the macky have arrived !!!!!!!!!!

[seanyrooroo]

I'm up at Portpatrick in July armed with a fly rod. My main goals are mackerel, pollock and bass on the fly.

[5150]

I think it's just a case that we have a more limited species choice on this area of the coast and that the mackeral only turn up for a short period each year. Yes they're a doddle to catch but they are also great sport on the right gear, as mentioned by others. I've got 3 kids and only one has any interest in fishing and even he has changed his mind at the last minute the last few times I've been going out on the grounds (as he puts it) "are we going to another 'no fish here' place?".... at least if he can catch a couple of mackeral it keeps his interest.

[The Great Wallsendo]

want to try the fly fishing thing this year - bought an al cheapo rod/reel last year and never tried it...going to try a small mepps spinner with a daylite dropper type set-up

[northeast1]

Use my fly rod on the boat last year and will this year, its great fun and caught loads on it and pollack. Need a bit of lead wrapped around the lure thou to have it sink.

[mark]

want to try the fly fishing thing this year - bought an al cheapo rod/reel last year and never tried it...going to try a small mepps spinner with a daylite dropper type set-up

and you plan to fly cast it

make sure you video it happening!

[The Great Wallsendo]

and you plan to fly cast it

make sure you video it happening!

seem to remember you suggested something similar on another thread somewhere in the ether...

t'would be a geet smally mepps...anyway this is all purely speculative as I have yet to try and cast a fly

[mark]

if you can find a mepps in the 3-4 gram range, trying to cast anything heavier with a fly rod can be err... interesting

spinners for a fly rod tend to be more like:


and 5grams is a heavy one

anything heavier and I'd recommend a full face helmet and body armour, and everybody else on a boat hide in the cabin with the doors shut

ultra fast sinking line needed , preferably a shooting head as well

[on a rock]

lure

hoe do you put lead round a lure???????

[northeast1]

I just make my own flys, use white and orange feathers and wrap some lead tape around the hook shank (2 turns) then wipe some fritz around it..works well for pollack coalie, mackerel and even had a whiting on it

[mark]

hoe do you put lead round a lure???????

couple of big bits of lead shot, on the shank if you can get to it or on the line just next to the eye

[northeast1]

Go to a shop that sells flie gear, you can buy rolls of lead tape..its about 1mm thick and 4 mm wide, you wrap it around the hook shank, its used often for sinking lures often for salmon fishing.

[lemmylad]

I think willywetegg mentioned small feathers on a spinning rod earlier.

I usually only fish macky over at the mull as bait and prefer to get them on a spinner. I learned to tie my own feathers this winter and made a few sets of 3 or 4. They're great with a 1oz pear lead on the spinning rod. They cast well and I got almost as far as with a full set on the beach rod due to the limited space on those marks.

Since they weren't showing in numbers, I only managed one good haul of 3 but what a bend they put in my stick!

For anyone who fishes that area, I'd also recommend ledgering a chunk of macky for the doggies with the spinning rod too. They're nothing on a 13.5ft beach rod, but show their worth on the lighter gear.

[stevie-r-@hotmail.co.uk]

macky bashing

there was a few caught off steetly yesterday at first light but nothing else after that

[paulthespark]

I just make my own flys, use white and orange feathers and wrap some lead tape around the hook shank (2 turns) then wipe some fritz around it..works well for pollack coalie, mackerel and even had a whiting on it

whats fritz.

[northeast1]

It is like "tinsl) spelling? you can get all the things you need to make them from Frasers or just bang something els eon the end with a few split shot.

Its good fun fishing that way for a while, had pollack upto 9lb on fly before