Barra Thing tying instructions

So was it windy on the weekend - NO!!!!!   (crazy BOM wind forecast)
Did I get anything done that I wanted - NO!!!!  (brother-in-law pinched the tools I wanted before I could!)

So no SWOFFING!, and nothing off the 'to do' list (except reading a few journal articles for an essay I am writing for my Masters Study)
At least I got some fly tying done

Here is one of my top flies - the Barra Thing, that I tied 30 or so of over the weekend.
I don't know the origins of the fly but looking at it, it is definitely a whistler style fly
I have been using it for as long as I can remember
It is a simple fly, easy to tie. using a few and easily obtained materials - mainly rabbit zonker.
I have caught most Estuarine species with this one, in the fresh too where Corroboree billabong Saratoga love a red headed one either white or black for the tail. Even got a small freshwater croc on one once, on a fishing trip to the top of Cape York many many years ago.
The fly has heaps of pulse and push through the water, or fished crawling along the bottom ever so slow
when it has a weed guard - toss into the mangroves or right at the back of the lilly pads


Take you chosen hook and lay down a bed of thread
Tie in a weed guard, I use 20lb nylon covered wire, that hooks over the hook point - leave it straight till it is in use.

Tie in dumbbell, beadchain or other eyes depending on desired fly sink rate - I have used plastic eyes for patterns I want to fish very shallow water with

Tie in some flash, I like using two colours of flash based on the main chosen colours of body and collar materials

Tie in a piece of zonker at bend of hook (extra wide - magnum size I think it is known as commercially) if you have it or can get it)

Unseen in photos but tie in some ice chenille for one third of hook shank - colour appropriate for zonker colours used


Then tie in your contrasting coloured zonker or cross cut rabbit strip between the chenille and the weighted eyes - fill this area thickly with material.

You can then tie in a narrow collar in front of the main collar to add more contrast but I don't do this always - just with this black/red version I really like casting to Saratoga

Tie some more and go SWOFFING!

As you can see below I tie this pattern alot and use it a lot .

you can use all white ones in the salt that work - awesomely!
You can carry permanent markers of various colours and depending on food source, add bars or dots when on the water.
The two tone zonker strips work wonderfully as well