TRASH FISH FALL TO THE ZULU

TERENCE BABICH

I am very guilty of spending hours targeting fish that most people wouldn’t even steal a glance at. I will spend days targeting fish that others won’t even spend a minute or two on. One of those species that seems to have a bad rap and is often described as a trash fish (or worse) is the common carp.

The really nice thing though about carp is that they occur in abundance almost everywhere and they can be targeted in a myriad of ways. Some techniques are already known to us and there are many more still to be discovered. Mostly, I find that we are very narrow-minded in our methods to target carp. I have become seriously guilty of this and have for the most part partaken in the snobbish method of sight fishing for them. Hahahahha, it’s funny how an angler’s ears prick up and how their attention is captured the moment you mention sight fishing or dry flies. Yeh, we are snobs, but I believe that there is actually really good carp fishing to be had blind fishing for them.Blind fishing to carp is probably even better than most of our days

spent toiling away on a trout dam trying to catch pellet-fed, stocked, miniature trout. Just kidding, trout are fun too. The point is though that we could be fishing a little closer to home a lot more often if we were to try blind fishing for carp - or even sight fishing for them, for that matter.

Coming back to the point of being narrow minded and set in our ways, we often forget what has brought us to the point where we are currently. I am very guilty of fishing a three fly rig for carp, loaded with a variety of fritz patterns and sometimes mustard caddis flies.

I have fallen into the comfort zone of being able to fish my flies a long way away from my body and being able to use my top fly as a “sighter” so that I can accurately place my other flies in close proximity to the feeding fish’s mouth.

This is, of course, the easiest and most effective way to catch these fish, isn't it?

I was guiding Leonard Fleming and Jack Lotter a few weeks back for some catfish. For some unknown reason the catfish fishing was on the FRITZ. “They weren’t biting”. Leonard comes from the Cape and without a second thought he pulled out a fly that I would have fished many years back when very little was known about carp.

Back in those days we stalked carp and got so close to them that we could see their eyeballs. Leonard did some of the most amazing heron-like stalking and bagged a bunch of fish with the good old Zulu fly pattern - he was extremely effective.

A trash fish falls to Leonard Fleming's Zulu

Coming from the Cape this would be the absolute method to target carp, and it is extremely effective. Us Vaalies have been spoilt and I am inclined to think that our carp are a lot easier to catch on fly. As a result of this there is an element of complacency in the way we (or at least I) target them. Often we are given the choice of so many “presents” to fish that we can choose the size or even just keep presenting until something takes the fly. Leonard’s way of fishing is extremely rewarding because you have really stalked and outsmarted the fish. My way, let’s call it, is so brutal that just by sheer number of quick “presents” I will still find a few fish dumb enough to attack my fly with abandon.

This has brought me to the notion that it’s time to give the old Zulu a revisit. I will fish it and compare results to my current methods of fishing predominantly fritz flies and carp tuggers. It will be interesting to see how it performs. Fly fishing is often looked upon as trying to imitate the natural food source that fish feed on. From this perspective the Zulu ticks all the boxes and is in great contrast to my fly choice. My approach is that, if you were the fish, you’d better eat this fly quickly before it attacks and eats YOU. I will probably make some changes to the Zulu.

I might still be inclined to fish three Zulu flies at a time as I believe this just allows me a greater chance of putting the fly into the zone and close to the fish’s mouth.

This is the best way to catch carp as they don’t always move far to eat a fly. Having said that, and reflecting on my blind fishing statement, a big enough fly in the right area

where there isn’t much food or where the food source is mainly crabs and small fry could easily induce a chase from a carp. These carp will probably be bigger on average than those that we target on the edges or in the shallows.

Also, taking a look at the fly itself, I will try a variety of weights using tungsten beads and lead. This allows for a heavier fly and gives me more control over the fly in windy condition. It also has an advantage especially for spooky or moving carp of getting the fly quickly into the feeding zone before it spooks or moves off. So, if your wife asks ”where are you going ?” you can reply “I’m going to take some trash out”.

Happy carpin’

THE ZULU REVISITED

Hook: Grip 12723BL #12 Bead: 3.5mm tungsten Tail: red wool Body: glister peacock Hackle: black deceiver

Revisiting the original black Zulu fly pattern comes with a few small but deliberate changes.

A tungsten bead is added for some extra weight to help with the control of the fly, both

in getting it into the zone quickly and also in standing up against elements like wind.

The silver tinsel is replace by gold copper wire to reduce the bling and to create an effect of natural segmentation.

The hook used is a strong, wide gape hook to increase hook-up rate. A carp isn't a predatory fish and doesn't close its mouth onto the fly when feeding. The gape then become a crucial part in your ability to successfully hook fish on a regular basis.

THE ZULU REVISITED Step-By-Step

TERENCE BABICH

Dress the hook with 18/0 grey nano silk. This creates a base for the rest of the materials to stick to without turning or slipping into the bend of the hook.

Trap the red wool down behind bead and secure it down the length of the hook shank. The tail can be trimmed to required length - whatever you think is best for your current conditions. As a rule though, the same length as the hook shank should be a good allround length.

Tie medium or small gold copper wire in and trap it down. Maintain a fairly level body, it will be accentuated as you add materials onto it.

Take a deceiver hackle and strip a little off one side near the point. Leave the feather as is where the quill thickens. This is to maintain a body that isn't too heavily hackled but has a little more hackle density just behind the bead.

Using glister dubbing dub a light cover over the shank of the hook. Try create a little bit of a taper towards the bend of the hook, just to add to the overall profile of the finished fly.

Wrap the hackle forward in widely spaced turns. Trap it down just before the bead and wrap the gold wire forward, trapping the hackle quill down securely. Trap the wire down at the bead and snip it off. Then take the remainder of the hackle and wind it around the hook just behind the bead. Trap it down with thread and finish off. Your fly is ready to fish.