Roseberry Reservoir nr Edinburgh

[leckie]

Sunday 10 June 2012

I set off for the River South Esk but it was still too high and coloured for fishing...luckily I packed the Yamame and headed to the source of the River which flows out of Roseberry Reservoir.
and here it is ...the source of the River South Esk






It was quite calm on the reservoir...and there were a few fish rising...encouraging....My set up was basically the same for the rivers....a 10'6" furled leader and 4 ' x5 tippet with single size 16 klinkhammer...obviously I can't cast very far out but hey it a reservoir and it drops off into deep water pretty close to the bank...after about 30 minutes or so there is a swirl under the fly...it looks but doesn't take...spoilsport...there are a few folk fishing but I can't see any rods bending....I make my way back tot he boathouse...no takes...I try at the dam...a fish takes shakes it's head then I'm broke...could be the bad knots syndrome again....I try a wickman's fancy....half and hour later another take and I connect....the fish breaks me again...I've got half and hour left so I make my way a few hundred yard up the reservoir and head back down...I attach a further 4' of level line to the lillian...tie in a perfection loop and attach the furled leader...I've now changed to a large elk hair sedge....It's amazing what a difference that 4' of additional line makes...I feel that I am out in the killing zone....another swirl and my sedge is engulfed..I strike and only nick him...I fish on for another 20 minutes and although the fish are closer in my session's up and it's time to go home...I'll be back to see how the Yamame handles these 'bows

tight lines

Alex

[paul1966]

Hello Alex, you've got to sort those knots out, luckily it was only rainbows. As I've said before I'm still a big mono fan, I mainly use Daiwa Sensor it knots really well, I've got miles of it I buy the bulk spools. If you want some send me your address and Ill post you some to try.

[leckie]

Paul,
I have sent you my home address by PM...I'll try anything...like you say I need to get these knots sorted....I've just bought a tube of that Loon knot strength as well
Thanks for the offer.

Alex

[custheyder]

I like the Loon knot strength. You can use it for all sorts of things including fly tying! Being broken off is very frustrating. What brand of tippet are you using?

[paul1966]

Ok Alex I've got that I'll put some 4lb on a spool for you. If you get you're knots correct that should land just about anything on a T rod. Try the davy knot for connecting hooks but go around twice on the last bit or three times it does't matter.

[paul1966]

heres another clip that may be easier to follow

[Deleted]

Alex.

Im with Paul on this one, good old mono! you cant beat it.
Diawa sensor, maxima & my favourite, Bayer Perlon.

I had a flirt a few weeks ago with with some Preston inovations copolymer recommended to me by my father. Total crap!.
It was 3lb test & cracked off even on a steady lift into a 8oz fish with my soft Ebisu.
Its not the fact your losing fish, its the leaving line & flies in the fishes mouth that worries me.

Regards Stevie.

[leckie]

Cust,
The tippet I was using was JMC KamouFil x5....so it can't be the line ;D
Paul,
I've never had problems with knots when I've used mono even as a kid with the blood knot...I just ordered some frog hair copolymer last night....wish I hadn't bothered after reading Stevie's report
Stevie,
I've used barbless hooks for some time now and I've de-barbed (flattened) all my existing flies that had a barb in them....the hooks should work there way out...but It's not ideal for the poor trout I accept.
I'll nail this knot issue....eventually....the sooner the better

tight lines

Alex

[custheyder]

JMC KamouFil is nylon not fluorocarbon, so that's that issue out the window. I quite like co-poly for dry fly work. It has a bit of stretch to it to absorb takes. The best way to test knots is to take a length of your chosen tippet and tie a fly on each end using different knots. Simulate a smash take by pulling the line tight suddenly. Repeat several times and see which knots hold the best.

[paul1966]

That's exactly what I do to test my knots. I think it swings and round abouts fluoro is better for abrasion and less visible to fish but you've got to get the knot right because it's slippy and it has little stretch it can snap easily on a shock take or if the fish jumps. Mono is easy to knot and has stretch which is better for those shock takes. That's why I like it because there's sea trout in my river, the amount of anglers I've seen gutted because they've just been snapped by a sewin on the take they're nearly alway using fluoro. I wouldn't touch it for sewin fishing personally.

I forgot the main plus for mono, it's cheap:)

[leckie]

Paul,

You probably don't need fluorocarbon line for tippets anyway as the main idea of tenkara fishing is to keep the line off the water

I like the Davy Knot 'cause it's simple to tie...it's really good if you change flies a lot...I don't because it can take ages to thread the knot through the eye...in saying that a really strong knot that I've had no problem with is the palomer knot that Cust put me on to...I've tested it and it's really strong.

Alex

Alex

[paul1966]

I've never heard of that knot until know it looks a strong knot and easy to tie I've just been looking at it on youtube.

[custheyder]

Is that what the knot is called? Paul, here's the thread.

[paul1966]

I was looking at the Palomer knot on youtube

[leckie]

Cust,

That knot isn't the palomer knot...not sure what it is...I think someone on the forum suggested the double surgeon' s knot or something like that .....but when you mentioned using the palomer knot I found it on you tube and it's strong and easy to tie.
Here it is;


Alex