When I started fly fishing for bass there were few if any sources of help available. One of the first works that I came across was Stripers and Streamers from Ray Bondorew which I purchased from the US. It remains in a prominent position on my bookshelf and gets taken down again and again. Ray Bondorew is the creator of Rays fly above right. Its distinctive simplicity and clarity of approach in a ‘quiet’ way still influences me today. I got this e-mail from Ray yesterday
________________________________________________
Greetings Jim, I’ve occasionally come across your site and have noticed some interest in some of my patterns and book,
I just began a new website that I think those “across the pond” on your site may find interesting.
http://raysfly.wordpress.com/
regards
Ray Bondorew
Author of “Stripers and Streamers” r
‘Where again Jim’? He asked quietly, he was crouching slightly, bent forward at the waist
‘Just there’ I said, pointing, ’about a metre in front and to the right of the black rock’ I said
We were side by side, close, standing in the warm clear water to our bellies. A tidal rip ran 30 metres in front of us right to left surging through and over a rocky reef. The early morning sunlight fell on the calm warm water, broken into a fractured world of myriad patterns on the clean sand at our feet. Sea lettuce, crabs and little shrimps wandered past occasionally in the tide, terns hovered overhead.
He made the cast perfectly, the line unrolled and the fly landed just in the right position, holding the rod slightly high for a moment keeping the line above the grip of the flowing tide.
‘Just wait a second’ I said,
Then a welcome gentle breeze helped a brilliant small up tide mend in the line. My heart was racing a little, a second was an eternity.
I whispered to him to drop the rod tip and the line fell to the water like a long blue strand of weed. Pinching the line with a finger and thumb he began to make short strips. The gurgler spat and slid across the water. Retrieving very little but maintaining contact and control, the fly immediately working, a straight down tide run picking up speed as it passed the black rock, head pointing away from us, bobbing and searching, lost in the grip of the current. Curving towards us now and beginning to cross the narrow channel I knew we had only seconds for the opportunity in this lie– it had to be perfect.
It wasn’t perfect but it was good enough, ‘it’s gunna happen’ I whispered. He kept looking at the fly, stripping, focused, and still crouched. Only moments left, half a metre, and then suddenly there was that unique sound of a big fish hitting a surface fly, an explosion of white water. A sudden moment of fear, of shock and surprise, line stripped reel screamed and then there was silence. I heard a tern.
The fish wasn’t on.
‘Stop for one second’ I said,’ throw some slack’
‘Now short strip it, quick’
And then suddenly the aggression the strength and the ability of the fish to manoeuvre in fast moving water was revealed to us as it turned and hit the fly again, took and swam downtide, its powerful tail driving it, its head shaking furiously from side to side. Stripping line against the drag in the strong current, the rod held low fighting the butt, rod tip dipping rising, dipping rising. The fish stopped, the rod lifted suddenly and then bent again as the fish took another fifteen yards heading towards a rocky hell.
A little less than ten seconds had passed since the angler had made the cast, and in the midst of this experience he turned and smiled at me, happy.
Surely this was the best way to catch these fish.
Free Workshop Saturday May 19th – from 09:30 – 14:30
I’m afraid due to demand this workshop is now full – thank you, Jim
As part of the fisheries awareness week 2012 May 12th – May 19th – I will hold an introductory workshop here at SEAi (FOC of course). The workshop will include an overview of all current methods used for bass fishing this will include a short trip to the sea for a little practical session – tea and coffee will be served.
Plan for morning
09:30 – Arrival
10:00 – Introductions and workshop
11:15 – Tea and coffee
11:30 – Workshop
13:00 – Practical at waters edge
- Influences
- Timings
- Tides
- Conservation and protection
- Gear including lines, leaders rods and reels
- Soft bait rigging, fishing methods and choices
- Hard baits and their applications
- Saltwater fly fishing for bass an overview
As places are limited please contact me at sportfishing@eircom.net
If you have a younger member of the family looking to start in this fantastic fishing then this is the place for him or her…..
Regards Jim
Landing Gear
Rod – Illex Element rider 220m
Reel – Shimano Twin Power 3000
Line – Fammel – 9kgs
Leader – Rio Fluoroflex +
Lure – Illex I-Shad, Illex gambit jig head
Rising tide into a glorious spring sunset, a great evening today with William and Richie. The fish were behind the waves riding in and out. All Illex equipment available at SEAi – Wexford
Does Recreational Angling contribute to the economy?
Inland Fisheries Ireland(IFI) has appointed Tourism Development International (TDI) to undertake a Socio-Economic Survey of Recreational Angling in Ireland. The overall objective of the survey is to establish the current volume and value of domestic and overseas recreational angling in Ireland. It will run over the course of 2012.
Pike, coarse fish, bass, salmon, sea trout, brown trout and sea anglers will all be invited to participate in Irelands most comprehensive angling survey undertaken in decades. The Survey will inform IFI and its tourism partners in relation to the angling product in Ireland and also enable improved strategic planning and decision making in respect of product development and marketing.
‘Anglers are the key to this survey’, commented Minister Fergus O Dowd, TD, ‘they know the resource and they understand the importance of sustainability. What anglers contribute to Ireland’s economy is unknown but I am certain that it is significant. Angling takes place in every river and lake in Ireland and all around our coastline. There is no town or village in Ireland that doesn’t have anglers. It is imperative that the inland fisheries and sea angling resources are managed in the best way possible to ensure enjoyment for our local and visiting anglers, sustainable jobs in rural communities and maximising its potential to add to Ireland’s economy. Getting the right information from those most involved will greatly assist in improving the angling product.’
The survey comprises two parts, a household survey and a survey of recreational anglers which will commence in April. Anglers will be met at fishing locations throughout Ireland and invited to participate there and then, or later by phone or on-line. Every effort will be made to accommodate participation.
…ENDS…
Look: There’s a glimmer of light to the east.
Now, heres why we’re out at this hour. During the night, fish of the size we’ve been catching glide drowsily along at a rate of something less than seven inches per second. They idle all night without eating. They become famished. A few minutes before dawn-just about now-their inner alarm clock goes off, and they begin to rove. In the first ten minutes after the onset of light in the sky there is a sudden upsurge in their swimming speed; they have started at once to range for food. Twenty minutes after daybreak they put on their greatest spurt of the twenty-four hours and swim between twenty and thirty inches per second; they’re capable of much greater speeds when attacking a prey. The sun will come up over there, about where Hyannis lies beyond the horizon, in just a few minutes, at five twelve. So we should be on the alert for some fast-swimming blues at between five twenty-five and five thirty. Just about when the clock down in the cuddy strikes three bells, we should hook a fish.
Taken from- Blues by John Hersey
The presentation that I made for Hooked Live is also available through the slideshare on line presentation software – I purchased the option just before the show to make the SS available through an embed on PBF.
Today, long after I had forgotten about my account creation I received and auto email from slideshow telling me that more than 1,000 people have viewed or downloaded the slideshow.
I hope that it has been of some help to you whom have taken the time – I’m never going to be the best presenter by any means, and looking at the slide show only a small part of the information comes across through the slides, there is simply layers and layers to be spoken about at each stage. 30 minutes is not enough for such a subject!
Thanks for your time and bendy rods for 2012
THIRTYARDS 
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