West Lakes Saturday 20th Dec

[Mickyj 3,205]

So after having a sick day Thursday due to my arthritis but feeling a 110% Friday .I was walking around work Friday thinking it was my day for destiny at the lake today.I started wading the Lake at 6.45am and the first fly I tried was the red headed rubber band fly.My first spot was not proving very fruitful and a move was in order .And as I started to wind in my line horror of horrors my fly reel came off the rod and fell in the drink.Not a good omen but a sign of things to come.Getting everything back in order and under way again .I had decided to give this fly a good work out .But other than very small Bream looking at it nothing was happening.Then deciding to let the strong wind do more of the casting work I headed further and further out towards the centre of the lake.At one cast about a metre further over a small bait fish jumped .Nothing on that cast then I cast to roughly that spot.And I changed my retrieve I counted 3 and gave 3 sharp strips and wham bam I am on(my heart said school mulloway my head thought ST) .A very short run and fly spit and 1 lost fish.So 1 hour after tying that fly on I had my first hit .A lot of work but I felt that fish.So four more casts and I could not resist the urge to change to a green fly.As those who have fly fished with me know I have this awful habit of dropping the fly into the water and having a little play.and what happens when I do this fish attack.Well almost a bream around 30cms about two arms lengths away went for the strike on my fly but saw me and swam off.Then the smallest bream u can think of took the fly I was holding the line and could feel it pull line but it was off .So I walked along and cast some more and once again small fish appear and follow and no takes .Deciding that the killer green was not going to work today i swapped over for a similar fly to the bulldog.But with a barbie pink head and a fowl cast first off with flyline caught on the rod tip .So standing there trying to jiggle the line off the rod the fly was going a hundred miles an hour in the water and you guessed it tiny Bream on and lost in no time .So I decided to work my way back to the car and try near the rock wall at the end of the beach .With only small fish following and the water in my waders getting higher and colder I decided to head home at 9am.Not a success but I saw fish today and that first take will stay with me until I manage to land a fish again.cheersMick

[brenton 637]

Good on you for getting out there Mick,did you see many biggies in the shallows and how was the clarity.? cheers brenton

[Mickyj 3,205]

Good on you for getting out there Mick,did you see many biggies in the shallows and how was the clarity.? cheers brenton

Only saw the one big bream and I am pretty sure we both scared each other. ;DBut they must have been out deeper going by the one jumping fish .I would prefer the entire school jump ;DWater was very dirty IMHO but there was lots more sea grass than last year .Made walking that little bit difficult.Saw lots of different small fish Bream Flatties Gar looks good for the future .

[RogerG 1]

Great account Mickyj, it brings back some good old memories. I don,t get to flyfish,in that style, very often these days because both my legs and feet are past their use by date. I wore em out with 30 years of landscaping! However, I still have the memories and the mind is willing even if the body is not.These days I stick to the bank or the boat.CheersRogerG

[Mickyj 3,205]

Great account Mickyj, it brings back some good old memories. I don,t get to flyfish,in that style, very often these days because both my legs and feet are past their use by date. I wore em out with 30 years of landscaping! However, I still have the memories and the mind is willing even if the body is not.These days I stick to the bank or the boat.CheersRogerG

Good on ya Rodger I'll keep wading while I can mate .14 years so far on hard concrete is doing nothing for my knees.And the thought of a Mulloway or Salmon is to strong a call to resist.And I'll keep posting as long as i can mate

[MarsOne 137]

Gday guys,Good reading on the fly reports :)I'd be interested in getting myself into a bit of fly fishing and chasing trout and the like....But how much am I looking at for a basic sort of set-up that would suit a beginner?CheersMarsOne

[Mickyj 3,205]

Gday guys,Good reading on the fly reports :)I'd be interested in getting myself into a bit of fly fishing and chasing trout and the like....But how much am I looking at for a basic sort of set-up that would suit a beginner?CheersMarsOne

I'm the wrong guy to ask MarsONE i just chase Bream salmon etc.But be warned it could be costly

[RogerG 1]

MarsOneYou can get a decent trout set up, good enough to start you off, for around $100.Look at some of the Shakespear stuff (Made in China)They put out an outfit consisting of a Pflueger PSFY 8056 rod and Shakespear 1094 reel plus line and backing etc. Even a couple of flys. The rod is a three piece 8ft(2.44m)#5/6 with reasonably good cork grips. This outfit is good enough to do some serious Trout fishing and give you the feel of things.I started of with a very old and well used "Young's of Redditch" split cane rod with an "Avon" reel which used to belong to an uncle. There were not many glass rods around then and nobody had heard of carbon fibre! Yet I caught my first Rainbow on a fly the first time that I used it, after practising in the back paddock for a couple of hours before I tried the river. CheersRogerG

[tonyb 1,017]

Geez, you guys are making me go all soft and reminiscy about your first fly fishing experiences ::)I was brought up at the mouth of the megga polluted River Tyne ???I got my first Motor bike, a 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub at age 18 8) 8)Saved as much as I could from my 10 pounds a week apprentice's wage.Bought a "House of Hardy" "Jet" 2 peice hollow glass, Dry fly rod 8)(Still got it 40+ years,and a different continent, later!)Drove up to Newcastle on Tyne, purchased a number of "Greenwells Glory's in Dry Fly. Drove on up to the higher reaches of the Tyne to a pretty little country town called Hexham in Northumberland and with my second cast at a rising wild Brown Trout, I ascended into a "Nirvana" which has never left me :icon_e_biggrin: 8)Cheers, tonyb.Nirvana, (Oxford Senior Dictionary)The state of perfect bliss attained when the soul is freed from all suffering and absorbed into the supreme spirit

[Mickyj 3,205]

All I will say is Trout sound Easy Bream seem to be getting harder .

[Ranger 48]

You can get a decent trout set up, good enough to start you off, for around $100.Look at some of the Shakespear stuff (Made in China)They put out an outfit consisting of a Pflueger PSFY 8056 rod and Shakespear 1094 reel plus line and backing etc. Even a couple of flys. The rod is a three piece 8ft(2.44m)#5/6 with reasonably good cork grips. This outfit is good enough to do some serious Trout fishing and give you the feel of things.

Oh bl**dy hell! You people are a bl**dy bad influence! Now I'm gonna HAVE to nip down to the tacklestore to get one of my own! :

with my second cast at a rising wild Brown Trout, I ascended into a "Nirvana"Nirvana, (Oxford Senior Dictionary)The state of perfect bliss attained when the soul is freed from all suffering and absorbed into the supreme spirit

You walk the path wisely grasshopper and do not wander from the way of destiny! May the spirit of enlightenment follow you in your journey as you attain a higher level of oneness! :icon_e_ugeek:Wanna show me how to chuck one of these things some fine sunny day? ;D

[Mickyj 3,205]

You can get a decent trout set up, good enough to start you off, for around $100.Look at some of the Shakespear stuff (Made in China)They put out an outfit consisting of a Pflueger PSFY 8056 rod and Shakespear 1094 reel plus line and backing etc. Even a couple of flys. The rod is a three piece 8ft(2.44m)#5/6 with reasonably good cork grips. This outfit is good enough to do some serious Trout fishing and give you the feel of things.

Oh bl**dy hell! You people are a bl**dy bad influence! Now I'm gonna HAVE to nip down to the tacklestore to get one of my own! :

with my second cast at a rising wild Brown Trout, I ascended into a "Nirvana"Nirvana, (Oxford Senior Dictionary)The state of perfect bliss attained when the soul is freed from all suffering and absorbed into the supreme spirit

You walk the path wisely grasshopper and do not wander from the way of destiny! May the spirit of enlightenment follow you in your journey as you attain a higher level of oneness! :icon_e_ugeek:Wanna show me how to chuck one of these things some fine sunny day? ;D

To make it worse I bought an outfit for 60 bucks .Still using the reel as I am an idiot but thats life .Saltwater fly fishing they way they fish in heaven :icon_e_biggrin:Theres nothing like standing knee deep in water while a fish hits and runs with your fly .

[Ranger 48]

I too am an idiot, but I always thought fly reels were just something which holds the line, as ya strip line by hand prior to casting, and then pull the line in by hand as you retrieve. I've always scratched my head wondering why people pay big bucks for fly reels. Is there something that I'm missing here?

[Mickyj 3,205]

I too am an idiot, but I always thought fly reels were just something which holds the line, as ya strip line by hand prior to casting, and then pull the line in by hand as you retrieve. I've always scratched my head wondering why people pay big bucks for fly reels. Is there something that I'm missing here?

Nah its just to hold the line on and the one i'm using at present doesnt have a drag system .I'm just an idiot for breaking a gift

[tonyb 1,017]

You walk the path wisely grasshopper and do not wander from the way of destiny! May the spirit of enlightenment follow you in your journey as you attain a higher level of oneness! :icon_e_ugeek:Wanna show me how to chuck one of these things some fine sunny day? ;D

You bring a tear of pure joy to an old farts eye with the depth of yourhumour MASTER :icon_e_biggrin:And I'd be delighted to start you on a potentially Nirvanic journey into the deepest mysteries of the Fly Fishers craft ;)Cheers,Tony.

[Mickyj 3,205]

You walk the path wisely grasshopper and do not wander from the way of destiny! May the spirit of enlightenment follow you in your journey as you attain a higher level of oneness! :icon_e_ugeek:Wanna show me how to chuck one of these things some fine sunny day? ;D

You bring a tear of pure joy to an old farts eye with the depth of yourhumour MASTER :icon_e_biggrin:And I'd be delighted to start you on a potentially Nirvanic journey into the deepest mysteries of the Fly Fishers craft ;)Cheers,Tony.

when you have gained insight from the red master Tony.Then thouist can hunt the bait fish schools looking for Salmon and Mulloway with the unworthy Saltie me.And you can learn the ways of the Lone SWFF.Any time Ranger or Tony you are both welcome at my lake umm I mean West Lakes.:fishing:to have a friendly flick.But be aware young Ranger what is considered heavy in the fresh is light in the salt .Wait young ranger until you feel the might of a ST on a fly you have tied your selfCheersFrom the dark side SWFF

[RogerG 1]

I too am an idiot, but I always thought fly reels were just something which holds the line, as ya strip line by hand prior to casting, and then pull the line in by hand as you retrieve.I've always scratched my head wondering why people pay big bucks for fly reels. Is there something that I'm missing here?

Most fly lines tend to be very soft and heavy they are also bloody expensive hence the reels have to be made of highly polished materials so as not to abrade or nick the soft line material. The reels also have to have a very hard surface so as not to scratch or abrade easily, also they have to be light weight because the thickness of the line means bigger, wider spools than those used for mono. Suitable alloys such as Duralumin are expensive and difficult to work. So an old Alvey or Steelite Blackfish reel just won't do! There is also the snob (W***er) attitude that some people have. I have around a dozen fly reels, mostly saltwater #7 up to #10 each with a different type of line. The most expensive would be a D.A.M. at about $180 when it was new twenty years ago. I bought it second hand for $15.00. Some of my gear is thirty plus years old and in very good nick due to being looked after. I have never had an "Eggbeater" last that long though some of my OH reels are older. In these days of carbon fibre materials fly reels are much cheaper but who wants a plastic fly reel?RogerG

[Mickyj 3,205]

I too am an idiot, but I always thought fly reels were just something which holds the line, as ya strip line by hand prior to casting, and then pull the line in by hand as you retrieve.I've always scratched my head wondering why people pay big bucks for fly reels. Is there something that I'm missing here?

Most fly lines tend to be very soft and heavy they are also bloody expensive hence the reels have to be made of highly polished materials so as not to abrade or nick the soft line material. The reels also have to have a very hard surface so as not to scratch or abrade easily, also they have to be light weight because the thickness of the line means bigger, wider spools than those used for mono. Suitable alloys such as Duralumin are expensive and difficult to work. So an old Alvey or Steelite Blackfish reel just won't do! There is also the snob (W***er) attitude that some people have. I have around a dozen fly reels, mostly saltwater #7 up to #10 each with a different type of line. The most expensive would be a D.A.M. at about $180 when it was new twenty years ago. I bought it second hand for $15.00. Some of my gear is thirty plus years old and in very good nick due to being looked after. I have never had an "Eggbeater" last that long though some of my OH reels are older. In these days of carbon fibre materials fly reels are much cheaper but who wants a plastic fly reel?RogerG

I too am an idiot, but I always thought fly reels were just something which holds the line, as ya strip line by hand prior to casting, and then pull the line in by hand as you retrieve.I've always scratched my head wondering why people pay big bucks for fly reels. Is there something that I'm missing here?

Most fly lines tend to be very soft and heavy they are also bloody expensive hence the reels have to be made of highly polished materials so as not to abrade or nick the soft line material. The reels also have to have a very hard surface so as not to scratch or abrade easily, also they have to be light weight because the thickness of the line means bigger, wider spools than those used for mono. Suitable alloys such as Duralumin are expensive and difficult to work. So an old Alvey or Steelite Blackfish reel just won't do! There is also the snob (W***er) attitude that some people have. I have around a dozen fly reels, mostly saltwater #7 up to #10 each with a different type of line. The most expensive would be a D.A.M. at about $180 when it was new twenty years ago. I bought it second hand for $15.00. Some of my gear is thirty plus years old and in very good nick due to being looked after. I have never had an "Eggbeater" last that long though some of my OH reels are older. In these days of carbon fibre materials fly reels are much cheaper but who wants a plastic fly reel?RogerG

Presently using a shakspeare reel from a 60 buck combo.It was looked at with disdain on Saturday by someone who is a nobody .The line I am presently using on it cost me $20 delivered I was quoted $150 for sinking line in a tackleshop.I am not a fly snob by any means .If I could try a plastic reel then perhaps the need to wash everything after every use would be less of importance .And surprisingly the cheap reel is heavier than the Irish one I snapped the foot of .And the same line appears less on the cheap reel and more on eh Irish reel.No drag on this one so If I do latch on to a large fish I will be in adrenalin overdrive .CheersAnd I am working on those larger fish every hit strike snap off I learn more and more .I relearned a lesson on saturday soapy and school mulloway don't always hunt in deep water .I will leave u guys with that thought

[samboman 319]

A soapy is a school Mulloway , and they like the shallow as much as the deep especially when mullet are sitting in the shallows got my HB caught mully in very shallow water :-XSambo

[Ranger 48]

RogerG

Most fly lines tend to be very soft and heavy they are also bloody expensive hence the reels have to be made of highly polished materials so as not to abrade or nick the soft line material. The reels also have to have a very hard surface so as not to scratch or abrade easily, also they have to be light weight because the thickness of the line means bigger, wider spools than those used for mono. Suitable alloys such as Duralumin are expensive and difficult to work.

Ahhhh! So NOW I'm learning! I actually went into a tacklestore for a look the other day, and quickly realised that I didn't even know what I was looking at, so mebbe I need to have a bit of a chat with a fly guru BEFORE I consider buying an outfit!TonyB

And I'd be delighted to start you on a potentially Nirvanic journey into the deepest mysteries of the Fly Fishers craft

I am humbled and unworthy oh exalted one, yet anxious to snatcheth yon pebble from thine grasp!MickeyJ

when you have gained insight from the red master Tony. Then thouist can hunt the bait fish schools looking for Salmon and Mulloway with the unworthy Saltie me. And you can learn the ways of the Lone SWFF.But be aware young Ranger what is considered heavy in the fresh is light in the salt .Wait young ranger until you feel the might of a ST on a fly you have tied your self

Methinks it may be wisest to begin on the light fresh gear then, which has now solved another issue, the choice of outfit "fresh or salt".

[Mickyj 3,205]

A soapy is a school Mulloway , and they like the shallow as much as the deep especially when mullet are sitting in the shallows got my HB caught mully in very shallow water :-XSambo

according to Jason kennedy on fishntrip it goes soapy then schoolie then full grown Sambo man .Forgot the sizes he mentioned but hey it doesnt matter.And the one on the 26th was smaller than the last one that broke me off back around easter.It really was my own fault I was mucking around with the fly watching the tiny Bream chase it when bam out of the weed came the Muilloway very tiny but still a mulloway .And I still have much to learn .Geez now i sound like Ranger:)

[Mickyj 3,205]

RogerG

Most fly lines tend to be very soft and heavy they are also bloody expensive hence the reels have to be made of highly polished materials so as not to abrade or nick the soft line material. The reels also have to have a very hard surface so as not to scratch or abrade easily, also they have to be light weight because the thickness of the line means bigger, wider spools than those used for mono. Suitable alloys such as Duralumin are expensive and difficult to work.

Ahhhh! So NOW I'm learning! I actually went into a tacklestore for a look the other day, and quickly realised that I didn't even know what I was looking at, so mebbe I need to have a bit of a chat with a fly guru BEFORE I consider buying an outfit!TonyB

And I'd be delighted to start you on a potentially Nirvanic journey into the deepest mysteries of the Fly Fishers craft

I am humbled and unworthy oh exalted one, yet anxious to snatcheth yon pebble from thine grasp!MickeyJ

when you have gained insight from the red master Tony. Then thouist can hunt the bait fish schools looking for Salmon and Mulloway with the unworthy Saltie me. And you can learn the ways of the Lone SWFF.But be aware young Ranger what is considered heavy in the fresh is light in the salt .Wait young ranger until you feel the might of a ST on a fly you have tied your self

Methinks it may be wisest to begin on the light fresh gear then, which has now solved another issue, the choice of outfit "fresh or salt".

You could get a cheap combo like I did and have a muck around at the lake

[tonyb 1,017]

TonyB

And I'd be delighted to start you on a potentially Nirvanic journey into the deepest mysteries of the Fly Fishers craftI am humbled and unworthy oh exalted one, yet anxious to snatcheth yon pebble from thine grasp!

How about you turn out at the SAFWAA outing at Golden Grove Ranger?You'll get to meet guys with extensive knowledge of fresh/saltwater Fly fishing in every field except Blue Water (Highfly can help with advice if this is your leaning in the future)Our President is a trained and expert coach who regularly holds classes for beginners/experts alike.Our membership secretary has written articles on bream fly Fishing and has an addiction for Carp on Fly which has to be seen to be believed!!(imagine a 5kg Fish on 2 or 3 kg class gear )I have a half dozen outfits which I could bring along to try and I guarantee you will be proficient in basic casting within 10 minutes!There's a lot of elitism and mystique attached to the "Art Of the Angle With Dry Fly", remain assured mate, it's all "Bulldust"The sky's the limit after that,with the correct line weights and a balanced outfit (great info on here in the "Fly fishing "section 8)I fancy I could even fix one of mickyj's problems with a modern new weight forward line from the UK which has a thick ball of line at the business end to cast amazing distances, but, using ordinary heavy "Braid" line (less wind resistance than ordinary line backing)to get the fly to the other side of the lake !!!!Here endeth lesson one BeerGlass hopper :icon_e_biggrin:Cheers, tonyb.

[Ranger 48]

How about you turn out at the SAFWAA outing at Golden Grove Ranger?

Lol! The 18th is already penciled into my calendar! ;)As I know absolutely nothing about fly, I recon I don't have any developed bad habits which need to be broken, so you guys should be able to start me off with lesson one "gear selection 101" and then I'll at least know what I need to buy.I really recon if I'm gonna give this fly thing a go, I'll start with the fresh, targeting trout and redfin. If that works out for me I might join MickeyJ and have a go at the salt somewhere much further down the track.

[tonyb 1,017]

Sounds good Mate,now, serious stuff, lesson one: imagine a clock face with the hands set at 10 minutes to two o' clock.Your wrist will "Cock" the Fly rod between these two parameters.Your thumb, at 90 degrees to your hand and parralel with the rod will act as a "back stop" at the "Hour" pointer.Your wrist cocks the rod forward and you "Stop" the rod when you reach the minute pointer.Sounds easy? damn right it is, you are now an accomplished technical "Fly Caster" 'cos you have mastered the theory already.The English Gentlemen are taught with thier casting forearms bandaged/strapped to thier upper torso to teach them that the "WRIST" is the single most important action in learning the "BASIC" castLots of technique can be easily applied later on but of all things Fly,remember, the ABC is at ten minutes to two 8) 8) 8) 8)Here endeth lesson one or is it two, now I'm confused :icon_e_biggrin:Cheers, Tony.

[Ranger 48]

OK! I'm not real sure if I have my thumb at 90 degrees to my hand, but I've been cocking around in the backyard and the dog thinks I've gone crazy! I recon I'm now ready to try it with a rod in my hand too! ;DI gotta go now though, coz it's already ten to two!

[tonyb 1,017]

I gotta go now though, coz it's already ten to two!

WOOS!, I went to bed at 2.30 mate :stir:

[MarsOne 137]

This thread has made me want to get into it.... So next year that may happen.Heading overseas this year... Around the great trout waters of the UK and Europe. So when I get back I'll be itching for it... may look into a SAFWAA membership and the like.Cheers

[RogerG 1]

Thats the go MarsOne. Once you have been bitten by the fly "Bug" it never leaves you. You can probably pick up some good gear in U.K. and Europe. Check out the S/H shops and markets. Some pretty good stuff comes out of France and Germany as well as U.K.Happy New Year everybody!RogerG