Bow and Arrow Cast ?

[BellySlater 15]

I have recently "found" a little stretch of brook, its about 5-6 foot wide and gin clear. I've been walking it quite regularly lately watching loads of chubb and dace. Last week I noticed a couple of wild brown trout, one was a good couple of pounds. I would class myself as a pretty experienced fly fisherman but these fish are proving to be very shy, it's pretty impossible to get in the brook downstream and fish up and when I get in up stream they scarper at the first false cast. Has anyone got any experience of the bow and arrow cast ? I am using a seven foot brook rod with a three weight line. What sort of distance would I be achieving and is there a knack to fly presentation ? The trial I had in the garden hit the gound like a bullet

 

Cheers, Dan

[fin and fur 2]

I have recently "found" a little stretch of brook, its about 5-6 foot wide and gin clear. I've been walking it quite regularly lately watching loads of chubb and dace. Last week I noticed a couple of wild brown trout, one was a good couple of pounds. I would class myself as a pretty experienced fly fisherman but these fish are proving to be very shy, it's pretty impossible to get in the brook downstream and fish up and when I get in up stream they scarper at the first false cast. Has anyone got any experience of the bow and arrow cast ? I am using a seven foot brook rod with a three weight line. What sort of distance would I be achieving and is there a knack to fly presentation ? The trial I had in the garden hit the gound like a bullet

 

Cheers, Dan

 

Bow and Arrow casting may very well be your best bet if you have a relativley through to mid action flyrod, i have a 6'6" brook rod for a #3wt line which is just too stiff and usually end up using a 7' #4wt rod that has an action all the way through to the rods butt.

 

Action of the rod is all important as i guess you will be using small flies which will only stay hooked in the fish if you have sufficient spring in the rod to keep a good but light hold on the fish, so this is another good reason for using a through actioned rod.

 

I had a real fun time of things yesterday afternoon with the Trout and Grayling on a small river i fish that sounds similar to the water you have, using an abbreviated roll cast, which may also be worth you trying.

 

good luck make a stealthy approach, keep the tippets fine and the flies small (less likely to spook the fish with a small fly) and you will meet with success

 

all the best

 

fin and fur