Floating devons

[kercock]

Those of you who occasionally spin would do well to hunt out the floating devon gear.A beginner on Saturday had a 10lbs fish on a 2" red devon and lost another,his father -in -law lost one at the net,I really enjoy fly-fishing with the floater, it being my 1st choice when spinning, One fella today lost a fresh fish at his feet on a 2 1/2 " red and gold floater ., in areas you would be very hard pushed to get a fly down to them. On quiet days (like today) a few club members were no shows , I lost a something ( did'nt see it ). Tomorrow I must flatten the barbs on all my hooks I am about to go barbless 100%.

[tyneandrew]

Very conservation minded Kercock. Devons were the number one killer on the Tay in the good old days. Sure they weren't fishing barbless then, and a killed fish was killed and bundled into crates.

[madkeen]

Kercock where do you get bouncing bettys heavy enough for the tay my local shops only sell them up to 20 gs. always fancied trying out the floaters but could not get heavy enough bettys.

[kercock]

I make my own weights and tubes but I rarely use the tubes. The crucial bit is the weight you want that weight just tapping the bottom occasionally across the river,in fast or slower water.You rarely need the tube part in reality with a floating devon. Attach your weight to a dropper of about 9",how much weight ? only trial and error will tell you. Book a day on Kercock and all will be revealed ! !

[fishingd0]

The Devon is the number one bait used on the Ness System, Particularly on the Spring Rivers.

I have started using the various weighted minnows, and find them great casters and they get down to the fish without using any large amount of lead , although sometimes a small amount of wire lead is wrapped around the Trace just to get that extra depth.

[zeolite]

"Book a day on Kercock and all will be revealed "

I am going to take you up on that Dennis. Better get the flowery hand towels out.

[sewin]

The wooden or light plastic devon is the best method on the Wye as well. On the Wye it is usually fished "down and across" below a Wye lead which is heavy enough to bump the bottom whilst the devon flutters a little bit higher.

For some deep lies I change this set up to a heavier bomb on a short link as, with the rod held high, this allows me to slow down the devon's progress through the pool.

Hattons of Hereford made the most beautiful wooden devons, I have a couple in the best colour combination of brown and gold, they are a work of art and I am very reluctant to risk losing them these days and use plastic which I've painted myself.

[tweedcast]

Don't knock wooden devons until you've tried them.

I had three springers March 18th (St Patricks Day) 1995 at Morphie d**e on red and gold wooden devon - fished like a fly quite fast and across.

Still, I prefer fly nowadays, I've got to justify these beathable chest waders somehow.

M

[philh]

Fishing Pool also brought out a Floating Flying C some years ago, they work pretty good, I use the slinky style weights made with parachute cord.

[Sloggi]

Floating Devons are GREAT!

There's nothing quite like casting out a wee red beastie with a weight and following it round, then slowly retrieving waiting for the sharp pull...

I have a question though: I use a yellow-belly and a black/yellow during the spring, then a red beastie from August onwards, but what should I use in-between? Black and Gold or?

[kercock]

The red floating devon worked from March to the end of the 2006 seasonTwo and a half inch to one and a half.We use them a lot,I can honestly say that I have never caught a salmon on a yellow belly,does'nt do it for me however in various shades of red and in varying sizes. in mild weather in spring the 2" devon does quite well in clearish water of 40F plus. in colder water the Toby does better, silver especially. However everyone has their own favourite colours

[Sloggi]

Thanks Kercock. Not sure if I understood the last bit of your post - Are you saying you use various sizes of the red beastie from March onwards and that you don't use any other colours? Are you using them on the Tay (just guessing by your "name")?

I like thew yellow belly but get far more success when I change to the ruby red devon. Sometimes it's just unstoppable and I don't recall a day without an offer from it.

[stoater]

Greetings Sloggi.
Can you enlighten me on your exact tackle and method of using it please?
I have caught plenty of Salmon on the ubiquitous Flying C, but I do tire of the speed you need to retrieve them, plus they do give a lot of "water resistance", hence feeling brick-like, not to mention all the expensive worn-out and stiff fixed spool reels!
Does a floating Devon, coupled with a lead, fish better than just using a heavy Devon on its own? How long a trace, etc.? Do you cast down, square, or upstream? Being no superior being I love a go with the spinning rod, and would love to read of "The Black Art of the Floating Devon". I have never had so much as a sniff of excitement on a Devon minnow yet.

[Sloggi]

First thing to say is that everyone here will have their own method of fishing the Devon.

In summer, where the red Devon is my first spinning choice, I use an 8' rod with 14lb braid. I have a swivel at the end of the braid with a Hillman or Arsely Bomb weight attached to the braid end of the swivel (with the bomb I usually tie on 4" of 8lb fluorocarbon on the braid end of the swivel and tie in the bomb - not sure why!). I then have about 18" of approx 13lb fluorocarbon (always Seaguar for all fishing - I hear the boos and hisses already) on which I tie the Devon. in the spring and late autumn, I change to a 10' rod with 28lb braid (I'm optimistic!) with the same leader length of 19lb or 25lb (when I'm too optimistic!). If the autumn river level is low than I'll happily go back to the 8' rod - there's usually someone to help me if I get a decent fish. I use a leader lighter than the braid so that if I get stuck in the bottom or break on a fish, there's not 50 yards of line trailing the river or even worse, the fish. Spinning has such an undeserved reputation and yet we don't help ourselves when fly fishers pull in 50 yards of line with a lure on the end having just lost a fish...oops.

Summer and low water: 1" - 2 1/2"
Spring and autumn: 2" - 3 1/2"

All Devons now bought from Mac at the Devon Minnow store. He is friendly and can get 1" wooden ruby red Devons.

I never, never, never use sinking Devons. A floater with the appropriate weight is always better. It fishes better and is easier to control although it is harder to cast. It is rare that I'd use much more the 3/4 of an ounce - I usually use 1/4 or 1/2 ounce.

How and where to cast (and weight) is dependent on two things. A) The river height; B) The speed of the pool. If the river is low and the pool is fairly slow and shallow, I'll cast just below straight (less than 90 degrees). The higher or faster the water or deeper the pool, the further upstream I'll cast. Always try to keep the line up and out of the water - it is tiring on the hand but the minnow will swim better and you'll be more in control. The beauty of Devon fishing is the gentleness of the fishing - you really feel it is fishing and that you're in control.

I really only reel in if the weight keeps touching the bottom (change the weight) or on the dangle. I reel in very, very slowly...

Fish will take either on the "plop" as the cast is made, during the swing (as in fly-fishing), or as you start to reel in on the dangle. Most takes are on the swing. As everything is very gentle and smooth, the takes can seem really hard. Usually the fish stays on but don't be hard on it while playing. I sometimes use smaller hooks as often you get a great muckle thing that need a great yank to set the hook!

If buying ruby red (red beastie) make sure they have been painted gold under the red. Usually you can see this at the end of the lure nearest the hook.

Wooden or plastic? Your choice! I use mainly wood but plastic on the larger versions.

I've noted some sizes above, but I'd recommend 1 1/2" for normal summer height on a Dee-sized river in the autumn. I'd guess those who fish large rivers will, at times, use heavier weights and larger lures with tackle to match.

I hope this helps, good luck, and congratulations on discovering an art form that will prevent a blank on many future fishing trips.

[Sloggi]

The bit on retrieving is not clear - sorry.

If the weight starts snagging on the bottom I reel gently to lift it. If it keeps happening, I change the weight. I reel in when the lure nears the dangle but only really slowly. After reeling in about 5 yards, I speed up ready for the next cast although I have pulled the lure out of fish twice this past season doing this! For me, keeping the lure fishing slowly, slowly, slowly is the key.

[kercock]

The only change I would advise to the above techniques is that I slide a swivel on to the braid before I tie on a swivel I then tie the dropper for the weight on to that,the running swivel . That way you very rarely get a tangle,when you do ,swing the devon to your hand and drop the rod tipthen the weight being on a separate swivel will untangle itself !
sloggie I certainly use other colours red and gold if there is a fair bit of colour to the water,black and gold as well. I tend to use devons with shallow angled fins so as they spin slower so in two coloured devon there is more of a flash off them ,ie A black and gold devon spinning very quickly will show up gold in the water.
If I am spinning from the right bank I use a devon which spins towards my bank and when I'm on the left bank I use a devon which spins into the left bank !
NO I am not pulling your leg.
I ALWAYS hold my trigger finger on the line as the devon swings back across the river,the take from a fish can be incredibly gentle,if I even think I feel a pluck I tighten up. I get a high percentage of the fish on that very gentle pluck ! !

[Sloggi]

Really interesting comments Kercock. A gold with another colour is pretty popular. Never tried red and gold, but I have a few brown and gold. I find the ruby red is fine in coloured water if they are gold underneath the red - they seem to glow in the water like the ready-break man!

Done much with the yellow-belly?

[kercock]

I have never caught a fish on a yellow belly,tried it many times many years ago,and just gave it up. All the devons I've seen made all had a white base coat covered in gold with red on top of that. I sell hundreds of them for a mate of mine,made to measure if required. Ared and gold devon wiyh a black stripe along the side is a particular fafourite of mine

[jimthefish]

kercock said:

If I am spinning from the right bank I use a devon which spins towards my bank and when I'm on the left bank I use a devon which spins into the left bank !

Without wishing to be controversial, I do the exact opposite to you ie spinning from the right bank I fish with devons with fins spinning towards the left bank and vice versa. I have caught many fish doing so but then again mainly in the spring in big water when I am trying to slow down the speed of the swing.

[stoater]

Thankyou for excellent and fascinating advice- much appreciated. I am lucky in that I love flyfishing but also get equal enjoyment from Spinning on those days I choose, or am allowed to use, this method. I am in the process of building a few Devons now, I have an elderly friend to show me how, the fishing method aspect sounds fun too. Good forum this!