Rain is gone today, BUT.................

Well, after two weeks of constant rain, storms and wind - basically crazy, not nice to fly fishing weather...............
Today it was the bluest of skies

But......still too much wind and swell.
Most of it running straight down the local harbour making travelling about in my low profile tinnie - not the nicest of motions or conditions
It's ugly, ugly water

So drastically hanging out for the wind to stop - so I can go SWOFFING!

The BOM site shows the massive of cloud associated with the recent tropical low (i.e. a cyclone if it wasover water!) that gave us all the rain and wind and storms for two weeks......moving south east

It took all the clouds with it but the wind is still being drawn to it even though hundred of kilometers away (raining heaps along the way as it blocked 300km of the main highway to Darwin!)

So maybe in a few days (Sunday or Monday?).......
         I will get the right sort of weather for stripping a fly through the water

And then experience that fantastic feeling of that thrilling anticipation of the fish as it is about to hit the fly!
Bring it ON!!!!!

Finally after 6weeks back on the water!!!!!!

Managed to duck out for a quick Darwin Harbour SWOFFING trip midweek

Wife back from her Cambodia trip Monday
Had the meeting with principal about iPad needs for students for 2016 on Tuesday (new covers, new iPads, more apps, chargers, cords etc - he didn't agree to an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil for me! bugger!)

So Wednesday was the day - instead of going by myself cause most of my SWOFFING mates are working (great being a teacher - at times!!), I invited my school's volunteer bus driver, Col

He was super keen to come along, so off we go early in the morning
Isolated 'mini' storms about since 3am, but we should be able to work around them

Swell and chop up a bit because of the storms but manageable
Nothing showing along the way from our launch point of East Arm ramp, until we get to East Point
Which had a 100+ birds or so working an area 200m off East Point- only just spotted them as I was travelling north

Here we found some 60-70cm sized queenfish working a current line harassing baitfish periodically
Without the electric (remember I had smoked up electrics last time out and haven't had it looked at yet!) it was a bit harder to get onto the schools but still possible

Col got into two fish quite quickly using flies on the end of his spin gear instead of a soft plastic or hard-bodied lure (while I got one nice fish on fly gear), though the swell was making it hard for him to stand up (he is going on 70 and hasn't been in a boat for a long time)

We left them biting (rather I got frustrated at chasing them) and took off for Lee Point for greener waters and easier fishing

Once at Lee Point, we found birds working again - again the fish were sporadic in appearance
but I got five 60+ queenies in quick succession

Last time out most queenies were 40-50cm - seems they have grown up a bit with most queenies today between 60-70cm

As we looked from Lee Point towards the city we could see a fierce storm was hammering it, almost covering it from sight in darkness and rain fall, another storm was coming from west and one building up to east. So for safety sake we headed back to ramp rather than get stuck in the middle as all three storms converged.

The storms seemed to open up for us as we travelled to the ramp and close in behind us - weird!,
We didn't get rained on a all but....
The water was crazy in chop and swell in the usual places of current confluence - East Point, Cullen Bay, the Naval Base, Stokes Wharf, the tip of East Arm Wharf
Sometimes we had to slow right down to safely traverse the mixed up water

Col had a great time, heaps of fish crashing the surface after bait, crazy jumping hooked fish peeling line of his threadline reel, and a couple of fresh fillets to cook up that evening!

He doesn't have as much to do while school on holidays so intend to take him out regularly over the holiday period. Hopefully I can get him on to some bigger fish to beat his now PB from today of a 72cm Queenie.

Until them - tight lines

Post script:
My elbow and its Tendonitis is still so F*^*(%*&% g sore and quite painful at times
As such having trouble with a backhand cast so much so I haven't been trying that cast
Attemping this cast tweaks that painful spot in elbow every time!
Even my forehand cast is shorter than normal
But you still got to be SWOFFING when you can,
So I will casting on regardless
But might looking into those steroid injections right into the area of soreness!

No fishing for a bit but tying flies anyway

Fly boxes are overflowing but seeing I can't get on water with wife in Cambodia for 10 days
Still an opportunity to tie a few more silicone surf candies

Raining heavy this morning so this is fun

Still as soon as this elbow is better and wife back from OS ---
    I am on the water!!!!

Temporary Swoffing hiatus

Even weeks after the two weeks of fishing during my long service leave
I still have a sore elbow that is inhibiting my Swoffing opportunities

Now the wife is taking a group of students to Cambodia for some service opportunities
This for two weeks
So it wont be until after the 14th Dec that my next time SWOFFING will come about

Again only if elbow has healed sufficiently
So now got not much to do but clean and service tackle, reels and rods
And all my fly boxes are over flowing - so can't even tie flies

So mainly looking at fly fishing videos, websites and such
Found this cartoon that is so, so true
I used to have 22 rods and once I bought another thinking the wife would not notice another amongst the many I had ----- but she did!

She didn't under stand that I needed the 7 foot 1weight for catching fringe finned trevally

Blog again soon

Tying the Rabbit Thing - a.k.a the Barra Thing

Rabbit Thing for the fresh

              (and Barra anywhere for that matter)

Once bought a fly tying kit from FlyWorld for this fly - been using it every since

mine a little different to the version they supplied

but it is my go to fly in the fresh water of Corroboree Billabong which is about an hour from my front door (soon to be 20minutes once I move to my rural block next year!)

One of the easiest flies to tie, not many materials but so vibrant in colour combos and alive with movement through the water - even stationary, so you can fish it really, really slow

here we go - lets tie some!

Tie in eyes of desired weight and size- I tie them at a point that is 1/4 of hook shank back from hook eye

Tie in Weed-guard - I use a 20lb plactic coated wire for this but any type of weed guard will do

Tie in some flash - here I am using some red and black flash

Tie in a strip zonker at  the hook bend             (I use 'Texas cut' zonker strips here a slightly wider zonker but sadly thicker means less movement and waggle of tail - its all a playoff depending on what your after)

 

Palmer in some contrast zonker, some would use crosscut fur but I feel zonker flares more when wrapped in this manner.

I sometimes add another collar same colour as tail upfront. 

That's it,     too easy!

Tie it some friends and go fishing.Works well in pink/white, yellow/chartreuse and other combinations. I usually have a very full box of these when saratoga or barra are potential targets, jacks like them too!

On a comp pre-fish Tim Davis got a 72cm on a dark combination fly while I got my few fish on one with a white tail with a red collar. 

So colour we thought was not critical. However, we felt the key of any fly in use is profile, movement (rabbit fur comes alive in the water!) and placement

Critically though - Got to get it close to structure if not in it - hence the heavy  Weed-guard. Bend it into place, just before you fish with it to help storage until use 

20151106 - Darwin Harbour

Well not the best day on the water........

First the fish just didn't want to play

I found some activity along East Arm wharf and sadly while the dock workers were watching I didn't catch any of the active fish

Found a pack of queenfish in front of the Naval area but after being quite active once I hooked one they just disappeared with out another boil, slash or ripple

Off Kaitlyn Bay I found some fish feeding and was tail hit a few times of first retrieve - then this dopey old bugger drives right through the area I was casting to tell me about active birds and fish further back 300m. Still didn't get the hint at my annoyance of his arrival when I told him the fish were also where he just went through and he just wished me luck.

I travelled all around the harbour looking for fish - caught only two, the one described before, the other off a large school of long finned batfish = this one a queenie too. I followed this school from a distance casting to its edge as it moved along Lee Point Reef - till out of frustration of only catching one fish after plenty of good casts, I went in for a closer look and saw what they were - bugger. Have hooked them before they go hard but difficult to get them to take the fly.

After such a good few last outings this one was quite the 'bummer' and a 'downer'
Add to this that the electric motor got fried with heaps of electrical smoke coming out of the control box - will have to pull that apart to check out what happened
Add to this that my boat trailer is starting to look quite rusted out (i.e. big money!)
And the wife hassling me about all the fishing I have been doing (even though she suggested it!)
And she is nagging me that I should have done more maintenance on the trailer!!!
And all the work I have missed while on long service leave - that will still need to be done
60 tests and 180 unit reviews to be marked next week and up date my lesson programs (that no one will ever read!!!)
So feeling a little pressured at the moment - probably would not feel this way if had I caught more fish today.

Oh well, lets go fishing to Bynoe on Sunday!
until then  - tight lines and fast fish

Silicone Surf Candy - tying method

So what was the number one fly for me in the last few outings – the Silicone Surf Candy

A very simple fly to tie (and mould!)

tails tied on - 3 tail materials from top - Flash'n'Slinky, goat, bucktail
no silicone applied yet

I use several different tail materials but my favourite would be the white goat hair (middle on in image on the right).

But I used a variety of synthetics and naturals depending on what I have available

The greatest component of this fly is the silicone as it created a fly that doesn’t sink as fast as the conventional epoxy coated surf candy

I also feel it has a better feel in the predator's mouth as it crunches through the nail polish shell into the silicone underneath - just like s predator biting through a fish's scales into the softer flesh underneath of a real baitfish.

If you look back over the recent fishing report blogs and this fly has been THE FLY most times for trevally (Brassie, Giant, Fringe Finned, and Golden), Mackerel, and Queenfish. Plus plenty of reef species – jacks, stripies, snappers etc.

Like I said very, very simple to tie – with a bit of moulding of the silicone the factor that most might have trouble with but easy once you have a bit of practice.

I usually tie in batches of 20-40 to maximise my tying – tie on material to every hook before applying silicone to any individual fly. Once silicone on each fly and partly dried add eyes and gills, then nail polish

Recipe –

                   Hook:                                o'shaughnessy hooky

                   Thread:                              what ever type – I use white mostly

                   Tail:                                  bucktail, goat hair, Flash’n’slinky  or what ever

                   Under body:                       Holographic ribbon flash 

                   Over body:                         Clear Silicone                
                   Eyes:                                 Prism eyes black on sliver

                   Gills:                                 Red marker pen

                   Finish:                               Clear nail polish

Tying Method

• Step one lay down a bed of thread hook eye to hook bend
• At hook bend tie in tail material this about ¾ in length of the length of the hook shank when using a long shank hook, if using a short shank hook this tail material should be equal to hook length
• Tie in the ribbon of holographic material at hook bend
• Advance thread to hook eye
• Wrap hook shank with holographic ribbon, tie off behind hook eye
• Tie off thread

• Dip fingers into mixture of water and 20 or so drops of detergent. avoid over use of this mixture as it may stop the silicone sticking to the hook shank and holographic material
• Take a dollop of clear silicone and mould evenly around hook shank between hook eye and hook bend. 

Goat hair tail on left, Flash'n'Slinky tailed version on right - no gills yet

• Set aside an hour or two to dry – at least almost dry to touch
• Add on prism eyes
• Set aside till dry and semi hard
• Draw on gills with red permanent marker
• Allow this to dry for a few hours – as when applying nail polish it can run if brushes too much
• Give a couple of layers of nail polish to top and sides

That's it - Go fishing

Great fly, easy to tie – catches every thing!!!!

     So go tie 20 or 40 and get 'em into the water so things in salt water can eat them and make your flyline sing through the water!!!

You can vary the size depending on the hook size and length, while the thickness and shape depends on hook gap size and your artistic prowess

For larger versions you will need to build up body thickness with other materials like string, before wrapping with holographic ribbon. Then again apply a thin even layer of silicone over these materials. With black, green and blue and other coloured permanent marker pens you can be quite creative with your flies.

Enjoy – tie a few of them, then go SWOFFING!!!!

The Stig, 

Postscript: Am off to fish the harbour on Friday (tomorrow) with this fly - the fly will work great but I don't know how I will go as I am still sore from all the SWOFFING I have been doing over the last two weeks - my shoulders are tight, my back is sore, my wrist is aching from old sporting injury inflamed by too much casting, I have tennis elbow (a swelling of the tendon where is connects to the bone - I think?) - either from all the casting I have been doing or from the fencing I did four weeks ago - but probably both! Worse still, no matter who I tell this sad story of body soreness to, nobody seems to have sympathy for me - is it just because I am fly fishing too much lately?? 

What horse race? - I was fishing!

Biggest horse race in Australia today - the horse race which stops the nation
Not for me as I had time time to go fly fishing
Late onto the water this time as......

Got up late as I promised to help get wife and kids off to school, bought a few things from the shop for a class I didn't want anyone else to teach during my long service leave - a year 10 Marine Studies subject where we collect and document marine species (that is 'fish' for specimens on high tides, search on rock platforms on low tides).

one of my students with a fish she 'collected' (caught) today

But that class was at 10:40am - conveniently held at East Arm boat ramp and its high tide at 10:30am today. I had arranged the school bus driver to have them at the ramp at just the right time.

So prior to that I had 2 hours of SWOFFING time - yes!!!
A fast run to Wickham Point had me seeing fish - these around the sand/gravel bar behind the couple of trees amongst the furthest rocks from the shoreline.
They didn't take or show interest in the fly i was casting -

Then I see a disturbance about a 100m out from the trees on the mud flats north of Wickham Point. So use the electric to move closer and investigate

The water was super smooth, zero wind - so easy to see things happening
Once I arrived, it was a few large manta rays, 10 or so feet across - wing tip to wing tip
They were looping over and over back-flipping in the process
All the while they were scooping thousands of bait into their mouths

And guess what was hanging of them eating the dregs - a few hundred small trevally

A cast across the back of the flipping rays with a silicone surf candy or a small white clouser resulted in a hookup most casts. So with the two hours I had over 30 trevally to hand. A few sub thirty centimetres , most 40-45cm. Absolutely awesome fun

Then the alarm on my phone went off to tell me time to head back to ramp to take my class
bugger!
So hard to leave fish biting in such awesome conditions and circumstances.

The students were enthused to see me as I tied up my boat to the end of the floating platform at the boat ramp and bagging me out about my dress style (sun smart!)

We had a good time with students collect several specimens

a small jellyfish that was collected - yet to be identified - homework for students

Until the wind came up from the north-west
This wind would bugger my options for the afternoon given its steady increase in speed

While I was waiting for the class to end, my constant thought was the question of whether to take boat out of the water or go fishing?
So at 12:30pm despite the white caps I head back out of the harbour to find some fish

It is a slow trip past East Arm Wharf with a good sized chop slamming into the boat, every lift and fall has wind assisted salt spray hitting me.
But I keep going - eventually getting to Stokes Wharf and begin to search for fish along the foreshore with the idea to eventual head towards Kaitlyn Bay. The water here while still wind swept only has a riffle of chop.

About halfway to Doctor's Gully, I see some birds working the up current side of a little rock bar that juts out from the area off from the derelict water tank. The wind was opposite to the tide flow, so trying to drift into the working birds would be difficult.
  
None of that matters when I spied the golden ball of fish about the size of my boat working under the birds. What a rush of excitement I felt stripping line off the reel for that first cast at the golden ball of fish harassing the baitfish school.

I cast quickly, instantly hooking up - the fish tries to stay with its mates and really goes hard. Awesome!!!
It breaks me off - bugger!

There seems to be three packs of golden trevally roaming the area.
I soon worked out that if I cast late and the fly sank in front of the moving packs I would get a small golden but if I cast 4 or so metres in front of the writhing mass of fish letting the fly sink right to the bottom (about four feet deep) and hope the pack continued on its original path (not always!) - then as the fish moved over the fly start my retrieve - I would hook up to the the bigger fish

The small ones were 35-40cm, with most around 50cm. While the biggest I caught went 67cm to fork and put up such an awesome fight as it tried to stay with the school - twice it took me well into my backing trying to stay with its mates.

17 golden fish came to the net, and 6 bust offs for the afternoon session - what a great day I had experienced - the mantas-trevally in the morning and the goldens in the afternoon.

When I got back to the ramp, some lure tossers were complaining about their wasted day with no fish to hand and that they should have watch the big horse race.

I replied "What horse race? = I was catching fish!"
           - horses don't take the fly (or could they? - a hay fly maybe)

So after that outing (and the other 5 trips in the last 9 days) - and even though some say I am spoilt -
          I still need one more trip before the weekend - Thursday or Friday

Then there's Sunday at Bynoe with Canadian Pete (not that name for much longer he tells me he got 100% for his citizenship test - well done Peter!)
Better tie some more silicone surf candies as I have none left in the fly box!

until next trip report

GO SWOFFING - no better way to catch a fish

Monday 2nd November - Darwin Harbour trip report

Well I didn't end up fishing by myself as suggested in previous blog
I recalled an old friend whom I went to uni with that I have been meaning to take fishing so many times and haven't as yet for various reasons and interruptions

When we first met I was just finishing a double degree and he was just starting one, I used to fish in the mornings before lectures started and bring back fish for the guys who hadn't the time or gear to go fishing as much as I had. I used to fly fish off the rocks for bonito, aussie salmon, tailor and kingies south of Catherines Beach, Newcastle. Sometimes they were thick like oil slicks on the water - and real suckers for a well stripped fly - particularly a blue-white surf candy or a white crease fly with a blue back

I was in the men's dorm but my mate lived just on the edge of the uni campus. We called it Nappy Valley where the married units were, due to all the babies in the area.
He now works up here and I have been meaning to take him out fishing for quite a while

So a quick SMS the night before saw us leaving the ramp in the predawn light
I have been telling my uni mate for a long time about the great fishing here in the harbour
And he never used to fish but since coming up here he has caught the fishing bug

He fishes only landbased on the bridge and jetty at the boat ramp on the Elizabeth river
He has caught a few fish but mostly drowning baits and waiting for the fish to eat
I call it 'dangling' not fishing
So when I tied a fly on the end of his spin gear - his entire body language said
         ---    "WTF, you have to be F%$$&**G kidding me!"
(not that he would say such words as he is a pastor of a church in Palmerston)

So off to Stokes Wharf and work our way along to Kaitlyn bay - nothing and nothing
There was the most awesome sun rising over the city skyscrapers though

So then off we go to Weed Reef = Nothing - even with conditions looking perfect
Then off to talc head and the small bay behind it - Nothing!
Then off to the rock bar south of Mandorah Jetty + Nothing!!
Then the Mandorah jetty itself - nothing!!!!
Then the reef past the jetty - Still NOTHING!!!!!!

All my past stories and bragging to him have come back to haunt me!
He was being polite and telling me the drive around the harbour was all he needed to de-stress - catching the fish didn't matter
But Bugger me - the pressure was on!!

I told him about recent trips to East Point as we headed over in that direction, I mentioned the little rock bar and the working birds and fish under them we had got into most trips last week - but was this going to be another empty spot????

Well finally the birds were there and so were the fish - just like I had told him moments before
(thank the fishing gods!!!)

Actions stations for the first time that morning - both of us keen as.
My mates first cast towards the birds was a little short but he hooks up to a nice 40cm trevally first wind of the handle - he is loving it! Lip hooked, fly in top lip.
2nd and 3rd cast he hooks up again -again after a few turns of the handle but busts them off playing hard ball with little respect for these small trevally using the tidal current to their full advantage
After retying leader, sinker and fly to his rig for second time - I back off his drag (from full tight 'don't give any line' level) and tell him to enjoy the run and play the fish, take your time - enjoy

While all this happening I have caught a several queenies and one trevally too
Fourth cast of my mate - nothing, but fifth cast he is on again with only three turns of the handle
This time he plays the fish and uses the rod to tire out the fish - now he is really enjoying himself
even a yahoooo when it finally rests in the environet

We play here with the fishes here for an hour or so - then leave them biting to try another spot - Lee Point
Now all week Lee Point hasn't been at its best but it will complete the ride around the harbour

On arrival we find the birds working the back end of my favourite spot
Tide in the opposite direction to when I normally fish the reef but the fish are still there
A mixture of macks and queenies

After a fair bit of mucking around with the anchor and drift lines we finally get into a position to take full advantage of the aggressively feeding predators

My mate is thoroughly enjoying himself - with fish after fish coming to the net

He has a few species in the esky now, good bragging rights with his wife - who was a little mift due to only room for two in my boat (she has been getting into the fishing too!)
He had to take a few flies to try out later

We both agree to do this again soon
A great mornings fishing and home by lunchtime

until next time - the harbour has more to it then you might think!

Day 4 (last outing) of Father and Son fishing Darwin Harbour

So off early again but we were delayed by a flat tyre = well blown tyre that was absolutely shredded. after only a few metres of hearing the noise. As my normal rear tyres have worn down to slicks I replaced them with my trailer spares while waiting for some BF Goodridge all-terrains to be delivered - told none in town till December 16th = not happy!. Not sure what cause the blow out but it happened and lets get it changed!

So off the side of McMillans Rd we changed the rear driver side ute tyre - it was a bugger of a job as the mechanism that holds the spare tyre under the truck has rust up and it took quite an effort to get it loose - note to self: grease and check the mechanism from now on!!!!!

Finally on the way to ramp but not as early as originally planned.

the hooded father and son

Expecting the forecasted stronger winds, we hug the city cliffs looking for fish, we see the third giant passenger liner for the week docking at Stokes Wharf. The Darwin government should really make a priority the beautifying of this area for the visitors coming off these boats. That empty block of land in front of docking area is not exactly promoting Darwin as a modern tropical city.

The Latest Stokes Wharf visitor

We motor on out of the harbor and find some splashes near a yellow bouy out from the esplanade area halfway to Doctor's Gulley area. There were massive amounts of bait moving through the area hugging close to the muddy clouds in the water. As the bait got close to the edges of the mud clouds the predators would strike rapidly ( but the inconsistency in their arrival and location was impacting our efforts and success)

We caught several fringe finned trevally - again not very big. Would be great fun on 2weight rod or for kids learning to fly fish as the species is quite aggressive and very willing to take a small surf candy or white clouser, plus short casts as the species as not afraid of the boat nearby. Plus thousands of them at times.

We continued along the shoreline looking for activity. Which ended up being along the drop off of Kaitlyn Bay again. Same scenario as the yellow beacon earlier with baitfish hiding in the muddy clouds in the water. Again the predators were inconsistent. We increased our blind casing chances by casting along the edges of the muddy clouds. We managed to snag a few queenfish this way.

We noticed that wind had dropped to almost nothing and the harbour is mirror calm (again poor info from the BOM which predicted the opposite) Thinking that Weed Reef would be more exposed by now given the raging tidal flow on this side of the harbour, off we go expecting the conditions of Wednesday's awesome fishing.

on the way to Weed Reef - so smooth!

But on arrival the tide was hardly flowing at all and only the tips of the trees were exposed. Weird to see no tide flow here and yet only a kilometre away on other side of the harbor - a raging tidal flow.

Weed Reef  as smooth as - with just the tips of the mangroves showing

We hang round for an hour waiting for the action to start but no go. We speculated that the phase of tide combined with timing of sunrise on Wednesday were the factors of the awesome action on Wednesday. We saw a couple of slashes but that was it.

So no fish this morning at Weed Reef, so off to Mandorah to check things out. We found the tide still quite high but there were packs of queenfish working over the baitfish as they crossed over a sand/gravel bar 300m south of the wharf.
This was a heap of fun. We caught several queenfish before we had enough chasing them around.

East Point was the next destination. Here we found birds working in the same place as Wednesday. This in an area off the pedestrian viewing area of East Point. During a low tide earlier in the week we found a rock bar extending to middle of harbour from this point. Although not huge it seemed enough to hold the bait and thus the predators in the area. Still the fish were all over the place, rapidly moving about. Again they seemed to be targeting baitfish on the edges of the mud clouds moving along through the tidal flow. With the tidal flow quite fast we had to motor around to the front of the working birds and the fish under them, drift through the mayhem, catch a couple and repeat the whole process again. but frustrating as when you think you were up current of them and kill the motor only to them dive and come up a 100 metres to left or right.

they are over there now!!!!!!! )(&(^$*&^$(&^$!

But the queenfish were bigger here (like last few trips ) and worth the hassle. They also were really strong fish using the tidal flow to their advantage during the fight. Great fun!

We worked our way back to East Arm boat ramp, as the both of us were very tired after several early mornings, long days on the water during hot weather, lots of fish and late evenings talking and chatting - we called it enough and pulled the boat out for the last time of our father and son adventures on Darwin Harbour (this year anyway!).

Brad now is thinking about what he can fish for near home at Newcastle, but having now used a boat for his fishing he isn't interested in seeing fish just out of casting range every land based fishing trip.
I think he will just have to plan and work some overtime towards more fishing with his Dad up here in fishing paradise of Darwin, Northern Territory! - everything else, anywhere near the other capital cities in Australia just don't rate!

Next week it will just me on my pat Malone  - Monday and Tuesday are fishing days planned for fishing Darwin Harbour my last week of long service leave, and Sunday next weekend in Bynoe with its mid morning neap low tide with Canadian Pete.

Will put those fishing reports up as soon as they happen.
Off to tie some more silicone surf candies for the queenfish and trevally - used 40 while brad was here. maybe I should beef up my leaders (or cast less winds knots that weaken the leader!)

Day 3 on the Harbour - Father and Son

Again hitched the boat to the ute before dawn, we were on the water just as the sun was rising

Straight to Weed Reef - however there was a heap of chop
The wind was blowing in the opposite direction to yesterday and the water was much dirtier than yesterday

We got there at the top of tide this time with only the very tips of the tips of the mangroves showing
Almost missed the reef because of this

The fish were there at the same place but not in the numbers of yesterday considerably so - though we still caught 10 or so trevally and queenfish
Whenever his spin rod was bent and his reel was screaming
                   - Brad repeatedly kept saying "Why doesn't everyone do this!"

Due to the very very low tide at midday, we then decided to try another spot before finishing up early.
Kaitlyn Bay was the next location - again it had queenfish working the dirty tide line and the baitfish hiding in it   - but quite sporadic needing a lot of blind hopeful casting

We caught a couple queenfish here, then with time short we revisited East Point hoping for the larger queenfish there yesterday
But no big queenfish, no nothing actually! so back to boat ramp

What did find near the sand bar off Cullen Bay was thousands and thousands of Fringe Finned Trevally with a hundred or so birds hovering over them. The Fringe Finned Trevally while busting the surface and keen to take the flies we were casting  were no bigger than 20cm. Fun but not.

We caught a few more queenfish outside Kaitlyn Bay back on way back but kept going after a few fish hit the net
So with a few fish in the esky for dinner - we headed back to ramp to ensure we didn't get trapped by low tide lowest tide of the year I was told - 0.2m.

Dinah ramp

East Arm Ramp

One more day of fishing before the son heads back south
Its been a great time for us both - hopefully tomorrow the fish are more cooperative

Day Two of Father and son

Day two of our father and son holidays started before dawn.
By sun up we were halfway to Weed Reef
The early morning sky over the city was all sorts of purple and blue hues, with a full moon setting as we headed towards Weed Reef - all making it an awesome sight.

Behind us the reddest of suns was getting higher in the sky,
                (sorry no photo - been quite slack with the camera lately)

The water was calm as I have seen it in a while  - which made the trip a lot faster than Monday's outing. And easier to see fish action from further distances.

On arrival the high tide had covered all but the very tips of the mangroves that precariously grow on the sand and gravels bars of Weed Reef.

The tide was already racing out of the harbour and we were encouraged by an occasional slash or boil down current of the mangrove trees - a clear indication that the baitfish were hugging the trees for safety but being forced to leave that safety by the raging and falling tide

I mentioned to my son that the predators would be shortly patrolling the gravel bar at the edge of the reef. He then spied some birds (already learning - look for the birds to find the fish!) working the area I mentioned. So we drifted over with the current and the electric motor

We anchored near the last few trees before the gravel bar. As soon we get there the birds were working hard over the top of some very aggressive queenfish and trevally (brassies?)

Brad was getting a fish a cast and thoroughly enjoying his time on the water. At times his fly would only just hit the water and it would be ravaged. Rarely would he get a full retrieve in without a hit or take of the fly.

For a while I wasn't getting as many fish as my son, rather I was totally enjoying my son's excitement at all the fish bursting the surface around us and for two hours we caught fish after fish with his huge grin causing me to grin even more.

Brad commented that using a fly with a sinker rather than a soft plastic was far better in catch rates but also that he would have used maybe a pack or more of tails instead of the couple of flies he was using that had far better durability.

When we got home my wife got mad at me for not filming any of the action - but you just had to keep casting with all those fish all around the boat. (head cam off line at the moment due mount issue).

We keep a few fish to feed a few friends who heard of our exploits on Monday - but today's action and catch rates were crazy - easily 20+ fish each in that first session of 2.5 hours at Weed Reef.  

We left the fish biting for newer waters - heading towards Mandorah but nothing of note to occupy ourselves
We crossed over the harbour towards Lee Point (old faithful) but Brad saw more birds near East Point. The queenfish here were much larger (50-65cm) and full of fight in the strong tidal flow.

We caught 10 or so each before continuing to Lee Point - but NOTHING for a change at Lee Point
The tide was almost bottomed out too, so we heading back into the harbour.

We thought about going to the West Arm creeks but the heat of the day had zapped us. Then the wind came on hard down the harbour along with white tipped waves.
But the tide was too low to get the boat out. So we tried a few more places (all wind blown and no fish). We did spend an hour casting a sand bank south of Channel Island that look quite promising but only saw small rays.

Heading out again tomorrow - Brad very keen for Weed Reef action again. Need to be back in by 11am or the later low tide will force us to be out till late arvo.

Until then - Tight lines and fast fish

the NT Swoffer (and Son - well for another 3 days before he flies back to Newcastle, NSW)


  This is the down current edge looking back over Weed Reef. Note the ultra smooth up current side of gravel bar. That edge line between the smooth and rough water was were the fish were feeding.

All you had to do was put a fly along this edge and fish went nuts!  It was far better if they were already crashing the surface and the baitfish near it and you got the fly close to them

20151026 - First day of Long Service Leave

My son arrived 10 minutes early on Friday night
So great to give him a huge hug after not seeing him for a while

Last time I saw him he was a teenager, now he is grown man in both spirit and body
Mostly the Huge arms and chest from starting his building apprenticeship since I last saw him
But the biggest change was the beard he had grown - adding quite a very mature look. Though the smirky grin he had every time he was hooked up with a screaming reel as the fish took line reminded me of the boy from a few years ago.

Monday morning we were itching to wet a line. The itch saw us up early and on the water as the sun poked its head above the horizon

Straight out to Lee Point but the water out to it was quite choppy and a swell that made the ride a little slow.

We found fish near the reef of Lee Point again  = a mixture of queenfish and grey mackerel
Using a fly (silicone surf candy) and a small ball sinker on a spin outfit, Bradley caught a few queenfish.

While I caught a mixture of species SWOFFING - using small white clousers and silicone surf candies

But the action was hot and cold. So we heading back up the harbour, we changed direction half way into harbour towards Mandorah. Near a yellow beacon Brad spied some birds and on moving closer we found lots of birds with the occasional slash and splash. 

We pulled a few fish from the roaming packs, I lost at least five nice queenies, each in a different way - crazy fun.

We headed back to the city side of the harbour but the wind was in an unfavourable direction for a lot of the places I normally fish    

Added also that the tide had bottomed out - options were limited for my knowledge of the harbour anyway (wasn't too keen to chase barra up middle or west arm creeks in heat - sad to see that old man softness coming out again!)

We hung around some birds working Kaitlyn Bay catching a couple more queenies along the drop-off of the mud bank that was now Kaitlyn Bay. At the point just outside of Cullen Bay we were again targeting the queenies when a vast area of nervous water came towards us.

A quick cast and I came up tight after one short sharp strip of the fly line. It was a nice golden brilliant in its hues and about 40cm in length.

But the fish that swam beside it as it fought against the tight fly line - had to be its great grandmother. It had to be three times the depth of body and that again long. I might have cast too soon and picked up the point guard rather than the big giant centre (sorry for the basketball metaphors but I used to play a lot of basketball)

Not only that but they were just the forerunners for the rest of the school of fish that began to swim under the boat. majority of them were huge fish. Would have been a few thousand fish that I saw swimming, and that was only the ones that went under the boat while I fought my little golden trevally. They were travelling fast and by the time I got my goldie to the net we couldn't find them again.

A good start to several days fishing - so we were home by 1pm to clean the couple of fish we had kept.

Tuesday was a lay day due to the job list the wife disappointingly had gave me. 

Wednesday will see us up the creeks of west arm due to very low tide at midday not allowing us to get the boat out - however firstly some pelagics around Lee Point to get the arms warmed up.

Day Two - Bynoe Sheep Stakes (and a look to next outing)

Sorry so long to finish of my report on the Sheep Stakes
Disappointment the main reason

After doing so well the first day the second day was abysmal
From the first spot nothing went right, don't think we fished any planned spot after that at the planned time so miss the windows to catch what we needed and had seen the day before.

Again we spent too much time chasing species that didn't really impact our scores - but that's not saying we didn't catch fish cause we did - but the not the key ones to impact our scores.

Hard day again wind wise as the day wore on but calm for a long time in the morning that we didn't take full advantage of.

Peter ended up coming second by 50 points - basically one good fish or catching two of the species listed for the day. Still a good bunch of folks to hang out with once off the water. Well done to Ron for winning and having two good days of catching the right species. I think I ended up sixth but not too worried about my placing, Just feeling for peter who has finished in the top three for the last few years both the freshwater and Bynoe comps. Close but no cigar again!

Quite frustrating not being able to catch what was needed when leading the comp. Took a bit off what started as a good weekend competition.

Really got to stay focused the whole tournament and spend most of time on water targeting the key species - despite the distraction of fish busting the surface everywhere around us when not the species you want.

So moving on from that disappointment.......

Currently looking forward to my son visiting during the two weeks long service leave I am taking. He is taking time off from his building apprenticeship in Sydney for a week of fishing up here in Darwin. As he hasn't fly fished since a little kid, he will be using a light spin stick to cast the flies with a small sinker for helping the cast. Might be able to get him attempting a fly cast or two - if the fish thick and active.

We were going remote to Peron Islands to stay at a friends house down there but last week a service for motor and a look at impellor ended up $1500 with a few more things found. So spent trip money on repairs - so sad. In the positive they found those problems before the issues helped me get stuck in some remote place and they also found the issue with the battery problem that hassled me my previous trip to Bynoe - awesome!

So local waters  this week coming but that's OK too and I get to sleep in my own bed each night near what I think is one of the best and most productive waterways near a capital city in Australia.
Might finally get to the Vernon Islands with Monday the 26th looking the best day for tides I like. So maybe if wind is kind and as it is only a short ride up Gunn Rd to Leaders Creek and a short boat ride from there.
Still the harbor fishing well lately. As too the Barra in the harbor arms are starting to get quite active according to a mate who is quite the gun on my nemesis species. Got a good deal going - I am helping him with queenies and trevally for his kids to catch and he is helping me with that species that has alluded me for the last 3 years - bugger me that sounds bad when you write it down!!!!! I seem to be able to catch most species locally but these silver icons of Australian tropical waters! See them on the flats, Yes! Many times. Have had them follow the flies  - Yes!  Plenty of times. Hook them, yes! Once or twice. But stay hooked long enough to use the enviro net - not likely!

well here's to hoping for some good fishing - some good photos of my son with some awesome fish!
blog soon........

Day One - Bynoe Sheep Stakes

So I was off to Sand Palms Pub Motel for the weekend for the NT Fly Fishers Social Mob and its annual Sheep Station Stakes

Arrive Friday midday - had a swim in the motel pool (amazingly water still chilly even after a few weeks of 35 Celsius days!), showered, relaxed, had a snooze, and then had a great dinner. But after working on fencing my rural block for last few weeks, only shortly after seeing a few of the regular faces for a short chat on recent fishing exploits - I went to bed early and slept quite soundly.

Day One gave us an awesome sunrise which found us just off SW corner of Knife Island. Not much about to begin with, we both agreed a half hour later at this spot would make all the difference. And after looking around a bit on other side of island we came back just in time for the action to start up. Most times it is all about that perfect time or window of time for the fishing to get interesting.

Our target species for bonus points were a trevally of any species (changed from specifically a Diamond Trevally due to scarcity of such in this area), mangrove jack, any type of cod, and finally a Threadfin Salmon. Having caught all of these species regularly during my time up here, my hopes were high of catching three or four of the key list species, if not five.

Early on the Macks were out wide of island but didn’t want to play. But inside the sand bar right next to SW corner of Knife Island as the out-going tide slipped over the sand/gravel bar, the fish wanted to play big time. Small Queenfish, GTs and Golden trevally were repeated visitors to the net. Nothing real big but plenty of them. The queenfish were just extra points, while the trevally potentially multiple points if more of the key species were eventually caught. 

The main fish in this area eventually slowed down their enthusiasm for our flies so we drifted with wind and current to the north. Here more queenfish were found attacking baitfish sporadic in location and timing - while having to chase them about the area on the electric, regularly they came tight on our fly lines. So around Knife Island, we both got trevally for our first needed species and Peter arsed a small mack randomly and unexpectedly while doing nothing but a little jiggle of his fly, giving him for his second species of Day One's key species list.

With the goal of five species for maximum bonus points, we leave active fish to pop over to the rocky area close to the pearl farm NE of Knife Island. Here we both got another of key species for the day. However while it was only a 10cm long estuary cod was caught, it put Peter into triple bonus and a few cast later I get my own estuary cod of 9cm that put me into double bonus points. I got a second one a bit later a few centimeters longer.

Even with fish busting up around us (queenfish and trevally) but given the dropping tide we then had to move to locations more suited to our other key species we wanted - Mangrove Jacks and Threadfin salmon.

Earlier we had fished too long at one of our locations chasing species not on the key list, but while still racking up points and regularly upgrading our biggest five of a species, we missed the tide window for my favourite Threadfin flat – bugger it was already high and dry. We then fish the next flat towards the back of Bynoe harbor hoping for a stray threadie or while not on the list a barra or two - but although several indications via slashing in shallow water all our time used here didn’t result in any more fish. We did get a few follows from some Pikey Bream though - but again not on the list.

Again we found ourselves a bit behind in our tidal and location timetable - we fished several rocky areas up the Annie River and given most rocks and gravel bars were already well out of the water - nothing responded to our flies towards getting a Mangrove Jack. Soon the tide was turning and flowing back in and thus the threadfin salmon were already moving into the mangrove roots and backwaters we couldn't get to. Timing is everything when chasing species and restricted to a tight timetable over large distances makes it more difficult.

So back to top of Knife Island with a short stopover at Kiara Rock along the way for a few more 35cm trevally and a quite strange fish, the Wolf Herring whose scales and slim went everywhere when it came to hand, such a weird looking fish with teeth so out of size to its head all on its bottom jaw (see video below for a brief glimpse).

When we arrived at Knife, the wind had changed direction and intensity dramatically. White caps everywhere due to howling 20knot + wind from North. Being only two o’clock, we had plenty of time for other species - like maybe blue salmon and tarpon I heard on the grapevine were about up a creek west of Knife Island. But it was really rough and in Peter's boat (actually any boat in this howling wind) across the face of the waves we would get soaking wet - so we chickened out. Then both of us spoke at the same time about heading back to pearl farm again. Peters boat handles extremely well straight into the wind chop. Other reasons being, the peninsula the pearl farm sheds are on would sheltered the rock strewn area on its SE side from the howling wind. The tide was now rising but casting out of the howling wind a far better option.

Several fish packs were roaming the area and we manage several more fish - resulting in upgrades and fish caught numbers wise but sadly no jacks or threadies! Or for that matter a mack that I needed as too any size of these three fish species for extensive bonus points). 

Then a rolling pack of Golden trevally surged in and out of the area. It was captivating SWOFFING, waiting for the goldens to arrive and casting at the perfect time for their sporadic visit, hooking up to several fish over the next hour or so. With howling winds everywhere else and a couple of hours left to fish in the day – it wasn’t such a bad way to spend some time.

We did spy some weird fish in the leaves of the now high tide water covered mangroves. Forked ghostly tails, and not with the same body shape as the mullet moving about in the same area. They kept moving around and we never got a good view of them to identify them (or catch them). They seems to be eating something off the sunken mangrove leaves. 

By this time the wind had backed off a little, so even though time was short for handing the scorecards in, we went back to Knife Island again and found more actively feeding fish to cast to. Peter thoroughly enjoyed himself heading boat into huge wind chop waves to chase more queenfish and trevally viciously slashing the surface along the east side of Knife Island - he upgraded several times.

We were hoping give tide, wind and location to catch my third species but still no mackerel took an interest in my flies being retrieved, and retrieved, and retrieved, and retrieved, and retrieved!

We eventually pull the boat out with just enough time to hand in score sheets.

Despite being a hard day fishing we did better than most. So much so Peter ended up in first place - thanks to his triple bonus points for three species (only two others got three species) and late upgrades to his various species. With my only two bonus species I get third place – man I needed one more of the specific bonus species. Still Peter caught 30+ fish, and I caught 45 plus fish for the day so we caught plenty of fish. But remember only the best five of each species counts. I had bigger fish too than Peter but it is all about the bonus points of catching the five key species for the day. We caught plenty of other species too – Russell snapper, wolf herring, etc to all add their points to the grand total.

The flies for the day were the silicone surf candy, Peter's pink over white clouser and for me small bucktail or goat hair white clousers. (I will have to put up fly tying videos of these eventually!)

  

Onto Day Two with high hopes. Just before we went to sleep, I lay out a plan of attack for day two to target the five species for Sunday are Barra, Tarpon, Pikey Bream, Mangrove Jack (again) and Golden Trevally. Peter is keen and so am I. After 12 hours on the water, casting mostly in high winds, sleep came very easily!

Until Day two!

Here is video of some of the days action.

Using up extra brownie points.....

All week I have been working on our 5 acre block at the back of Humptydoo (30 minutes from Darwin) - clearing, gathering fallen timber into piles, removing dead trees etc. Main task was the putting up of 900 meters of star pickets and pig wire. dividing the block into three parts - two for horses and one part for the house and front lawn - love a large lawn of green grass (good for teaching my kids fly casting!)

Talk about hard work - mostly because I have grown soft in my air-conditioned school science lab! As a sheep farmer's son, my long dead father would roll over in his grave at my softness!
I am still sore all over, with old sports injuries inflamed and pain-killers taken.
But lifting a 20 kilo jack hammer to head height 180 times will do that - used the jack hammer to drive in the 180 star pickets in to compacted ground for the fence line. Then again using the jack hammer far easier than the old ram style by hand method.

So the wife was looking kindly, maybe even fondly!, at me each evening for the 'hard work' I have been doing. So there was not even a murmur when I said I was thinking of fishing on Sunday.

Peter and I hit the water Sunday morning around 6:30am. Hightide was at 9:30am and a spring tide, so we needed to be back at ramp by 2 to avoid not enough water at ramp when taking boat out with Low tide under a meter due around 4pm.

Given we like to SWOFF hard at Lee Point a couple of hours after the high tide, the plan was to detoured to Weed Reef and Mandorah before heading to Lee Point.

But the big problem with fishing Sunday was the wind, the forecast on Thursday had me thinking fencing would be better - lots of wind forecast. On Sunday morning a quick look in the iPad and the forecast was better but gusty 10-15 knots by midday - would that be enough time to target the prime dropping tide at Lee Point??

Weed Reef was empty, Mandorah was empty at first glance but then we saw the birds and then the queenfish and small grey mackerel under the birds!

The water was already exiting Darwin Harbour at 8am and as the water pushed over the reef ledges the predators were taking full measure of the baitfish schools.

We hooked up to several fish, the several boats of lure tossers and bait guys caught nothing!
Another win for the SWOFFERS!!!!!!

Every queenfish that attacked the fly (to its downfall!) - used the fast flowing out going tide to make it feel much larger at the end of the taunt fly line. it was a lot of fun. I once got three fish in four casts - see video for a bit of this action.

After chasing these fish around for an hour or so we continued on our journey towards Lee Point. I almost convince Peter to turn back given the ugly swell and wind chop we were pounding into. Peter's boat handles this swell when going into it but travelling with the swell and chop, is a very different and a very wet story at times. (Might be the two 120amp batteries for the 80lb electric up under the front deck - his is thinking of shifting them)

The extra swell and chop between East Point and Nightcliff that pounded us as we traveled out of the harbour stopped by the time we got to Lee Point.

Finally at the reef, the water flow just wasn't there. Which was strange given an hour earlier we experienced much faster tidal flows at Mandorah! We still needed an hour at Lee Point before the conditions were similar to the awesome SWOFFING we have had here over the last few months.

For the next hour it was one eye on the reef looking for baitfish being harassed, and the other eye on the expected and forecast strong wind from the East-North East. As usual Peter kept casting and casting with the occasional follow and a few fish hooked - me just waiting for some action before casting (remember the getting soft concept - got to save my energy for the important moments ).

First sign of action beginning was the quantity of garfish increasing. These slender long fish were zipping about the inside edge of the reef. Then the garfish started to show panic and would jump about as mackerel and queenfish marauded the smaller baitfish amongst them. Occasionally, quite large slashes were happening as larger fish were really attacking the garfish. You just had to cast when this was occurring.

We caught plenty of fish but then the wind came! And came with a passion!
Frustratingly the fish were just starting to go crazy with regular surface bust ups along the edge of the reef - BUGGER!

However, we kept casting but the wind was causing havoc with out casting. One fly into the back of my head, one in Peter's shoulder blade, then one near Peter's nose with the hook point sticking in his buff material just below his nose - a close one! Time to go home!

But you know how it is even if you have caught some good fish, in numbers - you just can' help to try another location on way home. so we ventured across harbour to Mandorah again.

We caught no more fish but did have a shower from the wave wash the boat created as it hit every swell and chop wave there and back. Both of us were absolutely soaking wet as we drove the boat back to the Dinah Beach boat ramp. we just had enough water to get the boat in. A tiring but good day's SWOFFING.

I kept a few queenfish for the kids and myself. Been on a health kick for a week now,
heaps less sugar, no fizz drink (coca cola mostly!), less processed foods and more exercise!
So breadcrumbed fish fingers and finely chopped salad for dinner tonight.

Today was a good warm up for the NT Fly Fishing Social Mob's Sheep Station Stakes on next weekend.

The five fish species drawn from a hat for Saturday's bonus points are  - Mackerel, Mangrove Jack, Cod, Diamond Trevally, and Threadfin Salmon.


First Three should be ok and I feel confident of catching, but the last two will be more challenge. 50/50 on the Threadfin but the diamond trevally will be interesting.

Look for the Sheep Stakes report after next weekend outing.
Tight lines and go tie some flies
The Stig (aka NT Swoffer)