Category: Techniques

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Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Tackle, Technical, Techniques

SINK RATES OF FLIES TIED WITH TUNGSTEN AND BRASS BEADS

Getting down to the bottom of the river is critical for success when fishing weighted nymphs. Fly fishermen use a variety of techniques to do this, mainly by adding lead split shot to the trace or incorporating brass or tungsten beads into their nymph patterns. Common logic is that materials with high bulk densities, such as Tungsten, sink fastest and that the heavier the bead … Continue reading SINK RATES OF FLIES TIED WITH TUNGSTEN AND BRASS BEADS

Unknown's avataralanbulmer11 Comments
Alan Bulmer, Blogs, Fish Species, Fishing History, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Surfcasting, Techniques

BAIT – THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Let me say from the outset that this article is not intended to denigrate those who use bait to catch fish in any way. It is a time honoured, effective and legal way to fish and I have the utmost respect for those fishermen who can seemingly catch fish at will using bait. The aim of the article is to show just how much bait … Continue reading BAIT – THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Unknown's avatarpaulsmith3 Comments
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Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water Fishing, Technical, Techniques

ANALYSING TROUT RISE FORMS – A LOST SKILL?

Words: Alan Bulmer   Images: Tim Angeli When I was young and learning to fly fish I was given a tattered book on trout fishing by a curmudgeonly old friend of my fathers. He took me aside, gruffly told me that I should read the book as it contained a wealth of useful information, attempted a wry smile and shuffled off. The book was “Trout fishing … Continue reading ANALYSING TROUT RISE FORMS – A LOST SKILL?

Unknown's avataralanbulmer7 Comments
Alan Bulmer, Fish Species, Fly Fishing, Light Tackle, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Techniques

SNAPPER ON THE FLATS

In Stalking the flats – Part 2, I discussed what to look for when walking across the flats. I mentioned that “I am always on the look-out for freshly dug depressions in the sand and shell, roughly 0.5 – 1 metre in diameter. These depressions are often easy to spot as entire areas will be pockmarked with them and they are surrounded by piles of … Continue reading SNAPPER ON THE FLATS

Unknown's avatarpaulsmith4 Comments
Alan Bulmer, Fish Species, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Technical, Techniques

DO FISH LEARN TO AVOID LURES?

Article by: Alan Bulmer         Photos: Paul Smith Recently I read an excellent article by Neil Wagener in NZ Fisher # 50 entitled “Are we training fish to avoid lures”. Click on the following link to view it:- http://www.nzfisher.co.nz/ The basic premise of the article is that fish become conditioned to lures the more they see them and if they are hooked, landed and released during … Continue reading DO FISH LEARN TO AVOID LURES?

Unknown's avataralanbulmer7 Comments
Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Technical, Techniques

IS DAWN THE BEST TIME TO FISH?

Written By: Alan Bulmer   Photos: Paul Smith & Mark Hoffman Recently I received a fascinating e-mail from Dr Mike Ladle in the UK describing his experiment to see whether fish activity increased around dawn. Mike is convinced that fishing at the change of light at dawn is the most productive time of day and designed an experiment to try and prove this. Mike actually recorded the number of … Continue reading IS DAWN THE BEST TIME TO FISH?

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Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Technical, Techniques

MOORED BOATS ARE FISH MAGNETS

In order to successfully fish estuarine flats it is important to be always on the lookout for places where fish will likely congregate. Features such as subsurface rocks and weed beds are regularly identified as fish holding areas and need no further discussion. However, one of the most obvious fish attracting features in an estuary is one that is often overlooked completely by anglers, namely … Continue reading MOORED BOATS ARE FISH MAGNETS

Unknown's avataralanbulmer3 Comments
Alan Bulmer, Technical, Techniques

FINDING FISH USING BIRDS

The first thing I do when I first walk onto an estuarine flat is to take 10 – 15 minutes to look around through my polaroid’s and see what is happening. I’m looking for two things, fish movement and bird activity, and while I’m looking I try to keep my own movements as unobtrusive as possible. Checking for fish movement, especially in the shallow margins, … Continue reading FINDING FISH USING BIRDS

Unknown's avataralanbulmer3 Comments