Jungle Cock

I have to admit, I'm a real sucker for Jungle Cock on a salmon fly. 

While many successful flies don't use it, I automatically think of the Cascade and Ally's Shrimp of extremely successful salmon flies that don't use Jungle Cock, there are so many flies that, by not using it, they just don't look correct. Almost unfinished in fact. 

Having already stated, in previous blog updates, my respect and admiration for those who invented some of our most successful Salmon flies, there are flies that I won't even begin to tie if I haven't any decent Jungle Cock to finish them with.

One of those is the Green Silk Shrimp. Lawrence Cunningham's famous pattern from my own River Faughan.  I read on the online Salmon Fishing Forum once that a contributor to the forum had spoken to Lawrence's brother about the correct shade of green to use for the rear body.  His answer was that the actual shade of green wasn't all that important, as long as it stayed the same shade when it got wet.  What he did say though, was that the fly MUST have Jungle Cock and if it didn't, it could not and SHOULD not, be called a Green Silk. This was the level that some held the material too.

It is a good few years since I last bought a Jungle Cock cape.  I have four or five capes among my materials but they are all very used with very, very few, usable eyes left in them. 

For the past year or so, I've been picking through the various old capes, looking for one half decent feather that I could split down the middle to make two slim eyes on some of my larger flies. 

Four well used Jungle Cock Capes

I begun the process of looking for a new Cape at the end of 2018. It has become a bit of a minefield.

I remember buying my first jungle cock cape for £25 from my local tackle shop, Tom's Tackle on the Ardlough Road in Londonderry.  It must be around 25 years ago.  Through the years I have bought several capes as and when I needed them.  The last one I bought, must have been about 5 years ago, cost around £40. 

With no tackle shops local to me now, I've been looking online to try to get a new Cape. I can't believe the prices some websites are asking for capes these days.  Some are asking £130 for a cape.  Even if I could afford to pay that, I don't think I could justify it.

A Foxford Shrimp tied with a single Jungle Feather that was 'split'.

Around Christmas of 2018 I ordered a cape from an online retailer for £50.  When it arrived, I opened the envelope and looked at the cape.  I didn't even leave it down.  I went and got another envelope and sent it straight back again.  There was literally only a few of eyes on the cape, of any size, that were not badly split.  Please do not take this as any slight on the reputation of the supplier.  I have bought items off them before and since and their products are first class.  It was the price I could just about afford at the time and their better quality capes were outside of my price range.  I got a refund with no hassle whatsoever.

It got me thinking about the flies I tie and whether they actually need Jungle Cock or not.  I know the answer is no.  I have caught fish on flies that didn't use jungle cock.  How many salmon have been taken on patterns like the Ally's Shrimp or Cascade that were tied without it?  Indeed there have been quite a few successful Irish Shrimp patterns that were originally tied without jungle cock including the Apache, Gold Bug and John Anthony shrimps.  

An Apache Shrimp tied without Jungle Cock

I begun to look for more patterns that do not use Jungle cock.

One of those I found was the Brolly's Gold Shrimp. I have seen this shrimp a few times over the years but had never tied one. Then one appeared on my Facebook feed one day. I thought I'd give it a go. 

I changed the tying slightly. It is a personal thing but I don't really like flat silver or gold bodies on my salmon flies and much prefer using oval tinsel in touching turns. 

I had tied the rear body with the yellow and orange middle hackles. Tied the front body and was putting on the front yellow and orange hackles and I was thinking, "what a gaudy looking fly". It just seemed too bright and 'in your face' to be something I'd be comfortable fishing with. 

Then I tied on the Golden Pheasant breast feather on top. What a difference it made to the fly. It went from a loud, gaudy, shocking looking brute, to a more toned down, muted, absolutely stunningly beautiful pattern. The addition of the GP breast feather really was a master stroke by the creator. 

Brolly's Gold Shrimp

It is now a firm favourite of mine for bigger water that is carrying a bit of colour. The gold shining through the orange and yellow really glows like a flame in the water. 

Many of the more traditional Scottish patterns have not really used Jungle cock either. Patterns like the Willie Gunn for example. Although some do include include Jungle Cock in their tying of them.

So why do I have such an interest in jungle cock and try to use it as often as I can?

It was around 8-10 years ago. A friend of mine was running a charity event for the local hospice. I said I'd tie him a few flies that he could sell, or raffle, or auction or whatever he felt would raise a few pounds for the event.

I started tying the usual set of Irish shrimps. Things like Curry's Red, Bann Special, Foxford etc. As I finished them and varnished them, I stuck them in a piece of polystyrene to allow the varnish to dry. I had maybe 8 or 9 tied at this time.

I was tying in an old shed at that time with really bad light, even during the day. I went into the shed one evening just as it was getting dark outside. There was virtually no light at all in the shed.

I was standing near the tying bench when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that I really couldn't understand what I was actually looking at. It was almost a glow. I switched on the tying lamp and it was the set of shrimp flies. Of all the different colurs used for hackles, different tinsels used for bodies and ribbing , in the poor light, the only part of any of the flies that stood out in any way, was the Jungle Cock feathers. It made me wonder if the actual colours used in the patterns were important at all if the Jungle Cock was the only discernable feature that stood out in poor light. With our dark, peaty, waters. Maybe the Jungle Cock is more important than many think?

I finally took the plunge recently and ordered myself a new Jungle Cock cape. There were just so few usable feathers on any of my old capes. Even to split a feather. 

A close up of what the standard of my Jungle Cock had become

I was on Facebook and saw an online retailer post pictures of capes they had available and I just went ahead and ordered one. This is the cape at the top of the post. It was quite expensive but is an absolutely beautiful Cape with very, very few splits on any of the eyes. I am now spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing eyes and wings for my flies again. 

July review

So, July has now passed and we're into August.

July was always the month I looked forward to for fishing on the Faughan. "The twelfth week...", that is something I always heard growing up from the older generation anglers on the Faughan.

The older anglers didn't bother taking their fishing licenses out until July in the past. They reckoned there was no need as they felt the fish only started to arrive then.

The 12th of July is a public holiday in Northern Ireland as the Orange Order celebrate King William of Orange's victory over King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 with marching bands followed by members of various orange lodges. 

I used to enjoy the twelfth. Going to the parades and seeing my grandfather marching. Unfortunately, my grandfather's health deteriorated towards the end of his life. When he stopped marching, I stopped going to parade. I last attended the twelfth of July in the mid 90s.

My grandmother liked seeing the bands and lodges marching in the local village on the morning of the twelfth. That was in the village of Claudy. Which sits on the banks of my river Faughan, and was about 7 to 10 miles away from my house. My parents used to take my grandmother to Claudy to see the bands and I got dropped off at the river on the way. 

So, the Orange men had their traditional routes on the twelfth and I had mine. I did that for years upon years and usually caught fish. More recently, I haven't covered those miles on the twelfth but I usually always fish. 

It just so happened this year that we had a small rise on the river on the 12th. There had been some rain on the 10th into the 11th and there was just under a foot of water. However, it was very dirty water on the 11th and I didn't fish. 

The "glorious twelfth" dawned and there had been showers during the night which had kept the water topped up. 

I headed off to the river to see what it was like. It looked to have about 8 inches on it and still carrying some colour but more than clean enough. 

I tied on a couple of flies. One was a Black Shrimp variant I tied towards the end of last year from Chris Mann's book. The other was an Irish shrimp on the dropper. 

The Black Shrimp No. 2 from Chris Mann's book

I fished through the first pool with no joy. I moved onto the next pool down. I fished the stream into the neck of the pool,which was always a "taking spot". 

I cast to the far bank, as the fly came away about 3 feet from the bank, the line began to tighten, my heart skipped a beat, I lifted the rod, felt the weight and then... Nothing!!! I'd just had my first encounter with a salmon in 2019. For all the time it lasted. 

I fished on for another hour or so with no further success. 

I came home again and tied a smaller version of the black shrimp variant.

I went back to river that evening and tied on some smaller flies. One being the black shrimp I'd just tied with a Foxford Shrimp on the dropper. 

I went up the river in the evening. I got into the neck of the first pool I visited. By that time, the water had dropped another few inches. 

I cast to the far bank and just as the fly was reaching the middle of the river I felt a small tap, then another small tap and then weight. I lifted the rod and was delighted to fell weight still on the end of the line that was trying to go towards the tail of the pool. I had just hooked my first of the season. I would love to describe a blow by blow, long, drawn out fight, but I was so scared of it getting off that I had it in the net less than a minute after it was hooked. To say it was released fresh is a bit of an understatement. 

My first success of 2019. A Faughan Grilse around the 5lb mark

I fished the pool again but had no further success so moved onto the next pool. 

I fished the stream and had just entered the pool when I felt that undescribable feeling once again of the very second when a salmon takes a fly. The line almost stopping but actually being taken from you. Feeling the loop of line being taken from your hand as you lift into.... Nothing again!!! 

That was three salmon I'd encountered on the twelfth and I'd only managed to land one. At least I was off the mark. 

I usually do well with fresh grilse entering the pools. The pools now are very different than they were before the massive flood of 2017. I didn't touch or see another fish for almost a week. 

The following Thursday there was more rain and the river began to rise again with a lot of road wash in the river. I had fished through two pools and hadn't any luck. I then tied on a Willy Gunn and tried the neck of the pool. The fly was only about 6 feet from me when I saw a flash in the water. A salmon had risen to my fly and missed it. 

A Copper bodied Willy Gunn tied on a Waddington.

The next evening, I got into a stream and was just entering the neck of the pool again when the line tightened and a small grilse was on the surface kicking and splashing like a mackerel. I never like to see fish in the surface as it is usually a sign that they are not well hooked. I was just thinking, "I don't like the way this is going...", when the line went slack again and the fish was gone. 

We got our first proper rise on the 22nd of the month. That Monday evening, the water was just the way I like it. Big. There was just under 3ft on it when I went to the river. 

I was in my second pool of the evening and had fished it almost to the tail when I got one of those old "half hearted pulls" as I call them. It's almost as if the fish has just taken the tail of the fly without actually touching the hook. At least I'd touched something. 

In the next pool, I was about half way down the stream and just entering the pool when the line tightened again. Yes, Fish on! The fish gave a couple of splashes on the surface and then went down. "This might be better", I thought. I began winding line onto the reel when the whole lot went slack again. Another one gone. I got another half hearted pull before I went home again. Although I hadn't landed anything, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever spent at the river. 

I hooked and lost another one on the Thursday evening in low water. 

So, July appears to have stuck to tradition with the grilse arriving on cue on the glorious twelfth. 

Since then I've been in contact with 13 salmon and I've only managed to land one. Very frustrating to say the least. 

And now we're into August which I've always thought is a very dour month on the Faughan with fish being very difficult to tempt. 

I am hearing that there are fresh fish in the tidal section so perhaps, with some rain, we might get fresh fish in the pools again in the very near future. 

Hopefully August will bring me more luck and success than July has. 

Since I wrote the above we are now half way through August.  My luck has not changed!!! But that's for next month.

Tackle review - Barrio SLX

It's not often I get the chance to write about new tackle. Mainly because I don't really renew or replace anything too often. When I do replace something, it is because I have to and this is very much the case with my latest fly line.

Before I really begin, I am no way connected or affiliated to Mike Barrio or the Barrio fly lines business.

So, why is it necessary for me to replace my current line? 

My fly lines take a lot of abuse. Doing the bulk of my fishing in low water conditions with shooting heads, the running line takes a hammering on the rocks and stones. The number of times on each visit to the river that I go to cast only to find the line wrapped around a rock on the rocky beds that save me from wading, or to find that I'm standing on the line on top of the rocks. The lines start to get rough very quickly.

My running lines take a battering on the rocks in low water conditions

My entire fishing time now is spent with my old Zpey Real Steel, 11', switch rod. It is rated on the trout scale for head weights of between 15-19g. It covers all the fishing I need it to on my river Faughan. 

I use an 18g Zpey Unique II floating head and have it attached to a Rio Gripshooter running line. I find it's a combination that works very well for me. 

The head itself is in great condition but the running line has basically had it. The coated section is very rough at best with many cracks starting to appear in it. I'd hoped it would do this season but it seems to be getting worse and worse with every visit. 

My old line had definitely seen better days

I started looking online for a new running line. Rio Gripshooters were starting at £45. There were others makes and types available but I couldn't make my mind up on one. 

I've grown 'used' to the joint of the running line and shooting head clunking through the rod rings. I say used but I've never really been happy with it. 

There are a couple of places where I fish that require a short, square, cast. This certainly means having part of the head still within the rod and this is where I really do not like the 'clunking' through the rings. Perhaps I would go back to a full line again? But which one?

I had bought a line from Mike Barrio in the past when I first got the switch rod. I'd bought one his Switch lines but I could never get on with it. I always felt it was too heavy for the rod. At the time, I was quite new to shooting heads and switch rods were a bit of a mystery to me. The rod was rated as a #7 so I bought a 7/8 switch line. I now realise that this was based on the salmon scale so was definitely too heavy for the rod. I'm lucky I hadn't broken the rod. 

I went onto the Barrio site online to look at what lines he had on offer. Looking at the switch lines again. The lightest switch line was the 4/5 with a head weight of 19.5 grams. Slightly heavier than what I was used to. I then saw the Barrio SLX range of lines. The WF8F had a head weight of 17.5g and is designed for single hand spey casting. This could be right up my street. 

I ordered the line along with a Roman Moser leader loop for £31.50 with free postage. 

The order was placed at 12:33pm on Thursday according to my email receipt. I was out on the Friday morning and when I got home again before midday, the parcel was already through the door. The line had been posted using the Royal Mail 24 hour delivery service. What great service!

That evening, I loaded the new line onto my reel. The reel felt slightly heavier but that shouldn't be a problem.  I put a leader directly onto the leader loop and headed off to the river.

I really wasn't intending on trying anything drastic with the new line. I just wanted something that I could use and not really have to think about. 

I arrived at my first pool of the evening. My approach to this pool is to cast almost square at the neck and then lengthen out and cast more towards 45 degrees as I work my way down. Casting overhead, single handed to begin with then more waterborne casts as I go on. 

The very first cast wasn't all that great but that was my fault as much as anything. Second attempt went much better. What I noticed then was the noise generated when pulling line back through the rod rings. It was like a 'swooshy' squeaking sound. I thought I'd never get used to that. 

I had started off casting right hand, overhead, single handed. As I moved round, it became necessary to switch to the left hand. I had to move my hand slightly down the handle towards the reel as the reel still felt slightly heavier but once again, it didn't seem to be a problem. 

I would be much stronger doing single handed spey casts with my right hand than my left so I wasn't too bothered about the performance of those casts with my left hand.

When I reach the tail of the pool. I like to cover a wee spot that is slightly further away than the rest. I have always covered this with a double handed spey cast. 

So, left hand up, the double handed cast sailed through the air and landed as nice and delicately as I could of wished. I did give an audible "oooohhhh" as the line and fly kissed the water. 

I then moved onto the next pool. Same thing here. Starting off with a short line in the neck, usually single handed using the left hand and lengthening as you go. 

I really could not have asked the line to perform any better. 

I do a lot of my fishing using polyleaders. As yet I hadn't tried one. A rummage around the various pockets of my old, worn out, beat up, camo body warmer produced an intermediate poly. I attached the polyleader to the Roman Moser leader loop and attached the 12ft fluorocarbon leader to that. I could not believe the difference it made again to this lovely line.  The fluoro leader was turning over much nicer and it just seemed like cherry on top of the cake. 

It is not all that often that I fish with weighted tubes but I felt that was the only area I hadn't tried. So, I sat down on the bank and tied on a small Red Francis fly that was tied on a brass bottle tube.

Usually when I did try to fish these types of flies, it was very much a case of 'chuck and duck'. The line would come through first with a bottle tube fly and double coming behind it erratically. You had to duck in case you got the fly in the back of the head. 

Usually I would shorten the leader when using these types of flies but I just could not be bothered. I removed the small double from the leader and tied on the tube fly in its place.

It was the first time I've ever felt in control of these types of flies. My accuracy was not as good but this was more to do with leader length, and my own poor casting, than anything else. 

One thing I did struggle a bit with was distinguishing between the head and the rest of the line. When retrieving line, in the light I was fishing in that evening, it was quite difficult to distinguish between the whiter coloured main line and the pale olive head of the line. This isn't really a major problem and a permanent marker will be used at some point to put a mark on the main line when the head is a few inches from the tip of the rod. Not that casting with a few feet of the head within the rod rings is any problem whatsoever. 

I've had the Barrio SLX on the rod for over a week now. I am more than happy. That noise I mentioned earlier in the post did seem to quieten as the first evening went on. Perhaps it was just because it was new. A week later I don't think I notice a noise from the line at all.

Everything I've done so far has been with small flies in low water conditions.  As I type this, there are a few heavy, thundery, downpours happening with more rain being forecast later in the week.  I am looking forward to getting the chance to really cast this line and seeing how it swings.

So, anyone with a light switch rod based on the trout scale of line ratings could do well to look into these lines. The WF8F seems to suit me and what I have been used to. Perhaps the #7 would be a better line if all I wanted to do was single handed casting but this 8 weight line allows me to cast double handed too just as I was used to with my old setup. 

I'll state it again. I have no connection or interest in Mick Barrio or his business. I'm just an angler on the lookout for a new line and it would appear I've found exactly what I'm looking for.