Steelhead
Elf Tactics
Hi boys and girls,
Went down to Blakes this morning and had hundreds of half hearted 'chases' from the schools of Elf... but not one take. Anyone got any useful tips or tricks?? Flies and retrieves would be appreciated muchly.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Last edited by FishWhisperer; 27-10-07 at 06:00 PM.
Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine, No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook, With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray, And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey
Steelhead
Originally Posted by FishWhisperer
Sometimes the elf can just be really picky & not interested in eating anything....
I have found that slower retrieves can sometimes be better. I also try to not use a steel trace. A dog's breakfast is a good fly to use, also had lots of success using flippers.This is what it looks like after 1 fish tho
Keep trying!
You'll come right with time....
"We all fish for our own enjoyment - me for mine and you for yours, nobody can say what is right and what is wrong." - Jim Leisenring
Steelhead
what size were the chasing elf? i've found esp at veldrift, smaller elf there, and changed down to a size ten fritz and it was candy from the babes. not much fun on an 8wt but the scorecard could be filled in.
cheers
Behold the fisherman. he riseth early in the morning and disturbeth the whole household. mighty are his preperations. he goes forth full of hope and when the day is ended, he returneth smelling of strong drink and the truth is not with him. originator unknown.
my stuff.... http://www.flytalk.co.za/forum/album.php?u=824[/SIZE]
Steelhead
They were about 25-30 cm. Wish I had my fresh water box with me. I think I have just the ticket in there!Will definitely carry a few small patterns from now on.
Liam, I like that idea of the long shank hook. Logical!
Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine, No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook, With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray, And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey
Steelhead
25-30cm elf
If elf got any bigger they would eat people !!
Ive had 20 cm elf eat a 10 cm 4/0 clouser
The guys from Natal have good sucess on olive /tan/natural wooly biggers tied on 34007 or 34011 in #4-#8 with "cone heads "
Using small flies definateley increases your catch rate
I subscribe to the hamburger theroy and that is if you are a big fish you are not going to chase after a tiny "hamburger "
Remember Elf eat fish and the bigger they get the bigger fish they eat unlike trout where a large trout will still eat a tiny midge
so using small flies cuts down your chances of landing the bigger fish!
That been said I carry a 6wt and some tiny flies because any size elf is better than a blank !!
Last edited by damage; 29-10-07 at 09:52 AM. Reason: cant spell
What ever you do never confuse Fishing With catching Fish !!!!
Fish Are Friends Not Food
But your reasoning has a fatal flaw; it overlooks the fact that to comprehend it requires that one rub a few brain cells against each other. The heat thus generated produces the light that illuminates the fact, but alas, not everybody has the resource required to fuel the process --SG
Steelhead
These look like they could be the answer!!http://members.ij.net/danscustomflys...gSiliSkin.html
Might need to tie quite a few though...
Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine, No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook, With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray, And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey
Steelhead
looks good .. but then why not just use one of those yummy drop-shot minnows on an unweighted hook? .. like Berkeley Gulps?These look like they could be the answer!!http://members.ij.net/danscustomflys...gSiliSkin.html
Might need to tie quite a few though...
I always wanted to be somebody,but now I realize I should have been more specific.
Alcohol is the anaesthesia by which we endure the operation of life. GBS
Fingerling
I find that the best way to go in that situation with any fish is to fish a large fly (deceiver, clouser, flipper, etc.), with a small (maybe #8 or #10) fly fished behind it New Zealand style. I tie a small, basic streamer pattern for these times, that consists of an underbelly of white bucktail, an underwing of silver flashabou and an overwing of green "midge flash". Why not give it a try?
Steelhead
Something I remember from my youth when spinning for Elf is that Toby spinners with brass on the one side and silver on the other were much more effective than the straight silver ones. Perhaps when they become a bit picky, this is something that could make the difference on the day, a fly with some copper and silver tinsel in it.
"Innocence is a wild trout. But we humans, being complicated, have to pursue innocence in complex ways" - Datus Proper
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