Episode 20

 

VLOG#16

No need to travel miles when you have such a nice playground right on your doorstep!
The travel restrictions have some good, it's forcing me to rediscover old grounds! Finding new features, studying them, recording them, fishing them and  finally trying to understand them. This is what being a guide is all about...

Water temperatures is at a steady17º / 18º on the surface, so fishing 6 to 8 meters deep you know the water is just at a nice temperatures down there. The fish are at their fittest at the moment, stronger than a doped athlete they are a joy to fight.But make sure that the fights are short (i only fish 10 weight) and minimize to maximum the time a pike is out of the water. Better if you can leave them in the net, unhook them in the net and let them go.
I managed to fly fish most of the day, before the wind got too strong, i had a little fun with soft plastics and jigflies. In my opinion its the best option because i can keep on using a single hook making it so much better for the fish welfare.

Vlog#15 Jigfly madness

Dry, hot, low water don't usually make for good fishing, but this time the pikes were on the feed. That south easterly wind was strong and warm, but it moved the water well activating the pikes into a large feeding window ( around 1 hour after the peak of the morning major).
I started on the fly, but the wind got worse making the open spots where the fish were feeding nearly impossible for a decent fly presentation.
I had anticipated those conditions, so i brought with me a medium casting rod to test my latest jigflies. And i am glad i did! A 25 grms jigfly was hitting the perfect depth to tempt these fish into eating. A slow retrieve with stop and go mix with long pauses was the right combination on the day.
Water temperature was a steady 18º /19º making the pikes fight really hard and giving their all. When the water warms up i like to bully the fish to the net, minimize the fight so i can release the fish fast and in the best conditions. This was working fine, until the hook pulled out of the best fish of the day..It came twice to the surface, so i had time to get a good look at it. A nice meter fish for sure!
Ha well, i rather missing that fish than having it go belly up on me.
Most of the action came shortly after the morning major (moon phase). The afternoon slowed down a good bit and the wind got stronger. I then decided to go home and enjoy a beer in the sun.
16 pikes for the morning and 4 in the afternoon, all similar sizes (60/70cm) . It's great to see a local water fish so well as i am still restricted to 5 kms travels with the covid restrictions.

The Covid-19 diaries Ep2

With the global pandemic, the lodge has no clients this year.To keep in touch with friends, family and clients i decided to make this series of vlogs. Fish or no fish, good and bad days. I film my outings as they are.  Keep safe every one!

GoPro slow motion test.

I simply couldn't wait to try the new slow motion on the Gopro 6. Full HD 1080 with an amazing 240 fps. And the voice activation is fantastic!

First raft trip of 2018

I am just in between two groups of anglers at the moment, so with a few days off i better make the most of it and enjoy a day's fishing for myself. After the cold weather we had and with an other spell coming at the weekend, i knew this was the time to hit a river.

We got a good few fish, mostly jacks on the fly. Intermediate line and large game changers was working well for me. Every time i go out and fish a game changer i realise how deadly this pattern can be! So good that every time i come back home from fishing i need to tie some more for my box.
An other thing that i had time to test properly was the Bad ass glass rod from Echo. My first impression of the 10 weight model was not great as the rod felt fairly heavy in my hand (compare to the one i'm mostly using, the Bandit from Epic). But after a couple of hours casting, i got my rhythm and the rod totally changed my early impressions. I find it very capable at casting large streamers with ease. As with all glass rods, you need to slow down your movements, and with practice it becomes very addictive. I have been fishing fibreglass all the time for the last two years now and it's going to take a lot for me to go back to graphite.

 The Echo is a great entry level rod for the one who likes to try glass for the first time. The Bandit, because of its price tag is better suited when you know that glass is for you and that you want to commit with these rods ( or you are well off money wise..)
I had the chance to try the Bad Ass in 8 weight and its a fantastic rod. It's a lot lighter than the 10 weight. You probably won't be able to cast big chunky chicken flies with it but for the smaller streamers, its an absolute pleasure to use. And don't be scared by using an 8 weight (fibreglass) for pike, these rods have huge reserve of power in the butt section. I had the 10 weight sent to me from Toby at Funky fly tying. I am not longer with funky fly tying due to personal reasons, but if you want to try the Bad ass for yourself, get in touch with funky and get your hands on some glass.Life is too short just to cast fast rods... Ad some fun to your fishing!
There will be a lot less fishing for me from now on as the new season will get very busy here at the lodge, but i will keep on tying flies as the Alaska summer trip is coming fast!

F.W.A river pikes

Flies With Attitude on tour....This time going down a river. A day off is rare at the moment for me being in full season at the lodge, so when the opportunity rises i just have to get out...
I just love river fishing, no matter how many times i fish the same rivers, i still get a great kick at being there. I just cannot wait to finally get my hands on the Big shoals raft to fish these spots in total comfort. Every time i go out on a river its different. The scenery changes, water levels are different, and you never know whats waiting round the bend, could be a new PB.
This time, the levels are still low, even after the bit of rain we had. Water was a bit coloured but nothing bad.This is why i kept fishing a large wiggle tail for most of the day.Giving plenty vibrations to tickle that lateral line.
Fishing was slow, but we managed to get a few fish on the day, i think a couple of feet higher and the fish would've been more responsive.
Flies with attitude is changing and developing at the moment, keep an eye on my social medias and on this blog for updates and news of these changes.
Here's vlog number two, hope you guys enjoy! And as usual, thank you for the support.

Lunchtime 

Vlog 1

Finally i get a couple of days rest between two groups of fishermen at the lodge. Time for a bit of fresh air! Nights are cool again here, and day temperatures are just nudging around 10/12ºc. Not surprisingly the pikes are sluggish in the morning, only small jacks are active. Stepping away from the shore line and fishing very slowly, i start getting hits from better fish. I like to use a fly with plenty of flash to get  more agressive attack  and a big bulky head made from body tubing to move plenty of water for the fish to "feel" my fly from far away.
So the day started slow, but it went steady with a good string of jacks showing interest and a couple of bigger fish ( around 8lbs). I ended up with a total of 12 pikes and missed about 6.
I hope you will enjoy the show, be gentle in the critics, this is my first one, and i hope to improve as i go along.
A quick note on the life jacket i use at the moment. In Ireland it's obligatory to wear one on the water. I find most life jackets are very bulky and constrict movement a lot, especially in a float tube and while flyfishing. And i hate the self inflating type that make me feel like i am wearing a bra...
Have found a great mid layer vest that is only 3mm thick and it's an approved flotation device.I usually like to wear it under my hoodie, like on this video.
With the weather warming up, i am looking into getting a kayak vest, as the one i have is getting to warm to wear at the moment. Here's a link on the one i use now( and on the video): Zhik life vest.
I will upload a video on the new life jacket soon.Gear reviews will feature on my Youtube Channel as well as these new vlogs.Please, as usual, share, like and subscribe to my channel, so i know you guys are showing an interest so i can develop and grow this channel. Thanks for all the support and see you for number 2 in a while ...I am still very busy at the lodge and guiding until mid june...be patient..But the vlogs are here to stay!