A specimen sized bleak
can fit in the palm of your hand
The future is 'bleak' indeed, well
'bleak fly fishing' that is.
What do you do to sharpen your river trout fly fishing skills when
the season is over? Or better, what do you do with a river full of
fish which are game to take the fly, but are more closely associated
with Breton coarse fishermen who want to catch some freshwater
'whitebait' to go with their daily apéritif? As a guide
constantly searching for new fly fishing opportunities, you just have
to give this species a shot. Be ready to fire lots of casts with
flies normally tied under the guidance of an electron microscope,
loads of takes which range from little kisses to acrobatic
fish-flipping lunges, and on occasion, hooking up with Mr.
no-reputation-as-a-fly-fisher's-fish, and having lots of giggles
while stripping the line in.
Fly casting for bleak
isn't difficult as you aren't tied to
upstream casting
or static presentations
To fly fish for bleak, I normally look for
calm evenings with little or no wind. This allows the adult caddis
flies to swarm and lay their eggs in the surface film. During this
crepuscular hour, it isn't uncommon to witness an unassuming adult
caddis fly stabbing its abdomen into the river to lays its eggs while
a hungry bleak mercilessly tries to clamp its tiny lips around any
part of the fly as it skids haphazardly across the top of the water.
Equipment for bleak fishing is simple. A
medium action 7 to 8 foot, 3 to 4 weight rod with suitable double
taper line will do the trick. 7X to 8X tippet will be required to
delicately present the appropriate bleak fly (e.g. size 20 or smaller
black gnat or small caddis dry) to their silvery quarry.
Close up of your silver medal
