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Fly fishing photography tips
I was struck by the response I got to the short piece I did in last week’s newsletter on keeping cameras dry on streams. Heaps of photography questions flowed in; far too many to answer in one go. Rather I thought to consider one question at a time, to handle it briefly and practically, and I’m happy to say that Gerrit Redpath and Billy de Jong, have both agreed to join me from time to time in providing tips and advice on improving your on-stream photography.
The first aspect I’ll address is the challenge of photographing fish under water. The two major problems here are cropping the subject and highlights blowing out. A major plus, however, is getting a whole fish into the frame together with its reflection in the surface layer.
So here are few simple tips:
1. In the vast majority of underwater pictures where the fish is accidentally cropped, it’s the tail that’s cut off. To avoid this, over-compensate slightly by tilting your lens away from the fish’s head and aim your camera at what you believe is the centre of its body. Also, don’t get too close. Decide on your best distance from the fish and then purposefully move your camera further back from the subject by at least another 10 to 15 cms to give added room. This helps get the whole fish in the frame. Also check the display as soon as you’ve taken a shot to see just how you’re positioning the fish.
Click in images to enlarge
Cutting off the tail – for some reason it seems the most common fault
2. To reduce the risk of blow outs, photograph the fish against the sunlight. This way you are less likely to blow out the fish’s body, which, with its scales is, in effect, a highly reflective mirror.
Highlights blown out – another very common fault. Note also that the tail is cropped!
3. Gaining reflections
You are most likely to get good reflections when you shoot from slightly below the fish and upwards with the fish positioned close to the surface.
Surface reflections
4. Fish won’t pose for you so, if your camera allows it, shoot on a high frames per second setting, with a shutter speed of around 500th of a second and push the ISO up to 400 to 800.
A final word; photographing any fish increases its stress. So set a limit of 20 seconds to complete all your shots before releasing the fish.
The mystery of what reel GEM Skues used
Paul Curtis of Platanna Press reports:
We are still on the track of the reel Skues's used. I'm doing some research for the 'Best of Classic Angling Magazine' for what will be Keith Elliott and my first book from our new publishing venture and came across a reference to a reel supposedly belonging to Skues in the February 2001 issue of ‘Classic Angling’ that announced that the reel was to be sold on auction.
Let me quote from the article:
'The trout reel owned by George Edward Mackenzie Skues is one of the highlights of an impressive sale taking place in London next month. The brass reel, a typical 1880s crank wind neatly engraved with Skues's signature is one of three reels that were bought together. Mr Chalkley who owned the fishing shop in Winchester, Hampshire, close to the Test and Itchen took one; Skues had the second and the third was owned by a Mr Currell. The trio fished together and so decided to buy reels at the same time.'
Don't know if this is the same reel that is in the London Fly Fisher's Club – I haven't been able to confirm. But maybe Skues was so disinterested in reels that anything would do as long as it was attached to his Leonard bamboo fly rod!
By the way, the brass reel fetched £3 400 at the auction! An almost identical one without the Skues signature fetched a mere £200.
Is there ever a time to stop fishing?
Craig Thom, owner of Stream X fly shop and Netbooks both based in Cape Town, found out there was. In a lovely piece written in his recent Stream X newsletter, he describes an idyllic experience.
He and his daughter went up one of their favourite streams for a night in mountain air and caught a few good sized fish on a shared tenkara rod. After she’d had enough for the morning, he continued fishing while she had lunch in the shade of a tree. He approached a tricky, very clear pool he knows well. Fish were patrolling, but out of range of his tenkara rod. Eventually he crept into range in slow, careful stages and found himself perfectly hidden in the shade of an overhanging bush.
He made a cast that went just behind a rock. There was a fish coming towards him from the right so he let the fly lie still. Another fish was approaching from the left in water so shallow its fin was moving the water surface. He had a perfect side view of a lovely spotted rainbow moving towards his fly at a dead slow pace. It had all the time in the world to inspect, and reject, the rather large CdC and Elk he had on.
For a few agonising seconds he watched the inspection through the clear water in what seemed like slow motion. Then the trout lifted its nose and slowly and gently took the fly. He waited to set the hook. The fish took off, jumping six times before coming to hand.
In hand he felt strangely connected with the fish. Not only was it of decent size, but it was one of the prettiest he had ever seen, boldly spotted and full of colour. After a few pictures, the hook was removed and the fish swam off leisurely as if nothing had happened. But before it covered the width of the pool it rose again and took something off the surface!
The lovely rainbow in question (Photo Craig Thom)
Says Craig:
To try and explain how I felt at that moment is impossible, but it was a good, somewhat spiritual feel. It was then that I decided to pack it in, as it could never be this good again, and carrying on fishing would just be a numbers game.
Fly fishing lunch clubs
I have mentioned the fly fishing lunch club I attend in previous newsletters, arguing that such institutions are hard to beat. Then Peter Brigg wrote to me this week. Says Peter:
‘The ‘Durban Lunch Club’ met today at ‘Olive & Oil’ in Westville. Ours was established as a result of the posts in your newsletter about your group who meet from time to time. Good company, relaxed atmosphere, interesting discussion, not just of a piscatorial nature, but with a definite slant in that direction and some fine red wine. We are usually the last table left and we go when the staff begin to clear up ahead of the dinner sitting – but they are getting to know us!’
The Durban Lunch Club group: Lawrence Davies, Peter Brigg, Ian Cox and Jay Smit
Is this not something we need to see in other cities in South Africa or, for that matter, wherever fly fishing is spoken?
We had a delightful monthly Wednesday Club for years in Maritzburg where we met at the Le Chalet restaurant when keen fly fisher and ace chef, Victor Janssen, was mien host and regulars included John Beams, Tony Biggs, Bill Duckworth, Neil Hodges, Hugh Huntley and others.
The original idea for this lunch club came from Arnold Gingrich’s book, The Joys of Trout in a chapter titled The Companionship of Angling, where he speaks about his lunch club, called Midtown, located upstairs at Manny Wolf’s restaurant on Third Avenue, New York City. There were no regular dues except to pass the hat around when it became necessary. Lee Wulff was an attendee as often his frequent travels allowed, as was Ed Zern who gave the club some ‘fame’ by writing about it in the Field and Stream magazine. Their best attendance was 40 when Charles Ritz showed up as a guest. A small group eventually splintered off to become the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and while Midtown eventually wound down, the Gordon Flyfishers boomed and are still going strong.
I’d like to hear from you if you have a fly fishing lunch club going in your neck of the woods.
Writings of the week
I have borrowed, with permission, these lovely pieces from Duncan Brown’s book, Are Trout South African?
The first is taken from the introductory quote to Chapter 9, Angling in the Pages. The words are those of local novelist, Deon Meyer, and I like them because they resonate so comfortably in my own mind…
But some words are silver, like fish that dart and leap, glittering bows in the sun…And others are heavy, dark, riverbed words…
And from Duncan’s book itself:
Back at the river, more in habit than hope, I flick a Red-Tailed Invicta across the mouth of the tributary. The fly line tightens instantly, and a huge golden flank, speckled red and black, rolls through the surface.
From Chapter 2, Haunted by Waters.
From Dave Walker in Rhodes
Says Dave:
The Kraai River at Moshesh’s Ford on Friday. It’s chocolate, but it augurs well for the fishing in the very near future!
Wolf spiders from Craig Thom
We hear a lot about wolf spiders and their imitations, so I am sharing this picture so you can see what they look like on the water.
Photo Craig Thom
What is apparent are the dimples the feet make on the water surface. Many books and photographs show that the dimples are visible to a fish before they actually see the insect, and may act as a trigger. It would also explain why 'halo' hackled flies like the Para-RAB are so effective.
Photo Craig Thom
This spider represents a good meal to a trout, and it is not surprising that fish will move a long distance for a spider imitation.
The Gopro as a stills fly fishing camera option? Writing and photos by Gerrit Redpath
Since fly fishing is a lifestyle rather than a mere hobby, we tend to collect memories as we go along. Slugging a camera in and out of rivers and streams is not everybody’s idea of fun. A smaller waterproof camera is a good option and I have played a bit with my Gopro. Still have a lot to learn, but hey, that’s part of the fun!
Let’s look at the Gopro Hero 4 Black’s still-photo potential. With the following impressive specs and functions you can bet that the Hero 4 Black is much more than just another action video camera with a pretty face!
12 MP. 30 frames per second. Time lapse 0.5-60 second intervals. Night Photo and Night time lapse – ideal for night photography of the stars, normally when we fly fishers are perched around the braai fire! Shutter speed of up to 30 seconds. Wide range of accessories available.
Gopro features and accessories that I really like:
Long Arm, small Gorilla pod, suction cup for mounting on the car, time lapse – this way you get a couple of potential photos to choose from!
Photos shot with Hero 3
Highland Lodge from a drone
Yellowfish
The Orange River from a drone
The road to Lupela Lodge taken on a car-mounted Gopro
The Elandspad outside Cape Town
Abridged KZN report from Jan Korrubel
Scheduled for the end of last year, the Jacaranda Fly Fishing Club-KZNFFA friendly event took place on the Bushman’s River, but anglers found the river still running high. Marietjie Davies told me that she was fishing a full sink line with tungsten bead nymphs and still failing to get the fly down... Barring any more rains, the Bushman’s will take a few days to settle down.
Pictures of the Bushman’s River from Zena McDavid, Media Officer, KZNFFA.
With the recent heat, and water temperatures sitting at 21-22 deg.C., things have been quiet on the stillwater front. As suggested by Andrew Fowler in a recent report the rivers would be my first choice.
Unusual fly-fishing pictures
This is the last in this three part series. Hope you enjoyed them.
Leaving the river at last light
Fins
Backlit angler with fish
The release
Angler and fish backlit
Tom Sutcliffe
