Flyfishing for Lampuki

[joncamilleri]

Dear members

I posted a query on the forum a year or so ago but unfortunately lost the replies and did not make it to Malta last year. So here goes:

I will be in Malta in early September and would like to try saltwater flyfishing especially for Lampuki.
Can anyone help with advice on tackle, tactics and sites to try?
Can they be taken from the shore or will I need a boat?
Do they feed on the surface, subsurface or deeper?
I know poppers work well for them in other parts of the world, what about in Malta?
I am going to buy some tackle to bring:
Would a 9 or 10 weight rod and line be best?
What about leader strength?
Do I need wire trace as I know the have teeth?
What sort of size fish can be expected?

Are there any other species that I could target with flyfishing gear?

Kind regards


Jon Camilleri ('joncamilleri@hotmail.co.uk' or 'cvslimited@tiscali.co.uk')

[skip]

Jon,

This was your post about flyfishing http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/index.php?topic=334.0

[ciappinu]

Fly fishing is not very common in Malta, however I am very confident that given the right circumstances and shoals, you can be very successfull with Lampuki. I have tried something similar to fly fishing last summer on Lampuki which did not want to bite on an immersed lure, and they did attack quite ferociusly. You definitely need a boat though. You might get a one in a million chance of catching a lampuka fly fishing from he shore!

[joncamilleri]

Thanks

Any clues as to the best spots to go to

Regards

Jon

[ciappinu]

By boat, practically anywhere 6 miles out in September is good. What you can do is to join a local amateur fisherman club so that you will be able to fish on their FADs. From land as I said, very tough, but you could try Bahrija, Dwejra, Zurrieq or Migra Ferha in Mtahleb.

[Simon G]

Hi Jon
I would recommend a 9 line slow sinking with 1.5mts tippet flourocarbon 30
poppers  work well and also most flies used for pike.
i reccomend using a boat and heading out to the fish farms.
from land i fly fish for cuda and bass.

[joncamilleri]

Thanks for the advice chaps
Any more advice gratefully received.
What about the fishfarms just off St Pauls - good spot?

Regards

Jon

[joncamilleri]

When is the best time to fish for lampuki - early morning, day or nightime?

Regards


Jon

[MartinB]

Ive caught them from land around the bahrija/mtahleb area & also from ghamiegh on lures and using switch baiting tactics.Ive also seen them take surface poppers cast from the shore too.
Ive done quite a bit of fly fishing in the uk for trout & grayling & i can't see why it wouldn't work from the shore with maybe using a shooting head to cast out a decent way.. however it would porbably be better to go out on a boat and try fly fishing around a F.A.D...it certainly works for them in the US from what ive seen on tv/dvds

[joncamilleri]

Thanks Martin.
PS Whats a F.A.D.?
Excuse my ignorance!

[skip]

Fish Attracting Device! Basically a piece of flotsam, but here in Malta and another parts of the med they are put down deliberately and consist of palm tree branches suspended just below the surface with marker buoys and tethered to the bottom. They provide shade for the fish in summer!

Note that legally you are not allowed to approach within a certain distance of a FAD that belongs to a commercial fisherman. Not sure the distance but personally I would say 10 meters is reasonable.

After 25 miles, ie outside of the Maltese Contigious fishing zone, that minimum distance does not apply as it's not applicable under International Maritime Law to the best of my knowledge.

In Maltese they are called Cimi (plural) or Cima (singular)

[joncamilleri]

I understand - is that the same as kazzineti??

[ciappinu]

Actually FAD is Fish Aggregating Device.