A few Questions on fly fishing

[Guest Issom Beituni]

First off thank for everyone who helped me with my questions last time.. They all helped out so much and its been a blast.. since I got my fly rod I have not used my baitcasting or ultra light spinning gear at all.. I would like to say I am getting good. Mainly fishing creeks and rivers.

 

1.So When I was at dicks some guy told me about these spinners that you can fly fish so I got them but did not try these yet but is it possible to fly fish with spinners?? take a look

 

http://www.joesflies.com/shop/home.php?cat=2

 

2.Then I bought these also and used them and caught a few rock bass and a smallie on it but you can clip flies on and off and switch the blades from gold to siver? these worked ok on my fly

 

http://www.joesflies.com/shop/home.php?cat=1

 

3. Next question is when fishing the creeks and river and I find wholes what can I do to get my fly down in there to catch those fish? I went out and got the tiniest split shot I could find and attached it to the tibet right at the fly? Seemed to work but any ideas?

 

4.Is there anything out there to make swapping flies easier and faster then tieing them? like a clip or something??? pros and cons?

 

5. oh when I set up my fly rod and reel I have a Cableas reel and it clicks when I reels in and when the fish takes my line its quite? is this normal or do I have to flip it where it clicks when it takes the line??

 

Thank you all for your responses in advance.

[Greg C]

Well, I'll try to answer your questions, but I've debated this subject before....It didn't end well! So...I'll try to be more precice, this time. In-line spinners twist the line on your spinning rod, do they not? Now, that is 20-60 ft of mono that is being twisted. That can cause problems, obviously. But, just imagine the same amount of twist on only 4-6ft of mono!! (The butt section is too heavy to twist, as is the flyline itself.) Usually we add swivels to alleviate this problem. You could put a swivel on your leader, but this adds even more weight to the terminal end. Flyfishing is really not very forgiving of heavy flies. I, personally consider 1/4 oz the MAX upper end of a castable fly for a 6wt rod. Maybe you could get away with 3/8oz on an 8wt rod. So, the weight can be an issue, but the line twist from spinners can cause a problem of a different kind.

 

Now, here's were I got into it with somone regarding this subject. The spinner, on a fly can work...if you take into account the twisting that you WILL encounter. I'll highlight the problems, and possible solutions....

1. Blade baits can be either in line, or tied under the head (roadrunner style). The in-line spinners usually twist, so I never use them. You can use a swivel, but it's just adding more weight and apparent length to the "fly". AND, if you can tolerate the spinner blade twisting your tippet into a mess every three casts...then go for it.

2. The roadrunner style blade can work with little twist, but the blade is so small as to be insignificant. I would only say that it comes down to personal choice as to use one with or without a blade under the head. If you think they make a difference, then use them. I, personally, don't.

3. The prop-style spinner is another style. It is typically tied in the Pistol Pete fly style. Another mega line-twister. Again, no way to stop it from twisting the crap out of your tippet when stripped fast enough to spin the blade, or in fast current.

4. Now, that is NOT to say that they cannot work. It is just very tough! You first have to control the blades, so that they don't twist the line. A spinnerbait design solves this problem. Well, sort of...

A spinnerbait is too heavy for a flyrod, and you need the counter-balance effect of the lead head to keep the blade/blades from twisting. The Thunder Creek style fly can work, IF you can counter balance the back of the hook BEND with some lead wire. And, you will need to tie it with a good sampo swivel on the blade.

 

I have been working on spinner type flies for a while, and had limited success. You CAN use them, but they are tough to add to a pattern, and still keep it light enough to be practical on the flyrod. I do not want to give anything away on the patterns that I am working on, until they have been tested thoroughly. But, I do have one that some of you are familiar with. It's a topwater, called the Coffey Grinder. The hook hanging down on the underside provides a keel to keep it from twisting. Also, because the body has more mass than the blade, twisting is limited when casting....though, there will still be a little twist noticed thoughout the day.

Lastly, use the heaviest tippet you feel comfortable casting. Lighter tippets twist more easily.

 

Now, for my disclaimer!! I will not say that spinners cannot, or should not be used on a flyrod. Nor, am I saying that I don't use them, or that no one should use them. What I AM saying is that most of the current "spinner/fly" designs today are really bad line twisters. Also, I notice that most guys asking about spinner flies are looking for something to MATCH their buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits, because that's what they like to use for their day to day fishing for bass. AND, they know them to work on bass. Occasionally, they might want to match a Mepps in-line spinner. Both of these attempts are futile. You cannot effectively cast a wooley bugger, on spinning gear without adding addional weight, and in doing so you are effectively making it a jig. By the same token, you cannot effectively cast a spinnerbait with a flyrod. There is too much weight for that, and if you can manage to reduce the weight to cast it...it will twist and/or stay within inches of the surface. It's the old addage..."Use the right tool for the job".

 

Craig Riendeau, and I discussed this topic many times, and our concensus was that if you HAVE to have a spinner...or your fishing day will be a total loss...just use a spinning rod.

 

As for your reel clicking, it can depend on the reel model. Some click going out, but not coming in. Some click in both directions, and some do not click at all. If it's working as you need it to, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Getting your fly down into deep holes can be accomplished by using either sink tip fly lines, or full sink lines, depending on the depth. If the hole is 5 ft deep, or less, split shot on the leader should work.

[Guest Issom Beituni]

wow thank you so much for the info. Is there any special way that i should rig the split shot?

 

 

Well, I'll try to answer your questions, but I've debated this subject before....It didn't end well! So...I'll try to be more precice, this time. In-line spinners twist the line on your spinning rod, do they not? Now, that is 20-60 ft of mono that is being twisted. That can cause problems, obviously. But, just imagine the same amount of twist on only 4-6ft of mono!! (The butt section is too heavy to twist, as is the flyline itself.) Usually we add swivels to alleviate this problem. You could put a swivel on your leader, but this adds even more weight to the terminal end. Flyfishing is really not very forgiving of heavy flies. I, personally consider 1/4 oz the MAX upper end of a castable fly for a 6wt rod. Maybe you could get away with 3/8oz on an 8wt rod. So, the weight can be an issue, but the line twist from spinners can cause a problem of a different kind.

 

Now, here's were I got into it with somone regarding this subject. The spinner, on a fly can work...if you take into account the twisting that you WILL encounter. I'll highlight the problems, and possible solutions....

1. Blade baits can be either in line, or tied under the head (roadrunner style). The in-line spinners usually twist, so I never use them. You can use a swivel, but it's just adding more weight and apparent length to the "fly". AND, if you can tolerate the spinner blade twisting your tippet into a mess every three casts...then go for it.

2. The roadrunner style blade can work with little twist, but the blade is so small as to be insignificant. I would only say that it comes down to personal choice as to use one with or without a blade under the head. If you think they make a difference, then use them. I, personally, don't.

3. The prop-style spinner is another style. It is typically tied in the Pistol Pete fly style. Another mega line-twister. Again, no way to stop it from twisting the crap out of your tippet when stripped fast enough to spin the blade, or in fast current.

4. Now, that is NOT to say that they cannot work. It is just very tough! You first have to control the blades, so that they don't twist the line. A spinnerbait design solves this problem. Well, sort of...

A spinnerbait is too heavy for a flyrod, and you need the counter-balance effect of the lead head to keep the blade/blades from twisting. The Thunder Creek style fly can work, IF you can counter balance the back of the hook BEND with some lead wire. And, you will need to tie it with a good sampo swivel on the blade.

 

I have been working on spinner type flies for a while, and had limited success. You CAN use them, but they are tough to add to a pattern, and still keep it light enough to be practical on the flyrod. I do not want to give anything away on the patterns that I am working on, until they have been tested thoroughly. But, I do have one that some of you are familiar with. It's a topwater, called the Coffey Grinder. The hook hanging down on the underside provides a keel to keep it from twisting. Also, because the body has more mass than the blade, twisting is limited when casting....though, there will still be a little twist noticed thoughout the day.

Lastly, use the heaviest tippet you feel comfortable casting. Lighter tippets twist more easily.

 

Now, for my disclaimer!! I will not say that spinners cannot, or should not be used on a flyrod. Nor, am I saying that I don't use them, or that no one should use them. What I AM saying is that most of the current "spinner/fly" designs today are really bad line twisters. Also, I notice that most guys asking about spinner flies are looking for something to MATCH their buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits, because that's what they like to use for their day to day fishing for bass. AND, they know them to work on bass. Occasionally, they might want to match a Mepps in-line spinner. Both of these attempts are futile. You cannot effectively cast a wooley bugger, on spinning gear without adding addional weight, and in doing so you are effectively making it a jig. By the same token, you cannot effectively cast a spinnerbait with a flyrod. There is too much weight for that, and if you can manage to reduce the weight to cast it...it will twist and/or stay within inches of the surface. It's the old addage..."Use the right tool for the job".

 

Craig Riendeau, and I discussed this topic many times, and our concensus was that if you HAVE to have a spinner...or your fishing day will be a total loss...just use a spinning rod.

 

As for your reel clicking, it can depend on the reel model. Some click going out, but not coming in. Some click in both directions, and some do not click at all. If it's working as you need it to, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Getting your fly down into deep holes can be accomplished by using either sink tip fly lines, or full sink lines, depending on the depth. If the hole is 5 ft deep, or less, split shot on the leader should work.

 

[Greg C]

wow thank you so much for the info. Is there any special way that i should rig the split shot?

No, nothing special. Just apply it 8-12" in front of the fly and you should be fine.

[ronk]

Attaching shot well above the fly is appropriate for dead drifting it nymph style as is often done for trout but for actively working the fly stripping it as in streamer fishing attaching shot at the eye of the fly is best and also allows for smoother more fluid casting.As for attaching spinners to flies or using mini versions of spinning/ baitcasting lures, while I believe that if it can be cast with a flyrod it should be considered a "fly" there is no need to resort to their use.If you want to fish like a spinfisherman/baitcaster be one.

[Guest]

Amen brothers!