Salmon and trout possess highly specialized vision, finely tuned to detect a range of colours…
Micro stinger and hitch In Scotland
Scottish know-how
Whenever I have the privilege of fishing the Kinnaber beat on the River North Esk in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, I am fortunate to be in the company of my dear friend Ron Gray, who serves as the head ghillie there. Ron, a true aficionado of the riffling hitch technique, is blessed with the opportunity to be by the river’s side every single day throughout the fishing season.
Attached is a photo of Ron proudly displaying a notable local catch, captured on a micro #16 fly.
Local insight
Spending each day by the river throughout the fishing season grants a depth of understanding regarding the varied moods and subtle shifts in behavior of Atlantic salmon and trout that few anglers ever attain. Advice from a seasoned local angler or ghillie can often provide invaluable insights to visiting day ticket anglers.
Micro flies … the essential requirement
During periods of low water and warm temperatures, or when the fish seem unresponsive, you’ll frequently discover that the flies required to entice such wary fish are among the smallest in your fly box. In slow-moving water, a sparsely dressed fly might be necessary to ensure precise presentation at the rear of a pool. Alternatively, the daily emergence of local insects like stoneflies, caddisflies, or mayflies may have conditioned the fish to respond only to patterns that closely resemble these familiar sights.
A sneak peek into Ron´s box of micro flies – The tiny Micro treble hook flies # 16 – 20 are seen in the top part of the box.
See small outpoint silver trebles # 16 for your micro fly tying here
How to
When you tie on the tube-hitch fly hook, leave the amount of tippet from the knot that you want for the trailing fly
Micro outpoint treble hook flies
Ron´s hitch tube fly and on a small fly tied on a outpoint treble hook – Ron also use micro flies tied on single hooks.
The set-up
Keep it simple
Using a trailing fly can be effective, but it can also lead to tangles. Ron’s technique involves using a small tube hitch fly as the main fly, with a micro fly (#16-20) trailing about 70-100 cm behind it.
To keep the trailing fly submerged, Ron opts for 8 lb. fluorocarbon tippet material. Fluorocarbon sinks better than nylon and is stiffer, which helps reduce tangles. (for illustration, we have used a piece of regular Maxima Chameleon nylon in the photo above )
Trailing flies – what is it all about?
The concept of trailing flies isn’t fully understood, it is one of those things in fly fishing for trout and salmon that isn’t well described, but it’s a valuable tactic for catching elusive Atlantic salmon and trout in river pools during summer. The combination of a hitch fly and a trailing micro fly resembles a line of insects, possibly enticing fish to strike at the last one, mimicking an unhatched insect.…just a guess.
More on the subject.
Curious to learn more about the cycles of Atlantic salmon …see our Fishmadman page on this subject here
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