Salty Dogs: matuka Tobis

A new series in which Barry Ord c Clarke considers saltwater sport fish, the imitation of their prey, and tactics for the fly-fihserof the sea.

Sea-trout fishing in salt water has been a popular winter sport for Scandinavian fly fishermen for over two decades and now with the message spreading that sea trout can also be caught in Britain, fly fishermen are taking to the salt all over Europe in order to do battle with these hard fighting bars of salty silver.

Because of this increase in salt water fishing in Europe, innovative fly tyers are developing many new exciting patterns and techniques. These that are specifically designed for imitating salt water naturals of not only sea trout, but just about every other species of coastal fish that can be taken on a fly rod.

Over the following months I will cover the most important naturals and the best imitations and fishing techniques for successful salt water fishing. One of the most common foods of salt water sea trout is the sandeel (Tobis). There are five common species of sandeel in Britain, but the only one of real importance to the fly rodder is the lesser sand eel (Ammodytes tobianus). Normally ranging in length from 5-20 cm, with a bluish green back, silver flanks and a white under body, the lesser sandeel can be found in shallow waters from sandy beaches to kelp forests, over the whole of the British Isles. Although called an eel they are not as serpentine and flexible as true eels. They are agile swimmers, known for their ability to burrow themselves several centimetres down into a sandy bottom at the first sign of danger and even remain there throughout low water. Spawning occurs twice a year for the lesser sandeel, first in April-May and again in September-October. The eggs are laid in small bunches which adhere to the sand. When hatched the young sand eels are planktonic and grow only 20-3O mm the first year. Suitable breeding areas can thus result in dense concentrations of sandeels, which are favoured hunting grounds for larger sea trout.

Tackle

As for tackle requirements, I will give you an idea of my own set-up which I use just about all year round, with the exception of the odd line change for heavy winds. I use a G Loomis GL#7. This is a broom stick of a casting machine that can push a line through just about anything up to a Force-10 gale. When you need those few extra metres to reach those sea trout that are rising just that little further out, "this rod can". But be aware, such a rod has also disadvantages. Saltwater sea trout have very soft mouths, that don't harden until their winter wandering brings them back up into fresh water. A savage take on a tight line with this rod, can, and sometimes does result in an unintentional L.D.R. (long distance release).

My line is a Airflo 7000 TN glass intermediate # 7. This line has a little stretch in it, so this helps compensate for the action of the rod. A six foot # 7 intermediate braided leader followed by 8ft of stiff 8lb clear mono tippet. This helps to turn over big flies and keeps wind knots down to a minimum. All this is spooled onto a 6-7 L System 2 reel, that I have used in salt water for the past 9 years, without any signs of salt corrosion. After every trip to the salt all tackle should be washed down with fresh water with a garden hose or in the shower, otherwise rotting and rusting will take place.

When and where to start

During the winter and spring, sea trout often swim within just a few metres from land. Sandy beaches with weed growth and boulders and small rocky bays that have patches of kelp. Also areas with lots of small islands, peninsulas and bays are ideal hunting grounds for them. The best times of day are normally at high tide, here in Norway we don't have what you can call a "high tide" because it only differs from 50cm to 1 metre most of the year. The sea trout come in with the high water to hunt in the shallows for ragworms, prawns, bait fish and of course sandeels. All of which come out of their hiding places to feed on what the tide brings in. The best time is when high water occurs in the evening just after its gone dark, or in the morning just before its light. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place with a warm southerly wind, (this is what experienced sea trout fishermen call "happy hour") the sport can be tremendous.

During the summer when the water becomes much warmer the sea trout tend to hunt a little further out, holding themselves to cooler water. Fishing is best during the night and from the mouths or bottle-necks of larger bays and estuaries.

Fishing the Sandeel is methodical, if there are no sea trout rising you must of course fish blind, for the most part in the top two metres of water. As mentioned earlier the sea trout can come right in to shore, and therefore your first couple of casts should be just a few metres in length, slowly working out a little more line each cast. A method I use is three or four casts of differing length and then move on one metre and repeat. It's very important that you keep on the move and don't remain in the same place for more than a few minutes. The retrieve for the Sandeel can vary, as the natural can swim in short, stiff jerky movements, or long, slow ones. As a rule of thumb, I fish it long and slow when conditions are cold, and the sea trout are sluggish and won't chase, and with a quick, short retrieve when the water becomes warmer, and the fish are in top condition.

At the end of the retrieve when loading the rod for the next cast, try and keep a low profile as this is when you can get fish following for the take just as the fly speeds up, if they see you, they'll be gone. The chances are that you will encounter and land many other species before you catch a sea trout. Cod, coalfish and pollack all can give a good fight, but that for me is all part of the saltwater fly rodding experience and excitement.

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Tying the Matuka Tobis

Hook:	Mustad 80400 BR streamer, size 2-6.
Thread:	Red.
Body:	Gold flat tinsel.
Wing:	Two Vulturine guinea fowl hackles, tied matuka style.
Rib:	Round fine gold tinsel.
Throat:	Red wool.
Eyes:	Small bead chain.

1. Run tying thread along the hook shank and level to the hook barb ensuring that all the turns are close and tight so as not to give an uneven foundation for the tinsel body. Now tie in the round tinsel. Again try and do this as neatly as possible so as not to build up unnecessary bulk under the tinsel. Follow this with the flat tinsel. The tinsel should be tied in so that when you begin to wind on to the hook shank each wrap flows naturally at the correct angle.

2. Tightly wind the tinsel along the hook shank stopping a couple of mm behind the eye. Select two vulturine guinea fowl hackles and prepare them as shown by stripping off about two thirds of one side of each hackle. N.B. (All good quality cock hackles can be adapted for use in this style including a grizzle which makes an excellent Three-spined Stickleback).

3. Now carefully place the hackles back to back, and position them carefully along the hook shank. When in position just a couple of mm behind the eye, make a couple of loose turns of thread just tight enough to allow any small adjustments in aligning the hackles before making three or four tight turns to secure them properly. Leave enough surplus hackle shaft; you can now make some final adjustments by pushing, pulling or twisting these to get them absolutely right.

4. With the use of a dubbing needle you can now begin to wind on the rib. Separate the hackles from the back of the vice with the needle as shown and then make one turn with the tinsel rib. Repeat this procedure at even intervals until the whole fly is ribbed.

5. Once the tinsel has been tied off you can once again make some fine adjustments with your dubbing needle just by carefully pulling through and straightening any loose or trapped individual hackle fibres. Tie in a short section of red wool for the throat (this is optional). The red throat or gill covers that are used on so many saltwater patterns are (along with eyes) thought to be the two chief attack points for predatory fish.

6. To finish the fly, tie on the bead chain eyes slightly back from the hook eye. Plastic bead chain eyes can be used for patterns intended to be fished high in the water; hollow metal bead chain, for medium weight; and solid lead-free ones for heavier requirements. Whip finish, and be sure to varnish the head well. Or even use a small amount of epoxy, ensuring that all the tying thread is well covered as saltwater rots natural fibres.

Article taken from July/August 1998 issue of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying.