A 1# weight fly rod in action against a five pounds carp. Not for the faint-hearted perhaps but still very good fun.
With interest growing in gaining the maximum sport possible from fishing, more and more curious anglers are experimenting with lighter tackle. Martyn Green, Devon Fishing Guides and a regular visitor to Hatchlands, bought himself a 1 weight fly rod to have a go for roach, rudd and perch on the silver lake.
He started by catching a few rudd and roach on dry flies and nymphs and then tried groundbaiting lightly with a few maggots before introducing a maggot fly into the swim. Bites from rudd were immediate - or very near to it - but letting the fly sink close to the bottom and then lifting it, very slightly, with an occasional twitch soon proved of interest to both the perch and carp in the pond.
His first enquiry was a three and a half pound carp which was soon followed by a four pounder and another weighing five and a half pounds. Our perch were also quick to join in the fun and Martyn, who writes fishing books under his middle name of Lindsey Green, soon added three nice specimens to two pounds in weight.
Since then Martyn has had several successful sessions, catching roach, rudd, perch and carp. The secret, he says, is not to rush the fight, but to take your time and enjoy it. With the rod being so light, you have to play the fish carefully.
Rudd give one or two little dashes, which is consistent with their smaller size, but make up for this by testing the angler's reflexes with their lightning fast bites. 'Ignore the fly and watch the line instead,' warns Martyn. 'You will have much more chance of connecting'.
Let the fly go a little deeper if you want to catch a roach and all the way to the bottom - at least with a maggot fly - if you want to catch either the perch or a carp. While this is a tactic designed to work on small carp with ultralight tackle, the sport that results is really good fun.
If you fancy trying something different, why not give it a go?
He started by catching a few rudd and roach on dry flies and nymphs and then tried groundbaiting lightly with a few maggots before introducing a maggot fly into the swim. Bites from rudd were immediate - or very near to it - but letting the fly sink close to the bottom and then lifting it, very slightly, with an occasional twitch soon proved of interest to both the perch and carp in the pond.
His first enquiry was a three and a half pound carp which was soon followed by a four pounder and another weighing five and a half pounds. Our perch were also quick to join in the fun and Martyn, who writes fishing books under his middle name of Lindsey Green, soon added three nice specimens to two pounds in weight.
Since then Martyn has had several successful sessions, catching roach, rudd, perch and carp. The secret, he says, is not to rush the fight, but to take your time and enjoy it. With the rod being so light, you have to play the fish carefully.
Rudd give one or two little dashes, which is consistent with their smaller size, but make up for this by testing the angler's reflexes with their lightning fast bites. 'Ignore the fly and watch the line instead,' warns Martyn. 'You will have much more chance of connecting'.
Let the fly go a little deeper if you want to catch a roach and all the way to the bottom - at least with a maggot fly - if you want to catch either the perch or a carp. While this is a tactic designed to work on small carp with ultralight tackle, the sport that results is really good fun.
If you fancy trying something different, why not give it a go?
Ultralight Fly Fishing at Hatchlands
