17 September 2020
Dry fly-fishing is often most effective when chasing the smaller rainbow trout in the eastern flowing streams around Ebor. These fish tend to be opportunistic feeders and a well-presented beetle pattern often works. Even so, enough seem to have learned that a royal wulf can contain a nasty surprise and refusals are common.
Many of the Ebor streams are tight and lined with tea-tree. A 25cm rainbow can be a handful in these confines and Ebor rainbows have a habit of running straight at the angler to put slack in the line, or wrapping leaders around a low branch.
For beginners, getting little rainbows to take the fly is rarely the problem. The challenge is staying attached to the fish for more than three seconds. Sight fishing to rainbows holding on station in the crystal clear shallows can be nerve testing. The temptation to lift the rod tip before that flash of white mouth closes is over-whelming for some. Other times, the fish won’t give your perfect beetle imitation the time of day. The rainbows (and occasional lunker brown) in the Guy Fawkes become extremely selective when there is a good hatch of black spinners. Without a decent spinner pattern in your fly-box, these fish will drive you mad.
Those throwing celtas and minnows may as well pack up and go home when the spinners are on the wing. More than one frustrated spin fisher has left shaking his head in disbelief as a novice fly-thrasher bags a Guy Fawkes rainbow, while his perfectly cast lure remains untouched.
Around the same time you figure that you have the Ebor trout sussed, you inevitably come across a nympher. These are a favourite quarry. Often, these fish working under low light conditions, early and late or on overcast days. Many anglers actually miss the subtle disturbances of the water these fish make and as a result, miss the best fish of the day. The tactics required to bag nymphing fish take time to perfect. A small black nymph with gold ribbing is a good option, but casts need to be accurate. Long fine leaders, with a 1kg tippet will maximise your chance of a hook-up (and the likelihood of being snapped off). This is one situation where longer casts do pay off, particularly on open streams.
Even with perfect presentation, actually detecting the take requires a sixth sense. Usually, all you see is a small bulge more or less where you think the fly is, or a short pause in the drift of the leader. This is the signal to lift the rod tip and set the hook.
Then there is the conundrum that if you see these bulges in one of the western flowing streams in the Guyra area, tactics change again. If you find yourself in this situation, give the one kilo tippet a miss or a bust off is inevitable!
As well as feisty rainbows, some streams in the region hold brown trout. With the exception of the rainbows in the Wollomombi system where 2-3 kilo fish are common, the browns reach a larger average size (around a kilo) than the eastern rainbows, though they do tend to run hot and cold. On a hot day, fishing a caddis pattern or black nymph, you can hook-up every half hour or so. On a cold day, you could swear there are no trout in the stream.
In terms of equipment, it is best to leave the seven and eight weight outfits at home. You will catch fish on heavier gear, but it is much more fun doing battle with New England trout on a four or five weight rod. Shorter rods of 7-8 feet (2.1-2.4m) are better to get under and around the vegetation and will result in less tree climbing.
In general, floating lines are the best option though for some of the stocked dams and deeper sections of the Wollomombi system, sinking lines or leaders can be essential, particularly under hot conditions.
When it comes to flies, there are a few have-to-haves including dry flies like the royal wulf and red tag, black and brown nymphs, gold bead head nymphs when the water is fast and dirty, woolly buggers and black spinners.
However, experience has shown the Moffat Falls guides that an array of patterns will work. They are consistently amazed at the contraptions coming out of clients fly-boxes that would look at home atop the Christmas tree, yet still bag a trout.