Useful Fly Fishing Tips
for the Moy

By Brendan Begley

Boasting Ireland’s most prolific salmon system and because of its width, depths and character variations throughout its entirely, the challenge of the River Moy to the fly fisher can test the casting skills, fishing techniques and knowledge of the most accomplished anglers to the limit.

Alternatively, certain stretches of the Moy are amongst the first places one would bring a novice enthusiast trying to hook and land a first salmon on a fly rod due to the unmatched abundance of salmon especially from June onwards.

The large salmon runs and the medium- to- slow water current changes, presents us with a rare opportunity to endlessly experiment with the different methods of fly fishing, ways of working the flies and with using the ever changing patterns of lures and their sometimes excelling variations.

The International angling fraternity do not only ‘gift’ the Moy area with the latest demonstrated market products and techniques but more importantly adds to and greatly enhances the ‘global flavour’ and friendship foundation already established here. The interesting variety of fly patterns conducive to good results on individual beats of the Moy on even the same day, feeds an excitable fervour experienced on few rivers and it calls to mind many memorable occasions.

Recently, when fishing the Ridge Pool in a morning session with well-known Irish International angler Sean McMenamin we tried many different flies at speeds, depths, actions and casting angles but all eight Salmon landed took a ‘John Anthony’ shrimp tied on a no.14 treble. That afternoon I fished the Wall Pool and Sean fished the East Mayo waters. The three grilse I landed on the Wall Pool took a size 14 orange and gold shrimp and ignored the John Anthony. Sean landed two springers and hooked three other fish 12 miles upstream on a size 12 Roy Wilson shrimp pattern. On that afternoon, the seven fish caught by resident guide ‘mighty’ Vincent McDonnell and friends all came to a no.10 curries red shrimp.

Catching salmon on different flies in various locations on the Moy is not uncommon and a good Mayfly imitation selection is also a must in the armoury along with a comprehensive selection of salmon patterns especially when fishing Lough Conn or when sporadic hatches or falls of these ephemerophrans occur on the river – from May through to the start of September. Grilse are often caught while wetfly fishing on the lakes with trout flies – and a dry green mayfly or a spent gnat during these hatches and falls has provided salmon on the river for us when salmon patterns have not tempted. So it does pay to be vigilant, watching for frequent porpoising rises or large trout-like sips on the surface when these insects are about.

To be in fishing harmony with the ever changing climatic conditions, the use of a variety of fly lines is a must to be on the ball. These range from high floating flylines to various densities of sink tips in low to soft rising water – to sinking and even tournament-like shooting heads usually when a big push of freshwater is on during a rising flood before the water starts to colour too much.

I've enjoyed many sessions of good fishing on different stretches of the River Moy using a 9 or 10-foot single hander using trout flies as small as size 16 for salmon, but a favourite method of mine is fishing small low-water-style hairwig doubles especially from mid-July onwards when most of the salmon be

come more settled. During low water conditions, hairy mary, blue charm, stoat’s tail and sabas fry are all prime choices of flies. I fish these usually on a high floater, changing to various sink tips depending on how I want or prefer them to fish – either shallow, deep or waking the surface.

In the main I find it best to install as much action into the flies whilst endeavouring to slow down the speed of the flies and managing the depth control. ‘Tipping’ with the rod, working the flyline, casting well and mending the flyline achieves this and are essential techniques for getting better results. However, there are times when standard fly fishing techniques don’t produce an offer in good water conditions and innovation can save the day.

Fishing with legendary golfer and flyfisher extraordinaire Mark O’Meara produced four salmon one sunny morning on the Ridge Pool when the usual orthodox methods failed to induce any offers or takes. The technique involved casting a longish line square across the river, keeping the rod tip high, stripping the line back speedily whilst almost viciously tipping with the rod. As the line reached the ‘sweep round’ and with a droppered fly cast, we’d give the dropper fly a skating, erratic hoping motion as it fished around.

Another productive method when the fishing was slow was to allow the cast flyline to drift downstream again from a squared cast and as the flyline began the sweep, rising the rod tip and retrieving with a long draw on the flyline with the off rod hand making the fly rise quicker through the water at a steeper ascending angle. This can induce takes that otherwise might not happen.

In the main, the best flyfishing conditions are associated with shallowish clear water with a pacey flow but a great eye opener for me was fishing with former World all-round fly and bait casting champion Peter Anderson about 17 years ago. Beautifully spey casting a long sinking line across the river and retrieving the fly at varying speeds through the 12 to 16 feet depths of sluggish, peaty afterspate water. Peter 'cained' out three good grilse and wasn't surprised – unlike me. “You can catch fish anywhere on this river with a fly as long as the water isn’t too coloured and you learn to catch a bit” he said. And the lesson was learned not to ignore the lower echelons of the Moy’s ‘flyfishing status’.

Robert Gillespie’s tying of the ‘cascade’ dressed on no. 8’s and trebles have been rewarding favourites for me in these deeper stretches and ‘hanging’ one of these flies in deep pools in the shallower beats has also produced the coconut when all else failed. Other successful patterns for me last year were - Orange and Gold, Foxford, Bann Special, Easkey Gold, Ballina , Roy Wilson, John Anthony and Yellow and Orange Shrimp flies tyed on trebles – 14’s to 6’s with Hairy Mary and Stoat Tail on low water doubles and singles – 14’s to 10’s.

However fly preferences can change with each season for reasons known only to the salmon – some sizes and colours proving more productive than others and so the onus is on the angler to have sufficient selection of size and colour of flies and also benefit from the ‘at the time’ local ‘catching patterns.’ Information and advice is freely and warmly available locally. Enjoy your fishing and tight lines!