Skating/Waking flee's

[DrPatrickT]

i use the tiniest bit of tube liner just as a knot protector. I find they hook and hold much better than with a fixed hook. The same goes for Sunrays too. In general Keirstream's advice about small hooks holding well applies accross all skated flies. I use a 12 B990 on a free hanger on a sunray with a 41/2" wing. I used to use a 10 but found the 12 hooks and holds better. The same applies to the hitch, if in doubt go smaller.

Thank you Sir and the rest of you for helpful hints.

 

[keirstream]

My heart nearly burst out my chest hitching a fly through bats last year, not a method I've tried often. Spooked a few but no hook ups. Seeing a fish come to your fly must be amazing, hopefully later on in the year ?

The best hitching water on Morphie is the V tail out from Lower Batts and the run around the big rock below,
Hooking fish in the Breach itself was not a problem, landing them was more problematic.
I'm sure there are old tractors and combined harvesters rusting away in that pool leaving hundreds of sharp edges and snags.☹
Or else a pile of Mick's old smashed up whisky bottles.??
P.S. Easky can winkle them out from the Breach.

 

[Kype King]

One of my favourites for trying to bring them up from the deep is the Park Shrimp Muddler.
View attachment 45661

Lovely looking flies! How do you fish them as a matter of interest?!

 

[kingfisher]

The best hitching water on Morphie is the V tail out from Lower Batts and the run around the big rock below,
Hooking fish in the Breach itself was not a problem, landing them was more problematic.
I'm sure there are old tractors and combined harvesters rusting away in that pool leaving hundreds of sharp edges and snags.☹
Or else a pile of Mick's old smashed up whisky bottles.??

You know Mike not there nowadays

 

[Kype King]

i use the tiniest bit of tube liner just as a knot protector. I find they hook and hold much better than with a fixed hook. The same goes for Sunrays too. In general Keirstream's advice about small hooks holding well applies accross all skated flies. I use a 12 B990 on a free hanger on a sunray with a 41/2" wing. I used to use a 10 but found the 12 hooks and holds better. The same applies to the hitch, if in doubt go smaller.

View attachment 45689

I guess the same would apply with single hooks? Most of the rivers I fish now insist on using single barbless hooks!

 

[mc andy]

You know Mike not there nowadays

Yes he's up at balmakewan now.

 

[keirstream]

You know Mike not there nowadays

Doesn't stop him leaving a legacy Kenny.
I've fished with him this March and looking forward to fishing with him in August and September.
A good guy.

 

[Loxie]

I guess the same would apply with single hooks? Most of the rivers I fish now insist on using single barbless hooks!

i would use a slightly larger single, but only slightly!

 

[kingfisher]

Doesn't stop him leaving a legacy Kenny.
I've fished with him this March and looking forward to fishing with him in August and September.
A good guy.

I was to be fishing along with a couple of mates with him on Monday but I had to cancel due to an unforeseen family matter.
Hoping to get a day shortly and we have 3 days in August booked and looking forward to that after my success last August on the beat.

 

[kingfisher]

Yes he's up at balmakewan now.

Great beat and ive been lucky to have fished it a few times Andy

 

[midgydug]

During the big grilse runs of the 90's on the Tay system the skated tube accounted for some big catches of fish.
I landed 9 in an hour once on a quarter inch tube.
I used to fish a free swinging treble size 10, which looked big but didn't deter takes.
As mentioned on other threads , a good breeze or ripple on the surface helps especially on quiet stretches.
The fish when landed always used to have the treble at the back of their tongue which lead me to believe they sucked the fly in.
They would often come to the fly 4 or 5 times in same cast, very exciting fishing.
It helped if they had been in for a day or two and settled a bit, but have also taken sea liced fish and kippers as well on this method.
Far better on single hander or nowadays a switch rod

 

[Sand dancer]

Has anyone had any joy on the Tyne or similar peat stained rivers with hitch tubes or muddlers in the day time? I’ve given them both a decent fish in the last week or so with no joy. I don’t think I was covering many fish though which probably didn’t help. ?

I’ve fished Sunrays a lot on the Tyne and had plenty of follows but no hook ups.

 

[Night Hawk]

View attachment 45713

Wow, very impressive indeed and thank you for sharing your patterns with us. I will definitely be copying some of these and a few from Kierstream's box posted earlier. Thanks again.

 

[clydesider]

Lovely looking flies! How do you fish them as a matter of interest?!

I try to keep as much of the line and joins/knots off the water as possible ( one wake rather than 3!!) so unlike others who prefer short rods for skating I am happy to use my 15'9" Le Cie. For me it is a short cast technique.
Locations on the river are very much as described by Keirstream at post 68 and by others.
Mike

 

[Rrrr]

Was all set to try hitching flees yesterday after work for last light. Left my taperd leaders on my desk at work which put a stop to that. I dont think it would work very well with a 10ft fast sink leaders.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Rrrr]

Also did i happen to buy some flies from ebay from someone on here ? Just i got some in the post this morning and there was a free micro hitch fly in the bag ?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[AlanT]

How far down the tube is the hitch hole made (1/3rd), and does it matter if its in the left or right side?

 

[Grassy_Knollington]

Was all set to try hitching flees yesterday after work for last light. Left my taperd leaders on my desk at work which put a stop to that. I dont think it would work very well with a 10ft fast sink leaders.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

8-10ft of level nylon 8-10lb will work well enough, certainly better than not fishing.

I’ve had a few fish hitching since I first tried it only 5 or so years ago. I use a single handed rod.

My brother uses a 13,6” double hander and a short line. He picks up a couple of fish every week he fishes. Uses 8 ft of level nylon and he’s way better than me.

How far down the tube is the hitch hole made (1/3rd), and does it matter if its in the left or right side?

From behind the head to 1/2 way will hitch making a bigger wake the further down you go. IMLE about 1/4 way down seems about right. Put a hole in the middle under the beard and you can hitch both ways. The tube doesn’t know which way is Right or left.

Try one or two half hitches round the tube in various places to see if you notice the differences.

 

[Cyclops]

Had 2 decent brown trout to the hitch last night, no sign of salmon or sea trout.

 

[lowforcefly]

How far down the tube is the hitch hole made (1/3rd), and does it matter if its in the left or right side?

Left, or right is dictated by which side of the flow you are, putting two holes makes the fly ...ambidextrous, so you can change which way it runs across the flow.
Keeping the side hole in the 1st third keeps the directional balance / stability of the fly as it runs across the flow. I find the closer I go to the mid point the more tangles it generates, so I tend to keep it as close to the head / wing as possible., and adjust the angle to the flow by repositioning the rod / tip position. With a bit of practise you can steer the fly quite accurately, and skate any pocket water around rocks, flow lines, etc.
I do hitch tubes with one, or two holes, this is dictated by the size of the tube, as I find the micro is weakened too much with two holes....
I prefer FITS tube, as I find it softer, and more flexible than some other tubing.
Pierce the holes at 45 deg to the tube from the head towards the tail, it helps with the threading, and I have had a kink generated in the line, when pulling out of a snag, with the hole at 90 deg, especially with hard tubing.
If I need to create a bigger wake I tend to just go to a bigger winged fly, and not reposition the side hole, as it is more stable, and tangles less....they can skip over themselves in broken water.

Mel....

 

[AlanT]

From behind the head to 1/2 way will hitch making a bigger wake the further down you go. IMLE about 1/4 way down seems about right. Put a hole in the middle under the beard and you can hitch both ways. The tube doesn’t know which way is Right or left.

Keeping the side hole in the 1st third keeps the directional balance / stability of the fly as it runs across the flow. I find the closer I go to the mid point the more tangles it generates, so I tend to keep it as close to the head / wing as possible., and adjust the angle to the flow by repositioning the rod / tip position. With a bit of practise you can steer the fly quite accurately, and skate any pocket water around rocks, flow lines, etc. Pierce the holes at 45 deg to the tube from the head towards the tail, it helps with the threading, and I have had a kink generated in the line, when pulling out of a snag, with the hole at 90 deg, especially with hard tubing.

Thanks both , I do a bit of dibbling with muddlers for ST on my local wee river, I like this type of fishing so will give it a try for their big cousins

 

[lowforcefly]

Had 2 decent brown trout to the hitch last night, no sign of salmon or sea trout.

Surprising how many Trout you get on the hitch...especially the micros !
Saying that though I have had 5" trout on a heavy dressed size 4 loop doubles ??
I think a large number of miss-hits on the hitch, are from very ambitious junior trout just flashing at the fly....keeps the adrenaline flowing though !

Mel....

 

[clydesider]

There is some exciting hitching on Henrik Mortensens DVD called Cracking the Code.
Mike

 

[Kype King]

I try to keep as much of the line and joins/knots off the water as possible ( one wake rather than 3!!) so unlike others who prefer short rods for skating I am happy to use my 15'9" Le Cie. For me it is a short cast technique.
Locations on the river are very much as described by Keirstream at post 68 and by others.
Mike

Thanks Mike. I learned to fish under the tutelage of the legendary Arthur Chamberlain on the Alness river in Scotland. He pioneered the art of dibbling and used a 15ft rod so what you say makes a lot of sense. Never tried it much myself but keen to have a go if I’m allowed up on the Alness in Septembe!

cheers!


Alastair

 

[Kype King]

There is some exciting hitching on Henrik Mortensens DVD called Cracking the Code.
Mike

Ya - got him!!