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June/July Newsletter 2009

To all those caught by the fly...

Looking through the tally for April and May the numbers we are hooking up to look are in line with past years, April is always difficult and the occasional better fish got deceived but water temps this time of year are very transient and fry has yet to really congregate. May offered up 360 Bass which is also well in line with past seasons, but the total for the month was achieved on only 6 sessions, the balance of the month saw single digit catches of small school bass – so feast or famine really was the name of the game.

Interestingly in mid May we witnessed a very large shoal of fish of sizes ranging from 47cms to 60cms plus feeding aggressively on immature sandeels, this shoal was an important sign of previous seasons stock and may well have been the year class of 2004 / 2005 which was a record for www.bass-fishing.co.uk in terms of total numbers of Bass being caught and returned. The shoal was around for a number of days before bad weather forced us off the coast and consolidated the fish elsewhere – did anyone else witness good activity along the South coast during this period - ?

Water temperatures at the moment are between 16 and 17 degrees and the clarity is fairly good and should remain so whilst the weather is stable. June offers only one real set of Spring tides this year with most tides under 4.5 meters so the tidal velocity is down which bodes well for clarity and bait consolidation.

This season we have been using a selection of rods supplied to us from our three main sponsors. Orvis have sent through the new Western 3 series which is a matt finished 7 and 8 weight 10 foot rod, it’s quick and has found favour with the reservoir/ estuary fly rodder.
More Information

We have coupled this up with an Intermediate WF 8 G3 line which was consistent last year for low memory and durability.

Fly Rod

Orvis Fly Rod

LOOP tackle forwarded us to use their OPTI Salt and OPTI Coast range in 6/7 & 8 wt. These when combined with their Speed Runner reels and MULTI lines have proved to be a very powerful combination. The lines are easier to manage than a traditional Shooting head as the running lines can be controlled on the haul and float which means the pick up on the cast is effortless due to reduced friction, the heads are fatter than traditional WF lines and therefore carry big flies the full distance.
 

Loop Rod

Loop Rod

Beulah have supplied the Guide Series which is a very powerful IM8 blank in 7 and 8 weights. These rods I used last year and need little introduction. They are quick and very well manufactured – the “Enforcer 8 wt” is quicker than the “Rogue Guide 7 wt” and manages to carry heavy clousers where you need them to be. BEULAH 8wt
 

Beulah Rod
Beulah Rod

Throughout this season we are filming “A Season on the Salt” both here and abroad which will hopefully provide both information and entertainment to those flyers wishing to participate in this ever growing sport. All the kit this year will go through its paces and will be used and demonstrated through out the filming to give an insight into how we fish, why we fish and what we use during different parts of the season.

And finally, book sales have been very well received and hopefully reflects the ever growing interest in fly fishing for Bass and goes some way to helping new comers into the sport in order to gain confidence to venture out onto the salt themselves – be safe and may your lines be continually tight and hooks always sharp.

Fly Fishing Book

For now, best of luck with 2009 and tight lines and burnt fingers to you all, let’s hope the Gulf Stream is in the right place this year!

Kind Regards

OrvisJustin

Email info@bass-fishing.co.uk

Tel: 07767 820268
or
Tel: 01243 785496

www.bass-fishing.co.uk