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Post by salmonking on Aug 8, 2007 20:09:52 GMT
Ok's guys,if there is one chapter in the Falkus book that i never seem to get tired of reading its the one about Derek Knowles yellow dolly, fishing upstream dry fly style, i for one haven't had the balls to try this method or even tie the fly itself,,,,,
Anyone fished or better still caught a salmon on it?
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Post by donnieW on Aug 8, 2007 20:32:32 GMT
Been there when it worked! I must say I thought it looked hideous but the fish really enjoyed chasing it and the odd one took hold of it. There were loads of fish in the 2 pools where I witnessed the Dolly in action (Kelt Pool and Bridge Pool on the Grimersta river) but they hadn't been showing any interest in "traditional" patterns. In spite of the fact that it worked, I never got round to trying one myself.
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Post by Sloggi on Aug 8, 2007 20:37:10 GMT
Yes, been there and caught a fish  Fairly easy to tie and fish. Once it's "ginked" it floats well enough - looks better when skating. I guess Bombers have surpassed the fly while Sunrays/Collies do a similar thing if slight deeper. Are you going to give it a go? |
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Post by salmonking on Aug 8, 2007 20:58:16 GMT
Id give it a go Sloggi if i found a pool that i knew was holding plenty of fish,when tieing the y d ,would bucktail be your preferred material choice ,if not which?
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Post by williegunn on Aug 8, 2007 20:59:58 GMT
Yes bucktail, get hold of the book, Salmon on a dry fly by Derek Knowles
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Post by Sloggi on Aug 8, 2007 21:00:14 GMT
Id give it a go Sloggi if i found a pool that i knew was holding plenty of fish,when tieing the y d ,would bucktail be your preferred material choice ,if not which? Deerhair - like a Muddler |
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Post by tyneandrew on Aug 8, 2007 21:23:14 GMT
Bob Harrison at West Learmouth is a fan of these in summer low water
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Post by exerod on Aug 8, 2007 22:26:17 GMT
I've fished it on the river it was invented on  and blanked  That said the only fish taken that week in desperately low water were on "dollys", all the usual methods were hopeless. The one thing the keeper insisted on was that it was no use just going and fishing a dolly, the conditions had to be right. He wouldn't bother going down to the river if there was no wind or clouds about on a bright day. The yellow dolly had fallen from favour when I was out there and was replaced by a very small stoats tail tube less than half an in long (including the dressing), certainly nothing as big as a bomber. I've never tried it here in the southwest because, well I don't know really! Andy |
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elwyman
Member
A nice autumn day on the Conwy
Posts: 1,035
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Post by elwyman on Aug 8, 2007 22:33:21 GMT
Caught a sea trout on a surface lure last night - after trying wets and convincing myself there wasn't a fish in the pool!
I suppose it's the same principle with the yellow dolly for salmon - worth a try if the usual tactics fail.
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Post by salmonking on Aug 9, 2007 7:12:22 GMT
I have fished small plastic tubes on a floater before in the usual way down and across, H F,and D K ,fished the dolly mostly upstream as you would on the dry fly for brown trout,if water levels keep falling ill certainly give it a go.
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Post by williegunn on Aug 9, 2007 7:34:05 GMT
I have fished small plastic tubes on a floater before in the usual way down and across, H F,and D K ,fished the dolly mostly upstream as you would on the dry fly for brown trout,if water levels keep falling ill certainly give it a go. Don't be so sure, DK fishede the yellow dolly as a surface lure, he insisted it required a wake. |
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Post by sagecaster on Aug 9, 2007 8:23:13 GMT
A better alternative to the dolly is the bomber.
Sportfish do these and they IME wake & skate better than dollys. Green one's seem to work best.
IMO it is the most exciting way to catch a Salmon ;D
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Post by rpsalmon on Aug 9, 2007 9:42:39 GMT
I agree that the Yellow Dolly is old hat in most areas, a small bomber is generally better and the last time I heard Hugh Falkus mention the subject I am quite sure he said he'd switched his preference to a muddler minnow variation.
The best place for surface lures in this country, whether it is supposedly what Knowlesie calls a "dry fly" or whether you just hitch a fly, is as far North as you can get against grilse fresh from the feeding grounds. The next best place to try surface techniques is with fresh fish in estuaries and occasionally in the first few pools of a river. In general, keep it moving so quickly that a fish doesn't ever have the time to identify it.
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Post by flybox on Aug 9, 2007 12:10:16 GMT
As related elsewhere, I caught two salmon and a sea trout the other week on floating plastic 1" tubes that left a nice wake. Like WG says, that is how you should fish the yellow Dolly. It is built to be a cone shape in order to leave a wake.
I caught on Black & Silver, a Garry Dog, and some purple/pale blue/pink creation from the Donegal Fly Co (that had started life as a conehead, but lost the cone).
Probably fished 'normal' flies 50% of the time - which caught nothing (but which proves nothing). The take as the fish swirls at the moving V-wake can be very exciting.
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Post by fenton on Aug 12, 2007 19:43:55 GMT
Bob Harrison at West Learmouth is a fan of these in summer low water I didn't realise that the yellow dolly was a euphamism for an upstream toby! ;D ;D ;D (And no offence meant!, I'll say the same to bob when I see him on tuesday!) Cheers F |
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Fairly easy to tie and fish. Once it's "ginked" it floats well enough - looks better when skating. I guess Bombers have surpassed the fly while Sunrays/Collies do a similar thing if slight deeper.
and blanked 
That said the only fish taken that week in desperately low water were on "dollys", all the usual methods were hopeless. The one thing the keeper insisted on was that it was no use just going and fishing a dolly, the conditions had to be right. He wouldn't bother going down to the river if there was no wind or clouds about on a bright day.
