Fishing the Dry | Dry fly-fishing Scotland | Tackle, Tips and Techniques

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

What are your top tips for dry-fly fishing in small rivers?

[@stubee1744]

Gave up on my local river mate not as much as a rise since start of the season it's totally dead of life🤔 Had a few lovely brownies out of that pond 3lb+ and been doing good on other loch near me so that's kind of made up for it until I can get down onto the endrick and Leven soon🤞

[@aldomcgowan6561]

The leven is really low just now it’s a nightmare

[@stubee1744]

@@aldomcgowan6561 cheers man saved me a 40min drive for a look 👍 good man

[@aldomcgowan6561]

@@stubee1744 no problem mate hopefully bump into you one time on the leven

[@lawrencemacd63]

Great wee video bud keeping them coming 🐟🎣🙂

[@PatMo1888]

My first fly rod was fibreglass - but that was in the 60's :-) I got it when the Milbro factory in Carfin burned down. Everyone in Newarthill had one and we used them for fishing for sticklebacks ... ah, the good old days!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Just imagining some poor soul running into a burning building to fetch fibreglass rods (it wasn't you was it!?) 😂😂. I'll have to give you a cast of one of the new ones. The Vision rod is nice but the ones Sandy Nelson builds up in Aberdeenshire are really amazing

[@PatMo1888]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing That'll be great - a blast from the past in the present! - And, no, it wisnae me. A big boy, etc.

[@davidgregg6703]

Good video mate, been looking forward to your next video for a while now, so made myself a coffee to sit dwn and enjoy lol. Keep them coming 👍🎣

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks so much David (although I post in the evenings so hope it's decaf!!) ☕️🐟

[@rickyg469]

Just caught your 3lb friend at 7:45 this evening on a brown and gold spinner dry fly 😁... Removed some heavy duty lumi yellow line and bait hook from it😩 and returned it safe and sound. Only started fishing the cart this year and its been superb. Keep up the vids mate spot on!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Good man Ricky! Some fish isn't it!? Shame to hear it was a bit worse for wear. I can only imagine a kid hooked it and got the fright of their life! I'm terrified it's going to end up in someone's freezer but I'm delighted to hear it was in good hands with you at least. And well done! We'll need to start a 3lb+ Cart club 😂😂

[@rickyg469]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing Beautiful fish mate.. To be fair all of the anglers av bumped into say they are returning the fish 🤞🏻✌🏻😁

[@123marlo]

Good stuff I enjoyed this wee vid ,for anyone who hasn’t done any dry fly fishing it’s a great feeling when you do get it right and start catching trout, on the rods I must admit I use a cheap sage 8ft 4wt that I bought years and years ago and it’s a super wee rod but I started with a fibre glass rod 10ft Milbro can’t remember the line size but someone gave it to me for nothing I remember that when I think back it’s great how time flies 👍🎣 keep up the good work 👍🎣

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers Marshall! A few of my mates have Sages and I'm always a bit envious of them 😂. Most of the newer glass rods tend to be at the lighter and shorter end of the scale. I can imagine a 10ft glass rod was a workout for you back then! Tight lines bud 👍🏼🐟🎣

[@hughjarse2909]

Iron blue run is a good all rounder for that river 😎

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers Jim! I haven't seen many iron blues coming off yet, but I used to fish an iron blue imitation loads on the river Don and it seemed to work year round 👍🏼🐟

[@hughjarse2909]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing I've still been busy with work so haven't wet a line yet 😎

[@minimal_enthusiasm5971]

Love your videos mate, always so well put together and informative. I'm also a big fan of fiberglass rods for wee streams. That's a really useful tip about leader length - I think I've been using leaders that are much too short! Just tying up some jinglers for the fast approaching spring. Cheers and tight lines from Perthshire 🍻 👍

[@stuartgreig2256]

Another good watch . A good point to go with choosing the right fly is size , sometimes a change down in size or up can have a huge effect .

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers Stuart. Such a good point re fly size. I'd always rather fish the wrong pattern in the right size than vice versa 👍🏼

[@stuartgreig2256]

@@SouthsideFlyFishingBest bit of advice i received when starting out on the drys was try and fish as close a generic fly pattern you can get , something that will resemble a lot of insects. Elk hair caddis is my go to dry covers a hell of a log of flies.

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

@@stuartgreig2256 Elk hair Caddis is a great all rounder! I find the F-fly is another one that does well in most hatches 👍🏼

[@andrewtobin3830]

Nice - top tips, thanks!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers mate 👍🏼🐟

[@MG-xn7zd]

Another great video! Your camera and editing skills are unbelievable!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks mate! I've got a lot to learn still. Using my phone and GoPro 99% of the time but I'm planning to use the 'big' camera for a couple of upcoming trips and hopefully take the production value up a notch 🙏🏼

[@aldomcgowan6561]

Great video as always mate tight lines

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks Aldo mate! Tight lines to you too bud 👍🏼🐟🎣

[@Kag1310]

Great video as always Sean 👍

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks Keith, tight lines mate 👍🏼🐟🎣

[@davidgray3321]

Enjoyed this, interesting how fibreglass has come back, I think some carbon rods are very very stiff, tip for those moving from Stillwater to river , in Stillwater you cast far and straight so you can keep in contact with the wet fly and feel the take, in dry fly if the line is straight you get drag from the current pulling the fly so the fish don’t take, the trick is to cast accurately but with a slacker line, you do this by stopping the rod at a higher angle, and not using such a strong forward stroke. Do this and you get more takes. Also fish fine, in my case 2 pound tips, you would be amazed how big a fish can be caught on that, last year one of over 4 pounds. Wishing everyone in Scotland a good seasons fishing, now the temperature is up I think the fishing will be good especially the next 2 weeks.

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Great tips, David 👍🏼. I totally agree with you re carbon rods. Glass rods have a much slower action but you can feel the line so much more. I actually had a shot of a Sandy Nelson built glass rod yesterday and I think it’s the nicest the rod I’ve ever cast! I’m even favouring more moderate actions for my carbon rods these days. The temps are definitely up now so here’s hoping for plenty of dry fly action in June. Tight lines to you mate 👍🏼🐟🎣

[@jafiraultza2232]

Another great video mate! For me in small rivers the leader is very important. I prefer a short one, but sometimes depending on the water, I put a few centimetres more on the tippet. My favourite flies are olives in different sizes 16,18 and sometimes 18 and 20. Especially flies tied with flyrite number 34. Wings with cdc and Coq the Lion for the tail colour ash or brown. My must have flies wherever I go are cdc olives, sedges and cdc hare's ear. See you soon on the river! I have recognised some spots ;).

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers Javi! I've seen some of your flies on FB and Insta and they are all absolutely lovely! Usually in the summer I'll go down to smaller sizes but when the olives/brook duns are about a size 14 seems just about right. And it's a fair point with the short leader - especially when there are lots of branches to try and cast under/around. I sometimes see beginners using like 8ft of 3x, which is why I suggested going a bit longer. But then again, if you can straighten out a shorter leader, that's an advantage. Definitely hope to see you on the water soon 👍🏼🐟

[@timberliftersurvival1836]

just recently found your channel really enjoying your videos! i havent fly fished much in the last couple years but went a few times on the kelvin near the university and the river cart. cool to see a scottish channel keep it up!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks mate, glad you're liking the videos! All these years, I still haven't been over to fish the Kelvin. How have you found it?

[@trouthorn6332]

I found your channel just a couple weeks ago and have really been enjoying it! I'm from the US, but I just recently accepted an offer to go to university in Scotland, so I've been doing lots of research on the fly fishing possibilities nearby, and your channel is one of the best resources!

[@craigcunningham2411]

Is it Glasgow university you’re going to? If so the river kelvin runs right beside it and is full of nice little trout. It I right beside my house so I get out fly fishing there quite a lot. When you arrive if you fancy coming out for a try let me know!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks mate! Which university are you coming to? I teach at one of the unis in Glasgow. The possibilities for fly fishing here are endless, especially if you are able to get about and explore the country! 🐟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@trouthorn6332]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing I'm actually going to be at St. Andrews, but I'm definitely planning to do some weekend day trips to different parts of Scotland whenever I have time. I've heard there's a good bus system in Scotland, so I'm hoping to use that and a bike to get around as much as I can as I won't have a car at all. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for what rod I should bring for sea trout, both on the coast and in the smaller spate rivers around St. Andrews (River Eden, for example). I'll definitely have my 7.5 foot 3 weight for the wild trout, but since we don't have sea trout at all here, I'm not sure what to go with! I do have a ten foot 6 weight as well as an 11 foot 4 weight "trout spey" as we call them here in the states, but I think I should probably bring the fewest rods possible since I'll need to store them in my dorm. Thanks in advance for the advice, and perhaps I will see you on the river sometime soon!

[@trouthorn6332]

@@craigcunningham2411 I'll actually be at St. Andrews, but I am planning to travel around on the bus as much as I can to fish, so I will certainly keep your kind offer in mind if ever I get the chance to come to Glasgow!

[@Kag1310]

@trouthorn, your 7.5ft 3# will do fine for the sea trout and brownies on the river Eden. It’s a very small river and delicate presentation is a must. There are some great wee pools from a place named Dairsie Bridge downriver. Hasn’t fished very well the past few years unfortunately.

[@thehomelessrat]

Love you videos

[@chrisyboy5283]

Great video as always 👍.. tight lines,, was tht the Kelvin?

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks mate. It’s the white cart water in the south of Glasgow 👍🏼🐟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@lrsm19]

Wonderful work! 🙏🏼

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thank you 🙌

[@michaelmckenna14]

U always have such beautifully shot videos, did u study film college at all ?

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thanks mate! I worked as a photographer for a couple of years in my 20s but the rest is mainly KZbin tutorials and watching other fly fishing vids 👍🏼🐟🎣

[@michaelmckenna14]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing it's really impressive mate, ur definitely showing the real beauty of the rivers on ur videos.

[@alexanderjoyce3305]

Awesome tips thank you! Can you tell me more about the rod you are using..useful only for dry fly? Good for confined spaces? Ok for longer casts 40ft+? Thank you.

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Hi Alexander, I really like glass rods. The one I'm using now is a 7'9 4wt McFarland Spruce Creek and I was casting a streamer with a 5.5mm bead on it yesterday with no problems at all. They're known as presentation rods. But actually they're super, super versatile. The only thing I notice is I sometimes miss the reach of say a 9ft rod for line management when tight line nymphing. But - like the Mastercard people say - for everything else, there's fibreglass 😂

[@alexanderjoyce3305]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing Thanks appreciate the info :)

[@Liam-fx9xf]

Great video! would love to know the details on the bag you've got on at 5:35.

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Cheers Liam. The bag I use is a fishpond waterdance guide pack. Its probably one of the best bits of kit I own. Room enough for everything I need and plenty of compartments/attachment points to keep the gear nice and organised 👍🏼

[@natureandfishing24]

Looks so beautiful 😍

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Thank you! 👍🏼🎣

[@tomgray4378]

Hi, really enjoying your videos, looking forward to the nest one. Can you tell me what type / make of waist bag you use ?

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Hi Tom, thanks bud! The bag is a Fishpond Waterdance Guide pack. I love it. It's super comfy and has a couple of compartments inside which helps with organising your kit. It's pretty spacious too. Plenty of room for a spare reel, fly boxes, sandwich and a drink. The only thing I'd consider is whether it's worth spending a bit more to get a fully submersible one. It's easy to forget it's there and wade a bit too far, at which point your stuff is gonna get soaked! Tight lines mate 👍🏼🎣

[@tomgray4378]

@@SouthsideFlyFishing Hi, Thank you for your reply, it looks perfect for a light days fishing on the Gryffe, I’ll have a wee look for the bag, thanks again and I look forward to your next video.

[@chosenundead6376]

I live near the lynn park thats were the white cart runs through doesn't it ?

[@alexanderclaire]

jingler!!!!!

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

You know it Alex! 👍🏼🐟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@craigmclaughlin9552]

Do you fish the Busby end of the White Cart? Me and my mate are fairly new to fly fishing on rivers and could use some tips and guidance 👍🎣

[@SouthsideFlyFishing]

Hi Craig, I usually fish it closer to Cathcart. There's some nice water below the falls at Busby though so if I see you guys on the water I'll definitely stop for a blether 👍🏼👍🏼🎣🐟

[@connorwilson8078]

Did they notice u went fashan😅