Bynoe DFR Slam weekend

Late start leaving town with wife having a riding time with her horse on Friday arvo.

Peter picks me up and we arrive at Sand palms at 9pm, Got into the donga straight away and asleep in seconds - tough week and I was completely stuffed.

Day One:

While we were not fishing the DFR competition the goal of the day – catch the seven species of the DFR Bynoe Slam – Barra, Tarpon, Queenfish, any species of Snapper, Salmon, Trevally, and Mackerel. Far easier to say than do. 

But ya gotta try !

Up at 5:40am, on water just after 6am. Plan was to fly fish Knife Island at top of tide for pelagics -- macks, queenies and treavlly, heading to far back of Charlotte river to chase barra on flats at bottom of the low tide. Good plan – but fish didn’t buy into it.

We managed a few queenies and I got a mack and queenie at top of Knife – missed a good trevally at side of boat. Fish were sporadic in activity but there at least. 

Local fly guide Graham comes by in his 21 foot Hewes, quick chat and off he goes up inside of Indian Island (maybe should have followed!).

The weather is not too bad - little wind, dropping tide – thought the SWOFFING would have been better.

We head up to the Charlotte River arm at back of harbour. Haven’t been up here in a long, long time.

At the main rock bar at back of river we venture further upstream and see a few fishing busting up surface – just small trevally. On gravel bars we see black fish (pikey bream?) but flighty.

All day any sighted fish was spooked on the cast even before a fly was placed near it. Tough day.

We cast to every dribble of water entering from drains, casting repeatedly along and through colour changes, cast to every rock bar and structure – zip – well almost not zip as sadly on one retrieve along a rock strewn edge as I prepare to roll cast – this giant flash of crimson chases the fly to the surface and turns leaving the hugest boil where the fly was. Bugger missed a very good Mangrove Jack.

We see rays, sharks and baitfish – but none of the target fish we wanted to catch from this backwater – Barra, salmon and tarpon.

We try several places on way back up the harbor towards Crab Claw Peninsular. Get my third (small snapper) and fourth (small trevally) species. Peter was after his fourth at Kiara Rock and rock strewn flats behind it but wind blew us off this area.

Wind gone crazy by now. We think to try top of Knife Island but by time we get there the wind has shifted 180 degrees and increases to a gale or so it seems. So off to Milne Inlet ramp we head – done for the day.

Peter gets three species – a queenie, trevally and a small mack from a spot way up the charlotte river – that you would expect to get a barra from – a muddy drain – what a crazy day.  

I was two species for the day after the first couple of casts at Knife Island (a mack and a queenie) then zip until Kiara Rock, where I picked up two tiny fish but two species all the same -- a trevally and a Russels Snapper. 

Main flies used for the day were small white clousers (some bucktail, some goat hair) and small silicone surf candies.  

Tomorrow if wind is nice we plan to fish the top of Harbour. Here’s hoping. 

Had as always a great counter meal at the Sand Palms Pub for dinner, then caught up with Lord Jim for a bit (he found it a tough day too!). 

Lot of new faces amongst the DFR members. a few of the regulars missing. Didn't hear much of any DFR competition results. Will have to check out DFR club website once updated with comp results. 

Then off to sleep and hoping to be off early to do it again on Day two.
(a bit pessimistic given same wind and tides on Day Two)

Day Two of the Weekend dawned spectacular

We were going to head right out to Quail Island region at the front of Bynoe Harbour for the pelagics on our DFR Bynoe Slam list (and planned later to hit the flats on the western side of Indian Island for salmon, barra and tarpon as the tide bottomed out round midday) but as we sped passed Knife Island towards our planned destination we noticed regular bust ups along the sand bar that extends southward from the south west corner of the island.

With in a couple of casts both of us had a couple of species.

But just as quickly the fishing went quite as if there was no such thing as a fish in water.

We then continued our journey to the front of the harbour .
As you can see below Peter was quite comfortable during the ride north. That's KNife in the middle and the pearl farm sheds on the left.

We just could catch a break out front

no fish showing, likely ambush points of predators empty of baitfish and predators

We come back in to Simms reef. Peter gets a follow of a large trevally when he hooked a smaller one.

I cast to a rock ledge and fluke a nice mangrove jack on a tiny anorexic bucktail clouser - which made my day!

Turtle island empty too

The flats opposite six pack we got blown off by the increasing NW wind

Just as we were starting to hear barra 'boofs' and see panicking bait at the front of drains - I lose control of fly line and it wraps securely around the electric motor. We didn't have the right socket to undo the locking nut on the motorguide. Pliers didn't work nor any other tool on the boat.

So that was it for the day - very sad. wind the surging wind and the need to control the boat to cast in the right places - would make it hard work and we were a little flat (particularly me!) - back to the boat ramp to head home.

I put the poor results down to the wind in particular (could it be flies, casting or me not showering!)

Sooooo looking forward to the calmer mornings prior to afternoon storms during the build up weather period over the next couple of months here in Darwin.

NT Fly Fishers Scoial Mob and its Sheep Station Stakes is on in four weeks - similar tides, so hoping the winds are kinder in four weeks time!

Bynoe = Bad tides, bad boat electrics and only one Queenfish

The night before was awesome - but no room at the inn (or in this case the Sand Palms Pub and hotel)
Well at least rooms in the cheap dongas - so I set up the mozzie net beside the boat and put the camp bed under it to then sleep under the stars.
WHAT A DISPLAY OF GRANDEUR the nighttime stars are.
I so had high expectations for the next day!!!
And went to sleep dreaming of screaming reels and tight lines rooster tailing across the calm water's surface - Yeeehhaaahhh!!!!

But I told you the tides were bad for flats fishing in my last blog. But I knew this before I drove to Bynoe. I had some stuff to do on Saturday at Dundee and so why go all that way without taking the boat and taking the chance for some fly fishing!

Very much so bad tides as it turned out, with so little movement not many fish seen, those that were seen - flighty and inconsistent. What is the saying = 'no flow; no go' (??)

It must be said that the Barra were there - but right at the back of the mangroves boofing away at their breakfasts
Sadly for me, with the neap low of 2.9 at 4:40am - it meant that while I was on the water at 6:30am, by the time I got out front of Bynoe to Turtle (or Turkey on some maps) Island........
I was already too late for that prime time of casting flies at the edges of the mud flats as the Barra etc waiting to cruise up and onto the flats for a buffet dinner with the rising tide. Instead they were out of the range of my poor casting skills.

On the way to this spot out the front of Bynoe Harbour while zipping along at 5200 revs and 27 knots - unexpectedly the motor died for two seconds throwing me slightly forward and came to life again surging the boat forward again - "that was weird!" but I kept going arrive at my first stop 20 minutes later.
And after mooching along casting distance away from the edge of the mangroves with the electric motor for twenty minutes of fruitlessness casting (no, it was good casting practice - of which I need heaps more of ! My accuracy was atrocious, my loops far too big to put a fly under the tree limbs or into tight spots) - so time to move on to the next spot but as I go to start the motor =====
          NOTHING! zip,  no beeps no nothing - BUGGER!

I start play with the battery switch (multiple times!!!), every wire I could see was touched and twisted. I next set to undoing, scrubbing and cleaning battery terminals (Battery was in the green in its fancy looking eyepiece on top of the battery - so it was OK),
I check every wire joint I could see, worried about the ones I couldn't - after 20 minutes and much profanity and outbursts of frustration - I shove the battery with much intention and determination thinking I might as well throw it overboard - and would you believe it - a few sparks ensue and power is restored. (thinking it might be a crack in a wire that only connects at certain angles but was too scare to touch it while it was working

I abandon my plan for a full days SWOFFING and head back to the Milne Boat Ramp.
However by calculating the incoming tide and wind direction I am sure that if I stop at Knife Island, I can fish for a bit and get a queenie or two before heading to ramp. and if motor doesn't start then the electric, wind and tide would (hopefully) get me back or at least to Crab Claw to bum a ride back to Milne Inlet Boar Ramp to get my ute and trailer.

As I arrive one other boat is close to the mangroves on the north side of Knife Island. I place a cast in behind them at a disturbance of bait near the rock bar on the north east corner and start stripping the fly with a staccato motion. On lifting leader to water haul and cast again, I see the tell tale flash of an average queenie behind my fly and recast immediately - punching out half the fly line. I thought I was too short in distance but I am on after one short strip. YES! Sorry guys pinched your fish! As it turned out the only one keeper for the day for me after such high expectations. I did catch ten or so small 20-30cm trevally from various submerged rocks around Knife Island, but sent them all back to tell mum (or better still big grandpa) to come visit me!

While fighting the 50cm queenie, I hear a familiar voice - "Is that you Richard?"
It was Jeff Watson and his brother in law who spent the night at Crab Claw
Jeff making a habit of this - three times now he has seen me getting into fish - he promised he isn't stalking me (lol). I see it more of a lucky charm (lol).
We have a bit a chat, I pass over a few of my silicone surf candies- Jeff takes a long distance pic of my fish
Don't you love my footy socks! For sun protection and definitely not a fashion statement - thanks for pic Jeff (email got to me before I got home).

 (When looking at this fish - don't for get I am a big guy at 191cm and 110kilo - and most things look small in my hands or so I tell my wife! Trust me it was 50.5cm on the measuring stick (the queenfish not the other 'thing')

And with no real action about, I electric it around the Island a couple of times in search of opportunities. I see small macks busting the surface 200 metres away but they are quite elusive and flighty, a splash or two from other fish (?) but by the time I get there nothing for the several casts I place over the water previously disturbed.

I did hear heaps of boofing at the very back of the mangroves on the south side but by now the water was right to the very, very back of the mangroves. I tried to get in to them but it was too tight for a cast (well my casting) - let alone get the boat in there.So very frustrating to hear all that. I swear they do it on purpose!

So with the fly fishing aspects not looking like improving and boat electrics on the fritz - I start to head home to the boat ramp,
With a artistic and well aimed kick to the battery and a few more ensuing sparks - the main motor has power and off I go to the ramp.

Back at the ramp, another father's day fishing outing is in dire straights for some boaters who got no further than the ramp with no steering.
I have tools and grease but no go on the steering - very sad for them.
I cheer them up by giving them a few silicone surf candies. They were not SWOFFERS, but I tell them how to cast them on light spin gear with a running ball sinker the size of your little finger fingernail on the leader. Fortuitous too, as they had been looking for something to cast to tuna and this fly was perfect (well once their steering is fixed!)

Trip home to Darwin was uneventful (always waiting for a wheel to fall off my poorly maintained boat trailer - so pessimistic lately!).
Just a short stop over at the Sand Palms a minute or two from boat ramp - this to book a donga for the Sheep Station Stakes
    - only five weeks to go!

Always loved the Bynoe Slam comp of the DFR club - catching 7 specified species in a day (got six once in pre-comp practice outing - but as expected the barra nemesis was the missing fish - arrggghh!)

But the Stakes has its awesome mojo too - with 5 fish species chosen out of a hat for each day of comp to catch for bonus points - it makes you really think about your options and SWOFFING
Certainly glad I will be fishing out of my mate Peter's boat (well I think we are) for the Stakes and not my aging beast that needs a kick to get it working (just like me says my wife!!)

I didn't even get to cast the latest fly - the Bynoe P&C
Next time maybe

See you on the water ----  get SWOFFING!

What's in your fly box??

Well with my fly boxes that I carry in the boat - there are several boxes to choose from
Let us explore their contents.

The main box is a two-sided boat box a mate got for me
              - Thanks Simon best present ever! (that i didnt have to buy for myself!)
See thru lid is great, so I keep the flies I use the most in it. always on the deck - not in the tackle bag

Fly Box #1 - Side A

This side has my 'go-to' white goat clousers - a must have in tropical waters - and a few larger clousers if the bait being eaten is bigger.

It has a few barra flies (bucktail minnows, whistler variations) but most of my barra flies in another box - these are just there for quick access when needed

It also has in it my new favourite flats crustacean fly the Bynoe P&C (see this blog for details) a prawn-crab mutation of a fly

Fly Box #1 - Side B

Then SideB has my surface flies - Hot Lips Gurglers, Gurglers in a few sizes, crease flies and hard bodied poppers. It also has 30 or so silicone surf candies  (there is a second row that are slight longer in length under tails of the first row on lower left) for the ever-present trevally, queenies and small macks that hang off nearly every rock bar in Bynoe and Darwin Harbours. It also has one algae fly (bottom left corner - used to have four there but they got used - must tie more) for milkies if some come cruising past sipping scum off the waters surface.

Fly Box #2 - Clousers

This box is assorted extra clousers in different materials, colour, size and eye weight combinations. There is also a few crustacean patterns mixed in the box as well

All greens for early morning, Wild Things in fluro orange and chartreuse - used to be hot pink and chartreuse in the box too - will have to tie a few more of those as well.

Also in top left the box has four BFCW Flies

             - that is Bynoe Flats Crustacean Wannabe flies - see previous blog - BCFW Fly

This box is looking a little empty

           - will have to fix that before the Bynoe Sheep Station Stakes later this year (October 10th & 11th)

Fly Box #3 - Big Arse Minnows box

This one has my mega flies in it

Big flies for big fish - the ones on right are whistler variations - big barra, big Gt's - 4/0 to 6/0hooks, some tandem hooks, most with mono weed guard loops. Also a few really heavy flies for bottom bouncy for black jew (hooked a few but haven't stopped one yet!!!) and reef dwellers but very boring fishing waiting for the fly and line to get deep enough!)

When I see big bait being harassed and bursting through the surface - this is the box of flies I go to - My 10weight rod is always rigged in the boat ready to cast with a large fly on the leader - just in case the 'big one' comes along!

Bottom right are my tandem hooked garfish flies for big Spaniards - worked well on east coast, no so yet here in Darwin region.

Left side has some double bunnies, some segmented baitfish with two heavy duty hooks 

Bottom left - are some new flies tied recently my version of the GnG Hollow Mullet - see previous blog for details

Finally top left - a heap of bend backs in popular hard bodied lure colourings  - tiger, elton john, gold bomber. These on quite strong and heavy hooks.

Fly Box #4 - Baitfish

Ok, this fly box on the left side has a heap of epoxy surf candies and some jelly bean candies (fatter surf candies). A heap of white polar fibre minnows on various hooks and eye configurations. Some on worm hooks designed to be weedless. Got five good fish on one of these versions of this polar fiber fly in succession before putting the hook through my thumb when releasing the fifth fish and the leader got tangled in the fish's thrashing and it dragged the leader thus the hook, through my hand and the hook point drove into thumb. Great fly - but that mishap cost me 6 hours waiting in emergency (I left barb not crushed and it was resting against bone, so was quite painful when I tried to de-hook it myself). And three hours driving round trip to hospital and back to tournament to fish next day!

Top left has a few mackerel flies that are nothing more then a hook, a tentacle off a rubber squid (those that are used in trolling applications on the head of a fresh garfish) and the tiniest touch of flash. These are for certain times when very, very big macks visit the tip of Indian Island, right up in the shallows each year sipping small baitfish as gently as a trout would sip a mayfly. I was amazed first time I caught a huge Spaniard in such shallow water on such an anorexic and small fly - almost didn't use the fly when it was suggested - but listen to the locals when you first arrive in a new location - always!

Also on middle right side are some flashy profile flies and above them some silicone coated fat boys for dirty water - great presence in the water - they give a big and noticeable bow wave when retrieved such is their profile and punch through the water. Also a few extra 3/0 bendbacks spoken about above in between the red/white and all yellow silicone fat boys (the yellow ones here were nicknamed 'Canaries' on a trip to Weipa some 25 years ago when it was the most productive fly I took - everyone in the group wanted one!).

Top right of the left side are some chartreuse rubber tail coneheads, these I used for Mr Twister soft plastic substitutes on the east coast (a staple fly for me some 10 years ago) for big flathead in Jumpinpin. Who knows what species might take a preference to them up here in the tropics when everything else fails?

Fly Box #5 - Thing Box - Barra-Threadies-Toga

These are mostly barra buster style flies - variations of whistler and pink things

Barra busters have rabbit zonker as their prime tying material. Most have weed guards as they get cast  more often then not far into mangroves and billabong weed beds. The red head white tail version is my favourite colouration for toga - yet my usual fishing partner uses orange/black colourations and we both catch plenty of toga! Its a confidence thing I guess. The pink and white colourations are great flies for Bynoe flats when barra are cruising about - depends of course on water colour at the time. This box is crammed full of these, even have a foam insert to squeeze in a third layer of flies into this fly box.

Fly Box #6 - Crabs

Always have a box of crabs in neutral colours in case of blue/black bastards. And if the fishing gods are smiling your way - and you are out the front of Bynoe and close to its sandy islands - the whispered presence of the elusive Permit becomes a reality

So here are the boxes I take on the boat - many if not most - just in case of the off chance something unique and different (hopefully big!) comes along. 

But so too plenty of the usual 'go-to' flies if the usual species are about at the location we find ourselves SWOFFING

The wooden boxes I use for my flies are what my students make in Yr8 wood work class from recycled wooden pallets- each year for examples to the students I make a box or two for me or gifts for others as well

As much fun as they are to tie.....................  (if u need any recipes or tying instructions - contact me)

Go use your flies, they cant catch fish when not in the water!

                  

               The Stig.

Crustacean pattern for Bynoe flats

On the vastness of the world wide web.......... for months and months I have been eyeing off and drooling over some of the countless and most realistic life-like prawn/crab patterns I could find

Not just to cast to fish but most importantly to tie, tie and tie some more

When tying prawn and crab patterns - materials are always the issue, 

Additionally, such patterns usually involve a plethora of a variety of materials

So when looking through your own tying cabinet............

It is about what do you have and what you don't have? 

And if you don't just the right material - what can be used instead of that suggested material? 

Critically, finding just the right bits and pieces to go with the other materials 

As too, finding materials with just the right sort of movement or lack thereof

And there is the matter of colour and or translucence of a material to think of - particularly with prawn patterns

Additional considerations are the 'eat-me-quick' triggers like size, eyes, legs, carapace and claws  

So after evaluating all these things and the materials I had on hand.....

Today I finally had a go at tying some, but prior to tying/making any fly, I like to organize my tying space.

First pack away everything but what is needed - materials and tools etc from last set of flies I had recently tied 

Then getting together all the bits I need on the one piece of foam

Lined up and ready to be used

as many as possible materials as possible are pre-cut and prepared where required, also the right quantity of everything counted out, and don't forget hooks need to be debarbed 

In this case of a prawn/crab pattern - the eyes are made. For this version, small black beads are heat welded on to 80lb mono.  For the 'heat weld', I just melt tip of mono stalk, then the bead is pushed onto the melted blob on end while pushing the bead and molten blob of mono up against a slab of metal or base of tying vise to ensure it is secured. 

If tying say 10 flies, I would feed twenty beads (two eyes for each fly - 2x10 = 20) onto a single long length of mono with a knot on end to stop them sliding off. The length of the mono would be enough for the twenty eye stalks and a couple extra just in case. Better then trying to pick up twenty stalks and twenty beads individually each time. After each 'heat weld', cut off stalk with side cutters from full length of mono to desired length, insert cut end into a piece of foam and make a few more. To finish off the eyes, give them a couple of coast of clear nail polish. Set aside to dry.   

Then the claws were made - these claws are a short piece of rabbit zonker with 5 minute epoxy stroked along its length but more so at base with not too much at tip of fur so still some subtle movement.

Less than hour prep for all this - then ready to tie the fly. 

This all makes the tying process far more faster to tie - more time efficient when you do the same thing repeatedly before putting down particular tools (or cleaning fingers after stroking epoxy onto the claw zonker).  

So with all all credit given to the multiple and highly talented fly tyers on the web, who have inspired me with their countless and very impressive prawn/crab patterns

But in the end - primarily based on the actual materials I actually had on hand that I felt worked worked together........

This is the pattern that ended up being tied........ part crab, part prawn, part lobster, part crayfish

A mutant of sorts!!!

Can hardly wait to test it out on the Barramundi, Threadies, and Blue Bastards that inhabit and frequent the flats of Darwin and Bynoe Harbours

So here's the sequence of how I tied it

• Lead dumbbell eyes tied in at the hook eye
• A touch of pink ice dubbing tied in at the hook bend
• Then rabbit zonker either side of hook shank at hook bend - using shoulder of pink ice dubbing tie in point to flare the zonker. may require a few judicious and purposeful wraps of thread to assist this flaring. 
• Some pearl ice dubbing all around hook shank at the claw tie in point but only a whisper of this ice dubbing material - not too much at all
• Turn fly over in vise so hook point is up
• Then rubber leg material - in this case grizzle rubber legs
• Then eyes on stalks either side of hook shank with black beads half way along claw length
• Then tie in Flash'n'Slinky material in 'shrimp' colour for this version - keep material on the to top and the sides of pattern as it would sit on the mud flats
• Finally, tie in some grizzle craft fur at hook eye - ensuring material lays along the top of the fly

Like always - tie ten of them and go SWOFFING

I have named it the Bynoe P&C fly  (basically a Bynoe Prawn and Crab fly)

Hopefully I can entice some flats inhabitants in Bynoe Harbour to like the pattern as much as I do 

(even though a few seem to have too much bulk in their claws)

Heading to Bynoe on weekend - so here's hoping the opportunity is fruitful

Enjoy life - go fly fishing, better still go SWOFFING!

Richard

Thanks

Richard Carter

Middle School Science Teacher

Palmerston Christian School