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The Fisherman's Vade Mecum by CW Maunsell
The fisherman’s vade mecum
Book I TROUT FISHING Part I – Wet Fly Fishing The “ II – Dry Fly Fishing “ III – Rising and Feeding Fish “ IV – Artificial Flies “ V – Natural Insects “ VI – Fishing with Natural Insects “ VII – Evening and Night Fishing “ VIII – Worm Fishing “ IX – Mayfly Fishing
Par I – WET FLY FISHING
Section 1 Notes for a beginner Before you “go fishing” acquire some knowledge of the following three things (if you don’t, you spend your time trying to learn them, and this hampers your fishing):
Section 2 Greasing the Line Unless of course you wish to fish deep, it pays to grease your line when fishing in a lake or when fishing upstream in river. Some of the advantages are: 1. You can recover the line off the water easier 2. You can shoot your line better 3. The line is less liable to become waterlogged 4. In wet weather the line is less liable to stick in the rings
Section 3 To sink the fly, cast, or line
To sink a fly: 1. Dip it in glycerin 2. Wet it in your mouth 3. Wet it well and then press it between your fingers.
To sink a cast: 1. Rub it with soap or a piece of lead 2. Rub it with glycerin 3. Draw it through the gills of a fish
To sink a line: 1. If you rub a line with Fuller’s Earth this removes all traces of grease and makes its sink well. 2. Rub it gently with soft mud, wet clay, or any substance soluble in water.
Section 4 Stream Fishing a. Preliminaries 1. If you have time, walk over the water and pick out likely spots. 2. Choose which bank to fish from ( this depends chiefly on the wind) . You must also consider the position of the sun, the presence of bushes, etc., on the banks, the water conditions ( the best side from which to fish, likely stickles and currents), and the windings of the river. 3. Find out what flies on the water and try to match it. 4. Find out what the fish are feeding on. 5. Find out what stage of the rise is on, first, second, or third stage. 6. Consider what are the weather, wind, light, and water conditions, and decide on type, size, and color of your fly. 7. Decide if you will finish up- or downstream. 8. If unsuccessful, don’t linger to long in any one place.
1. Keep out of sight as much as you can. A high bank, hedge, wall or trees behind you help to make you less visible to the fish. 2. Remain as steady and motionless as you can. Fish soon detect any movements of the body, legs, or arms. 3. Move slowly, tread lightly, be silent, and keep as low as you can. 4. Avoid casting your shadow or that of your rod on the water. 5. Try to keep behind your fish. 6. Your first cast over a fish is your best chance. 7. Note carefully the landmarks of a rise. 8. Keep your fly on the water and your hook sharp. 9. When casting over tall sedges or rushes on the riverbank, it is better to recover the line by pulling it through the rings than by trying to lift back with the rod, there’s less chance of the fly catching up. 10. Remember that a road is simply a highway over the land and the public has no right to fish in private water from a public highway or from a bridge.
c. Weather conditions Wind: An upstream breeze when fishing upstream, and a downstream breeze when fishing down are an advantage. A steady breeze to cause a ripple is always useful. A changeable squall wind is bad for any sort of fishing. Water: When the temperature of the water is warmer than the air, fishing is better than when the water is colder than the air. A rapidly falling or rapidly rising water is bad for fishing. Normal height and color of the water is best. The second or third day after a flood, when water is clearing, is usually a favorable time. The threat of floods, heavy rain, or storms, always puts fish down. Water the temperature of 50° to 60° is about right for trout fishing. Light: when there are gleams of sunshine between clouds, or when the light is dull and diffused, expect good fishing. When there is a strong glare on the water, fishing is seldom good. This glare is often caused during bright sunlight when heavy white clouds are about. Barometer: A steady or rising barometer is better for fishing than when it is variable or falling. Mist or Fog, Etc.: Fishing is seldom good during a fog, or when there is a mist like smoke close over the water, or where the mist hangs level on the hills. “Close rain “is bad for fishing. “Open rain “does not interfere with it. A “soft” day is better for fishing than a “hard” day. General. There’s often a rise of fish just after a change of wind, light, or weather. On the approach of stormy or unsettled weather nearly all animals (including fish) cease feeding and take shelter. Just before and during a thunderstorm trout do not usually take well. After the storm has passed, you have a good chance of a fish with a wet fly. Fishing is never good on a day when the water appears full of light and you can see the stones, etc. on the bottom very clearly and your line and cast are very visible in the water.
d. When to Fish Up- or Downstream Stream fishing is of two sorts: (a) Upstream, using a short line, usually one fly (with kick) casting to individual fish (b) Downstream, using a long line, usually three flies (with a good entry).
Usually best to fish upstream 1. With an upstream wind 2. In bright whether 3. In clear low water 4. Where the current is not too swift
E. Usually best to fish downstream 1. With a downstream wind 2. On a dull day with a breeze 3. With a swift current 4. When the water is clearing after a flood Always fish upstream if wind and water conditions permit. It often pays to start fishing upstream and then come back again over the same ground fishing down.
e. Notes on Fishing Upstream Some advantages of fishing upstream are: 1. When casting you’re behind your fish and unseen. 2. Your fly floats down naturally, with no drag on it. 3. You can cover every yard of the water with a short line. 4. When you hook a fish, you play him downstream and do not disturb the water above you.
The usual method is 1. To cast upstream with the short line (say about 8 yd. from the rod top to the fly). 2. Raise the rod top as the fly drifts down towards you, or draw in line through the rings keeping a fairly tight line between rod top and fly. 3. Allow the fly to swim down naturally, no drag—give no motion to the fly. 4. In a swift current you must make frequent casts. Fish the cast well out; fish often take the fly close to your feet in the shallow water. Strike quickly and gently to the rise. 5. When wading keep low, move slowly, slide forward foot by foot, cause no ripple, no splashing, no rapid movements of the body. 6. With a bright light in clear water, try the sides of the broken water at the head of the runs. 7. With a breeze, try the easy water at the tail of the run. In the gravelly shallows is always were trying.
Other methods: 1. The wet fly method. Cast upstream, short line, thin line, one fly. Oil line and cast (except last 18 in. of cast), to make it float. Rub soap, glycerine, etc. on the last 18 in. to make it sink about 6 in.. Watch the cast for a rise. Fish slowly, strike quickly. This method is worth trying (a) When fish are rising short (b) When fish are bulging (c) In a strong light, clear, calm, water.
2. Try fishing the dropper upstream, short line, two or even three flies. No oil on flies, cast or line: the tail fly may be glycerined to make it sink. Raise the rod top when drawing the flies towards you, keeping all line off the water and the top dropper only on the surface. This is best with a wind or in broken water.
3. Try two flies, one floating and one sunk. It is best to have the tail fly well oiled and floating, the other fly about a yard up the cast on a 3 in. dropper glycerined or well wet to make it sink. The reel line and cast must be greased to float (except about a foot of the cast each side of the dropper, which can be the rubbed with glycerine or with soap to make it sink). Cast upstream into pools and very easy water. Watch the floating fly. Strike at once. This is a useful method in a still pool or any lake.
4. A cast made up of a nymph fished wet on the tail and a dry fly on dropper is sometimes a good combination. They hatch of nymphs being a gradual affairs, at times the fish will be taking both duns and nymphs.
By watching the dry fly you can detect this slightest touch at the nymph and strike quickly.
f. Notes on fishing downstream The chief disadvantage of fishing downstream is, the line pursues an unnatural course across and against the stream and is rather conspicuous. The fishermen is also easily seen by the fish. This can be partly avoided by using a long rod, a thin line and casting a long line. When fishing down, you miss many fish that rise to the dropper which you would hook if you fished upstream, you are also more liable to prick a fish as the tendency is to pull the hook out of his mouth.
The usual method is 1. Cast a fairly long line especially in shallow water. 2. 2. You can have three flies, 1yd. apart, on a 9ft. cast. The flies, especially the tail fly, should have a “good entry.” 3. 3. Do not grease your line or cast. A greased line fished down and across causes “drag.” 4. 4. Cast across and slightly downstream, allow your flies to swim round with the current unchecked ( when they represent nymphs or dead flies). But when they represent small fish or beatles, etc ( such as butcher, Alexandra, or small salmon flies) still allow time to swim round with the current, but give them a little jerky or trembling motion with the wrist. 5. 5. When the line has come around and is straightened out in the stream, hold it still for a few seconds, then draw it in a few feet and let it fall back again. Try also letting the stream take out the line foot by foot until you have say 30yd. of line out. 6. 6. Fish usually follow the fly round, and do not take it until the line has straightened out. 7. 7. Camouflage yourself as much as possible, keep off the fishes’ skyline, and tread lightly on the bank. Cast first under your own bank with a “cross country” cast, then try midstream, then under opposite bank. A cross country cast is made by standing well back from the bank and casting a short line to a fish under your own bank, allowing the gut cast to fall beyond the edge of the bank. Move on about 3yd. and cast again, etc. 8. Cast a straight line, try to avoid having much belly in it (sometimes this cannot be helped when the current is strong in midstream). 9. To fish deep, cast rather upstream and across; this gives the fly time to sink, but is liable to cause a belly in the line. With a strong midstream current, it pays to cast almost downstream to avoid the belly in the line. 10. Mind your shadow and that of your rod, also the glitter of the rod. Face the sun if possible when casting. When the sun is behind you the water in front of you should be “broken” either by currents were by a good breeze so as to obscure your shadow. In any case your shadow must not fall within 5ft. of the fish. 11. When wading keep low, tread lightly, move slowly, and cause no ripples on the surface of the water. 12. Fishing downstream, a fish generally hooks himself, so strike very gently as you have a tight line and are striking against the stream.
g. When tied up in a bush 1. Try a gentle pull in the direction of the wind. 2. Throw a stone attached to a string over the branch and pull it down to you. 3. When fishing only one fly, try reeling up until the fly touches the rod top, then twist the rod to right and left. 4. Lower the rod, point it at the fly, real in slowly or pull in line through the rings. The fly may drop clear; it is an even chance. 5. When caught up in the bush on the far side of a stream try lowering the top of the rod and letting the stream take the line. This may cause the fly to fall clear. 6. When hopeless and you must break, reel up all you can and pull on line direct through rings.
h. Where to cast in a stream. It is very important for a fisherman to have a knowledge of the haunts and habits of trout. It is more important to the wet fly fishermen than to the dry fly man (who casts to a rising fish). The seasonal movements of trout in the stream are roughly as follows: In November and December they are busy spawning in the higher reaches. In January and February they drop downstream exhausted and rest in the pools and sluggish water. In March they appear in the gravelly shallows (1 ft. deep), and in the tail of, and at the sides of, easy currents. In April (under normal conditions) they take up their place or “pitch” in the stream, at a spot where plenty of flies and food are passing. When several trout are in a pool, they take up their position in order of size, viz the largest in front where the food enters and the others behind. In the early autumn they congregate at the mouth of tributaries, etc. preparatory to moving up to spawn.
The “pitches” or spots chosen in April for the season, are roughly where the current is easy and passing food is plentiful, viz: 1. At the sides of stickles or currents. 2. In the eddies on the edge of a run, behind and between weed patches. 3. In the pools and eddies made by the stream. 4. In the irregularities of the riverbed which offer shelter from the current, behind stones, etc. 5. In the “hang of the stream,” i.e. the smooth water above a rapid run. 6. In the “eye of the stream,” i.e. the first eddy or pool after it commences to become rapid water. 7. In the tail of the stream when the current begins to get easy and normal again. 8. Where two currents of water meet at the mouth of a small tributary, below a weed bed or obstacle. Where two currents of wind meet under the lee of an island or clump of trees. 9. All fish prefer shade to a strong light. In strong sunshine they seek the shade of trees, bushes, banks, bridges, etc. It pays to cast into the shade and draw your fly into the sunshine. In rising water trout search for food in the middle of the stream. In a strong flood they go to the sides and under the banks for shelter, until the flood subsides. In falling water they gradually take up their pitches in the stream. In low water and bright weather trout seek the shade of the banks and bushes. In a normal breeze they move to the bank on to which the flies are blown. In a strong wind they seek the sheltered places where the insects congregate, viz on the lee side of trees, bushes, banks, walls, etc. When the temperature of the upper surface of the water is cold they keep to the bottom in the deep pools. |
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