his biggest rainbow trout weighing in at 6.0 lb.

Other big fish for the week have been:-

Mr Hignett 8.0lb rainbow trout caught on a Bloodworm pattern.
Mr Last 6.6lb rainbow trout caught on a Bloodworm pattern.
Mr Westcott 5.0lb rainbow trout caught on a Green/black nomad
Mr Henderson 5.0lb Red various

The water is still very cold and flies range from buzzers to Zonker patterns with a mixture of damsels, diawl bach, DLL and GRHE. The weather is warming up now and things will continue to pick up. The Troutmasters fish off is on 26th March. Book early to avoid disappointment.

For further information contact the fishery on 01244300236 or visit the website at http://www.meadowfishery.com where a free mainland UK delivery offer is available for orders over £150.00

Blackdyke Fishery Fly Fishing Report 24th Feb 2011

2011-02-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

Plenty of fish showing in the margins this week with the warmer weather fish can be seen topping all around the lake. Black and green lures catching well along with the apps bloodworm using floating lines with a steady figure if eight retrieve catching most fish. Gavin cairn caught a nice over wintered brown trout of about 4lbs on a small black dry. Our next fishing and fly tying course is on the 5th of march all are welcome.

For any other information please contact Paul speed on 07525730447 or check out their website www.blackdykefishing.co.uk .

Blackdyke Fishery Fly Fishing Report 16th Feb 2011

2011-02-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

Blackdyke trout fishery is fishing well at the moment. Hares ears, damsels, pheasent tail nymphs and buzzers all taking good limit bags on floating lines.

Please check out the web site www.blackdykefishing.co.uk for details on the courses we are now running all are welcome. For more details please contact Paul speed on 07525730447.

Bratton Water Fly Fishing Report 16th Feb 2011

2011-02-15T16:22:00.001-08:00

This weeks fly fishing report was also in the North Devon Journal.
Bratton Water continues to grow in status as a destination for anglers seeking quality brown trout. Richard Spencer landed a fine bag that included three brown trout and two rainbows. The best of the browns weighed in at 3lb 9oz, a personal best for Richard who used a muddler minnow presented on a sinking line.

For more information visit us at www.northdevonflyfishery.com or call Mike on 01271 850642

Cheshire Fishing Fly Fishing Report 10th Feb 2011

2011-02-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

The fly fishing is starting to pick up now as the weather is improving. Most productive patterns this week have been pheasant tail nymphs (weighted), Diawl Bach, teams of Black sparsely dressed buzzers, and green and white lures.

Kevin Twigg from Frodsham caught a 6lb rainbow on a green and white fritz lure.

For more information visit their website http://www.cheshirefishing.co.uk or telephone 01829770041

Bratton Water Fly Fishing Report 10th Feb 2011

2011-02-10T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mr Adam Gell of Porlock, North Devon had a brown trout of a lifetime weighing in at an impressive 7lb. This fine specimen was caught on a local fly – the enigma. The fishing has been quite challenging due to early season weather conditions. Best flies this week has been small black buzzers fished on a floating line.

Bratton Water trout fishery is a small specialist brown trout fishery in North Devon, with most of the brown trout being stocked at 2-3lbs. The lake at Bratton water is trickle stocked from our fish farm on site. Quality of fish is paramount to the ethos of our stocking policy. We bring fish on slowly, only trickle feeding pellets and limiting the amount of fish held per stock pond. This leads for fish feeding on natural insects whilst being brought on and increases the quality of the fish we stock with all fish fin perfect and fighting fit.

For more information visit us at http://www.northdevonflyfishery.com/ or call Mike on 01271 850642

Blackdyke Fishery Fishing Report 8th Feb 2011

2011-02-08T15:47:00.001-08:00

Blackdyke trout fishery is located between Feltwell and Hockwold Ip264jw and is an 8 acre lake with boats and excellent facilities for anglers. Come and give us a look. This week the trout have been taking Damsels, orange blobs, orange fritz and small nymphs including hares ears and ptns. The lake is very clear and the trout can be seen cruising about. Floating lines being the order of the day with a slow figure of eight retrieve.

For any inquiries please phone Paul speed on 07525730447 or see the website http://www.blackdykefishing.co.uk/.

New Trout and Grayling flies added to Steve's Custom Flies on Cudafly.co.uk

2010-05-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have added two new great patterns to the CudaFly website. The first is the Body Stretch Buzzer STROUT20 http://www.cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/Body_Stretch_Buzzer_STROUT20.htmlas pictured above which sells for £0.95. When tying the thread has been placed in really open turns on the body and when combined with stretching the body stretch and coats of liquid glass gives the buzzer a really translucent feel. This fly as all buzzers should be fished slowly

The second pattern Jig Eyed Hares Ear Caddis STROUT19 http://www.cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/Ji...ar_Caddis.html is a real favourite of mine when fishing for grayling on the river dee in north Wales. This fly is tied on a size 14 Jiri Klima eyed jig hook which fishes the fly away from the river bed. This makes it an ideal point fly when Czech Nymphing.

New Meurig Parsons Flies added to cudafly.co.uk

2010-05-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Meurig Parsons is one of our custom fly tyers specialising in trout and saltwater flies. Meurig has added another two great bass flies to his collection selling at £1.90. You can see all of his flies at http://www.cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/MeurigParsonsHandTiedFlies.htmlI have attached Pictures of his 2 new flies.

MP Crystal Fish Green MP06

MP Crystal fish blue MP07

New Paulo Nardon flies added to the CudaFly Website

2010-04-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

Paulo Nardon is one of our custom fly tyers whose realistic fly patterns are a real joy to fish with. Paulo has added another three flies to his collection selling at £1.20 each. You can see all of his flies at http://www.cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/PaoloNardonFlies.html

I have attached pictures below of Paulo's 3 new flies.

Olive Parachute PN06

Realistic Mayfly PN07

Realistic Caddis PN08

If you would like to tie flies for CudaFly read the article at http://www.cudafly.co.uk/acatalog/TyersWanted.html
__________________

CudaFly Question – What happens if what I order is not in stock?

2009-05-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

Although we have most items in stock for immediate delivery sometimes we cannot get the item you have ordered from our supplier. Unlike most fly tying web sites we do not back order outstanding items unless we have been requested to do so from you the customer. This means that if we do not have the item we will reimburse your monies before the order is shipped via Paypal or Nochex. This gives you the customer complete peace of mind and does not result in waiting an excessive amount of time for your products.

April May Prize draw winner

2009-05-19T09:20:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Mr Anns of Northants who was randomly drawn this month winning 6 hard boxes of Turrals flies. As ever the response was high so to all those who didn't win thank you for the entries and better luck on the next draw.

Fly Tyers Wanted - Earn Extra Cash

2009-05-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

The success of the Steve’s custom flies section of the CudaFly website has been phenomenal. Unfortunately due to time constraints I find it difficult to keep the stock maintained and especially tie new patterns for the site. We at CudaFly are looking for proficient fly tyers who may want to sell their flies through our site. What we propose is that a complete section of the site will be devoted to your flies under your name with the backup of all the barracuda sites. This means that your flies will be advertised not only through CudaFly but also through the blog, barracuda Guiding and when completed a new site for steve’s custom flies. What we at CudaFly propose is that your flies will be bought in batches of ten at a wholesale price which can be paid either through paypal, directly into you bank account or by cheque. We will then sell at a retail price to cover our costs. When we have a minimum of 5 patterns on sale we will then give you an account on the CudaFly site with a HUGE discount to increase your profitability. We will discuss this discount over the phone. We do have plans in the future to produce flies commercially on a wholesale basis to the trade. When we have enough patterns and we begin this process you will be given the opportunity to have these produced in a large scale with a percentage of those flies sold given as royalties on a monthly basis.We do have high standards to which flies will be put onto the site. If you have never tied commercially before do not be deterred as you maybe surprised that you will meet the standard. Initially please contact Cudafly through the contact form with a list of the flies that you would like to submit. We will then contact you to confirm that the chosen patterns could be commercial. Then send two flies of each pattern to the address below so that we can check the standard. Those patterns which are not accepted will be returned. Those that are will have to be kept for reference purposes and a tying procedure submitted. This is in readiness for the future when the flies are produced commercially. Once we have agreed on a price we will then accept delivery of your flies and future patterns can be submitted as you wish. Once we have received your flies we will send monies asap usually within 1 week as per your desired payment method. We will then photograph your flies and put them on our sites. Once your flies begin to sell we will re submit orders as required. Fly TipsBoth flies of each pattern submitted should look the same. Heads should be small, wings in proportion to the fly and any ribbing equidistant. If the patterns submitted are not standard make a name that you would like the fly to be known as such as ‘Steve’s Buzzer’. We will not accept flies that are currently on our site however variants are more than welcome.If you any further questions please use the contact form.
__________________Tight Lines - Steve http://www.cudafly.co.uk http://www.cudafly.com http://www.barracudaguiding.co.ukTelephone 01516653371

Salmon Fishing Report River Dee Wales May 5th 07

2007-05-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid it's bad news again for us Salmon anglers, Steve from Barracuda Guiding had a recent salmon fishing trip on the river Dee in North wales. Unfortuntely due to the lack of rain fall the river is running very low and hence not much to report. After talking to local anglers a couple of salmon where seen earlier in the week at Duncan's pool when the water levels where higher. Hopefully with the fresh rain this week (at time of writing) the salmon should start to run.
On a positive note the trout and grayling has been alot better with stocking to commence within the next few weeks.
To obtain tickets to fish the river Dee, they can be purchased from Watkin and Williams. 4 Berwyn Street Llangollen LL20 8ND Tele 01978860652

Meadow Fisheries report 22nd April 07

2007-05-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

I apologise to all for the late posting of the fishing report, this has been due to commitments on my other sites. As ever the fishing has been great this last week at Meadow Fisheries, Chester, despite the changable weather. Fishing this venue for only 3 hours produced great sport on Orange Glo Floss Diawl Bachs, see Barracuda Guiding for tying desription. Fishing the Diawl Bach in combination with black buzzers on a floating line, simply keeping up with the wind drift produced amongst others this cracking Blue Trout which you can see is in excellent condition. As the water was still cool a sinking line approach with damsels and nymphs would have brought more to the net, however as you all know I just love fishing the buzzer and nymph combination on a floating line.

When you fish Meadow Fisheries, the centre lake has plenty of blue trout jumping which really gets the heart pumping. This week the fishing conditions have been fairly good with most catches being produced with some cloud cover. Once this happens the trout wil rise to CDC dry's and emergers with black buzzers (Size #12-14) and damsel all on floating lines being a good alternative. At other times its best to fish clear internediate lines with a variety of lures and nymphs. The weeks biggest fish goes to Mr Leo Winstanly with a trout of 5lb 6oz.

If You have never fished Meadow Fisheries, CudaFly and Barracuda Guiding Highly reccomend this venue. We have known the proprietors John and Chris for many years. They both have lots of fly fishing knowledge and do their uptmost to ensure an enjoyable day at their fishery. There is also a well stocked tackle shop combined with friendly advice, stocking such great products from Vision, C&F, Sage and GLoomis.

Treemeadow fishing report Cornwall april 24th 2007

2007-04-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest fishing report from Treemeadow trout fishery, Cornwall. With the warming climate Buzzer hatches are increasing and the trout are taking these avidly. Due to this both lakes are producing very good catch results to black buzzers (size #10-16) either drifted or retrieved slowly. As ever due to the huge Damsel population in both lakes any form of damsel nymph fished slowly on a floating line or rapidly twitched on a slime line (clear intermediate) will always do the trick. The water quality on willow lake is as ever exceptionally clear. This week orange stalking bugs have had the biggest catches with a 13lb 4oz Rainbow Trout falling to one of these bugs. The largest fish on sedge has been a 6lb Rainbow Trout succumed by a damsel. Approximately 10 days ago a brown trout was caught in the sedge lake weighing a massive 14lb which was returned unharmed ( fishery policy all browns to be returned). This is impressive in itself but for those of you who have not fished treemeadow, sedge lake is where the smaller fish are! Keep up the great work John (Fishery owner)
For more information on Treemeadow fishery look at these web sites
http://www.treemeadow.co.uk
http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk

River Tyne Salmon Fishing Report

2007-04-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last week John Hodge of Treemeadow trout fishery, Cornwall, fished the river Tyne at Bywell. Unfortunately it's bad news for us Salmon Fly anglers out there. The water is so low that for the week no fish where caught on the beats that John fished. Knowing how keen John is it won't be long before those bars of silver are on the bank side. Better luck next time John.
Steve

Pike Needle Fish now available on Steve's custom flies only £2.95

2007-04-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

£2.95 - Pike Needle Fly Added to Steve's Custom Flies. These are hand tied to the highest specifications and materials. Although this is a simple pattern do not be deceived as it is one of the best patterns I know for small lakes and canals. As with most patterns it can be fished on all lines however works best on a clear fast intermediate. Due to its size you will need a rod rating of at least an #8 to cast and don't forget a wire leader of at least 8 inches due to the Pike's teeth.

Nomad Trout pattern added to Barradcuda Guiding and Cudafly

2007-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

New Trout pattern added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly - The Nomad
Fly Pattern History
This is one of the most famous and successful lures of all time. The original pattern was designed and fished by the Nomad fly fishing team based out of the midlands. Using this fly the team won most of the major still water competitions and consequently was kept on the 'secret list' for many years. The above example, the olive and black variant, is by far the best colour combination for most still waters.
On a fly design aspect the Nomad offers some points of note. The red Glo floss head acts as a natural hitting spot for the trout whilst the olive fritz creates a vortex when the fly is pulled creating more noise through the water plus pulsating the marabou tail. The tail should not be dressed too heavily as this impairs movement. As ever we want to tie flies that catch fish not the angler. Another good addition to the Nomad is to tie in some blue holographic tinsel in the tail. This can prove the ultimate lure however be warned. The inclusion of the blue holographic tinsel can make this fly devastating or completely put the fish off the feed. If it works on your water you will get unbelievable catches, if it doesn't there is a good chance you will blank. However if you keep to the above combination you won't go far wrong.
Fishing this fly is basically up to you. It will work from a floating line through to the fastest of sinkers. On a floating line either twitch very slowly or pull a few inches and then let it sink up to maybe 30 seconds. Most of the fish will be taken at this time as the fly descends to the bottom. Fishing the Nomad on a sinking line can range form very fast (blob) pulling to a twitchy constant retrieve. My personal favorite method is to use a fast glass (clear intermediate) with a fast sinking poly leader attached to the fly line. The Polly leader then drags the fly to the bottom and effectively hinges the fly over any ledges etc on the lake bed. Using a short leader of about 6 - 8 feet gets that fly to the bottom. Retrieve then with a constant twitching retrieve and hold on to your rod. The Trout love this fly. Lastly as with all lure fishing move around the lake as the trout soon get used to the lures.

Fly Tying Method

Hook Size #10 competition heavy
Thread Black
Body Olive Fritz
Tail Black Marabou
Hotspot (head) Red Glo Floss (with 2 coats of hard as nails)
Gold Head Medium Gold Head

Tying Procedure
Slip a medium sized gold head bead onto the hook. Bed the hook with tying thread along the last half of the hook shank towards the bend. Return the thread to the bend of the hook. Take a pinch of black marabou and tie this in just before the bend of the hook. Trim the marabou. If you wish to add some blue holographic tinsel in the tail add it now. Take a length of Olive fritz and strip some of the flash off the core to expose the thread. Tie the thread core of the fritz in at the bend and return to half way up the hook shank. Wrap the fritz in close turns pulling back the flash of the fritz with each turn. This makes the fritz as bushy as possible. Continue with the fritz up to the half way point. Whip finish, trim and varnish. When dry push the bead up to the the fritz. Change the thread in the bobbin holder for some fine red Glo floss yarn. Pushing the gold head up to the fritz make a cone shape with the thread. Whip finish and apply two coats of Sally Hanson's hard as nails. The fly is ready to fish. Other colour combinations worth a note for this fly are cats whisker, orange, sunburst and all olive
Tight
Tight lines and good luck!
Steve
Buy the Nomad from Steve' custom flies for only
£0.95

Buy the materials to tie the Nomad from
Cudafly

Mackeral on the fly

2007-04-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

Mackerel on Fly(Scomber scombrus)

High summer and an early start to venture out to do some fishing before the tourists arrive in their droves along the South Cornwall coast for a day of sunbathing and swimming. The sun had not long been in the sky when Steve Beacall and I arrived at a little rocky outcrop known locally as Mackerel Rock just as the tide was beginning to ebb. We knew that there would be mackerel around in numbers here and the small fishing boats were already out in force trolling feathers about half a mile offshore.

We set up our rods and poured a coffee to take the chill out of the misty early morning air and watched as the gannets dove into the sea like white arrows to feed on the abundant shoals of sand eel that had by now ventured out from the shallows to feed. Our cups empty and packed away we took up our positions and made our first cast into the deep clear water. Di7’s are needed here to fish at the level mackerel prefer to hunt. A small brightly coloured fly is all that is needed for these fish so a size 4 blue over white fly was likely to work fine here. Steve was the first to hit a mackerel on his second cast and the little mackerel fought hard before it was landed and released. Then it was my turn as a mackerel pulled at the line from one side to the next. For their size these fish fight as hard as any trout and do not give up easily. Anglers who catch these on traces of six to eight feathers can winch them in on the heavy tackle they use but I dread to think how tricky it would be to land even two or three of these fish at a time on a fly rod.

The morning wore on and as the sun rose higher in the sky the crowds began to arrive on the nearby beach at around 8am and the rock mark became impossible to fish resembling a pincushion with the number of float rods that now covered this little patch of rock. As we were leaving an angler asked, “Had any luck”? “About forty fish between us" we replied. He looked at us quizzically noticing that we had been using fly rods then asked “where are the fish”? “We don’t keep them, we returned them all”, we replied. The look of consternation and bewilderment on his face was priceless, he was obviously thinking why we should have returned the fish. We thought that there may be some for next time as we headed for home.

The mackerel (Scomber scombrus) is probably the first kind of saltwater fish caught by those among us who have wet a fly line in the sea. They are a small fish related to the tuna family but what they lack in stature is more than made up for by their ability to put up a determined fight on light tackle. Mackerel are pelagic fish that can form vast shoals that can clearly be seen feeding near the surface where they prey upon smaller fish such as anchovies, juvenile herring and other juvenile fish, even other mackerel and sand eel. They feed by sight and will readily take any bright fly or feather bait and have even been caught on shiny bare hooks.

Mackerel spawn in the open seas as two main areas stock groups in the deepwater offshore in water temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. There are two groups of breeding stock, those that spawn in the North Sea do so between May and July and the western stock, as they are known, spawn in the vast areas over the Continental Slope of the Atlantic during the period between March and July. After the eggs hatch the young drift in the stream of plankton pushed along by the ocean currents where they feed, form shoals and grow quickly through their first year with 100% of the population reaching maturity at around three years old and measuring around twelve inches.

As they become more developed they cover vast distances in search of food swimming constantly through the surface layers to a depth of around sixty feet sometimes going deeper. These fish are built for speed and are very muscular little fish that need to remain on the move to stop them from sinking because they lack a swim bladder. Mackerel can live for a relatively long time and have been observed to reach the age of eighteen years old and the British rod caught record was a fish weighing almost seven pounds. Fish of this size are usually caught well offshore by commercial fishing methods but would certainly give anyone a run for their money if caught using fly tackle.

These oil rich fish are a much sought after food item in our seas that are hunted and eaten by their larger relatives the tuna as well as shark, cod, bass, squid, marine mammals and sea birds. The mackerel is a popular bait because of its oil rich flesh and it is used whole or cut into strips by many anglers to catch a range of both saltwater and freshwater predators throughout the year. This makes the mackerel worth imitating if you want to target some of the larger specimens and species found offshore when fishing from a boat.

Through the summer months the smaller fish aged one to four years old can be caught close to shore using fly tackle from rock marks that have deep water out in front. They can be caught here even in the middle of the brightest of days but during the periods of the day when light levels are low they can be caught in the much shallower water off beaches. Arriving in large shoals they can provide the fly angler with a great deal of sport over an extended period of time and in my opinion fight harder than a trout of the same size and weight. They arrive in our coastal waters at different times of the year dependant upon sea temperatures and geographical location. In the South West spring arrives early and you can expect to find mackerel from April onwards and you can expect to catch them right through to December when there is a final winter run of fish. In the Northern waters the mackerel don’t show up in great numbers until around June and remain inshore for a shorter period of time moving away again in the late autumn.

The tackle you use need not be heavy so a rod rated #6 to a #8 will be more than adequate for these little fish although there is always a good chance that your fly will be hit by a bass. With this in mind and that you will be casting flies tied on hook sizes 2/0 down to size 6, your tippet will need to have a breaking strain of 8 pounds plus to stop the flies breaking off during the casting stroke. The line that you choose is dependant upon the depth of water available and generally I would recommend using a fast intermediate or a fast sinking line. Fly selection is made much easier by the mackerel’s attraction to anything shiny, even a bare hook as mentioned earlier, so a small brightly coloured sand eel pattern or a small clouser minnow works incredibly well. There is no real skill to catching mackerel and if they are where you are fishing you will catch them. A sink and draw or a steady hand over hand retrieve is all that is needed and don’t be surprised to see several fish attempting to take your fly. All in all the mackerel is an abundant and entertaining little fish that you will want to catch again and again.

Florida Fishing Report Summer / Fall

2007-03-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

Mark is one of the best captains / guides in the florida and miami area. http://www.captainmarkgiacobba.com/
Here are some quick shots of some of the fishing we had this summer and fall here in south Florida. Hope everyone is having a good winter and is able to wet a line and catch some fish. Hope to see you this winter and spring for some backcountry fishing in Everglades National Park.
Tim Daughton fly fishing buyer for Bass Pro Shops put in some overtime on a recent trip from Missouri and caught and released 8 snook on flies. Keep up the great work Tim and look forward to your next visit!
Fishing out of Flamingo in Everglades National Park Dr. Frank Boyar from Delray Beach tied up some great looking olive bunny strip flies to fool a handful of baby tarpon two of which he boated from 8 to 12 pounds. Frank also brought to the boat a nice redfish on fly as well. The redfish that day were extremely fussy but a well placed shrimp fly did the trick!
South Florida anglers Jim Durante and Alex Marinda took a midweek day off to fish out of Flamingo. Together they had a double hook up on tarpon first thing in the morning with fish in the 30 pound class on spin tackle one on a jig and the other on a plug. They both had to break each fish off when several sharks moved in on them. They also hooked up with some good action on seatrout, ladyfish, mackerel, a handful of snook and sight fished 5-6 redfish one of which Jim fooled with an orange/brown muddler style fly.
All the best
Capt. Mark Giacobba
(561) 789-2983 or from the UK 0015617892983
http://www.captainmarkgiacobba.com/
Get your flies and tying materials for your next fly fishing adventure from Cudafly and Barracuda Guiding

Fishing Report - Govenors Harbour - Bahamas

2007-03-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

As you can see the bonefish have been biting here at Govenors harbour in the Bahamas. In the bay low tide seems to be best using a floating line with small crazy charlie patterns in a sand colour. Retreive the fly in slow 6 inch strips with a pause in between each strip. Give the fly plenty of time to sink and keep the fly near the bottom. The top end of the bay by where the boats are mored seems the most productive. Fish as you go into the water as the bonefish here come in very close. You will see bonefish darting up and down the bay. Don't cast to these as they are not on to the feed. Wait until these fish return later and you can see them feeding. If you cast to these moving fish they will spook easily and you will blank the rest of the day. On the other side of the harbour its best fishing from high tide out. Here the water is a lot deeper and we have found more success on stripping intermediate lines with baitfish patterns of 2-3 inches in length. Gummy minnows being one of the favourites. Cast out to the second sand bank and let the fly sink approx 20 seconds and start pulling. Fish are there right through up to the beginning of the reef on the left hand side. If you haven't had the opurtunity to fish for these fantastic fighting fish, you need to stick this on the list of fishing to do before you die! These fight unlike any other fish you can think of and every fish takes you down to the backing and more. When we get back we will post tying patterns and more info on this exciting branch of the sport here on the blog and on Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly.
Tight lines
Cudafly

How to tie the Pike Marabou Sparkler

2007-02-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

New Pike Fly Pattern added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly - The Pike Marabou Sparkler

History
The Pike Marabou Sparkler is one of the simplest pike fly tying patterns yet can be one of the most successful flies that we at Barracuda Guiding have used. Although it is far from an exact replica of a baitfish the amount of movement this fly obtains in the water attracts pike like none other. The pulsating marabou collar combined with the flash of the tail is indicative of a wounded pray fish triggering the aggressive nature of Pike. This fly fishes best on sinking lines depending on the depth of water fished. Varying the retrieve constantly is the key to pike fishes. Sometimes the best retrieve is to pull in 20-30 feet of line then come to a full stop for a minute. As with most pike flies this one is big. Ideally you need a fly length of 12 inches so get that casting practice in, ensuring that the rod and not you do most of the work. As with all predator fishing use a length of wire trace on your leaders.

Tying Method

Hook Pike Aberdeen #4/0
Thread Hot Lime Green Glo Floss
Tail Laser Lite and pearl crystal hair
Collar Red Marabou
Head Cover in Epoxy

Procedure

Using the glo floss as tying thread, bed the shank of the hook from the eye and finish just before the bend. Cut a generous amount of laser lite using the full length of the shank of the material and tie this in. Select a generous length of pearl crystal hair and tie this in also. Trim and apply a couple of firm wraps of floss and continue wraps so that there are no bumps at the join. Take a red marabou plume and tie in at the tip. Wrap this as a hackle three or four times to give a bushy collar, tie this in securely and trim. Form a tapered nose and tie off near the eye. Epoxy the nose of the fly, let dry and cover with two of Sally Hanson's hard as nails. You will notice on the above picture that the hook has been de barbed. Personally I de barb all pike hooks before I start tying. Aberdeen hooks, although very strong can be britlle around the hook point when being de barbed. I therefore use a pair of gas pliers to de barb my hooks due the surface area, slowly increasing the pressure until the hook is de barbed.
Tight lines and good luck !
Steve

New Saltwater Fly Pattern - The Hares Ear Shrimp

2007-01-31T08:07:00.000-08:00

New Saltwater fly Pattern added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly - The Saltwater Hares Ear Shrimp http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/saltwatershrimp.htm

History
This is one of the best saltwater shrimp patterns for tropical waters that we at Barracuda Guiding have come across. We have used this pattern extensively around many of the Bahamian islands to great success for species from bonefish to parrot fish. This fly should be tied in a variety of sizes concentrating on size #4 and lower. Its also easy and quick to tie. You can fish this fly on all densities of lines although our preferred method is to fish the shallows with a floating line.

Tying Method

Hook #4 - #8 Stainless Steel
Thread Black
Feelers Natural Hares Mask
Flash Pearl crystal flash
Eyes Gold Dumb Bells
Rib Medium Pearl Tinsel
Body Natural Hares Ear

Procedure
Bed the hook with tying thread finishing just slightly past the beginning of the bend of the hook. ( you may notice that the thread used is black rather than using brown. When the fly is wet the underbody thread colour darkens the body of the fly and therefore lighter spots when combined with the hares ear guard hairs ) Select a natural hares mask and cut some fibres from the cheek of the mask, the longer the better, remove the fluff from the base of these fibres and tie in as the feelers. Select a few strands of pearl crystal flash and tie this in as a topping for the feelers. Tie in the medium pearl tinsel and wind the thread along the shank of the hook until you reach approximately 1/3 along the hook shank. Tie in the Gold Dumb Bells on top of the hook shank making sure that the eyes are at right angles to the hook shank. This will ensure that the fly fished upside down in the water. Return the thread to where you tied in the pearl tinsel and dub the thread with wax. Select your hares ear, using as much guard hairs as possible in the mix and dub this onto the thread. Wrap this around the hook shank ensuring to cover where the Dumb Bells meet the shank of the hook both above and below. Continue until just before the eye of the hook and rib the fly with the pearl medium tinsel. Ties off, whip finish and varnish. As an option you can paint red spots on the Dumb Bells as a hitting spot.
Tight lines and good luck!
Cudafly

new saltwater fly pattern steve's Ultra shrimp

2007-01-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

New Saltwater Pattern added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly - steve's Ultra shrimp
http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/steves%20ultra%20shrimp.htm

History
We at Barracuda Guiding have always enjoyed fishing the original Ultra shrimp pattern and have had great success both here in the UK and abroad, but felt that it could do with a more life like representation in the water. As most Saltwater species including Bass feed heavily on shrimp, after many months of experimentation this was the final result. When fished the pattern resembles the translucency of the natural and has enough definition to for the fish to easily see the fly in clear water. The fly doesn't sink quickly and hence needs to be fished on a variety of sinking lines in the UK. When fishing the Bahamas the fly fishes best on a floating line.

Tying Method

Hook #4 - #6 stainless steel
Thread White
Feelers Natural Buck Tail
Flash Pearl crystal flash
Eyes Burnt Plastic
Over body Champagne Savage Hair
Under Body White Savage Hair

Procedure
Bed the hook with thread stopping at the bend of the hook. Tie in a pinch of natural deer hair and top with a few strands of pearl crystal flash. Take 2 strips of plastic tubing and hold the ends close to a flame until the ends ball, then place to one side to cool. Once cool tie the eyes in on the top of the hook shank so that the balls are equally spaced. Trim excess. Return the thread until just before the eye of the hook and take some champagne savage hair and tie this as a shell cover. Before you tighten the threads using your thumb spread the savage hair at the tie in point to fan out the hair. Trim excess and tie in firmly. Turn the hook upside down in the vice and repeat the above process with the white savage hair. Form a neat head with the thread and whip finish. Turn the hook now the right way up in the vice and coat the shell back and the thread with permanent marker half way up the shell casing ( the champagne savage hair). Once this is dry coat the top of the fly with 5 minute epoxy.
Tight lines and good luck!
Steve

2007-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

This new fly pattern has been added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly

History
This is another competition favorite that has helped win many still water matches especially at the beginning and the end of the season. The black / green combination has always been an excellent fish catcher. Using peacock herl for the body creates a bronze iridescence that emulates natural insects but couple this with the chartreuse glister dubbing gives the trout a hitting spot. The dubbing also creates vortexes around the fly when pulled through the water creating both movement at the head section and extra movement at the tail. The above fly is tied using international competition rules and hence works best on all sinking lines. However if you fish this fly for pleasure it works better when using a floating line with the inclusion of a gold head and a longer marabou tail.
Tying Method
Hook #14 to #10 Competition Heavy Weight
Thread Black
Tail Black Marabou
Body Peacock Herl
Rib Fine Copper Wire
Head Chartreuse Glister dubbing
Procedure
Bed the hook shank with thread, take a pinch of black marabou and tie this in for the tail and trim excess. Tie in a strip of peacock herl at the thick end of the herl for strength and tie in a length of fine copper wire, trim excess. Return the thread to 1/3 length of the hook shank from the eye. Wrap the hook shank with the peacock herl and tie off. Rib the body with the wire with equal turns and in the opposite direction of the peacock wraps to give extra strength to the body. Tie off and trim excess. Prepare the tying thread with wax and dub the thread with glister. Wrap the dubbed thread on the rest of the hook shank, whip finish and varnish.
Tight lines and good luck!
Cudafly

Buy the materials to tie the Peacock Pea from
Cudafly

http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/Grizzle%20Marabou%20Damsel.htm

2007-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

www.barracudaguiding.co.uk

www.cudafly.com

New trout fly pattern added to barracuda guiding and Cudafly.com - The Buzzer Emerger

Learn to tie more trout and saltwater flies at Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly
This is another one of those patterns that is not only easy to tie but fantastic at catching trout. I came across this pattern a few years ago when I was doing allot of competition fishing. In the afternoon on match days the fish tend to become very finicky after seeing so many blobs etc earlier in the day. Even if the fish where avidly feeding on buzzers it did not matter what you put in front of them they would not bite - however this pattern did the trick when all else had failed. You need to fish this fly on a floating line with the slightest of retrieve and ties in the smaller sizes. Don't underestimate this fly and hold on to your rod, when trout hit this fly they hit it hard!
Tying Method
Hook Size #18-14 competition heavy
Thread Black
Body Thread
Thorax Natural Hares ear
Rib Fine pearl tinsel
Procedure
Bed the hook with thread and tie in a length of fine pearl tinsel just after the bend of the hook. Return the thread to the thorax area and apply wax to the thread. Lightly dub the thread with natural hares ear, use guard hairs as this will give the thorax more texture and the fly movement as the fly drops through the water column. Rib the fly with the pearl tinsel and tie off at the eye. Whip finish and apply 2 coats of superglue to the body of the fly. Easy and effective!
Tight lines - steve

http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/Grizzle%20Marabou%20Damsel.htm

2007-01-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

www.barracudaguiding.co.uk

www.cudafly.com

New Trout Fly Pattern added to Barracuda Guiding and Cudafly.com - The Grizzle Marabou Damsel

History
This is another one of those patterns that is not only easy to tie but fantastic at catching trout. I came across this pattern a few years ago and has always been in my fly box ever since. This fly is certainly one of those patterns that does not catch the angler but certainly catches the fish! When fished through the water the fine fibres of the grizzle marabou pulsate with a truly 'life like' quality and when wet the fly really slims down to imitate the natural damsel pupae. Although the fly does look messy to the eye this is a must to ensure its fly fishing success. If there are damsels in your local water the trout there will just love this fly. This as others here is tied to international fly fishing competition rules but can be just as successful with the inclusion of a weighted bead (gold head) at the eye of the hook. You need to fish this fly on a floating line with the slightest of retrieve and when fishing sinking lines any retrieve will suffice. Always remember to mix retrieves up as wary trout get used to one retrieve only. Don't underestimate this fly and hold on to your rod, when trout hit this fly they hit it hard!
Tying Method
Hook Size #10-14 competition heavy
Thread Olive
Tail & Body Grizzle Marabou
Rib Medium Copper Wire
Thorax Peacock Herl
Procedure
Bed the hook with tying thread and finish at the bend of the hook. Cut a section of copper wire tie in and trim. Select some grizzle marabou as a tail and leave enough marabou for the body, do not trim. Return the thread to the thorax area of the fly and wrap the excess grizzle marabou down the shank of the hook. Tie off and trim. Rib the body with the copper wire, tie this off and trim. Tie a length of peacock herl at the thicker butt end of the herl for strength and wrap this for a thorax. Tie this off, construct a neat head, whip finish and varnish.
Tight lines and good luck!
Steve

http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/Glister%20hot%20spot%20hares%20ear.htm

2007-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

www.barracudaguiding.co.uk

www.cudafly.com

New pattern added to the Barracuda Guiding Website, the hot spot glister hares ear
History
Nearly all still water venues have populations of both shrimp and hoglouse and some of these populations are huge. At varying times of the year trout will gorge themselves on these invertibrates especially during early and late seasons when fly pupae are dormant. As shrimp and hoglouse are prevalent throughout the year trout will feed on these all year round. This makes it essential to have a good shrimp pattern in your box.
I have always enjoyed still water buzzer fishing during the summer months and continued this type of fishing during the winter using standard shrimp patterns such as gold ribbed hares ear etc. As excellent as these patterns are I felt that more could be done. Late autumn is the spawning time for shrimp when they take on a slightly pink hue. Also bloodworm buried in the silt are always on the trout menu. Therefore the design for this pattern arose. Hares ear is used for the body for the fly which is heavily teased to emulate breathers and legs whilst the glister hotspot does a few things. It gives the fly a hitting spot for the trout, creates movement in the fly when fished and when wet gives that slight pink hue to the fly. The final addition is a micro thickness strip of red holographic tinsel as a back (see picture below). I beleive this gives the impression of bloodworm. Wether this is what the trout see is another thing however the fly catches more trout with the inclusion of the holographic strip.
You can fish this fly on any line, either singuarly or as part of a team. I prefer using a floating line detecting bites by subtle twitches or under a bung fished static. The fly works just as well with the inclusion of a gold head or tungsten bead. With the gold head it makes this fly an excellent grayling pattern when river fishing.
Tying Method
Hook
Size #10-14 Grub
Thread
Brown
Body
Natural Hares ear
Rib
Medium Copper Wire
Hotspot
Red glister dubbing
Over Body
Micro Red Holographic Tinsel
Procedure
Bed the hook with tying thread and finish at the bend of the hook. Cut a section of copper wire tie in and trim. Cut a strip of red holographic tinsel and tie this in at the bend of the hook also. Dub the thread with hares ear including as many of the guard hairs as possible. Wrap this up the shank the the middle of the shank. Dub some red glister dubbing on the thread and create the fly hot spot. Dub some more hares ear and wrap this till just before the eye of the hook. Place the previously tied in holographic tinsel over the back of the fly, tie in and trim. Rib the fly with the copper wire making sure that the holographic back does not slip around the hook. Tie in the rib and trim. Create a neat head, whip finish and varnish.
Tight lines and good luck!
Steve

http://www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/angel_hair_baitfish.htm

2006-12-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

New Saltwater Fly Pattern added Angel Hair Bait Fish

See this and more patterns at www.Barracudaguiding.co.uk and www.cudafly.com
This pattern arose after a season of bass fly fishing when there was an extremely high proportion of baitfish compared to sand eel and the bass seemed completely preoccupied with this food source. Usually if you only have sand eel patterns when bass fishing and they are selectively feeding on baitfish a little cutting with a pair of scissors at the waterside on the fly can result in a fair imitation. This season was different. Unless the fly moved in a similar fashion and had the broad side profile the bass where not interested. After some experimentation this was the end result. It worked fantastically. This fly has also caught fish for me throughout the world and has now become one of my most favorite flies. The Angel hair bait fish can be fished on all lines and all retrieves.
Tying Method
Hook #4 - #1/0 stainless steel
Thread White
Eyes Epoxy eyes
Body Pearl Angel Hair
Over body Olive Angel Hair
Procedure
Bed the hook with tying thread finishing just before the bend. Select a length of pearl Angel Hair and tie this above the hook shank. Select another length and tie this under the shank. Continue this process of applying Angel Hair above and below the hook shank until you reach just before he eye. You will notice that the side of the fly looks uneven. Cover the side of the shank on both sides by tying in a section of pearl Angel Hair. Tie in a section on Olive Angel Hair as a topping over the body of the fly, trim all excesses and whip finish. Trim the body to obtain a 'fish' shape to the fly. Apply a thin coat of epoxy to the head and allow to dry until tacky. Just before the epoxy sets squeeze the epoxy head to flare out the body of the fly. Once the epoxy has fully set glue the eyes in place and cover with a further coat of epoxy. Once this has set cover the head with 2 coats of Sally Hanson's hard as nails for a glossy finish.
Tight lines and good luck!
Steve