Match the Hatch... Fact or Fiction?

[Silver Creek]

Correction of Teneral Stage and Photo

[Davyfly]

Silver.

Your reference to Blow line fishing further.
A technique going way back to fishing both the natural lakes of Ireland and Scotland.
Very long rods are used up to 20ft 15 to 18 often. Years ago they were simply lashed together switches.
It its was primarily for fishing the Danica mayfly, hoppers and crane fly were also used when they were abundant.
It was also used for fishing a two fly team, a tail and a top dropper for catching sea trout and Atlantic Salmon when they ran into the lakes from the river below on the journey through the lake system to the head waters of the river system running into the lake.

I fished this way many times in the 60s and 70s when fishing Irish lakes. It is practised from a drifting boat downwind as it is needed for the wind to come from behind to allow for the blow line to billow.
To day Polypropylene has replaced butcher string and silk which was used in the past.
Make no mistake it is not a easy technique to master. Live mayfly, hoppers or cranfly are attached to a small hook in the thorax, then they must be gently lowered on and off the water surface, know as dapping which is what the technique is.

Great fun when you see the explosive take from a fish , God save the Queen is said and the rod raised to set the hook, all be it my friend would say something else which l cannot write here.

About the closest way you can get to this is to use the traditional wet fly method, two to 4 flies, use a long top dropper of 6 to 12ins and animate this fly in and off the surface, a very deadly tactic at times. You need a long rod and the wind direction has to be good if wade fishing a moving water system.

The blow line method is difficult to use when fishing streams as you cannot cast the rig, and wind will only as a rule allow you very minimal levels of close qtr presentations.

DW



DW