Only One Fly... ??

[dleroux]

I was fishing this weekend at our family farm and know these waters by heart, I was surprised to see that only one of my flies produce the goods (Blackfly Larvae) Throughout the day I swapped the Blackfly from point to dropper and used a lot of fly variations that I know works for these waters but for some reason the Blackfly was the ONLY one that got the fish. Now my question is why this pattern? I’ve been fishing these waters for the past 5 years and this is the first time that I experience this. I must also admit that I tied the larva fly with an orange head using dubbing for the first time just to see if it will initiate more takes.. I got a lot more than what I bargained for, but still-only one fly??

[Nymph+O-]

I rate it is the orange hot spot more than anything else.

[Korrie]

Buzzer fishing can be the most prodcutive fishing ever, try some other buzzer patterns as well. Also recommend that you debarb, can help if you hook yourself. Speaking from experience

[chris williams]

Blackfly larvae are totally underrated fishing-wise - probably mainly because the imitations don't attract the purchasers in a flyshop as much as they do the fish on the river! I agree with comments - your imitation would look like a combo b'fly larva imitation with a bit of an orange racing stripe to add a bit of 'zest' - sounds a good little fly! Of course the chironomid 'buzzers' are separate family with different habits, but yours at a push could well be used as a general 'attractor/imitator' for both

[Andre]

I was fishing this weekend at our family farm and know these waters by heart, I was surprised to see that only one of my flies produce the goods (Blackfly Larvae) Throughout the day I swapped the Blackfly from point to dropper and used a lot of fly variations that I know works for these waters but for some reason the Blackfly was the ONLY one that got the fish. Now my question is why this pattern? I’ve been fishing these waters for the past 5 years and this is the first time that I experience this. I must also admit that I tied the larva fly with an orange head using dubbing for the first time just to see if it will initiate more takes.. I got a lot more than what I bargained for, but still-only one fly??

Perhaps it was the only fly that kept the fish on due to that ugly great barb....................!!!!!

[chris williams]

I thought the barb was a hatching MF nymph cadging a lift??

[Michael]

This season on the Vaal river (for some unexplainable reason) olives and dark greens have worked better. Last season (and years gone by) ginger, yellow, mustard, etc patterns was a yellowfish killer! THIS season however, it has not been the case at all. This could be one explanation as to your success, but why it was the ONLY fly that produces, I would not be able to guess.

Blackfly on the Vaal is a huge food source for yellows, and highly underrated. I tie up a fly that is a cross between a blackfly larvae and a caddis larvae (BF Caddis I call it) and it has been a good producer this season. Check out the pic below. I have not tried the hotspot variation yet, but think I will tie up a few and try substituting the light olive dubbing for orange dubbing, and see how well it works.

Mike (note debarbed hook)

[Bluefin]

I was fishing this weekend at our family farm and know these waters by heart, I was surprised to see that only one of my flies produce the goods (Blackfly Larvae) Throughout the day I swapped the Blackfly from point to dropper and used a lot of fly variations that I know works for these waters but for some reason the Blackfly was the ONLY one that got the fish. Now my question is why this pattern? I’ve been fishing these waters for the past 5 years and this is the first time that I experience this. I must also admit that I tied the larva fly with an orange head using dubbing for the first time just to see if it will initiate more takes.. I got a lot more than what I bargained for, but still-only one fly??

Almost certainly a lot of midge buzzer activity on the water, this is a staple food for many stillwater trout and most other flies would be far too overdressed or too large to make a suitable imitation. I rekon you simply lucked into the copy of what the fish were eating down there. It never pays to ignore the possibility of buzzers being chomped subsurface. Just go look at the number of black buzzer variations the English stillwater guys have in thier boxes.

[gkieser]

I think he is talking about the vaal though, not trout.

I once picked up a submerged stick on the vaal and what i thought was algae was a writhing mass of blackfly larvae. They must surely take up a large proportion of a yellowfish's diet.

[chris williams]

On the Vaal we've a combo of black and olive midge pupae as well as the swarming blackfly hordes on sticks and the like that Grant describes. On the big old barren reservoirs in the UK I was weaned on teams of 'buzzer' fishing - really exciting stuff with the 'washing line' routine often being a killer