conwyrod
Advisory Board 
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Aug 20, 2008 22:11:29 GMT
Many good salmon pools have a fast current down the middle and fish often lie in the slack water on the far side. This can sometimes make it difficult to control the fly speed.
I caught a fish recently in such a pool - the water level was about 15" above what I normally consider to be the best fly level, and the current was hammering through.
Fishing a floater + 10' extra fast sink polyleader, 4' leader+ 1/2" copper tube PB Pig fly, I cast a long line, square across the river into the slack water where I know running fish lie. I simply let the current put a big downstream bow in the line which eventually started to pull the fly across and down. I felt a slow draw and a fish was on!
I just wonder if the tightening line caused the fly to rise upwards and away from the fish, a classic induced take situation?
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Speyducer
Advisory Board
Release to spawn another day
Posts: 4,123 
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Post by Speyducer on Aug 20, 2008 22:29:09 GMT
Unsure as to whether this could be truly an 'induced' take, as it may be difficult to know when the fish took, ie as what stage in the travel of the fly was it intercepted.
However, the method of casting across into far-side slack where fish will often be lying, and then allowing the central current to draw the line can be very successful, and often the only way to fish such spots with the fly.
Similar success may be had with fishing the 'blackbird's fancy' through the same water, where rules allow.
Mike
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Post by charlieH on Aug 21, 2008 9:54:40 GMT
Willie Matheson, head gillie on the Beauly, has a theory to explain beginners catching fish when experts fail.
Sometimes a beginner will make a cast that lands in a heap. Eventually the current straightens the line out and the fly, which previously will have been drifting lifelessly, and sinking deeper than usual, will suddenly come to life. If this happens in front of the nose of a fish, it may induce a take. Your experience sounds similar, though I'm not suggesting that your cast landed in a heap!
If you know exactly where your fish are lying, it may be possible to do this deliberately, but on a larger river I think it would be a hard trick to pull off with any regularity.
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Aug 21, 2008 10:10:29 GMT
That's interesting Charlie.
I was standing on a high bank above the water and after casting, I was able to hold the line above the fast current for a short time, to allow the fly to sink.
I felt the take very soon after I'd lowered the rod to let the current start pulling the line downstream - so I imagined a situation similar to what you describe, a sinking/lifeless fly suddenly coming to life in front of the fish, and inducing a reaction!
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Post by robmason on Aug 21, 2008 19:02:42 GMT
Charlie, isn't what John describes akin to the Beauly belly?
That's the square cast across a pool, not D&V at the olympics!
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Post by charlieH on Aug 21, 2008 21:16:11 GMT
To be honest I've never been entirely clear what the Beauly Belly is, or whether it is actually anything more than a posh name for fishing a fly a bit faster than usual!
Willie M likes to cast square, so tends to have a downstream belly in the line, and almost always works the fly, but I think that is mainly to give extra movement on slower water, and applies as the cast fishes all the way round. Much of the Beauly is not very fast flowing, particularly at hydro compensation level.
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