Mending the line

[Ferret664]

Hi all just a quick question when fishing nymphs from a drifting boat no matter how I retrieve (as in just keeping up with my nymphs as the boat drifts onto them ) my line starts arcing to one side and getting a belly in it even though my rodtip is only a inch or two off the surface.  I've heard people say mend the line but how ? Do you just flick a little section at the end or lift the whole line and throw slack into it ?? As when flicking a little section it just comes round just as fast and surely lifting the whole line will only scare any fish in the area ?? 

 

Many thanks 

Ferret 

[yates]

Do you use a drogue to slow your drift?

Edited March 22, 2019 by yates

[panoma1]

If the line is bellying to the left, lift your rod tip which lifts the belly clear of the water and at the same time, with a rolling circular motion of your wrist place the line to the right!......Difficult to explain! 

[Ferret664]

2 hours ago, yates said:

Do you use a drogue to slow your drift?

I do normally but yesterday there was no need for one on Grafham really was still having the issue 

2 hours ago, panoma1 said:

If the line is bellying to the left, lift your rod tip which lifts the belly clear of the water and at the same time, with a rolling circular motion of your wrist place the line to the right!......Difficult to explain! 

That makes sense think I'm trying to do it with my rod tip too low . Also think im letting too much of a bow get in it before I try to mend.  Should I mend as soon as I see a bow . Or is it cause I'm actually not retrieving fast enough to keep on contact as the boat drifts to my nymphs ? 

[panoma1]

Using a fly line is all about making the weight of the flyline do the work, use the weight of the line (when partially lifted from the water) to place the line (mend it) where you want it! Many moons ago I regularly fished the loughs in Ireland, shortlining with a team of wet flies downwind, in front of a drifting boat.......the line wasn't usually on the water long enough to create a belly in the line!....if you are nymphing from a drifting boat, especially at distance, a crosswind will put a belly in the line........either continual mending, fishing directly downwind or adjusting the retrieve (keeping up with the drift of the boat) with a shorter line could all be worth trying?........

[Ferret664]

31 minutes ago, panoma1 said:

Using a fly line is all about making the weight of the flyline do the work, use the weight of the line (when partially lifted from the water) to place the line (mend it) where you want it! Many moons ago I regularly fished the loughs in Ireland, shortlining with a team of wet flies downwind, in front of a drifting boat.......the line wasn't usually on the water long enough to create a belly in the line!....if you are nymphing from a drifting boat, especially at distance, a crosswind will put a belly in the line........either continual mending, fishing directly downwind or adjusting the retrieve (keeping up with the drift of the boat) with a shorter line could all be worth trying?........

Thank you for all the advice . That's the thing I I am always fishing a drifting boat downwind so can't see why it keeps happening.  Think I might try shorter casts next time. I know when you.bank fish you want to let you flies drift round in the wind and make that belly to fish nymphs 

 

[yates]

5 hours ago, Ferret664 said:

Thank you for all the advice . That's the thing I I am always fishing a drifting boat downwind so can't see why it keeps happening.  Think I might try shorter casts next time. I know when you.bank fish you want to let you flies drift round in the wind and make that belly to fish nymphs 

 

I agree with comments made. If you’re drifting with or without a drouge cast shorter as you will still cover fish due to the fact that the boat is continually moving. Make sure that your retrieve matches the speed of the boat as this will help to reduce the line ‘ bellying’.

all the best

Tim