So Boat is working wonderfully, didn't miss a beat last Sunday on Bynoe trip
As such I am quite keen for a trip to Vernon Islands. Last time I went there it was bad tides too, but also bad weather and a massive drop in water temp. However we still caught fish, I got 67 fish of 15 species - diamond, golden, tealeaf, and giant trevally, two types of queenfish, a couple of sharks, coral trout, and many other assorted reef species. And I have been dreaming of getting back there many times but its has never quite worked out.
This time the tides are not what I desire for a trip there - high tide just before dawn so I can get out of Leaders Creek easy and enough water back in creek by lunch so if wind gets up its no hassles getting back in. But these are not the tide conditions for this coming Monday. Though next weekend while not the perfect tides I like, is looking better - that is depending if I can get a 'hall pass'!
On this Monday with a rising neap tide at dawn and top of the tide at 10:30am of 6 something meters - it will be good for pelagics around rock bars in the local Harbour. The low tide is not too low so I can the pull plug at anytime (i.e. no fish or a gale blowing) and get in at the ramp I like to use - East Arm Ramp.
So Darwin harbour is the go this Monday (wife has got me flat out busy Saturday and Sunday - and thank goodness its a long weekend here in Darwin or I would not get to go fishing at all this weekend!
Probably go straight to Lee Point regardless of 40 minute run from ramp I use and whatever wind is around. Then go to current confluences based in relevance to rock bars, wind direction and impact of that wind. The T rock bar south of Mandorah jetty or Weed Reef - the prime second options - maybe even the tip of East Point as good current concentration there at times. There have been reports of good broad barred mackerel off Lee Point and the occasional pack of Northern Longtail tuna which would really make my day to get into some of them. Here's hoping the wind gods are kind and we can move about the front of the harbour looking for actively feeding fish packs or birds working over fish to tell us where the fish are.
However, any fish will do on Monday - I just need to get my fly in the water, any water and get tight with something with scales. Particularly on something I have tied for the purpose.
Here are some Duc Tape minnows I have been tying and using - quick, easy and good results from the fly so far this year - the pattern is all thanks to an old article from the US magazine 'Fly Tyer' and author Jay 'Fishy' Fullum (one of my most favourite fly tiers of all time!).
Duc Tape Minnow. - The Stig say it is really simple to tie.
take a piece of Duc tape as long as needed (10cm is good) and starting a third of the hook shank away from the eye of the hook - fold Duc tape over hook of your choice so sticky side of tape sticks evenly together. It will go over bend in hook shank - that's OK (see step two)
now trim tape to a tapering minnow shape
in front of Duc tape on hook shank, lay down a bed of thread then add some white bucktail on top and sides - ensuring the material covers sides and top of hook shank but not bottom
add in some gills on bottom of hook shank - I use tuffs of webby feather off a black/red 'Bird fur' cape I have.
I then build up a thread head
add 3D eyes and epoxy head - placing on rotating dryer till epoxy is set
tie a few more and go fishing! Go on! You want to, I know it!
Up at 6, on water 6:30am, arrive at meeting point - 20 minutes late (hate being late!), the meeting spot was where a teacher friend's sailing boat was anchored at the mouth of Six Pack Arm, who was spending weekend at Bynoe.
At the sailing boat, a bit of coffee for those inclined and then the bait fisherman swap some live bait and dead bait between each other, before we head off on the 20 minute run to Simms reef at the front of Bynoe Harbour.
The wind gods are kind with hardly a breeze about, though strengthening towards midday.
Arriving at 7:15am at the reef, the high tide is covering the reef, the only sign of its presence is a plethora of tiny bubbles rising to surface, even though hours after it was submerged by the incoming tide. Additionally, due to impact of the tidal flow water pushed up from the depths against the side of the reef structure, concentrates the flow of water and creates a rippled edge to indicate the reef's position (easily seen in left side of the image here and in video footage).
first queenie of morning
Queenfish are herding bait against this line and slashing periodically into them giving me something to cast to. My baitfish colleagues are on the drop off edge drowning baits hoping for the big broad barred mackerel that are suppose to be about.(PostScript: the friend on the sailing boat got one big meter plus Mack, trolling a spoon behind the back of their boat on way back to Darwin in afternoon, and another friend who went offshore, Dundee wide, had large packs breaking the surface with their feeding activity and lots of birds above them, showing where to troll)
Back to subject of Simms Reef, hoping it to be a sign of a good day starting - on the fifth cast of the morning, I catch a small queenfish. Within the first half hour I have 6 queenfish to 40-50 or so centimetres to hand and released. Larger periodic bust ups are occurring on the edge of reef drop off 50-60m away but nothing consistent enough to encourage a move. The danglers (bait anglers) have nothing. The score ends up - 6 to zip, in favour of the feather tosser!
Nothing else for the next two hours, the splashes get less, the wind increases and the reef gets exposed but no more fish. As Simms Reef gets exposed by about a metre of rock and sand bar, it is usually when I get more action but it isn't the case today - time for some flats fishing in the lee of Turtle island.
In hind sight I should have gone straight to the creek and channel behind the island for a hour or so as the water is just leaving the last leaves of the mangroves but instead I fished the couple of small bays on SW side of the island itself. Because by the time I decided to do that, it was high and dry and I couldn't fish it like I had planned
Still in the bays of turtle island, I had one good reaction from a 70 or so centimetre barramundi to the BFCW fly. It was lying very still but yellow tail highly visible in about a meter of water, I saw it too late not 5 or so metres from boat, and the boat despite turning off electric motor quickly continued to drift towards it with momentum taking me to within 2 metres of the fish. A good cast for a change, and as the fly landed near its head, an immediate response from the barramundi as it flared its fins and moved to the fly 30cm away. The fish followed, followed the slowly stripped fly, paused, followed - before it sees the boat so close to it and flashes away. And that was only the first 10m of the two bays - I was beginning to think my barramundi nemesis days might be lifted this session.
However, 7 spooked and 3 unseen till too late to see barramundi (see later for details) - a nemesis they still are but I did greatly enjoy myself on the journey this time rather than being frustrated by it. But what an hour it was stalking these fish in the bays!
Once so busy watching the fish inshore, I missed three large barramundi hovering in deeper water over a small cluster of boulders on the other side of the boat till my peripheral vision saw them rapidly leave for waters untraveled by black sided boats with a poor sighted, big ugly man on it.
I also saw a big threadfin accompanied by a couple of smaller ones, herding small baitfish with their long chin filaments, the baitfish were 3-4cm and leaping above the surface to escape the predator corralling efforts but as I moved closer the threadfin where spooked by wave slap on the hull (?) way before I got into casting distance.
On the flat
opposite the entrance to the Six Pack boat ramp arm, I was moving the
boat along the flat after barramundi in the
corners of snake drains and
along comes this easily metre plus dark shape harassing baitfish along the way.
It was a very large queenfish, a single cursing the flats. Again a poor and
rushed cast from me,
lands the fly on its head and it scoots off rapidly to deeper water. From
the episode I learnt to look
more closely and
careful, along with a few glances further along in
case another comes my way. One
did (same one?), I had 6 or so casts at it - for a follow or two but no
commitment from the fish - I think I needed a different fly on than the BFCW
fly. In such shallow water the big fish was half on its side - it would have
been absolutely gorgeous mayhem to hook up to such a big fish in such shallow water! All a 100 meres from deep water! Hopefully, next time.
With wife and two young kids at camping ground awaiting my return, I was off the water around midday and packed up heading home by 2:30pm. (PostScript, one of the bait guys I was with stayed out a bit longer and told me the barramundi up one creek he visited went absolutely off with barramundi 'boofing' loudly and everywhere for about an hour, shortly after the turn of low tide began - not that he got any!)
Overall great day, even though not great numbers or size of fish. The added bonus of the 6-0 scorecard to the SWOFFER, the great sunrise and no wind during the morning session, the awesome flats stalk and cast (poorly cast most times I might add) to sighted fish on the flats, watching one fish react so positively to the BFCW Fly. I'll have more of that any day.
Got a phone call late Thursday, in middle of a meeting
"do you want to go fishing this weekend?"
The part I needed to replace
Who was this, I thought.......
The voice continued....."If you do, your boat is ready to pickup, and looks like less wind forecast for weekend, which is just right for your sort of fishing" (what's this 'your sort of fishing', I thought SWOFFING was the ONLY sort of fishing, isn't it?)
Still, the penny finally drops and it is 'Frenchies', my boat mechanic who continues, "the boat is fixed and we shut in an hour if you want to pick it up" - I dropped everything
I was in the middle of conducting an iPad training meeting for my fellow teachers, but I gave them all an early mark and raced for the door. "Sorry folks, I got better things to do!"
Instead of waiting two plus weeks for the one particular Mercury part I needed, the awesome guys at Frenchies worked miracles and converted a Suzuki part to do the same job.
Once home I charged the motor battery, then today after coming back from Darwin Agriculture show with the family (gaining lots of 'brownie' points!), charged the trolling battery, checked the fuel, check the oil in motor, checked tyres, and trailer. then sprayed any rust prone bits with lanolin spray.
Clousers
Once that was done, I popped inside to storage area to sort out the gear I would be taking, same as I blogged about previously
Also tied a few more flies as you can never have enough flies with the reported heaps of broad barred mackerel over a metre around the spots I will be fishing this Sunday!
The wife and two kids are coming too, to stay with friends we have at Dundee overnight on Saturday but the fishing on Sunday will be just me - YES! (I am such a hermit according to my wife - maybe so!)
So much wind lately - starting to get annoying, as by 10am, even by 9am, most mornings it is blowing 10 knots plus
I must be getting old or spoiled with the great fishing up here......as I find my enthusiasm wanes in the opposite as the wind gets stronger
So today I went through some old footage and reminisced about no wind days earlier in the year
We had full days of glassed out water and fish readeily seen as they harassed baitfish
Particularly, the video I post today, when I had some awesome action one very still day early in March
I thought to begin with that I was casting towards a rock but as you will see in the video I was mistaken
Still no boat. Waiting on $350+ worth of parts including an idle switch. Why is it that in Darwin it always takes a week, if not several weeks to get parts! When I can order other stuff from the USA and get it in 4 days?
Still on bright side.......
Been tying up some flies for a trip this weekend - heading out with a group of guys who mostly baitfish but hope to show them what the fly rod and some feathers can do!
Here are some flies I have tied up today while looking after my little daughter. - it wasn't easy!
I have done simple synthetic white clousers - it has been the go to fly for me since moving up here to Darwin for trevs and queenies. It amazes me how good this fly is at times!
The big bulky fluffy fly, so contrasting to the clousers, is my version of a local gun Swoffer's fly - called a Rodgy Dogie fly. I call it 'Kathies Flats Baitfish' fly after his wife who is an awesome Swoffer too.
Due to its pulse, profile and glass rattle in under all that fluff, the fly is great for dirty water applications. I have caught all sorts of estuary species with it but mostly jacks and barra. Once in crystal clear water, I had this huge estuary cod come from over 10m, to aggressively hammer the fly. It's basically a whistler pattern with more webby fluffy hackle palmered along shank.
Recipe is
Hook: 3/0 at least, style personal choice
Rattle: Glass 4mm, I tie it to a U shaped piece of mono with thread, epoxy it and tie mono tips to hook shank like an extended mayfly body
Tail: 8x red/black 'chook fur' feathers or schapplen, I also have a gigantic black rooster at home whom I sometimes take a few feathers from. Feathers must have heaps of fluff and web. I also add several strands of red and black flash. This is all tied as far back on hook shank as possible
Eyes: beadchain or dumbbell, tie in right behind hook eye
Weed guard: 20lb nylon coated wire
Body: The type of feather sold as 'chook fur' is very webby and wispy, feather tips pointed with more web then hackle
use this or similar feather to make the body like you would a collar but full length of hook shank, right to back of eyes.
while I mostly use this red/black version, I also tie and use it in hot pink/black and chartreuse/white
Also tied a few gurglers with burnt whipper snipper cord eyes, and a few other clousers, I fish fairly light leaders and no shock tippet so lose plenty of these clousers each time on the water!
While I recognise and acknowledge the need for commercial fly tyers, I have been indoctrinated against them by an expression my immigrant English dry fly purist grandfather told me when I was young about why whose flies I should use when fly fishing is important. He said,......
"using some else's flies is like getting someone else to father your children for you, when it is more fun to do it yourself!"
When it comes to fishing with artificials, I have always enjoyed making my own. While not for more than twenty plus years, for a time I made my own hard bodied lures. Even got some expensive chuck tools specifically made up for my wood lathe to hold several pieces of timber at once to turn to them the shape I needed. Then I would cut them lengthwise to place in wire loops, then glue, then clamp back together, then heaps of sanding - before applying 10+ coatings of paint and finish with an airbrush. Add split rings and hooks, then go fishing. Each lure - many hours, weeks, if not months in the making. Using my own personally hand crafted wooden lures made for specific species and locations elevated any captures beyond anything else. The 'yahoos' and screams of exaltation were always more loud and exuberant then for fish caught on any mass produced lure. Back to tying one's own flies, for me it elevates my fly fishing experience before, then exponentially and additionally impacting when on the water casting that fly to fish that reacts to the fly I made. This could be surmised in a quote from an awesome passage in the book - "Fly Tying by Fishing Guides" by Toni Lolli. Where it says......,
"There's an old saying that fly fishing is the most fun you can have while you are standing up. If that's true, fly tying is foreplay."
If this premise holds true and you add the knowledge of the necessity and benefits of sexual foreplay;...... the benefit of making your own flies then implies, that the more foreplay (i.e the more fly tying), the more the expectation, and thus, the more the eventual climax and in turn deeper enjoyment.
So I tie my own flies, and I tie a lot. I love my fly tying as unmitigated and absolutely necessary SWOFFING foreplay. Why tie three flies when I could tie using a whole box of hooks, if not several sizes of boxes of hooks.
Every fly tied is like that first subtle and delicate caress, that intimate delicate stage of what is to come. Every finished fly takes me one pulsating sensation closer to the ultimate tightening of fulfilment and ecstasy. In fly fishing terms, the sighted fish, the follow, the take, the tight taught line and the vibrant fish struggling against the strain, ending with the triumphant release of the trophy (a trophy regardless of size) to fight again. Even writing about fly tying is exciting me right now. So, I don't know which I want to more now:-
write some more, or
tie some flies, or
go SWOFFING, or
find my wife!!!
I do know that when I get home after SWOFFING using my own flies or when I have just tied 20 or so flies to use on the next planned trip - I am more amorous towards my wife. So maybe it's SWOFFING and fly tying that's actual physical foreplay for me as well. When I am on the water, selecting and tying on a fly that I have previously tied for a specific application at a location I plan to fish for a species I knew would be there for a specific food source or reason - THIS IS what SWOFFING is all about. (My wife says I am easily please!) What was that romantic quote out of the movie Jerry Maguire, that all the women swoon over?---- Zellweger says to Cruise, "you 'had me' at hello". Well for me, SWOFFING 'had me' too - at the fly tying. I hope fly tying is that for you too. Enjoy! Go tie some flies. Experience some fly tying foreplay, before reaching your climax!
Sitting in a mid-year conference, need to do something to stay awake...... Thought I might as well load a few videos of SWOFFING in Darwin harbour from over the last year
This one is my usual fishing partner (Peter) and an 83cm queenfish he caught off Lee Point earlier this year
This one is some non-stop action we had off Darwin Harbour Mandorah rock bars (2014/04/13)
BFCW Fly - Bynoe Flats Crustacean Wannabe
The fly has it's origins in bonefish flies, particularly the Scampi and Squimp flies.
I use it on gravel patches and rock bars locally.
While I tie it mostly in natural colours, I also use white zonker versions and caught coral trout and other reef species with them from the reefs in Darwin harbour. I also had some two-tone magnum zonker, it was black with red tips that was awesome in it's results, while the material lasted - can't find it anywhere!
Recently I saw a very good reaction to this fly in natural tones by several barramundi sitting on top of gravel patches to the fly. I suspect thinking the BFCW fly to be a crab or prawn imitation. One fish, followed it pausing when I did before tipping on the fly engulfing it - sadly it's gill rakers cut my leader. All in a meter of clear water - great visually to watch unfold.
So here is how I tie it.
Recipe
Hook: medium length shank of choice, size for barramundi 2/0, for reef species 1-1/0
Rattle:optional - but when I use, I prefer glass rattles - tied on and epoxied in batches, prior to beginning to tie on other materials
Thread:white or tan usually chosen to match zonker colour
Carapace:natural rabbit zonker- if available the magnum size is great
Tail tuft:tan calf tail
Legs:orange rubber - the one I use are pumpkin coloured with flecks of sparkle
Eyes:glass beads on mono - red or black
Body:Mylar tubing size to suit (rattle or no rattle)
Feelers:Orange rubber
Head:pale pink calf tail
Method.......
You can add in a glass rattle at this point as an option - I do this in batches. Tie on with thread the epoxy, placing on dryer till set.
Cut zonker to size, 1.5 to 2 times hook length
Punch hole in zonker stripe - measure against hook shank to where hook bend will pass
Thread zonker over hook point leave loose for later and then place hook in vice
Apply bed of thread
Tie in tuft of calf tail, ensure spread around shank
Tie in rubber legs either side of hook shank at hook bend - 3 strands per side, varied lengths in pairs, hang a couple past zonker
Tie in eye stalks - ensure to flare the stalks, tie thread tightly up to calf tail, should flare stalks
Slide body tubing over hook shank (and rattle if used)
Tie off tubing with a few fibres hanging past, about 1/3 hook shank past
Re-tie in thread at hook eye,
Tie off top of body tube
Turn hook over and tie in dumbbell or bead chain eyes (weight depends on desired sink rate)
Fold over the zonker strip and tie off
Add in more rubber legs in an 'X' shape to either side of hook shank
Arrived Saturday afternoon at the Sand Palms pub which is about 3-4km from Milne inlet boat ramp. I set up the swag out in the back paddock amongst 10 or so other tents and campers. The 25 or so members of the NT Social Fly Fisher Mob were just starting a cook up. Three woks on gas burners, finger sized cuts of fish fillets from the few fish caught that day covered in various batters and coatings to fry them up with. Add a couple of big boxes of hot potato chips - and as a big full moon rose from the eastern horizon we had the makings of a great evening sitting around in circle drinking, eating and chatting about the fly fishing of what, where, with what and why no one was catching any.
The conversations mostly involved why the sighted fish that day were not enthusiastic enough to suck down the fly presented to it. Other discussions also solved all the world's problems and even identified why the kids of today just don't get it. As you usually do when sitting in a circle and most involve continue drinking alcohol as the night wears on. While the alcohol is not my thing, it was interesting to listen and participate in the discussion's journey even though it degraded as the evening progressed.
I was in bed early at 9:30pm, however I think the talking went on a lot longer. I slept under the stars with just a mosquito net above me. It was a cold night for Darwin standards with 19 degrees Celsius, so I was happy to have a sleeping bag - normally you don't need anything as a covering during the night during dry season. The night time stars were awesome in their display away from the glow of city lights, as too the full moon so bright that no light was needed to see what was around you.
Jim and I were up at 5am to beat the high tide of 7.4m at 6:30am filling the boat ramp's lower carpark (a trap for those not familiar with using this ramp). We motored along the rippled water under the moon light for 45minutes towards the front of Bynoe harbour to look for Pelagics at dawn. Out the front, the wind was up right from the start and the water very choppy, so spotting active Pelagics was difficult and they didn't seem to be hanging off the usually points and confluence of current places either.
We then popped into a protected corner on the front beach of Indian island to cast around some mangroves covered by the high tide. Threadfin salmon at times herd up baitfish in this back corner. But nothing was seen nor taking the blind cast flies. So we moved along casting, searching, casting, searching, changing spots. working our way back down the harbour. A difficult day loomed.
The water was different than normal, the wind frustrating, cold and warm spots in air and water - the fish almost non existent. We did see the occasional slashing fish or 'boofing' splash of bait being taking off the surface but there was no consistency. One splash here or there and then no more , maybe one to three splashes a hundred meters away but by the time you moved over there - no more activity.
Due to soft mud and the ever present crocodiles up to 4.5m that inhabit the area, we fished from the boat as opposed to wading. As the tide started to drop we started searching the flats and 'snake' drains that squiggle across the flats from drainage areas at the edge of the mangroves. We spotted one small barramundi, its tail bright as the fish moved along the edge of mangroves but a cast 6 metres in front of it spooked it, all fish seen in morning were were highly skittish.
Bucktail Baitfish
Had one good presentation at a sighted 60+cm barramundi hanging at the corner of a snake drain. The stripped bucktail baitfish fly induced the fish to follow! The fish even had a half hearted 'boof' at the fly but failed to hook up. It brought me to my knees in despair at the missed opportunity given the lack of cooperative fish we had been finding. I felt the take, a slight tightening of the line then nothing, bugger!
This continued for most of the day. Sighted fish, stealthfully approached, carefully cast to, only to achieve refusals or half takes, missed hookups or scared off.
One interesting incident occurred that I would like to share (see video). As were cruised under the electric motor along edges, a small barra about 20cm long was chased out of the water and landed high up on the mud bank . It flipped itself several times up to 50cm into the air trying to get back into the water. By the time we arrived it was exhausted covered in mud and deathly still in the thick mud. We positioned the boat nose into the bank and used the landing net to reach out to retrieve it and revive it before releasing back into the water.
Around 2pm at bottom of tide, due to wind direction we ventured to a leeward flat on the side on Crab Claw peninsula, one I had driven past every other time fishing Bynoe on way to boat ramp. The flat was starting to be inundated with the rising tide. Baitfish could be see moving around but no predatory activity seen. There were a few gravel and rocky areas we thought we might pick up a golden snapper or mangrove jack from.
Mangrove jack from previous trip to Bynoe
Jim did hook up a mating pair of crabs that amuse us greatly but as we got close to gravel patches a large 70+cm barramundi could be seen sitting above the gravel in clearish water only just covering their back.
We surmised that the fish were warming themselves above the gravel beds that had absorbed the sun's heat during the morning. I know several other similar locations within Darwin and Bynoe harbours that I will have to visit to verify the theory before the water starts warming up in a month or so.
Prior to approaching the gravel patch, I had changed from a baitfish type fly I had been using on the snake drains to a scampi/squimp combination fly to more suit the bait found on the gravel beds - shrimp and crabs. As I cast the flats crustacean fly to these fish, they were interested immediately - whether due to my fly or being warmed up from the solar heat in the gravel and rocks - I choose my fly tying skills - ha ha !-).
This first fish cast to could be seen reacting to the fly and chasing the fly across the bottom of the gravel patch as I skipped and paused the fly. The fish tipped head down and inhaled the fly off the bottom substrate and spat it out before I could even react. The hook point almost got purchase in the lips I could feel the contact through the flyline but the fish flicked around after picking it up and dislodged to fly. Amazingly it went straight back to its lie above the rocks (again confirming our solar heating theory?). I cast to the fish again and it followed the fly like last time. This time as it tipped and ate the fly, I strip struck the flyline and hooked up firmly, line taught, weight on with the fish boofing or inhaling the fly right into its gill rakes and it sliced the leader material as it it was cotton thread. After a short of second, all went slack.
Man! that was fun to watch all that and understand what it was doing and why, having it take my fly chosen for the purpose.
I just love this scenario and this type of sighted flats fishing!
Jim using a baitfish profile fly, (yellow head with white feathered tail with a touch of blue flash) had two fish follow his fast staccato strip. These two fish were much bigger than others we had seen on this gravel patch and similarly to previous fish seemed to be sitting along the gravel bar for warmth. Thinking on it, this solar heat transfer theory is similar to the barramundi in dams and large impoundments that gather in the shallow bays for the warmer water in colder weather.
Now, given two fish were following the Jim's fly, competitiveness took over and the larger fish rushed ahead of its partner and engulfed the fly aggressively. Now normally once hooked barra will jump and flex immediately on being hooked, they repeatedly flare their mouth and gills to dislodge the fly before the fight really begins.
However, this large 80+cm fish took off with amazing speed, almost instant acceleration, making a arrow straight bee line for the deeper water. It was a great visually - the follow, the take (the boof), the hookup all within 10 feet of the boat in clear water, then the 180 degree turn and sprint. All to be seen in the metre deep clear water - exactly what flats fishing is all about.
As I was laughing exuberantly and expressing my wonderment at what I had seen, Jim was saying more than just a few choice words at the back of the boat! We both don't mind missing fish, but there is always that momentary disappointment at a lost fish for the SWOFFER (and laughter for his fishing partner at the time).
For the next hour or so we very slowly moved along the flat as the water rose, casting to sighted fish after sighted fish but they were not the most enthusiastic to take the fly as the first few fish were. The water also got murkier as the tide rose making spotting the fish before they spotted us difficult. A few big queenfish were sporadically harassing the baitfish at the mangrove edges but we couldn't interest them in our flies either.
We had been focused on flats barra for the day, but after a day of no scales in the boat we wanted to catch something, so we went to a known trevally and queenfish location. This spot had saved many a hard day of fishing it but it too was barren of fish, wind swept and large waves. So back to the ramp we went at around 4:30pm. I was packed up and home by 6pm back in Darwin in time for dinner with my family.
Lord Jim
Thanks Jim for a good day.
Even though not a scale in the boat that we had caught on a fly (i.e. the jumping mud barra).
It was a hard day on the water, not just for us but all the SWOFFERs there for the weekend. Even the commercial fishing guides we meet in the pub bar later expressed the lack of participating fish.
Still that one stretch of flats about 500m long and its undulating gravel bars was a fantastic, time stopping totally absorbing SWOFFING.
It made the trip for me.
Well a bit of not so good news first.....
The boat is out for weekend, motor is too unreliable and given the lack of boat traffic to rescue me if the motor won't start. When I do get it back I will have to do a few local trips close to a boat ramp till I get confident with motor again.
But now we have the good news..... This Sunday, with help from a friend of a friend - I managed a deckie position with one of the best SWOFFERs in Darwin - Lord Jim.
I have fished with Jim for a couple of Bynoe Grand Slam tournaments. He likes to get on water very, very early and really knows Bynoe and other spots around Darwin very, very well. He spends a lot of time on the water and he is regular contributor to the NT Fly Fisher Social Mob Blog. Great guy and I learn heaps when fishing with him.
But now I also have a different problem.....
You know when its your own boat you can take heaps of gear and all the fly boxes your storage hatch can take - just in case you might need it ! Well, for me when you are a deckie all that changes. When a deckie, I like to give the captain as little fuss about me on their boat as possible - one bag of gear, one bag of food/drink etc and rods - but not too many rods.
So the question is not just what fly to take. Let me set the scene for you........ For fly fishing gear I usually take everything including the proverbial 'kitchen sink' - six or seven boat boxes and far too many flies stacked in to them. All inside a cooler bag I won a long time ago in a competition. Along with spare reels, lines, loop connectors, line cleaner, spares of everything, and all the rest of the stuff you can accumulate over the years. Every pocket of this bag is bursting with stuff - and now to trim it down to the essentials is hard. Especially given the varying locations and species we could fish for at Bynoe on weekend.
Yeh, I have already mentioned my go to flies to be tied to what line and rod setup ina previous blog. But now as a deckie on someone else's boat, I will probably only take 3 rods not four - now I will be taking the 7 weight and the two 8 weights but leaving the 10w behind and the bigger flies behind. the 10w is just in case a big fish comes along and I have caught large fish on my 8 weights before, just takes a little longer and not as much control.
The regular things will still be needed - spare sunglasses, bug spray, suncream, spare hat, buff, and finger guards. Tool like - line clippers, pliers, hemostat, SLR camera, action cam, small towel. Good leader material - such as a spool of 20lb and a spool 40lb fluorocarbon leader material. My leaders are real plain and simple (plus quick to tie!) - I just use a meter and a bit of each line class for my leader. No shock tippet. Using a loop knot at flyline end using a surgeon knot. The 20lb joins to the 40lb with a double grinner or uni knot. Using a lefty's loop knot for final connection of 20lb to the fly.
A friend just gave me a new fancy two side boat fly box, my old ones are all wooden ones with brass hinges and clasp that I get my woodwork students to make in Yr8 technology elective I teach. So I will take this new box and in it I will have a selection of 'go to' flies. Surface flies and barra flies one side, subsurface flies on the other side.
The two smaller versions of this see-thru box he also gave me will hold some extra flies for those special occasions - like crab patterns, scampi and squimp flies etc - in case the flats fishing develops the need to finesse the fish with more lifelike imitative patterns.
So while not taking my own boat, at least I will have a fly or two in the water this weekend - which always helps in catching fish !!!!
But another problem arises - I am such a pessimist ;(
----- I will also have no excuse not to catch fish except my own ineptness!!
------ we shall see......
Bynoe SWOFFING trip report and pictures to follow in next blog - will post Sunday or Monday
When planning a weekend of SWOFFING at Bynoe.......
Bynoe Tarpon 52cm - tenth cast of the day while targeting Barra
.........a few
thoughts on the tackle, setups and applications for a weekend of targeting saltwater species on fly Since moving to Darwin five years ago, half my 'on the water' time has been at Bynoe Harbour. It has some great SWOFFING opportunities. Most trips to Bynoe Harbour has me attempting the Bynoe Grand Slam, which involves catching 7 specified species in a day. It is hard to accomplish however highly possible every trip, even though only seven or so SWOFFERs have done it. That Bynoe GrandSlam includes the species: a barramundi, a species of salmon (usually a blue or threadfin), a species of mackerel, a species of snapper, a tarpon, a species of trevally, and finally - a queenfish. I have come close with six species in a day but missed my nemesis the Barramundi. The first four species of the slam that day came in seven casts at the one location just after dawn. However, each fish of a Bynoe Grand Slam can usually require different tides, locations and tactics for best chances of success. And here is the issue for this weekend - what rod with what line, with what leader setup and what fly for the highest chances of success? The rods used and how they are rigged differ from angler to angler, and the species targeted -- as too the location being fished, let alone weather conditions (like wind direction and strength) and the size and aerodynamics of the fly you are casting. Then there is the depth you want to fish the fly which impacts the fly tying and weight used where and how on the fly. Add to this matching the right flyline to the rod and situation.
I grew up with fly fishing for trout from an early age using 4-6weght bamboo rods handed down to me from my grandfather. When I first started SWOFFING 35 years ago the tackle stores and magazine article writers recommended 10w rods for fish I would now catch on 4 weight rods on the east coast of Australia. Things have changed greatly as to the technology in the rods that give the SWOFFER so much more as to how we use the rods.
I usually have four rods rigged up ready to cast when on the water, all tucked down the side of the boat under the gunwale and the descriptions below will be how they are rigged for the weekend:
Wild Barra Thing and Pink Barra Thing on Intermediate line
Rod #1.
Will be my favourite TFO 7w rod rigged up with and
clear intermediate line for the flats fishing applications and a barra
thing fly tied on the leader (and a few scampi/squimp and crab patterns in
a fly box in case blue bastards are around)
Sage RPLx 8W Floating Line and Crease Fly
Rod 2#.
Next rod is my 30year old Sage RPLx 8w, still going
strong, that will be rigged for surface fishing with a floating line and a
crease fly or a gurgler
TFO 8w Full sink line and Clouser
Rod #3.
For the deep water applications a TFO 8w will have a
full sinking line and a clouser on the end of the leader. For the early morning
session will be a bead chain closer fly with a touch of green, later this will
be changed to a clouser all white in colour. Bead chain eyes chosen as weight
of sinking line will be sufficient to attain the depth needed (3-5m).
Targus 10w Full Sink line and BA-BC fly
Rod #4.
Lastly, for the bigger fish that might happen by I
will have my 10w rigged up with a SA tropic express. Alinr with an intermediate
running line and 30 feet of fast sink tip. Pity they don't sell this line any
more, love it. Just ordered some Rio leviathan line to replace the ones I have
which are getting a bit tattered - hope it is as good. I also will have a
spare reel for the 10w with a floating line on it and a BIG popper ready to tie
on in case of sustained surface action and big fish.
Still no word on my boat being fixed
Might have to see if a deckie position available on someone else's boat!
Hoping to be heading off to Bynoe harbour a weekend soon . Staying overnight at the Sand Palms pub. Great food and cheap accommodation. That's all depending on the workshop solving my boat motor not starting.
Bynoe harbour is an awesomely fish rich and beautiful waterway an hour or so, south west of Darwin. Slightly bigger than Darwin harbour, where the local fly guide of 17 plus years experience guiding at Bynoe, claims "you could spend a lifetime fishing it's shores and still not discover all it's hidden treasures".
Depending on the seasonal ebbs and flows you will find longtail tuna and broad barred mackerel out the front, trevally and queenfish throughout, a plethora of flats for targeting blue bastards, barramundi & threadfin salmon. Reef species will be caught on the rock bars and gravel patches. Add to these the many creeks feeding the flats and channels - and all these locations are under little fishing pressure despite the close vicinity of a capital city. Interestingly, there is also some rising chatter about permit being a sporadic catch as well, that needs more attention and time from dedicated fly fishers, like those in the two fly clubs in Darwin.
The tides I want are neap tides, a slow dropping for some flats fishing targeting barra and threadies mid morning. Prior to that, at first light when the water is high I will target trevally and queenfish on the rock bars.
Previous year around this time with the same sort of high neap tides had large packs of big queenfish regularly flashing around the rocky points, creating much excitement.
But I need to really focus on the barramundi. They have been a nemesis to me in the last two years. I have had follows, even had fish nudging the fly as it is retrieved. I have also had fish firmly hooked up only to spit the fly back at me after a few minutes of give and take. I am actually getting quite despondent about my lack of success with barramundi and feel like not targeting them at all. But if I don't target them, the nemesis status they have with me currently is not going to change.
So I have tied up a few barra things to tempt these iconic species in colours I don't normally use but by comments of other swoffers are the 'go to' colours. We shall see!
It is a simple but very effective pattern as it vibrantly pulses with lifelike movement even when not stripped. It is made from of a rabbit zonker strip for the tail with a little flash appropriate to tail colour. Then a schapplen feather collar of contrasting colour and weighted eyes and a weed guard to suit the ambush locations where these fish will be holding as the tide drops. I have this fly in white/pink, chartreuse/hot pink (Wild Thing fly), white/yellow/ black/purple, white/red - so you can tell its a favourite fly.
Based on my thoughts in a previous blog aboutbig flies I will be casting some big articulated flies to the bigger pelagics and use smaller clousers to the run of the mill schoolie sized fish up to 60cm.
The all white baitfish fly shown here, has plastic red eyes like the some baitfish do and a mono weed guard. The red headed baitfish fly to left is designed to represent a very popular Halco lure, it is articulated and has a stinger hook in tail section. Both flies are about 10cm long. Eventually I am aiming to tie and then use bigger flies longer than 15cm.
With all that planning I really hope the boat motor is fixed and reliable for a weekend soon!
Must remember to charge the camera and action cam to ensure they are ready to capture all the hoped for action!
The local waters can be hot and cold fishing wise for me so far this year.
But a recent trip with my 4yr old daughter was definitely hot - fishing wise
Just a couple of hundred metres from the boat ramp at East Arm the water was boiling with packs of fish harassing bait. We were heading to front of harbour (a 40minute run) but we stayed here all morning just puttering around on the electric motor.
For three hours we were hooked up to giant trevally to 45cm and if the fly got past them there were golden trevally to 65cm also present and eager to take the fly. The flies use were pinkish clousers and small surf candies about 4-5cm long. I used a full sinking line on a 7w TFO fly rod (one I won in a competition last year for catching a 53cm mangrove jack to win the category for Largest of Species - Snapper).
I just had to cast near the boiling mass of frenzied feeding fish to get a hook up. No long casts just a gentle false cast and land the fly 20m away - so easy. The one handed fast strip was interspersed with pauses here and there but once 2-3m away from the boiling fish, a quick water haul and back into the water near the fish.
Here is the video I did up for proud mum i.e. more of daughter than fishing but you can easily see the fishing action in between my cute daughter doing stuff like driving my boat and getting tangled in the fly line.
I spend a fair bit of time on the web for researching work stuff and uni study but a lot of it is looking at fly fishing websites. I love watching saltwater fly fishing videos while working on my uni research, writing essays or marking my students tests and work. I am also after new fly tying techniques or patterns for my own use or just the tying experience
Some sites get visited only once, but a few become regularly multi-daily visited sites
So here is my top five fly fishing websites (or forums or blogs) that I visit the most
1. Fly Dreamers This is a Facebook type site of fly fishing photography/video and more. Articles, interviews, fly tying, great images of some of the most beautiful places in the world and the fish to be caught in them. It changes rapidly due to the huge number of contributors and images being uploaded from right around the globe.
So when you find an angler or two who spark your interest - you can 'follow' them to ensure you don't miss anything of your favourite subjects. It is also great place to store a few of your favourite images and gain inspiration for your next outing.
2. NT Fly Fishers Social Mob The Mob are a social group of dedicated fly fishers who are passionate about fly fishing in the tropical north of Australia and equally as passionate about the close camaraderie this sport brings. The blog site is an interactive and creative outlet where everyone in the social mob can share our wonderful fly fishing adventures. There are a couple of fly fishers contributing to the blog, who fish all the time and get results.
This blog is here at number 2 due to it being locally based here in Darwin and very relevant to my location - which may not make it onto the top five lists of others living in other areas - but always something to inspire or learn from at the very least.
Mostly trip reports, but gives great insight into what's taking flies and where around Darwin. Two or three main contributors including a local fly fishing guide (I have in the past regularly). Occasionally a fly tying post to round off the blog fishing report information.
3. Australian Saltwater Flyfishing Forum This chat site has some of the best saltwater fly fishers in Australia contributing to it (and some of the newest). Flies, locations, reports, a chat room for everything saltwater fly (even a speckled feral (trout) corner tucked in there some where). Newbies to long time anglers most welcome.
Posts tend to focus on Australian species and locations but would be of benefit to any international SWOFFER (Aussie slang for a Salt Water Fly FishER). In the vast majority, ask a question on species, location or fly - and get valuable help in return. The brag board is a good place to see what's currently being caught and on what - and report on your own outings in the briny waters. 4. Catch e-magazine Catch e-magazine has to be the most inspiring fly fishing site bar none! (well maybe Fly Dreamers)
The photography and video clips are unsurpassed in quality.
Comes out every two months, the subscription of $12 is thoroughly undervalued (also gives you access to all back issues).
If you are creating a bucket list of 'must fish' places - this is the site to start the gathering of information.
5.tides4fishing.com/au
This is my most visit site for planning outings. Tide timing is vitally important here is Darwin as anywhere in the salt. With above 7 meters of movement at times, tidal movement and it's impact on the various targeted species - thus site is a must. i am not too bothered by the solar-luna information about the best days and hours to fish but it is interesting at the least.
It's Saturday morning, wind blowing 10-15knots and boat is at the mechanics
So, a little on tying today
As I have been very interested lately in tying big flies up to and over 15cm long
One big influence is Norbert Renaud whom I found on www.flydreamers.com (great site - check it out)
His Simple Baitfish pattern is just so to tie, but is a great looking pattern that should work well for the saltwater species here in Darwin (anywhere really!)
Here we go again attempting to be consistent with this blog
I try to be more regular now I have only one more subject to finish off my master studies in Education ICT
Headed out today with the boss - his kids told him maybe he should tell me he seems to drive the fish away when he fishes. But it wasn't the fish that were missing it was a working motor on the back of my boat that was the problem. Run it for a while last night while getting boat packed and ready - no probs but this morning ......turning over but not firing
Water in the fuel line again it seems.
Just had the Motor looked at last week for same problem
So stripping it down today, and emptying the fuel tank
Before I will most likely gave to take it back to workshop - just not my skill set -- tie a fly, build a house, teach a class and many other things - yes - but mechanics just not my thing
But a report for the time on water today
On water at 6:45, high tide at ten - was hoping to target mackerel off lee point, instead.....
We puttered around on the electric close to east arm ramp and the island in front but wind was up and it drained the battery quickly.
We had a tailing fish we cast at inside the sand bar off Northern side of island but it disappeared after 10 or so minutes
There were a few slashes off point of island but despite lots of casting no results
My boss had an awesome strike on surface fly right at side of boat - so he is changing over to fly instead of bait. Another convert it seems.
Electric almost got us back to the ramp but with wind rising and battery waning we got to within 20 meters of ramp before wind won the struggle and we were being pushed away from the ramp
Luckily a crab pot guy gave us a tow the short distance to ramp.
Hoped to get out Tuesday with a new fly fisher to Darwin
Report to follow and update of boat motor dramas
NT Swoffer
PostScript
Had word that the mackerel were thick at the edge of weed reef in middle of darwin harbour
So am very depressed my boat didn't work today !!!!!!
As such I am quite keen for a trip to Vernon Islands. Last time I went there it was bad tides too, but also bad weather and a massive drop in water temp. However we still caught fish, I got 67 fish of 15 species - diamond, golden, tealeaf, and giant trevally, two types of queenfish, a couple of sharks, coral trout, and many other assorted reef species. And I have been dreaming of getting back there many times but its has never quite worked out.
Here are some Duc Tape minnows I have been tying and using - quick, easy and good results from the fly so far this year - the pattern is all thanks to an old article from the US magazine 'Fly Tyer' and author Jay 'Fishy' Fullum (one of my most favourite fly tiers of all time!).
