Techy Thursday - Grilling Quentin Forster

CD: So Quentin, tell us what’s up with November in Canterbury...

QF: Big dries, I'm already hooking up with blowflies where fish are out looking for food. Don't overdo it though, a #12 is plenty big enough. Dry dropper with a #12 or #10 up wing mayfly and solid soft hackle set at a depth to match the riffle. Loon Deep Soft to get the wee wet down. Deeper feeding fish or fish nymphing intensely on drop off, don't muck around, go big or go home! Size 10 or even 8 big stoneflies work a treat. Big and dark with lots of movement, rubber legs etc. Sorted.

Para Improved Humpy Blue

Kyle's Stone Brown

CD: Love it! How do you keep the soft weight from sliding onto the nymph? Split the leader with a blood knot? How do you choose how deep to fish in the riffles? What relationships do you get between short = quick response from the dry or longer trace = longer response time. Does it matter as much with a big nymph or if they eat it, do they hold it?

QF: I split the leader with a triple surgeons, add weight no more than 4 inches above the fly. Turn your rig over properly and he dry will pull on time every time, if it’s that deep you probably shouldn’t be using the dry dropper on it. They hold the bigger flies plenty long enough but the biggest problem is not leading the fish by enough to get the fly to depth. We are still sight fishing but if the fish has to turn to chase the fly down stream because it wasn't in the zone then more often than not a drag related refusal will occur potentially making that awesome fly redundant. On the other hand the fish will just smash it and charge back to its feeding station allowing for a good solid hook set. Hold on!

And THAT’S why we love Quentin!

Check him out for ‘tell it how it is’ guiding in the CSI, and North Canterbury regions.