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Fly fishing method in brown coloured water

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Eikre 9’0” #5
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Fly fishing method in brown coloured water

Post by Eikre 9’0” #5 »

What would be advised as fly fishing method(dry/wet/nymph)/fly-color in brown coloured water on a small river (no rise at all)?
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ennio
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Post by ennio »

Would that be brown coloured flood water, or tannin stained under normal conditions?

Andrew
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Paul Arden
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Post by Paul Arden »

This also depends on species, if the river is high/in flood and indeed which part of the world. If it's high, dirty and you're after brown trout, you want to fish streamers into the edges for example. Rivers that are normally discoloured then everything goes as normal. If it's completely out of character and you can't see more than a few inches through a raging torrent, then you may be better finding a lake. If I'm fishing for Asp on the Drava and it colours up fast, or if it's just running thick because of the Mura, then surface wake flies are the only thing that seem to work.

If there's a general rule, it would be to fish on or near the surface with streamers close to the bank.

Cheers, Paul
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Eikre 9’0” #5
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Post by Eikre 9’0” #5 »

ennio wrote:Would that be brown coloured flood water, or tannin stained under normal conditions?

Andrew
Brown coloured flood water. Normal conditions are more clear water.

@ Paul: River is in Belgium. The Semois. Fish species are trout (rare), chub and barbel.
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Paul Arden
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Post by Paul Arden »

For trout, hit the banks with streamers. Either straight down the bank or under trees - Olive or Olive and White. The fish are usually in slack water hard on the bank. Same with Chub, but I'd throw foam dries at them. Barbel, don't know and haven't fished for them in these conditions and no idea if they behave like Southern European barbel (probably not by all accounts!). I would ignore all water more than a couple of feet from the edge, even if it means wading out and fishing back in.

Cheers, Paul
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Bill Gammel
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Post by Bill Gammel »

I'm not writing this to go against Paul, because I am on the other side of the world from the fish you are discussing. I am just adding a thought. I have a rule of thumb that worked for western trout (big streams or small), bass and red fish here in the states.

For dirty water, fish black, chartruese, or black/chartruese combo. The pattern is almost always a wooly bugger.
Typically thrown at the bank or obvious cover.

That's my two cents worth. These are the type thread I can learn from. Thanks for starting it.
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Post by Malcolm »

I live only a mile from a spate river with salmon, sea run brown trout which run from July onwards and some very large (ferox) brown trout which run the river from September onwards.

By far my most successful fly is one I developed about 25 years ago. It is tied on a size 6 leaded double with rubber legs, sparkle tail, orange palmered body and a heavy wing of peach and pink marabou. I've tried it with many other colours and use variants from time to time but the pink/peach marabou wing seems to me to work best.

The other fly on the cast will vary but will be of a slimmer, classic salmon style.

In high coloured water almost all of the trout (sea trout and ferox) take the Bug although in low clear water it is useless for both trout and salmon. The other fly does marginally better for salmon in all conditions.

Style of fishing is either under trees (down and across) or directly across with a big downstream mend. One other thing: we have a style of retrieve known locally as "whapping". This is flexing the rod tip constantly through an arc of anything from 1 to 2 feet to add to the movement of the fly while the line is retrieved using figure of 8.
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Eikre 9’0” #5
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Post by Eikre 9’0” #5 »

Thx for the input everybody.

@Andrew (Ennio): Just curious about your question. What would be the difference for fishing in brown coloured due to flood or normal tannin stained?
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Paul Arden
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Post by Paul Arden »

If the water is normally coloured then it's business as usual.
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Post by ennio »

What he said :D
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Al Greig
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Post by Al Greig »

I suppose "coloured water" varies from catchment to catchment. My local river runs like milky coffee after heavy rain, because it runs off of reddish agricultural soils.

I don't bother fishing it until visibility increases to a foot or so, and then I'll be using a heavy black bugger type streamer thing.

Interestingly, and contrary to previous posts, the takes tend to come mid-river, after casting square and stripping, or adding a downstream mend and swinging. Bringing the lure back up the bank doesn't seem to work.
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Post by wjc »

I don't know about European species or fish as a whole, but for brook trout and landlocked salmon in tanin stained water, gold tinsel as opposed to silver usually meant fish as opposed to casting practice.

Cheer,
Jim
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