Welsh Marches

A small group of us took an eagerly anticipated trip to the rivers and streams of the Welsh Marches which ended with mixed results.

The river levels had dropped to almost perfect levels and the temperatures had risen over the last day or so. Everything seemed right but for whatever reason the fish were not really in the mood to respond.

There were three rivers targeted and the fishing started slow with little to show for the effort. The slight rise in temperatures mid afternoon seemed to stir a few into a feeding mode and although still not really 'up for it' they did generate a little excitement for one or two of us.

My tally for the day peaked at a dozen Grayling and the day ended with us all meeting up in a cosy country pub for a pint or two to discuss the days events...Mmm nice!!!

Two guys, two boats, two days of limits. They're not saying exactly where they were, only that there were other pots there. Look for the buoys. The pier is still kicking out a few dungeness. The snares have been fairly consistent producers from the pier. Best bait is squid, fatty chicken and mackerel.

Still getting a few dungeness on the pier. No limits, but dinner for the lucky ones. A few surfperch are being caught but they haven't been very big. Looking ahead, rockfish season is scheduled to open June 13 through the end of October. Salmon is officially scheduled to open on April 3rd, but the Pacific Fisheries Management Council will meet in March to determine the length of any potential emergency closures. There will surely be closures. Let's hope that we get at least a few weeks and that those weeks come when there are actually some fish to catch and some weather to fish in.

Klinkhamer Special SBS

As a follow up to my last blog entry I have produced a step by step guide to how I tie my Klinkhamers, this is by no means the only way to tie Klinkhamers...I have seen many many different versions all of which have merit.

What I tried to achieve (as a realitive beginner) was to tie the pattern close to what Hans van Klinken originally tied. The body dubbing and hackle colours can be changed to represent different hatches.

Materials

Hook: #14-20 Partridge 15BNX Klinkhamer Extreme
Thread: UTC70 Tan
Wing Post: TMC Aero Dry Wing
Hackle: Good Quality Cock Grizzle (colour to suit)
Body: Flyrite #5 Rust
Thorax: Peacock Herl (3 Strands)
Thread: Danville's Spiderweb


Catch in the thread and then tie on the wing post material
just above where the hook is cranked using 'pinch and loop'
wraps.


Trim off waste post material with an angled cut
to aid smooth taper, put some wraps in front
of the post to force it into an upright position. Then
carefully wind thread up the post around 2 or 3 mm.


Catch in the hackle then wrap the stem up the post
to secure.


Wind the thread down to just short of halfway around
the bend in touching turns.


Apply dubbing to thread and wrap up the body
to just short of the wing post...creating a slight
taper as you go.


Tie in the peacock herl, then using hackle pliers
attached to both the thread & herl spin together
to create a herl rope.


Wrap the herl around the wing post to create a thorax,
then whip finish just behind the eye.


The hook then needs re-positioning vertical in the
vice and the spiderweb thread is then attached
just above the thorax.


The hackle then needs to be wrapped around the
post to create the parachute, do not over do this
process...2 or 3 wraps is normally enough.


The hackle is then tied off with the spiderweb and
consolidated with a couple of spots of varnish placed
at the base of the hackle and wing post. The excess
wing post is trimmed to the required length to finish off.