Snake flies on a floating line

[Diawl Bach]

Can snake flies be effective with a floating line or are they best kept for later in the night with sinking lines and if they can be used with a floating line how should they be fished? ? I am asking because I bought some large waddingtons that look around the same size as some of my smaller snakes.

Thanks for any advice.

DB

[Teifi-Terrorist]

Hi DB,

yes! they can indefinitely be fished on the floating line to great effect.

To be honest I rarely fish with snake-flies nowadays, but do fish with patterns that achieve the same effect.

A snake fly on a floating line will fish just in the water surface, much like an 'in the surface' surface lure, which is deadly.

I remember fishing like this last September on the Teifi, it was deadly! The fish were very 'up' for the surface lure, but sometimes takes can be hit and miss, so I decided to fish light but long flies on the floating line; it worked a treat. I hooked 2 fish which I believe were 10lbs+ that night - one definitely was, as it was landed! :>

As a round up; definitely worth a go, especially in the second half of the season - now onwards - when the fish tend to be more active and switched on to surface patterns.

TT.

ps. I think JT does fish snakes on the floating line too, perhaps he can divulge more.

[grunt]

Hi TT,
I was wondering (If it is not too cheeky to ask) what do you use instead of snake flies. I was recently shown a tandem fly that I have started to use but are there other options as well.

Diolch

Grunt

[Teifi-Terrorist]

Hi Grunt,

I can do one better than that and show you some photos!

Tandems would do the trick. I tend to prefer these though:



They're basically exactly the same set-up as a jambo mount, but you don't spin the deer hair in the head, opting for more of a waddington/tube style dressing instead.

TT.

[JT]

Wotcher,

I must confess - I too have moved gradually away from snakes and have reverted to really big singles and waddies/tubes.

I used to fish the line and leader length to suit the stretch - I found a square cast with a couple of mends worked well in faster, rapidly shallowing, tails.

I've done all sorts of modifcations - using inverted doubles hidden in the wing to avoid snags in low water to using the same with a cone head to get down in the "deep on one side and rapidly shallowing to the near bank" - type pools.

I'll now fish them occasionally on an intermediate line but when I think a larger presentation is needed in shallower water I either opt for a large size 4 single or a trusted old snake in silver, red and black.

Not sure if this helps but, in essence, use your instinct and river craft to work out if a snake is worth a chuck and then at what presentation height would suit.

Good luck.

Jon

[fredaevans]

Good stuff Jon.

(:,You'd do well on one of our Steelhead rivers here in the PNW.

Fred

[JT]

Now there's an offer I can't refuse Fred!

[grunt]

Diolch TT I'll definatly give these a go. |\

[ACW]

Snakes on a floater have worked on teifi ,i dont do night fishing much these days as on a 6 day week and growing sensibly older need my sleep .
however were I to do the nights again i really see the John Gray needle tubes as a way forward ,they are sweet !(:,

[Diawl Bach]

Thanks all for your advice and guidance.

DB