Virginia Carp Fly Fishing

The New Semi Automatic fly reels

                                                     JMC Ozone  -      Ghost   -           Peux Fulgor


I acquired two new semi automatic fly reels this past winter; the not so new Ghost from Spain and
the Ozone from J M C, a french company.  The Ghost has been around for about six years.  It is
very much like the reels based on the Vivarelli design.

I decided to buy it this year because it is a large arbor type semi automatic fly reel. 
This reel weight is less than 175 grams and takes WF5 line with 100m backing.   I will return
Ghost for repair or replacement because I have not been able to adjust the drag on this reel; based
on the instructions supplied by the manufacturer.  

                                                        JMC Ozone    -    Ghost     -  Peux Fulgor


When I saw the profile of the JMC Ozone, I knew I wanted this reel.  It is a skeletonized.
There were production problems and it took more than six months before the reel was available
to the public.  I was surprised that the reel came with no instructions.  The company's feeling was
that semi automatic reels are common in Europe and need no instruction about the reels use.  What
the company failed to realize is that the French use different threads on their screws.  In America
we turn screws clockwise to tighten and counter clockwise to loosen screws.  So without this
knowledge you can not adjust the drag on the Ozone.  The spool can not be removed either.

However to the Company's credit, JMC called me from France and gave me instructions by phone.
Once I had this information I was able to set up and fish the reel.  The reel's drag can be adjusted in
 tiny increments because of the new design.  Adjustments can be made while fishing.  The same way the ATP37, Bold and Fulgor can be set.  I really enjoyed fishing the Ozone.  I caught two carp that were more than 73mm in length this past season using the Ozone.  -  Material: Aluminum • Finish: Black Anodized and champagne • Brake: Micrometer Teflon • Spool: Large arbor , weighs 130 grams ,WF 6 line.

The third reel pictured is the Peux Fulgor from Switzerland which I fished most of  2013.  The Fulgor takes WF7, weighs- 148grams.

                                                    Vivarelli   -   Ghost    -   ATP 37    -   Goldstar


Here are the Franco Vivarelli (carbon), Ghost, ATP 37 and the Vivarelli Goldstar.
The inside view with the spools  removed shows how similar the design of these reels are.  With the
exception of Ghost, all reels can hold WF7 line with no problem.  I have used WF8 line on the ATP 37
and the Vivarelli and still had adequate backing for big carp, stripe bass and pike.  ATP 37: weighs 186 grams   Goldstar WF 8, weighs 162 grams.  Vivarelli carbon:  WF 7, weighs 150 grams.

                                                    Vivarelli    -   Ghost    -   Goldstar    -   ATP 37


A view with the spools in place.  Only the ATP 37 allows for the drag to be adjusted while
you are fishing.  The Vivarellis and Ghost can only be adjusted before fishing.

Inside view of the Franco Vivarelli (carbon) and Ghost.  They look almost identical on
the inside.

Side by side Ghost and an early design Vivarelli (screw on spool)

                                                                            Ozone   -    Fulgor


First time side by side comparison of  JMC Ozone and the Peux Fulgor (Swiss made).  Both reels
can have their drag adjusted by turning the knob in the center of the spool.  Both reels are listed as
mid size arbor. Due to their unique design, neither reel makes a sound while a fish pulls line from the
spool!

These are the only semi automatic fly reels that operate without making a sound as a fish runs.
Peux uses this as a selling point but Ozone does not.  

                                                     top:         JMC Ozone   -  below:   Peux Fulgor


Without the spools , you can see what makes these two reels different from semi automatics
reels based on the traditional Franco Vivarelli design.

                                                                    side view of JMC Ozone


You will need a US quarter of a dollar coin to tighten and loosen the screw that holds the spool
on the JMC Ozone.

                                                                    Ozone and Fulgor  side by side

A look from the rear of the JMC Ozone and the Peux Fulgor.

                                                                                 Thinkfish Bold


The Bold from Spain made by Thinkfish.  Probably the fastest retrieval rate of all semi automatic
fly reels.  One pull of the lever causes this large arbor spool to turn five and one half times.   Be
careful  to check for over spin after you have landed a big fish.

The drag adjustment on the Thinkfish Bold.  WF7, weighs 179 grams

                               top row:                   Fulgor    -  Vivarelli    -   ATP 37
                     bottom  row:         Ozone - Ghost - Vivarelli (old version) - Goldstar - Bold

These are the  fly reels I've fished with for the past ten seasons.  I fish rivers, lakes and ponds
and have caught warm and cold water fish with these reels.  They are high end items made for
demanding fly fishers. World Championships have been won while fishing with semi automatic fly
reels.  Semi Automatic Fly Reels are not made for everyone but can be fished by anyone.

One of the objections I've heard is that the skeleton design of Ozone and Fulgor make these reels highly
susceptible to girt and sand.  After fishing both reels for all but a week or two, I have not had any
problem with the reels due to sand or dirt getting into the open areas of either reel.  On a number of occasions foreign debris has gotten into the gearing on the Vivarelli type reels. A simple dip of the reel
into water allowed me to continue fishing without further delay.

Peux, in an effort to appeal to a broader audience, makes the Fulgor with a knob; just like traditional
fly reels.  But to me this defeats the efficiency of the semi automatic Fulgor which pulls in more than
two meters of line each time the lever is pulled.  The lever on a semi automatic fly reel does not prevent
the fly fisher from hand stripping in a fish.  I hand strip panfish frequently but big fish I put on the reel.
It is your option.

The design of the JMC Ozone and the Peux Fulgor has less parts to break.  I've had to send Vivarellis
to be repaired (all under warranty) because one of the small springs needed to be replaced.
However, all semi automatic fly reels are measured by how they measure against the Goldstar made
by Franco Vivarelli.

Peter Hayes - fly fishing casting demo (IFFF 2012) Malaysia

Loeb Lake fishing

Just before our current cold spell, I went to Central Park with the hope of catching a November
carp.  During the warm weather we have at this time of year carp are active and can be taken
on deer hair flies.  The air temperature was 18C for most days.  We had not had the first frost
of the fall yet.

I chummed but they did not come.  In hindsight, I should have fished near the restaurant on the
east side of the lake.  Probably the rocks there would have held the heat from the sun longer.
The warmer the water, the more active  the fish are.  The forecast for next week looks good, so
I plan to return to this lake a few more times before winter arrives.

Third River fishing

The park that Third River flows through has some of the most difficult carp to catch of any place
I fish.  Even the bait fisherman  have an equally difficult time catching carp.  The river is stocked with trout in the spring and the river has a population of bass and bluegills.

The reason I fish Memorial park is to test myself against the wary carp in this part of The Third River.
Today was no different.  Carp were scarce but a few were feeding in the shallows.   However
 the carp in the shallows were very young no more than 30mm in length.  It was only later in the
 day that I was able to detect where the larger fish were holding.

On the east side of the river, about mid afternoon I saw carp swirling.  I put a few dog biscuits on the
river surface, after about 30 minutes carp began to feed on the dry dog biscuits.   I tried several deer
 hair flies and had no takes.  They continued to eat until 3:00pm.  It was almost like they were eating
 lunch.  After lunch hour was finished they stopped feeding on the surface and disappeared.




The Third River, also known as the Yantecaw River,^[1] is the third (upstream) main tributary of the Passaic River in Passaic and Essex Counties, New Jersey in the United States.
The river originates in the Great Notch Reservoir in Woodland Park, New Jersey. It then runs through the towns of Little Falls, Clifton and Montclair. It then goes into Clifton a second time, runs through Bloomfield, through the grounds of the Upper Montclair Country Club, and then the Glen Ridge Country Club. After this, it runs by Bloomfield's North Middle School where it forms Clarks Pond which is used by the school's science classes to help teach biology. It then passes through Bloomfield's Brookside Park which was the location of a mill in the Colonial Period. It also passes next to Foley Field which is used by the Bloomfield High School football team and the town's little league baseball teams. The river then runs through multiple parks in the town of Nutley in Essex County. It enters the Passaic River in Clifton just north of the border with Nutley.

West Caldwell, New Jersey

I finally returned to Grover Cleveland Park.  When I was here last summer there was
algae everywhere.  This time the water was clear and I could see three koi feeding under a patch
of  floating leaves.

When you look closely you can see the orange, white and black koi as they feed and patrol

The weather forecast was for a warm, sunny day but it was cool and overcast.  This type of
condition doesn't bother me as long as fish are biting.  Fish were not biting today.

There was very little wind but it was cooler than I expected.  I saw a two pound bass and a pocket bass
near the shore line.

I was told that the lake has crappie, bluegills and other panfish but none made themselves
visible this time.  Oh well, I'll come back in the spring because there are reports of fish in this little pond.

Late fall fly fishing in Brooklyn

I met a few of the regulars in Prospect Park this afternoon.  Panfishing is HOT now as the
evening is warm.  We caught perch, golden shiners, bluegills and crappie in front of the boathouse.

Carp buddies, Dennis and Steve were there fishing with ultra light spinning gear.  Part of
the lake surface was covered in dead tree leaves which provided a blanket of protection
for the active fish beneath the surface.

I was using nymph patterns and casting my line into the open areas of the leaves.  It didn't take
long to catch my first fish.  I don't have the patience of Dennis so once I caught a fish, I would
move to the next area in the pool I fished.

It was fun and at the same time intense because fish were feeding but the sun was setting and
I didn't want to miss any fish. 

Central Park fly fishing at Loeb's Lake for carp

Loeb Lake at 72nd street.  My buddy Jay and I got together again for the end of season
push to catch carp.  Looking south

My second carp for the month of October.  It was a decent size carp and spooled my semi
automatic fly reel into the backing!  It was fun.

Jay held my second carp while I worked the camera.

This is my very first carp of the month.  I have spent most of  the season fishing new water
and as a result have not concentrated on catching many fish.

Jay holding one of the three carp he caught.  We arrived early about 9:00am and things were slow
until the air temperature reach 50F.  We left after 4:00pm a total of 8 carp were caught
(3 by Jay's girl friend).  We nearly reached a total weight of one hundred pounds for the day.
There were some big fish being caught.

Staten Island on the fly fishing

 The subway tunnels which were damaged during the Sandy storm of two years ago
have been repaired and subway service to the Staten Island Ferry have been restored.

It is always a pleasant ferry ride to Staten Island.  On the starboard side of the ferry you can see
the new Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as well as the harbor.  Brooklyn is on the port side and you can see a spectacular view of the Verrazano Bridge linking Brooklyn and Staten Island.

I was able to visit two new lakes on Staten Island's north shore today and an old favorite, Clove Lake.
Silver Lake, Clove Lake and Willowbrook lake can all be reached by taking the same bus,  S61 from the ferry terminal in St. George, Staten Island.

The new place I visited

Looking north

Chinese Scholars Garden

I believe this is a blue heron.  I saw no fish here but I will return again.

Looking north east ( Chinese Scholars Garden in the upper right hand corner).

A tiny pond looking south.

 

Another heron but this time It was in Clove Lake

Whenever you see this bird, you can be sure that there are fish in the water. 

Second lake at Clove Lake Park , Martling lake.

Clove Lake Park consists of three lakes, Clove, Martling and Brook Lakes.  I saw no fish
activity until 4:00 pm.  The lake was calm .  There was no wind.  Carp began to feed on the surface
about ten meters from shore.  They continued to feed for about an hour never coming closer to shore.

Clove Lakes Park derives its name from the Dutch word “kloven,” meaning cleft. The particular cleft is the valley and brook betweenEmerson Hill and Grymes Hill. This valley was deepened by the glacier 20,000 years ago. The brook which ran through the valley originated in Clove Swamp and ran to the Kill Van Kull. The damming of this brook over the years created the different lakes and ponds in the area.

Clove Lakes Park has outcroppings of Serpentine group rock at the crest of the hills. The spine of Staten Island is a broad ridge of serpentine, which was formed during the Ordovician period (435-500 million years ago) when heat and pressure altered rocks rich in magnesium and iron. Ash green in color, serpentine is named after the patterns in the rock that resemble snake skin. Its mineral composition includes fibrous chrysotile (known commercially as asbestos), talc, olivine (green lava grains) as well as ferromanganese, a mineral containing magnesium and iron.
Clove Lakes Park is home to many species of indigenous wildlife. Visitors can see fish such as Brown Bullhead, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Largemouth Bass, and Carp, birds, such as Red Tailed Hawk, Kingfisher, Cormorant, Red-Winged Blackbird, Canada Geese, and Mallard, as well as reptiles and amphibians, like the Common Snapping Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle, Red Eared Slider, and occasionally even the Red Back Salamander. The park is also home to mammals, like Gray Squirrels, Muskrat, Eastern Cottontail and the Eastern Chipmunk.