Location Location Location
Flyfishing around our coastline is a daunting task for too many anglers. Photographs of muscular, silvery bass and bent fly rods inspire numbers to give it a go, but when they first arrive at the big pond they feel lost, experience failure and soon go back to the reservoir.
I remember a similar feeling on my first visit to Chew Valley, which was equally daunting and inevitably ended in a blank. It’s like that for most of us the first time, but we see others catch and go home determined to succeed next time. On the rocks there’s usually no one else around to inch a bit closer to.
To be honest, if you can persevere through the first few blank sessions you will soon start to crack the code. The sea can be easier than some large still waters once you know where to look. Lakes don’t often reveal their fish holding structures until there’s a drought. The sea shows you the lot at the bottom of the ebb! Buy a tide table, get your boots on, and start walking the shoreline at low tide.

This reef produced a few great Bass

Where

I remember the first time I stumbled on a hidden cove, a few years ago, while walking Cornwall’s coastal path. I wondered about the bass potential but on closer inspection passed it off as an unlikely spot. There was little water depth except at the top of a spring tide and the ground looked un-fishable, so I dismissed it. Two seasons later and it’s now one of my most reliable hotspots.
The mark has provided me with a fair number of good bass, but more importantly, most of my better fly caught bass have come from similar ground. Broken and shallow is the best way to describe it. Look for rock pools that leave small fish and marine life stranded until the next spring tide.

Low Tide

The same location during a flooding Tide. Bass will be in there hunting

Steve with a bass from similar ground

Some places have what look like the right structure, but life doesn’t seem to exist in them. Look for areas brimming with life. Where there’s life and strong tide and wave influence then death will also be a feature. Where there’s death, there’s food!
Common shore crabs favour this type of habitat and big bass love crabs. Bass really are in their element hunting over this shallow, broken ground. I have seen them feeding in heavy surf over the most harsh, sharp rocks imaginable.
During a memorable session with a guest last summer. The surf was pounding at our feet and bass followed our lures right to the waters edge, turning quickly and swimming through the next breaking wave. Observing this sort of feeding behaviour leaves you marvelling at their agility and timing.
Wind and Tide
A light breeze that blows inshore generating a good wave will generally bring the fish within range especially if combined with a flooding tide. Bass will arrive at spots with good food supplies as soon as they can. Once a foot of water breaks over a series of rock pools there can be three to five feet of water and you might never have guessed what was swimming around in there.
Bass will hunt very close in these areas, and there is no need to cast far. It needn’t be a daunting experience if you’ve done your homework.
Flies and Strikes
Surface lures and poppers are not only great fun, but they are very effective. To see a bass slash at the fly takes some beating. Try a Crease Fly if you’re stuck for choice or confronted by endless snags. The strike can vary from a subtle pluck to a ramming speed surface assault.
Leaders
Don’t be afraid to fish with heavy leaders in this situation and 17lb Fluorocarbon is perfect.
Technique
Try starting a session with the ‘dead in the water’ technique. This will allow you to keep still for longer so that you are less likely to spook a large solitary fish. Don’t retrieve the fly by pulling it but do stay in touch with it. Remember, a good fly should be ‘alive’ in the water with or without a retrieve. Let the fly do the work.
When to fish
Without doubt, dawn and dusk are the best time to catch fish, but there are no hard and fast rules. I like to be at the water’s edge casting a fly as the dawn breaks, or similarly at dusk, a magical time of day to be fishing. I like the dawn session most because releasing a decent bass before the rest of the world has woken sets me up for the rest of the day. So spend a few evenings pouring over an O.S map and start planning some trips this year.

Bass hunt for Crabs in these locations

The DNA Baitfish

Originator: ME!!
Hook: V Cut
Size:2 #
Thread: Dyneema
Eyes: 3D Mirror 3.5 mm
Tail materials: DNA Frosty Fish Fibres Colour Polar and Pink - DNA Holofusion Colour Polar
Other Items - Loon Hard Head Clear- pro marker pens - fulling mill super glue

This Is a fly looks even better in the water the DNA shimmers as the fly swims. It is also very easy to tie. The trick lies in the chenille ball. This greates the shape and taper it also provides a great base for the eyes to fix onto. You can blend the Holofusion with the Frosty Fibres if you want to create different effects.

	Step 1 Tie In DNA Frosty Fish fibres light colour. Keep the fibres on top of the shank of the hook
	Step 2 Repaeat step one and tie second colour DNA frosty Fish Fibres over the first .
	Step 3 Tie in your Chenille
	Step 4 Apply Fulling Mill superglue to the shank and make two wraps of the chenille to create a small ball.Trim waste and then trim the chenille
	Step 5 Tie in either a blend of white DNA Holofusion with White Fish Fibres or pure Holofusion .
	Step 6 Be sure to try to splay the Holofusion by pressing down hard this will spread the fibres over the ball.
	Step 7 Repeat step 5 and 6 to the underside of the fly. Perhaps with slightly more material than on top of the fly.
	Step 8 Grasp all the fibres and pull back tight and straight, then apply superglue to the chenille ball either side. Then stick on the 3.5 mm Mirror 3D eyes
	Step 9 Splay the material between your fingers and trim to shape. I use Anvil Taperising scissors although I have achieved reasonable results working slowly with regular fly tying scissors
	Step 10 and11 DNA rworks well with marker pens. I have stroked the back with black to create the darker back .Apply a couple of coats of Loon Hard Head to build the head . Thats it!!
	Step 12 Wet the fly and have a look , the fly will taper well and should be quite translucent.

The Lazy Crease Fly

FLY TYING ARTICLES

The Lazy Crease Fly

Originator: Capt Joe Blandos(crease fly concept)
Hook: Tiemco 911 s Size 2/0
Size:2/0
Thread: Kevlar thread
Eyes: Prismatic stick on size 4.5
Tail materials: Buck tail - lazer lites
Body materials - Loco foam silver - pro marker pens - fulling mill super glue

This is an excellent top water fly . It has beaten fish the around the globe and is a great pattern for saltwater fly fishing for Bass in the UK. It is a relatively bulky fly so a decent casting technique is a bonus. The crease fly pushes a lot of water and is suited to those slightly heavier conditions. Try short hard tugs on the fly line for a highly visable''eat me'' signal, also try a double handed retrieve. If you see a fish behind the fly that can not make up its mind either speed up the retrieve or try to just let the fly stop and sit dead in the water. Fish off the top are hard to beat! This fly is very easy to tie if you use loco foam and Pro marker pens. This version has been finished with softex although a light thinned down epoxy coating can be used as well as'' loon hard head''

	STEP 1 Cut a template for the crease fly from either foam or cardboard and test it out against the shank of the hook for size and shape. When you are happy cut out the shape in the loco foam Note If you are clever then remember to colour the inside of the mouth of the crease fly red at this stage as it is awkward later.
	STEP 2 Wrap the shank with the thread and tie in the lazer lites to provide flash in the tail , then tie in the bucktail. Note that the bucktail can go all the way towards the eye as this will produce a bulky base for the super glue to fix onto later. You can see that on this one I have tied in a glass rattle to provide extra attraction. Tie off the thread.
	STEP 3 Apply a generous amount of super glue to the wrapped shank of the hook and also to the bottom inside edge of the crease fly. Then wrap the foam body over the shank, turn the fly upside down and hold the edges together. Fulling Mill superglue will dry very quickly.
	STEP 4 First apply a light colour to the flank of the fly then darker one a little higher and then a darker one across the backbone of the fly to create the fish like appearance. Wet your fingers and blur and blend the colours together. Apply the holographic eyes Coat the fly with softex or similar agent
	You can see that big mouth and why the fly creates a nice splash on the surface
Copper loco foam with black marker pen	Charteruse loco foam with brown marker pen

Saltwater Kayak Fly Fishing

Saltwater Kayak Fly Fishing

The internet's a great resource for the fly fisherman! I had recently made contact with Simon Everett a Photo journalist and I offered to catch some Bass for the camera. Fools make promises to people with cameras but never the less the offer had been accepted so the pressure was on. . Simon was planning on staying with me in Porthleven for a couple of days so that allowed enough time to find a few willing fish. Hopefully.

Simon at sea

Simon Everett Is a professional Journalist a keen saltwater fly fisherman and a experienced Kayak fisherman and also the Secretary of Bass Sportsfish Society so I was in good company . Simon arrived a little late on the Monday unfortunately and we missed a great tide at one of my favorite marks. The swell was building too ,so it was probably a blessing in disguise. We went to the local pub instead and made are plans for the next couple of days. When you live this deep into Cornwall you have to be prepared to change locations quickly as the weather never seems to live up to the weatherman’s predictions. You plan a trip at dawn to a spot based on a south westerly force 4 and awake to a Northerly force 6.
The next Morning we decided to do a Kayak fishing session at a mark that can produce bigger fish .The ground is very heavy and the Bass will usually come in Mid tide in search of crabs and other inhabitants of the reefy areas and rock pools. As well as producing Big Bass the mark can also produce a big zero from time to time and alas on this morning it did just that. We had great light and a big swell ( too big for this mark) .And also too big to fish from the Kayak! So Simon concentrated on getting great photos while I concentrated on getting drenched! Gore Tex gear is not designed to take waves crashing down .

‘’ That’s it Austen Stand there excellent photo!’’ The photos were worth the drenching.

We returned back to base and after a cooked breakfast we decided with these big seas the best plan would be to hit one of the local estuary’s. The choice of location was made so we drove to a suitable launching spot. After the extreme kayak fishing session of the morning it was wonderful to be afloat in such a safe and picturesque environment. We launched and headed up the Estuary with the tide with the hope of finding Bass in the rips hitting shoals of fry.
First stop was at a gravel bar with a nice flow of tidal water squeezing its way through . We began casting and within a few casts I was into the first Bass of the day. The fish fought well in the tidal current but was soon ready to land when up against a 9# rod . The fish was small at about 1 ½ pounds in weight but a very welcome regardless. The fish fell to a size 6 Chartreuse and White Clouser Minnow fished on a floating line. No prizes for innovation there but what the hell . The classics work well for a reason. We had a couple more similar sized fish from the gravel bar and then as the tide slowed down over the bar the fish moved off or went of the feed. We split up and paddled off in different directions . I went further up the Estuary and found a huge shoal of mullet with a few bass hiding in amongst them. The Bass will often follow the mullet shoals around and co exist with them in peace. Many anglers believe the Bass are using the mullet as cover from which to grab un weary baitfish .

A few photos from up the creek , its hard to believe this is saltwater fly fishing! A Magical environment sheltered and full of fish!

I managed to pluck a bass from amongst the mullet and decided to continue searching for new spots. I made my way up with the tide in much the same way as the fish we were pursuing that is by just sitting in neutral gear and drifting slowly as the water crept into the creeks and gullies. When you find yourself just floating in amongst the shoals of fish you are as close as you are ever likely to get to them or being a fish, all day long I witnessed large boils as I spooked fish a foot or so from the bow. Magical stuff!! I missed the back end of a couple of fry attacking blitzes at the mouth of a creek and judging by the speed of the shoal they were mackerel.

So I paddled against the tide to rejoin Simon close to the middle of the estuary ,near to where we had started. The soft mud that we had carried the kayaks over at low tide was now flooded and the water was warm from the afternoon sun ,Bass and Garfish were hunting in amongst the weed beds in about five to six feet of water . We had several Bass during the final hour . By this time I was exhausted, we had fished from 5 AM to 7 PM and I had spent 6 hours in the seat of a Kayak , my backside could take no more so I elected to paddle to shore. As I attempted to stand up straight on the shore Simon hooked into the last fish of the day , after a short while the fish was landed and a cry of joy was heard. Simon had only managed to land a Guilt head bream!! The Gilthead bream has eluded me so far and should be regarded as the Holy grail of UK saltwater fly fishing for it good looks and legendary fighting abilities. I’am sure my time will come and hopefully my Gilthead will be larger than 4 ounces! Sorry Simon it was only a tiddler!

Gilthead Bream.What a pretty fish

Safety afloat
You need to spend a little time familiarizing yourself with the kayak and I would thoroughly recommend lessons from a qualified Kayak instructor this will arm you with the confidence to get out there. Also a kayaking buoyancy aid is an essential item to purchase. Be sure to try one on rather than buy online as you need a decent fit . I would also recommend that you start out in the company of other kayaker’s they will pass on tips hopefully keep you safe.
Also its advisable to stick to safe sheltered locations to start with rather than fighting big waves, strong currents and wind. Its all common sense really just think safety at all times. Last of all remember to take water with you. I am terrible when it comes to re hydrating at the best of times and paddling will dry you out.
Tackle considerations
Keep it all to a minimum and don’t take your best rod out. I would not recommend taking your most expensive new fly rod out on the kayak if you have a cheaper rod that you can use. The rods and reels will take a battering on the kayak and there’s always the danger of losing a rod overboard. Or damaging it while launching or landing in the surf. I leave the expensive C&F fly boxes at home and use a cheaper alternative. I keep spare tippet materials in my pocket and forceps around my neck on a lanyard. Any other items like a camera go into a dry bag in the hold of the kayak. If fishing estuary’s then trout gear from 6 - 8 # will be fine . I tend to fish a floating line and attach sinking Hi D poly leaders If I need to get the fly down , rather than carry spare spools . If fishing the estuary then consider using smaller flies. These seem to spook the fish less in that environment than the big fat deceivers and crease flies that I tend to use in the sea in rougher conditions.

Choice of Kayak
Ocean Kayak seem to have the market well covered in the UK and the combination of good design, durability and affordability have paid dividends and given the brand a loyal following. I have purchased a Ocean Kayak 15 foot Scupper Pro. This kayak will travel long distances with less fatigue than shorter yaks and the slightly lower seating position provides a nice stable low center of gravity. The choice of colour ranges from dull green to bright yellow. I chose the dull green for estuary fishing. Is that what they mean by going commando!! Possibly not.!
Conservation considerations
Before you fish in estuary’s from afloat be sure to check on the local bylaws . Many are classed as bass conservation areas and many do not allow bass fishing from afloat. In these places you are better off finding spots to fish from the shore, use the kayak to access the remote gems. Also remember to release every bass you catch in the Nursery areas.

Kayak Fly Fishing

Finding features
Take it slowly and read the water, look for sand bars that will cause tidal rips and fish the creases. Try fishing both up tide and down tide of the features . Keep your eyes open at the junction of smaller creeks and once again look for the areas with the maximum water flow. If it looks limp and lifeless then it probably is. Try to work these spots thoroughly as the predators may not actually be willing to stray far from their prime lies. In these situations the Bass may well stay put for a while and let the food come to them. It is also worth noting that many of these marks will fish better on the Ebbing tide. Especially at the mouths of creeks or bottlenecks of areas that dry out at low tide. The Bass will leave the creeks before the baitfish and then nail them when they are forced to leave. Keep an eye open for diving birds and fry shoals being harassed from below.
Casting and drifting
If you are casting from the yak then don’t worry to much about super human distance casting you can sneak up on the fish and get right on top of them. You can use an anchor although this is a little advanced for the first sessions and I find the process fiddly afloat . A drogue will slow down the drift . Simon uses a fly fishing drogue and it works really well. You can strip the fly line into the Yak easily so you wont need a stripping basket..

Playing fish
Playing fish can be entertaining. I’ve had fish circle the boat and even a small fish can pull the Kayak along so just imagine what its like playing a Tarpon on one of these vessels . Some people use a landing net although if you fish barbless then you can release fish in the water with ease. Flyfishing in the brine should be kept simple. Barbless hooks should always be used when afloat for safety reasons. If they come off then it saves you the hassle of unhooking them.

Hand landing , saying Hello too and releasing a small Bass unharmed

That’s all for now hopefully this will inspire a few of you to get a kayak. They cost less than an expensive fly rod and will bring a whole new dimension to Saltwater Fly Fishing.

Austen Goldsmith
October 2005

Plugging for Bass in the UK

Why an article?

I imagine there are people out there who have made their way into saltwater fly fishing from the Game angling scene who may wish to know a little about other ways of catching Bass beyond fly fishing or who may also be struggling on those big ugly days when the sea turns extra nasty.

Why go plugging for Bass?
As a keen Saltwater fly fisherman , when you land a big Bass on a plug or better a surface lure you may have to struggle with your conscience . I say don't. The two best bass I have landed so far have both fallen to plugs. Its not that I believe that big fish prefer the plug . I think its more to do with the fact that on those particular days big fish were there and had I not been plugging . I would have been fly fishing in a more sheltered location.
Many saltwater fly rodders shun the idea of plugging and even dare I say it look down on Pluggers as less competent , for not being able to present a fly in the neck of a howling wind. I will include myself amongst the snobs for the sake of political correctness. I do understand that anglers prefer them on the fly. I do myself ! Most of the marks I fish will fish as well if not better on the fly rod and I'm sure that sometimes a plug will spook the Bass rather than attract them.
But when you see Four Bass follow your lure in gin clear water only to turn away at the rod tip or see a huge bow wave followed by an explosive take on a surface lure then stuff the politics I’ve hooked a bass and my rod is bent double.

You can cover a lot of water quickly with a plugging rod, the fact is that you can cast three times as far with a plug and get many more retrieves per hour out of the session. So they are great tools for checking out new locations and locating holding areas.

Tackle
The rod that I use is a Berkley 10 foot titanium rated for lure in the 8 - 32 gram class. This rod is a joy to use as it is fast action but soft enough to let you feel like there's a fish on when hooked, actually you could liken the action and test curve to that of a 9-10 # fast action fly rod.
The reel is a fixed spool Shimano Bait runner , not that you need a bait runner for plugging. The reel is loaded with 50 lb Power Pro braid. This performs faultlessly and has a low diameter and casts light lures well. Recently I fished with a buddy , he was using 14 lb Berkley braid and an identical lure to me and I was able to cast as far if not further using the 50 lb Power Pro.

Choice of lure

Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow f(crystal minnow(note: small lipped version

My first choice will always be William The conqueror ! That’s the nickname I have given to an old beaten up' Yo Zuri F' that has outwitted countless Bass it has silver sides and a black back or at least it once upon a time. I will weep when I lose him. The lure swims at about an 18 inch depth and looking at the state of it I wonder if it looks like an injured or diseased fish when retrieved. This lure is exceptional retrieved very fast over sandy bottoms on bright sunny days. Or slowly at dawn or Dusk.

Duel Allie Magnet
Second choice would be the Duel Allie Magnet .This comes in two sizes and I prefer the smaller size with the sand eel paint job(Gold with a brown back). This is classed as a popper- slider , and guess what it does! This is a surface lure that represents an injured bait fish. It is first choice for fishing heavy tackle grave yard style marks. I have yet to hook a bass of the surface in water deeper than about 6 foot as it happens. This lure fishes best ,as with most Bass fishing, in choppy seas and dull light conditions. You cant beat the excitement of surface popping either on a plugging rod or a fly rod. Try a mixture of retrieves with this lure from a slow subtle splash , plop and pause to a fast scuppering across the surface style.

Bass Bullet
Third Choice is the Bob Cox Bass Bullit.This odd looking lure will cast sixty yards into the face of a force 8 wind .It is a sinking lure so forget fishing heavy broken ground unless you are a millionaire. I had an 11 lb Bass from an Irish Surf strand in 30 knots of wind in hellish sea conditions on one of these a couple of years ago ,any other lure would have literally flown back at me after casting into the wind that day. The lure has about the same action as a brick so I recommend a heavy knocking sink and draw style retrieve. It looks awful in the water so try pulling it all the way up until it splashes on the surface or even hops out of the water and then let it sink for a few seconds while reeling fast to remain in contact during a take. A naff looking lure that catches fish!

A few articles that may be of interest .

DOUBLE HANDED RODS (FLY FISHING IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE)

It was on my last visit to Ireland in the pursuit of bass that I made a discovery. The sea was throwing everything it had at the beaches and the prospect of a bass or any other saltwater quarry was no more than a hopeless dream. It had never occurred to me to fish for salmon in Ireland. I look back to just how blinkered I had been and must say that the capture of my first Salmon on a fly will stay with me to the grave, or at least until I catch a bigger one!

So all too soon the time comes to return home fresh with new thoughts of spey casting, salmon, sea trout and the joy of fishing in Ireland’s wonderful rivers. The only problem for me is that I am currently based in Cornwall! To live in Cornwall and spey cast is akin to living in Jamaica and desire to snow board, or at least almost. That is unless you diversify and take the long rod down to the beach and that’s what I did and made that big discovery.

A double hander in the salt is awesome! I read on a US web site a quote that roughly said that in the sea a single handed rod is equivalent to’’ taking a knife to a gunfight’’ and it is not until you leave the nine footer in the car on get out your big gun that you suddenly feel that you are no longer quite so intimidated by the large water. Or should I say ‘ready to fish in four wheel drive’.

The advantages I have found are as follows. Foremost they are fun ,lets be honest saltwater fly fishing can involve a lot of casting and to add snake rolls, double and single spey casts and most importantly the overhead cast to your armory will not only make the experience more fulfilling but improve you casting abilities with both the single and double hander. The Power and distance abilities of the double hander are formidable .The long rod is a casting tool capable of throwing large flies a very long way ,an overhead cast will suddenly send your flies out to where few single handers have been before. You also exert a lot less effort with these rods and hence can fish all day without fatigue.

In some situations you can say goodbye to that backcast! Suddenly the list of locations you can fish will increase as you no longer have to check that a likely fish holding area has thirty six feet plus of casting clearance behind it. Your control whenfly fishing in the brine will increase with a longer rod, when fishing the breakers, from the rocks, wading, or from the beach the long rod will enable you to mend the line especially when fishing a quartering style across the surf tables at 45 degrees. Or perhaps if you can find a strong tidal rip (the bass will!) then you can dead drift a fly or swing it across the current more effectively than before, this can be rewarding both in results and in simple angling pleasure. The first time I fished a regular rocky mark of mine with the long rod I realized that I was actually standing ten feet further back than normal. Hence you may not be so compelled to wade out quite so far when you can cast that extra distance with dry feet rather than entering into an ‘extreme wading’ situation where you risk life and limb to gain a few extra yards.

Hopefully those who have not considered either trying the long rod in the salt or salmon anglers who wish to diversify will be starting to understand the advantages. Fly fishing should be effortless not a tug of war with the elements so why not spread the load between two hands ,cut out all that double hauling and gain a bit of extra control and leverage, and obviously extra distance.

Austen Goldsmith
March 2005