INDIANANGLER

Hey Guys!

I am Arun.

I want to know if anyone is doing Fly Fishing in India in general and around Mumbai in particular? Please let me kow.

Regards,

Arun.mohile

I do some saltwater fly fishing around Mumbay, still to get lucky

Hi Arun

I flyfish on The Cauvery at Galibore every year and catch a lot of carp.
Some guys who go to the camp fly fish in the north for mahseer. In fact
one of the membwers of this site has a company leading trips -himalayan outfitters I think- were fly is used for mahseer.
Never fished in Mumbai, just bars.

Regards
Kevin

My experience with fly fishing tells me U get smallies there in fly fishing.I have had enough ! If You Wanna go big --its bait or spinning . Fly fishermen are a Class onto themselves - Bridge Vs poker - and if u wanna be part of a gang -then fly fishing is not your story .I express my frank views !
If this forum was in better waters eg Alaska - there fly fishing works - U get King Salmon there on flies and they go big upto 30 Lbs
I wish to remain - - A Baitman and a spinner - and spread warmth
Hamdhingra

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your reply. If I buy a Fly Rod and a Fly Reel, Would it be easy to cast successfully without a Teacher? I understand that Fly casting is an art which is difficult without a proper guide to teach you.

Secondly, what decides whether you use a wet line or a dry line?

Looking forward to your advice.

Regards,

Arun

Hi Hamdhingra,

Thanks for your frank views on Fly Fishing. I thought that only Fly Fishing would work when fish are not taking spoons, plugs or bait.

Regards,


Arun

when they dont take they dont take anything - flies or otherwise. Fly is a better bet but the fish is small. A better bet if u know whats in the air, whats hatching , whats below the rocks and if the insects are dry or wet and what time of the day are they hatching. whether their wings are dry or wet that time of the day etc etc.Our info on this aspect of insects is lacking and mostly we (or atleast I)do the hit and trial .
However fly fishing would benefit -for as in J and K they no longer permit Spinning for trout . It has to be fly fishing
Cheers...hamdhingra

Hi Hamdhingra and Arun
I think in very fast flowing streams which have trees on the banks, fly fishing becomes almost impossible and one is only left to spinners or baits. Moreover, i have been using a combination of 0 size spinner with a wet fly, both tied to a swivel with lines of varying length, using spinning tackle, with good success. I noticed that spinner attracts the trout but it finally takes the wet fly. This really worked in very fast flowing streams. What do say about this?
Cheers
Sualeh

Hi Hamdhingra,

If you desire, you can catch a Marlin/Sailfish/Yellowfin/Dolphin on a fly.

Big fly => big fish

Flies are no longer limited to insects, but also cover baitfish (as much as 18 inches long).

To catch bigger trout, you have to show them bigger flies. Try baitfish imitations from 1 to 4 inches, and you will be hooking the big trout.

I have heard of a 25 lb Mahseer taken on a 12 inch white streamer fly at Galibore, on the Cauvery river (by a British angler)


tight lines

Makarand

Hi Arun,

You catch more fish using bait, but there is a certain pleasure in fly fishing
It is very active, i.e you have to cast repeatedly unlike bait fishing.

I do bait fishing, plug fishing, as well as fly fishng.

You can fish baitfish imitation flies along with a plug, or with a sinker on a spinning rod.
Jeen has posted a photo of a fly, fished with a sinker on a spinning rod.

http://www.indianangler.com/viewtopic.php?t=977

Read this excellent book, to learn fly fishing on your own

http://www.amazon.com/Flyfishing-First- ... 748&sr=8-2

For saltwater flyfishing fishing techniques, Lefty Kreh has a nice book

http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Saltw ... 963&sr=1-7


tight lines

Makarand

Hi Sualeh- I gave up fly fishing because I would find my fly and leader hung up on the bush behind.Incidentally mepps makes a fly spinner . I would try your technique the next time I am out for trout .Thanks for the info.

Hi Makarand – its all so interesting and exciting! In the waters here we have not heard anyone catching big. I understand for they are not using big flies or I at least have not seen big ones being used. I got my fly fishing eqpt when I was 12 but somehow never developed a fancy for it.Now though I sit well equipped – I feel it’s a matter of time before I take to it. Thanks for the information-needs to be put into practice.
Cheers…Hamdhingra

Hi Hamdhingra,

When you have bushes behind, use roll casting.
But you will be limited to 30-40 ft casts.

For longer casts, you will need to use a double handed spey rod.


tight lines

Makarand

Last time I fished the Cauvery, I had takes from three mahseer on the fly. These were all seen as the lure was only running 6" or so below the surface.
The biggest of these fish would have gone maybe 24 or 25lb and it was only though my own lack of experience that I failed to hookup.

Hi Makarand,

Thanks for your valuable tips. Where can I get this book you recommended? I must read this book to learn the Fly Fishing techniques on my own.

I understand from your reply that a Streamer is a kind of fly. (I saw the photograph of a streamer tied to a sinker on IA site that you suggested ). That means one can use a spinning Rod with this combination of a Sinker and a fly to get the action?

I have seen a hollow Float with a lead embedded at bottom, so that you can cast it like a spoon. So, if you tie a fly or a stremer to this float, you can cast this fly at good distance using a spinning Rod and just let the Fly travel on surface or some 4 to 6 inches bellow surface.

Your comments please.

Regards,

Arun

Hi Arun
My sons used this method with deadly effect yesterday. May like to see the thread 'Kids Go Fishing'.
Cheers
Sualeh

Hi Arun,

Check your PM.

A streamer is mostly a baitfish imitation. There are streamers with built in weights, or without. But to use them with a spinning rod, you have to use a sinker.
Else you will not be able to cast them. You cast this sinker-fly setup with a spinning rod, and retrive in a strip-pause-strip retrieve. The pause in the retrieve, will make the sinker-fly combo go down like a wounded baitfish. Then strip(reel) in line. Do this till you have retrieved the sinker-fly. Vary the speed of the strip-pause-strip routine, to see what works best.

You could substitute the sinker with a floating/diving plug, and increase your chances. The fly is positioned in front of the plug. The fly should be about 20% of the length of the plug, as you are imitating a a predatory fish chasing a baitfish. The fly should imitate the local baitfish.

Connect your mainline to a swivel. Separately connect the plug, and the teaser fly to the other end of the swivel. Make sure the that the fly is in front of the plug, to make it look like the baitfish fly is being chased by the predatory plug.

Give these methods a try, and you will be able to fish saltwater flies effectively.

But if you want to catch carp/trout on insect imitation flies on spinning gear, then you will need to use a plastic bubble float.

http://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Fishing-Te ... 1571882049
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... &noImage=0


tight lines

Makarand

Thanks Makarand - for me a whole new world of fly fishing lies ahead -think my days ahead are going to be interesting. problem is -can I ever give up spinning ?
WW .... Ham

I love flyfishing, but like Hamdhingra Sahib I prefer spinning, I just seem to catch more and bigger fish spinning.

As for flyfishing in India, have any of you ever tried to take murrel on the fly? I know of a couple of guys in Karachi who do so and they say they take large dark streamers pretty well.

Murrel on a fly!!! Thats something interesting. Can someone give any details or personnel experiences?
Cheers
Sualeh

Actually murrel on a fly makes sense. Look at the anatomy of one. The way the eyes look up. And the fact that they are complete predators. Must try a dry fly soon.

cheers

and if I may add I find them swimming just about a foot below the surface and always watching upwards. I have not caught many but this is my observation ,I am only 50 % confident of what I state !
WW
hamdhingra

Chaps

There's no doubt that in any given situation bait/ spinner/ plug will outfish a fly in terms of number and size of fish.

The fly is still my favourite method though!

I think it's about being in the water, working the stream, imitating natural insects. It almost makes it part of the natural process. As you move down (or up) stream you become immersed in nature.

Apologies if I appear to be bordering on lyrics here, but fly fishing is a true passion!

Hi Mahaseerken and Hamdhingra
Thats really interesting, i am sure going to give it a try. Thanks mate.
But anyone who has actually caught a murrel fly fishing????
Cheers
Sualeh

I have caught solli (small sol) on grasshoppers as a kid. We would break one leg and get the hopper to swim in circles on the surface (no lead on the line). Little solli would attack from the weed line. we could see them stalking the hoppers. they would use their pectoral fins to creep up and then with one swish of the tail they would hit and gobble.

Any catches with dry or wet fly?????

The grasshopper started out dry.

then got very wet in the water.

she's just a little submarine in the water - comes up so innocently and then BANG !
Hamdhingra

as a kid!!! you caught one this season at the Pump House!!!

Shhhhh! Gypsy. That solli lake is going to grow up to be a monster some day.

MKen and I have taken sol, using grasshoppers as bait! if grass hoppers are being taken, the flies will work too!!!

Hi IG
Will definitely try this. In our part, sowl is usually caught on live baits or plugs/spinners. But the other day my sons caught lots of Talapias with dry fly fly (with earthworm on the hook). This only proves the point that one must keep trying different techniques and who knows what works that day. By the way, does solli mean Channa Punctata? If yes than they are much easy to catch as compared to Channa Marulius. Thanks for the tips.
Cheers
Sualeh

Hi Sualeh,

I don't know the latin names... do know that there are about 8 sub-species found in the northern part of the sub-continent alone...

I've seen the same guys (markings/eye colour etc.) from 2 inches and not registering on the scales to being 3 feet and ripping the scale spring out!!!

What i have noticed tough is this: the darker the eye colour, (there is one which has completely black eyes, dirty brown colouring and really sharp teeth) the more the vibration/jig required in the bait/lure... the ones with the lighter eyes (like the one in this image) hunt more by sight... i've dropped a lure right where they have surfaced, and these guys have taken it as it hit the water... black eyed guys need to be sent a vibrating sms that there is something in the water to eat!

Thanks for the input, IG
Regards
Sualeh

IG,
this sure is a valuable tip !
WW...Hamdhingra

Talking about streamers, they can imitate any living creature :

I must say that I can't totally agree. Decent fish can be landed on flies too. However,fishing is not only referred to landing big fish, there are plenty other methods for catching big fish much more effective and simple than fishing - dynamite for example. Most of us fish for pleasure and some of us feel this pleasure when they catch the fish in a delicate way or with their own home made flies or imitations. There are lots of flyfishing gangs around the world, and I'm sure that there are plenty in India too.

The reason I brought this topic back to life, I admit, I need some fishing (flyfishing if possible) guidance in Mumbai area.

I have lots of questions (I hope they won't be annoying ) and I will start with the one below :

Are there any good fishing streams in the area ? I've been looking onto the physical map of Maharashtra and I found a few rivers : Godavari , Pravara, Mula and a few streams near Pune which seem to join(form) Tapi river. I prefer mountain streams ...

Cheers
Daniel

Hi Arun,
Why donot you start practicing fly fishing here in Powai. I am sure you will catch many Talapias/ khavlees and if you get lucky you may land one or two Chinies carp as they are known to take fly some time.

Regards,

Ali..

Hi Kevin, could you please give details that what type of flies did you use to catch carps??
Thanks
Sualeh