Fly For Course!

7 July 2022 | Sarah

Traditionally, those wielding fly rods were only interested in gamefish like salmon, trout, sea trout and grayling.
However, the last decade or so has seen the focus shift towards coarse fish when those prepared to make subtle alterations to their tackle set-up have come to terms with the likes of pike, carp, chub and rudd on fly.

What’s best now is that coarse fish species are more comfortable in warm weather, making them the ideal quarry come the blistering days of July and August.

Antti Guttorm and Tuomas Rytkönen from Vision go through the essential skills and equipment for fly fishing for pike.

Although they have totally different diets, barbel, carp and pike can be lumped together in terms of tackle requirements.

All three are best sought using an eight, or even nine rated rod and matching line.

At least a 15lb leader should be used for both species though because pike have rows of needle sharp teeth, a wire trace should be added before attaching the fly.

Vision Grand Daddy

Grand Daddy rods are following the footsteps of Vision Fly Fishing' best seller Big Daddy rods.
New amazingly smooth but powerful medium fast action delivers big predator flies easier than anything they’ve developed so far.
Grand Daddy rods are 4-piece and available both EVA and cork handles.

Medium fast action
Titanium stripping guides
True red blanks with yellow markings
Available both EVA and cork
Red round cordura tube

Redington Grande Reel

The GRANDE reel is a fully anodized, machined aluminum reel that features our new sealed SUPER-TORQUE carbon drag system that will KO any fish you hook!
Colours: Marine, Champagne, Black

Wychwood PDR Reel

The new Wychwood PDR reels have been designed to meet the demands of predator fishing using fly tactics.
These reels offer the perfect balance when paired up with Wychwood PDR rods.

Barbel in particular are capable of along searing runs, so your reel should be loaded with 30lb backing.
We also suggest a disc drag reel too, simply because it has superior braking capabilities when compared to spring pawl models.

Usually a floating line will do the trick, as even pike like to ambush their prey from below.

Flies for pike should imitate small fish like roach, rudd and perch. Therefore look to patterns that are 4-8 inches in length.

Whilst carp do eat buzzers, bloodworms and other larvae, on commercial fisheries they often respond best to pellet shaped flies, which are suggestive of dog biscuits, periodically thrown in by carp anglers wishing to entice fish into their swim.

As these biscuits float this makes the perfect situation for dry fly tactics.

All you need is an appropriate pattern and some patience.

It’s best to have some free offerings (dog biscuits) to hand too, which are tossed into the margins to hopefully get carp on the feed.

Once carp are sipping down the biscuits, all you have to do is gently land your fly amongst the activity and hold on!

Chub in particular are reputed to have a catholic diet, so normal trout flies are all that’s needed.

Not only will chub greedily respond to a dry fly, like a daddy longs legs for example, but they’re suckers for a nymph too.

Chub also have a dark side and will quickly snap up small bait fish like coarse fry, or minnows that swim too close to a hiding chub.

Don’t be afraid to try a regular trout lure or streamer, like a white zonker for example.

When it comes to an outfit for chub, your normal trout rod will suffice with a #5 or #6 rod more than adequate.
As chub don’t reach the size of pike, or carp, leaders of 5-6lb breaking strain are all you’ll need.

Although rudd don’t grow large they are the perfect quarry for those seeking dry fly action on the hottest of days.

Often, you’ll find good numbers of them dimpling at the surface.

To get the best of rudd, lighter rods rated for #3 to #4 fly lines work best.

Again, any number of trout dry flies will tempt rudd though usually smaller dressings are best with size 16-18 flies being the norm.

Try a grey duster, or small ant pattern attached to a 3lb tippet.