Speaker – Mick O’Farrell

Thursday 20th Mar 2014

Mick O’Farrell returned by popular demand following his very well received talk to the Club just over a year ago.  On this occasion his theme for the evening was “Flies and Fishing Methods through the Season”.  He set out his stall by saying that he didn’t like lures, and his preference would always be for dry flies and other imitative patterns.  He said that he normally started the season with a visit to the Elinor, a medium sized gravel pit, where towards the end of March, bloodworms, crunchers and black buzzers will be successful.  Mick then described how his season developed with visits to Pitsford as the weather warmed and buzzers and his AK47 emerger and similar pattern come to the fore.  Moving into May, Ravensthorpe came into its own for the dry fly. 

Mick then took as across the Irish Sea to Lough Lein and the River Suir and described the very different flies and methods that suited these waters, and then on to fishing Lough Carra in  the warm summer months – we were strongly advised that we should all plan to make at least one visit to this water before our fishing days are over for the very special experience and the exceptional quality of the trout to be found there – but expect to catch no more than three in a day, and that’s if we’re good and we’re lucky! 

Mick said he rounded his season in October with a visit to the Test at Wherwell for the grayling.  He then hung up his rods for the winter, and spent the next months tying and sorting out his fly boxes, and then felt fresh and enthusiatic for the coming season.

At the end of the evening I’m sure everyone was inspired to get out fishing with some extra enthusiasm!  Especially with dry flies and small imitative patterns.  And I for one will buy a Double Taper fly line to improve my presentation of dry flies as Mick advised very strongly!

At the next Led Workshop on Thursday 27th March, Dave Dalby will be tying three of Mick’s favourite flies – the Crippled Midge, the Black Dabbler and the Silver Sedge.

JG