Your "last ditch effort" fly?

[saflyfish]

When everyones gone home or given up on the fishing whats your "last ditch effort fly" that you have caught on for lakes,dams?
Name the fly,size & whether you used a floater,intermediate or sinker.
This can also be your secret weapon or best fly.

[dtayl13]

If I am having a really bad day on Lakies I always go with fly X. It never lets me down.

[smallstreams.co.za]

Why don't you guys just fish that fly from the start then?

[saflyfish]

i havnt received a single intelligent response

[dtayl13]

Sorry. I don't really have a fly that I use as a last ditch effort. The whole point for me as a last ditch effort is to fish something that you don't think works or it would not be your last ditch effort. If I have been fishing for hours on a lake and have been fishing natural flies (damsels, hares ears and dragons) I will try something completely outrageous. I had an experience the other day with trout in the school dam. I fish it every day during winter and know it very well as a result. The water is clear and it is extremely weedy as a result of Nitrate runoff from the vineyards. Due to the weeds fishing is with a floating line only. What typically happens is the trout are stocked. For the next two weeks you catch them on streamers. Then one day they just will not take anything so you resort to nymphing and buzzer fishing which is always very successful and very rewarding. They will not take anything else. So anyway the other day I was on the dam with a friend and we had fished two hours without a touch. We were getting pissed off and were just about to return to the boarding house when I thought I would try something disgusting as a last ditch effort. I changed my floating line with 5x flouro to a fast sink line with 0.22 maxima and put on a #1/0 white and chartruce flipper. Needless to say first cast got me a fish and two casts later another. I have had similar experiences elswhere. My tactic on any stillwater is to analyse it first (structure/gravel beds/inlets/dropoffs) and work out where I think the fish will be. I then try what I think will work. If it is a stocky dam I fish for stockies and if it is predominantly wild with clear water I fish more natural things slower and try to immatate which insects will be in a certain area (in other words over rocks or dead sticks I will start with browns rather than olives and on weedbeds go more to the green side of things). Once I have no other tricks up my sleeve I try something completely different and outrageous. I have even caught trout on #3/0 bass poppers. Wolf Avni told me that when he is having an impossible day on Goschen before he packs up he strips an orange dog nobbler. So in a long winded way when I am out of ideas I go scary.

[saflyfish]

Great response..you really know your stuff..thats the kind of post i was trying to generate here

[Monster]

I always try and return to basics.

Get local help if possible, the guys on the forom will help you out!

I go to the spot where you think the fish would be e.g. an inlet, out let, steap bank, grass line.
I chose a fly for the conditions, if there are small fish around a bugger or a rabbit strip immitation. It there is surfce activity I try to see what is attracting interst. If that does not help I turn over rocks and see what is hiding. If it is close to a grass line I fish damsels or dragons.

Clear water bright colours, dark water dark colours and if I see the fish follow without commiting I trade to more natural colours and smaller flies.

Cover as much water as you can. I use the watch method. Standing on the bank make a cast on 7 O'clock cast into every hour until I reach 2'O clock with a slow retrive. Then start at 7 again with a faster retrieve. But always mimic what you think the fly on the end of your line should be doing.

If this does not work move to the next most likely spot.

My favorrite fly depends on the conditions or any hatch. If a fish is hungry it will eat as long as it looks like food so fly choise is a matter of circumstance more than a favorite.

If all fails take a sip from your flask check out the water and think what you whould be doing if you where a fish. Then try again!

Like all fishermen I do have a couple of favorites:

Still Water general
Superman( My own fly but I will post a pic as soon as I can)
Buggers: Black, Olive and Pancora
Damsels and Dragons
Deep water: Black or Olive bugger with Hotspot Tucksten bead

Intermittent
Boobies- No not kind you are thinking off in the friday hottie section. Korrie did a small version on the SBS section. Fish on a sinking line. Let if float twitch to make it sink. Let it float back up again.
Unweighted damesels and Dragons- 5cm fast twitch and suspend retrive

Top Water
Hoppers
DDD- Check out Tom Sutcliff's site for the perfect DDD. Can be used with a suspended buzzer or blood worm
Adams

Rivers

Rory's size 10 heavy weighted Humpy's Favorite
Hotspots
PTN

Again check what is under the rocks and immitate it


Leader setup is critical. I still use 9ft taperd leader but only use stroft tippet material. It is strong and very thin giving it less drag in rivers and less likly to submerge your dries. Use as fine leader setup as you can and use good knots.. If your knots are strong your rod will take all the shock and you will be surprized what you can land with light leaders I'f been luky enough to land a 6kg barbel on a 6lb leader setup in the vaal

[shark_za]

I agree, its more of a total desperation than logic and thinking.

I tend to try something white or orange when everything I can think of fails.

[Monster]

In that case, The Superman!