Darwin Offshore - way offshore

So Friday night I had a lure tosser mate needing a deckie at short notice

So why not? - I could fit in some SWOFFING during the 'tossing'

But you want to go where???? HOW far out?????

Up at 3:30am, to the mates place to load and get to ramp to meet the other boat we were to be travelling with
So we could launch early enough to cruise out to a spot closer to Bathurst Island than to Darwin Harbour.
65 plus kilometers out of Darwin Harbour
The wind would like usual increase as the day progressed and we hoped to get a few hours in casting and trolling before it did.

The sea was a little swelly in the darkness, with waves rolling towards us as we motored out to our spot, so it was not a fast run out to the spot
However, as the sun rose behind us, the seas calmed a little

We could see the dim light in the distance of the top of the rigging of the drill platform we were hoping to find fish near - and we start to get excited at the potential fishing the guys in the other boat had been experiencing during the week

The lure guys I was with were hoping for large macks like one of them had experienced earlier in the week, but they were not there.

What we did find were countless queenfish (50-60cm) working in several packs on the up current side of the platform - and the countless birds hovering and diving over them

There was also a large pack (20-30) of meter plus thick as my arm Longtoms. several were hooked.

Occasionally, we saw macks but no consistency
We did chase some tuna for a bit a few kilometers from the platform but they were just teasing us - popping up then scattering when we arrived - several times!

What was consistent were the hundreds of trevally (with 5 trevally species that I caught - Trevally Scad, Giant Trevally , Tea Leaf Trevally , Brassie Trevally and another I didn't know the name of skinny but deep in body, pearlescent glow to flanks like a  diamond treavally but wrong shape to be one of those more like a silver treavlly but didn't know they existed up here, mouth wrong for that species too)

All these trevally species were tight up against and around the piers of the platform and within the shadows cast by the platform. Casting up current of the front pier, and allowing the sinking line to do its job of taking the fly deep, followed by a fast strip that saw multiple bogies chasing the fly almost every time.

The fat gutted 'tea leaf trevally' shown above were the most fun - most in the 50cm range were very, very strong for their size! But a few (a few that I never got to the boat mind you) were easily half that again as big, if not more. These bigger fish went straight to the anchor lines of the platform and the various cables under the water around it - bastards@!#$#$%& but the 'bestest' of fun regardless of the lost flies and shredded leaders that needed to be re-tied several times.

The queenfish were not too bad either. Literally thousands of them around the platform, especially in the shadows, but also 300-400 meters away with several large packs roaming the area and splashing about as they devoured baitfish.

Additionally any cast of a lure by the tossers - or in my case a fly - along the border of light and shadow on the water repeatedly had multiple fish competing for the cast object as it was rapidly retrieved. We also enjoyed the shadow as it was a pleasant surprise to be out of the blazingly hot sun so many kilometers from shore!

Haven't had that much fun - in what seems ages   - fish absolutely everywhere
Even though the tossers were not entirely focused on the species I was - they wanted big macks or golden snapper off the bottom

I didn't care what I hooked up to - as long as I was hooked up!

Here is a video of a bit of the action near the piers.
Hook ups, very bent rods, very tight fly lines, losing fish (several times), then hooking more fish before the fly gets to the surface - sooooo much fun!

20160911 DFR Saltwater Challenge Day3

Similar time into the water on Day3 and it was a b-line drive to our first location (Middle Reef) for fishing asap. 

This location is just within the boundaries of the competition, its a fair boat ride from Milne Inlet boat ramp, and in the past has yielded heaps of big Queenfish 80cm plus for us (look for previous blog on this location). So even though tides much different from previous outings, we were hoping for the same again on Day3. We were also hoping to repeat our Day2 uniqueness by catching the only macks for the whole comp so far.

We found them Day3 as well but frustratingly they were quite small (30-40cm), extremely flighty, zipping here and then there, popping up smashing baitfish and them immediately going down not to be seen for quite a while and usually hitting the surface 200-300m away from the last place they did so.

So very hard to get near these macks, let alone hook up – but we did hooked up to something strong and were hoping for a bigger mack – any mack but it was a Queenfish. We were sad till we saw its size – 69cm, which beat the biggest in the comp so far (61cm) by 8cm – so were hoping for another biggest of a species for the comp

(but on return to camp heard of a 79cm being caught - bugger! Always seems to happen, you get a good fish and someone beats it by a few centimetres!)

Having caught the only two macks so far during the comp, thus we were also hoping for the biggest mack for the comp – we had caught none on Day 3 and hoped no one else caught any. we had barely seen any during the day, other than at our first location and prior to the competition presentations 4pm Sunday arvo - had no idea if anyone had caught one on Day 3 or if they did - was it bigger than Peter’s 53cm mack – as there are good prizes for biggest of a species during the competition! (Peter did end up getting the biggest mack and won a nice TFO rod for his efforts! Awesome but should not the netter of his fish get something??????)

So after the first location Peter had two Queenfish (69 & 40cm), me nothing.

The conditions had calmed off to an oily surface. So we visited a few rocky points and ledges to the south of Middle Reef and Peter got some snapper and a trevally to give him three species (600 bonus points) I managed a few fish too but only snapper and trevally, so were hoping to get a Queenfish somewhere for me to get my third species. 

We decided to head for Turnbull Bay where we had got good Queenfish on Day 2, on the way stopped at the tip of Indian Island. Here we found some very eager and small Queenfish, trevally and snapper – all at the one small congregation of rocks. Only one rocky area, others just like it had nothing - so weird! At this one rock group - every cast was a nip at the fly or a hook up – I managed my third species for the day – a Queenfish. We racked up a few points by catch 6-8 each of trevally and Queenfish, as well as one or two snapper - and one small but pretty 15cm blue bone for me.

In fact we each got three targetted species at this rocky area - could have fish it all day for the same result instead of long runs zipping around the harbour to various locations!

Some of the queenfish at this spot were no bigger than my hand with an outstretched finger (that finger was for Peter and his comments about my tiny fish! at least its bigger than Canadian Pecker!)

We were definitely matching the hatch with our silicone surf candies as we found out when one trevally coughed up its last meal on the boat

Off to Turnbull bay eventually. Here Peter got a 12cm snapper and a 50cm Queenfish in quick succession. We hoped and intended to get several of the fish seen following the first fish to the boat. But then the wind changed direction and it was instantly a rougher wind chop slapping the boat and rock bar we were at. The fish shutdown instantly. Wind? Hull slap?? Whatever it was it was harsh and quick.

With only an hour left we headed for Knife island for a few more points before lines up. When we arrived the wind was in the other direction and blowing at more than 10 knots given the white caps on the waves. Two other fly fishing boats were fishing the area and left soon after we got there.

Peter kept working his flies again in the area others had left. Once after snapping off his entire leader and fly – re-tied a new leader and fly. I am day dreaming doing nothing, as soon as Peter finishes re-rigging he puts out a cast were nothing was moments before and hooks up immediately to a 53cm Queenfish. The man always puts in the effort and usually gets the fish - annoying and inspiring all at the same time!.

The wind change caught up with us and we sheltered around the inside (Crab Claw side) of Knife near the beach section of the island and the sand bar that runs out from it. Here tucked up against the beach were a heap of Queenfish, small but willing to take the fly, we caught three more fish (90 plus point worth) before we had to get back to ramp to hand in our scoresheets before the 2pm cut-off.

More fish today in numbers, but only three target species unlike yesterday’s four and most were on the small side (except Peter’s queenfish with a 69cm, and two 50cm+ in his list of captures). We were more than a little miffed at missing out on the macks (would have been four species for the day!!!) especially when they were at the first location but you can’t get them all the time. We have come to expect easy macks after this dry season’s many sessions at Lee Point catching large numbers of macks on a very regularly basis. But not today!

So the results for Peter's big effort and my little effort for the comp were:

Team 2FLY4U –    Day1 - 5th,       Day2 - 8^th,        Day3 - 7th - up one

Individually

Peter -                     Day1 - 12th,    Day2 - 13th,    Day3 - 10th ………. up 3 places

Richard                   Day1 - 10th,    Day2 – 11th,   Day3 - 11th ……      same place as yesterday.

The three days were full of tough fishing in lots of wind, with few fish about, and most with their mouths wired shut. 

Other found it not so with a couple of SWOFFERS in a day catching 6 species of the seven targetted species. quite a few got 5 species some two days running. Macks were the most allusive during the competition with only three in total being caught and measured, then the tarpon but some very nice ones were caught i think 55cm or 53 cm was the best, then salmon and then Barra - these last three with only small single figures most days of the comp being caught. There was an amazing 88cm barra caught on Day2, interestingly the first day only one barra was caught that was 32cm, so it makes the big one more amazing. Another competitor in one short time frame broke off 5 barra before getting one undersized one to measure. Salmon were caught each day but not a lot (and remember I ain't doing no dredging even again!) 

Some did it quite easy as one team did so well that in just two days (first day they lost several hours with a fuel pump issue) - their team still came third overall - so the fish were there if you knew what you were doing! Both in numbers and size compared to all others fishing the comp - amazing! So anything is possible.

So the fish were there but hard to convince to take the fly for some. Some like me didn't even find a few targetted species. A few anglers had it quite tough only catching a handful of fish the whole comp - one of those was a guy who was fishing saltwater for the first time, as did another new to the NT who caught a few brand new species (but a few more of them and much bigger to finish in the top five SWOFFERS - all this on a borrowed rod!!). some guys would catch one targetted species one day quite easily  then the next day could not buy that same species

The majority of the fish on all the score cards were small trevally, queenfish, and snapper. Some good snapper (jacks) were once found in a huge school of 50 plus that yielded one fish before they wouldn't take a single fly - regardless of fly changes and approaches of allurement. The individual winner got his first Threadie of 67cm to win that species category - well done!  

I will definitely have to pick up my game (notice wife that means more fishing!!!!) in skills and knowledge to crack the top quarter of the placings next year. I do feel I have four species sorted - macks, snapper, trevally and Queenfish. But really had no idea what to do about the barra, the salmon and the tarpon - if they were not where I expected them to be (very tide critical two of those species). I have caught tarpon before even won a rod for the largest tarpon a few years back (once in the DFR freshwater comp too!), have caught heaps of threadies (King Salmon) but need to work more on the blue salmon as more common and less tidal dependent on the flats (but don't like dredging!! Have I said that before?). As for the barra - if you have read my past blogs you will know of this my nemesis species! So I think I will only even get 6 species next year due to this nemesis factor - unless the stars align and the fishing gods smile upon me greatly!

Competitions always seem to be harder, don’t they? 

When its no pressure and no points -- the fish always seem willing and able, and the seas are calm as a duck pond, and conditions are windless all day to make casting easy. Then the day a comp starts - the fish go off their food, the wind starts up strongly and the tides are nuts………….. 

Or is it just me?

Here’s to next year – bring it on!

What else is next – a NTFF club freshwater comp? Heading to Gold Coast for a week in school holidays a “family” trip – but definitely taking a fly rod and some flies with me. It will be nice to wade in the water after some Dusky Flathead without worrying about being taken by a 4m croc!

Though I did hear the bull sharks are getting bad in the Broadwater and surrounds - so maybe not safer at all 

Must get back to the tying vice and table too, this for the next outing up here as I must tie some more garfish flies and tie them half the size of the ones I used at the comp too as I think they would work awesomely next time on the water!

Tie some flies & go SWOFFING - stop sitting at your computer reading this and get at it - 

Tie and then fly!

See you out there!

if you missed them
See Day 1 report - here
See Day 2 report - here

20160910 DFR Saltwater Challenge Day2

10 minutes later than yesterday we launch and are on our way to bluer waters and hopefully fish more on the chew than yesterday

We drove straight out the front of Bynoe hoping for some mackeral

After three bite offs we were starting to look at putting on wire traces but instead we use the garfish flies I tied recently. Which was really cool to have a fly tied for a specific purpose (one of not using wire) and see it all come together – the macks went nuts of the fly. Pity they cut me off most times! 

The fish were very flighty and sporadic in their appearance but eventually Peter hooks up and lands the first, mine took a fair bit longer and you can see the garfish fly pinned in the tip of my fish’s mouth.

The macks went very quite - so with time always critical that was the Macks done, so we head off to find more species on the target list….

On the way back into the harbour we spied some long fringe finned trevally attacking the surface in 80+ feet of water (26m plus deep) but they proved harder than mackerel to approach and catch. Every time we got close enough to cast they would dive, Peter managed one cast into the feeding fray when we drove close enough to cast but no hook up –  after several attempts to get closer enough to cast, we left them - cursing their existence@!

Regardless of their average size of 20cm, we only needed a couple (one for each of us) to count as a target species, measured for points and take a photo for proof of species before release -  5 minutes tops, out of the water– why didn’t they understand this????

Then it was off to find some other species – hoping for Barra and Salmon I went to a spot I hadn’t fished a lot but it had too much water over the flats and it was dirty water too.

But the rock bar nearby the flats I wanted to fish, provided us with Queenfish and Snapper – two more species to make it three species by 10am woo hoo! Things were looking better but we were still low in numbers of fish and size. But plenty of time to hopefully catch a few more to add to the scores

The tide was still rising, so the flats would be out for a while still, and there were other places to catch species - so we worked our way into the harbour towards Knife Island.

On the way back into the harbour to find some more flats or rock bars – the wind was picking up considerably and casting proved more and more difficult with flies slapping the hull, motor casing and me!

At one exposed rock bar that in the past had yielded heaps of trevally for me - Peter kept persevering cast after cast for nothing but eventually got his trevally, which inspired me to stop being figuratively in a foetal position in bottom of the boat and get casting myself - and four casts later I get a butter bream, not a target species but still points and such a pretty fish, and then the very next cast a small but quite significant trevally.

Significant because with this small fish it was now four species for me, Peter had already got his – both of us one species better than yesterday.

I have caught 5 species a few times before (no barra, no salmon each time - need to spend some serious time on these species) and once caught six of the target species for this comp (no barra like always for the last few years!) but all caught in pre-fish practice times. So this is the first time for Peter and myself to catch four species in a day during a competition – well done to both of us!

We then tried to catch more, hoping for a tarpon, a barra and or a salmon to further increase our bonus points for target species count

We tried Kirra Rock where I get a few snapper but wind and tide are in opposite direction to each other making staying there hard, let alone casting in safety. The flats where we saw the Threadies yesterday were almost visited but it was too shallow and very dirty. We then tried a gravel patch for snapper to catch our max number for a species (20) –sadly no fish again, Peter caught a pretty blue bone at one rock bar, then to went the back of the Annie Arm for one of the last three species on a flat that has worked previously and it was out of the howling wind – sadly nothing we wanted – however I did catch a pikey bream and a flathead that I would happily catch on the east coast. The pikey came from a classic Barra snag and for a few brief moments I thought I had broken my hoodoo with Barra as the fly slipped under the snag and I came up tight to a struggling fish, so my nemesis fish remains elusive!

After that is was a long, wet and rough ride back up the harbour into some fierce wave chop for several kilometres, from china wall to Crab Claw, then side on to the waves and wind as we crossed behind Knife Island and then wallowing in the waves as we travelled with the wave action into Milne Inlet.

Back at the boat ramp we thought we found some tarpon near the ramp, whatever they were they didn’t take the fly, though Peter did pull an Archerfish out from the school of them rolling, flashing us their silver scaly sides from the water’s edge.

So after Day2 even though we thought we did well others did a lot better so the team and individual standings were……….sad!

Team wise - we dropped 3 places

Individually – we both dropped one place (Peter 13^th, me 11^th)

It had us wondering how it could be so – but although we got more species - we needed more fish of those species.

In the positive - we were the only ones to catch Macks, with Peter getting the largest Mack so far (only two being caught over the last 2 days and those by us - lol). A few of the other teams asked us where we got the macks – while I usually like to share what little I know this was a competition, so I told them I will tell them tomorrow – haha! (it's how to keep an idiot in suspense because tomorrow never comes)

So tomorrow the plan is to do what we did today but more of each species along the way.

Scorecards in by 2pm and presentations at 4pm.

So here’s hoping we catch more fish of the target species!

See Day 1 report - here
See Day 3 report - here

20160909 DFR Saltwater Challenge Day1

So early start on Day1 – 5:15am to be at our first planned first fishing spot for ‘lines in’ at 6:30am, we were second at the boat ramp (but some did use the Six Pack Ramps 20 minutes up the road so may have beaten us to the water – almost sure they did)

From that moment on nothing followed the plan – no big fish as dreamed and planned for, but at least the small fish count as a species for bonus points regardless of size

Instead of going straight to blue salmon spot - we detoured to Knife Island and got two species each – Trevally and Queenfish

Even managed a double hook up of queenies once but then came the wind for the rest of the day (it did calm off round 1pm but only as the wind changed into the opposite direction)

So we then went up our chosen creek to find tarpon and blue salmon in a deep hole at the junction of three creeks out of the wind. But the wind was sort of funnelling up the creek, not too bad but making things difficult.

Plus this dredging flies on the bottom of a 4-6m hole you’re drifting through is soooooooo BORING!!!!!!!!

Cast up current of drift, tide and wind - wait for it to sink, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting for it to hit the bottom. Then slow strip the fly along the bottom for the Blues, and once fly off the bottom strip faster for the Tarpon. Was told during a pre-fish a few weeks ago the blues were massing on the surface and multiple hook ups were the go – today no Blue Salmon for us! or tarpon. not a lot caught over hte comp but definitely were not where we looked and cast - and dredged!

This dredging technique – SUCKS big time! Works most times or so I have heard and it sucks big time!  Can’t see fish, catching no fish – if it hadn’t been for Peter and his persistence, I would have left after the first dredge

We did manage some Ock Ocks on the bottom dredge but very sadly no Blues or Tarpon – no tarpon rolling, nothing

I tell a lie, re nothing, cause I hooked a funny looking Queenfish – pointier head, blue steel sides, one bright yellow with fin the rest of the fins normal

Finally I convinced Peter to leave this place of dredging and when we came out the wind was still howling down the harbour with white caps starting to be quite prevalent

We popped across these white capped waves over to Paspayley’s corner but the wind blowing right into it - I did manage a butter bream which was a rare fly capture

Onto Kirra Rock and it was just under the water at this stage of the tide

Casting up current of the rock and letting fly sinking deep (not quite dredging trust me) – then a slow strip as the fly swings past the front of the rock. Tap, tap hook up! Awesome!

Peter got 6 snapper in quick succession, me four – our third species and bonus 600 points for doing so, two of Peter’s snapper were good sized Golden Snapper. Most of the snapper were little Moses Perch – but a target species of the comp all the same. My first one was only 12cm long but gave me three species – yeehaah!

We went to the flats behind Kirra Rock and it was a bit muddy at first. We search the creek entrance in the back corner for naught but must come here again – so much potential. Then we used the electric to cruise the edge of the mangroves towards the far creek to the south.

We found mullet – useless. While not worth bonus points – found plenty of Blue bastards that once or twice followed our flies if we got them touching their noses – if it didn’t spook them first but no hook ups. Peter very keen to have ago at this species when no comp on.

Near the end of our cruise along the mangrove edge, after we had noted how clean the water had become and due to such we saw heaps of the blue bastards – we (that is Peter) saw some threadfin salmon – one of the reasons we came to this flat – them plus Barra and Tarpon

Of the 6 to 8 Threadies we saw – sadly only one paid the slightest attention to Peter’s fly

Leaving this flat before we got marooned by the receding water, we then popped down to China Wall but squat there - despite a few follows and some bust-ups in distance. Next was the creek behind it in case some tarpon were rolling but no!

Next it was back to Paspayley Corner wind still howling but not forcing waves in to the corner this time – here there were very flighty patches of Queenfish harassing baitfish, managed a couple but again the wind eventually proved the winner and we started heading  towards the ramp

The low tide would make the ramp quite low – and we needed to wait a while as the tide rose slowly - so a hard fish was done behind Knife Island in 10-15 knot winds hoping for a mackerel – the birds were diving at something, but no slashes by fish. The waves were big, lifting and falling with each wave, Peter was stoically casting in atrociously windy conditions for no fish. He deserved a fish just for all that blind casting.

So finally home we go to the ramp, which was quite a bumpy ride up and over the massive wind waves that had travelled the entire length of the harbour from north to south, well till we turned the corner into Milne Inlet.

While Peter was getting trailer to ramp to load boat, some very small tarpon started rolling and I quickly put in a few casts but no gravy at the last moment for me! Nor a fourth species!!!

So a tough day – but three species at least for each of us. Each of us got just under 1000 points with fish length points and bonus points added together for the three target species and couple of ‘other’ species we caught today. Peter with 13 fish and me with 14 fish on our score sheets. Both of us dropped a few fish at side of the boat and also had a few follows from fish we should have hooked up to – worse still targeted species that would have increased our bonus points.

Other didn’t fair too well with one boat only landing two small fish but there is always someone who does well, usually very well.

However, at the end of Day1 of the 2016 DFR SWC - team ‘2FLY4U’  (Peter and myself) are in fifth spot (out of 11 teams). Peter is in 12^th and with one only 20 or so points more - I am in 10^th out of the 22 Swoffers fishing the comp.

So in the middle of the pack both for team and individual again – one more species of which we had follows from would have zipped us up the standings. One factor is our favour was we caught 20% of the queenfish caught for the day

So overall, a hard day for most across the board with only 5 salmon for day, no mackerel at all, nothing giant in size with biggest fish of the day being a 61cm queenfish and a 55cm Tarpon (a nice fish for that species). Only one person getting 5 of the seven targeted species, a few more getting four targeted species and half of those fishing getting three species.

I got 5 species for the day but two were not on the competition’s target list of: a barramundi, a salmon, a trevally, a queenfish, a tarpon, a mack and a snapper. One or two species can be found in one spot sometimes but all need to be focused on to have success at different times of the tide and location. With most species requiring different location and tactics to catch – so I like this competition. 

Still I should have just caught more species and more fish instead of thinking about the stuff others may or may not do

see Day 2 report - here
See Day 3 report - here

time for weird tying - the Extended Silicone Candy

Tied my fingers off lately in prep for up coming fly fishing - still can't get enough

Minnows, squid, 'no see ums' jelly prawns, clousers, 3d baitfish, garfish, silicone surf candies
some with wire leaders others not

Been great fun, but seeing I have 40 or 50 or more of the main flies I used

What can I tie now?

You see I desperately need to tie something before the anticipation of this weekends saltwater fly challenge comp overwhelms me (- two days to go) - very exciting to be actually fishing after so many weeks not fishing
Work is not challenging me, so while supervising students completing work for other teachers or studying for my upcoming tests - I have been thinking what fly to tie?

Here's what I came up with
I wanted a fly for the mackerel that I could use without wire
So taking one tarpon fly style of tying everything at the hook bend and that Bynoe pelagics have a liking of my silicone surf candy

I tied a silicone surf candy at the bend of the hook with an extended body to make it more durable

First step was to tie tail materials (craft fur and a touch of flash) onto a piece of plastic coated paper clip

I then tie several of these

I then tie the extended piece to the bend of the hook and 

wrap from tail to tie in point with flash material

Once I have done this to the number I wish to tie (only seven today - the rest of hte hooks on the foam are going to be more normal silicone surf candies)

It is then time to apply the silicone (see previous blog entry about this)

basically a dollop of silcione molded over the body and head area

Add in your 3D eyes after doing this - so as it sets the eyes in place as the silicone sets

Set aside 24 hours to harden

Then a couple of layers of nail polish to finish off the fly

And there it is the "Extended Silicone Candy"

first set of dubbing brush based flies

Well at the moment I am thinking - as fun as it was - that's a lot of hassle for a fly
But I think it could catch on in my tying repertoire, will have to tie a few more varieties before I make any long lasting decisions to burn the dubbing brush device or let if gather dust under the fly tying table

The fly I ended up tying is a "white brush baitfish fly" (my name, and yes it could do with some work!)
10-12cm in length
It is a combo of several flies I have seen - but mostly made with what I had in the material cabinet that would work for the fish I target in Bynoe Harbour

Five brushes 25cm long - made these eight flies

Tying method 
4/0 hook of your choice - lay down a bed of white thread
6 saddle hackles - 3 each side of hook shank - curve of feather out (tarpon cockroach fly style) for more movement but optional - deceiver style curve inwards works just fine too
(grizzle hackle ??/ optional - I didn't)

Then at start of hook bend tying in the butts of some white ostrich herl on sides (5-9 pieces each) with tip to the rear of fly
Then 5-9 pieces of pink ostrich herl on the top of hook shank with tips towards the rear of fly

Then tie in at bend of hook the pre made dubbing brush (see previous blog) of ultra hair, craft fur and pearl flash
Wrap this forward towards the hook eye - always stroking material of brush rearward
Tie off brush at hook eye and trim excess
Form a small head of thread - tie off your thread

Take fly out of vice and fold, manipulate, and brush the brush material towards rear of the fly for a nicely tapered head/body - trim with scissors if needed

A dollop of silicone on back of 3D prism eye and - mash and mold this into the head area and smooth off the area
Set aside for 24 hours to harden
Next day, add a light coating of epoxy over just head and eyes and set on a rotary drying device to harden again

I use a couple of drops of dish washing liquid in half a cup of tap water to stop the silicone sticking to my fingers but don't use too much moisture - or the silicone wont adhere to fibres

And there you have it
Tight lines - go fish - may your fly line sing through the water and be as tight as a .... - well you know!

first dubbing brush made

So the first one worked ok - maybe even well

However,
The base needs to be 14mm higher to suit the battery drill but two magazines under the base fixed that - will attach some ply first chance I get

I also don't like the different speed along its length that the brush spins as it is being made when comparing each end. The drill side spins fast, the other end not as much

Thinking of rigging up some sort of system (pulleys or gears or maybe a battery drill from both ends??) something to turn the brush from both ends but that all gets quite complicated

So have made the very first brush
Will make a few more
Then tie some flies - photos up soon

This first brush was mostly synthetics in first layer of material laid down, then some ice flash, then some short craft fur






Thinking of saddle hackles and ostrich hurl for the tail of the fly I hope to make later (once I make a few more brushes)
In front of this tail material wrapping a deep collar of the dubbing brush
then some 3D eyes
Also thinking of of tying some Bradley Bunnies -- must dig out my zonker collection
tie a few of these
side by side zonker for the tail, dubbing brush head wit h3D eyes also
Then go fishing - well eventually!

Had to make something, to tie something!

So got thinking on what fly to tie next???
As no fishing for a few more days still, can u believe it - no fishing now for several weeks!!!!
This due to that I can't fish for the next four days with wife in Sydney over the weekend, thus me looking after my beautiful and adorable rug rats, then its school back next week but then its only a week today before the saltwater fly challenge starts (Sept 9th-11th) - so not that long to go till a flyline is cast in a divine purposeful act!!

And so if you can't SWOFF you might as well tie flies!

But again which fly??

To help decide what to tie - I spent most of any computer time available looking through all the screen shots I have taken of flies over the last few years. Lots of shrimp and crabs I have yet to tie.

However, there seemed to be many, and I mean many, screen shots of 3D type, fat bodied baitfish flies.
And the majority of them had dubbing brush parts.

So did some more online research - to buy a 'u beaut' store bought dubbing device was too long to wait for - AND NO MONEY (remember wife focused on building a house - go figure with so many places to fish and species to catch round Darwin - where are her priorities??????) buying dubbing brushes also didn't suit my personal philosphy of 'do it yourself'.

This underlining philosophy is based on what my grandfather (who taught me fly fishing) said -
"using someone else's flies (or in this case dubbing brushes) is like getting someone else to father your children for you - when its actually more fun to do it yourself!"

As a consequence and given my background with countless farmers and Aussie pioneers in my ancestry
- I am attuned to where you can't - you make do or make it yourself  -
so I started looking online at home made dubbing brush devices. With all that is out there in my head I proceeded to design and make one for myself

Then after lunch with my math students working 'hard' on their chapter review and test prep for next week's math test, while they sat outside the woodwork room in the early 'build up' humidity and heat (lol) - I took 20 minutes to build one out the bits and pieces in the woodwork room. Like a couple of eye bolts, some extra 1/4 inch nuts and washers, a spring out of an old busted tool, a few bits of timber cut to size from scrap timber and with Brad nails from my nail gun and 'no nails' mega-glue hold it all together - there you have it, one dubbing brush device!

First draft anyway - may change the design after 20 or so dubbing brushes are made if it proves an unsatisfactory process involved in making the brushes on this design. I think I might want it to make dubbing brushes 5-10cm longer (currently 27cm). But I am feeling confident in its success - especially after learning and taking on board all the info out there from the other tyers on the web who have built and used their own devices - who have freely shared their ups and downs etc

So this is it below with a foam pad to lay wire onto, then dubbing materials, then second strand of wire, then lots of twisting

I made the support pad for the brush to be able to be shifted aside - it slides out of its supports on the base - so once moved out of the way after a couple of twists, the fibres can spin freely once the twisting starts

Below is the drive end, where the battery drill will be attached to fully twist the wires together thus creating the brush. see the couple of locked nuts to hold the bolt in place so it doesn't slide back and forth. The height of it should match the height of the battery drill when attached. regardless, I tried to made the base heavy enough, so it is more stable but might need to a more purposeful support for the battery drill at a later stage.

This is the other end. I placed a couple of bits of timber beside the eye bolt to stop it twisting. There is also a spring to assist in bolt movement as wire shortens and maintain tension on the wires, when it is twisted to form the dubbing brush

Will update you soon, how I go making some brushes over the weekend.

more tying time frenzy

Have been stuck at home for a while now
The wife off on school camp three days this week,  then this weekend for four days she is off to catch up with all her bridesmaids in Sydney whom all have babies now to ogle and ga ga over

So I am looking after our two girls 24-7 lately and once the little ones are safety tucked in bed and asleep the evenings are free of nagging, free of "have you done so and so" and free of "aren't you listening to me" even thought she hasn't spoken for two minutes and thinks I am ever waiting on the next brain spasm of her thought processes

So what is a guy to do ---------- tie flies - no interruptions - yeehaaaah!!!
And it stops me doing the things I have to do that I don't want to do - like school work marking and doco etc

Latest flies tied are some garfish flies
(didn't like my last lot I tied on wire leaders - just not dainty enough

so tied up these garfish

Used a 2/0 longshank hook
Wrapped some lead wire at start of hook bend
Two layers about 4-5mm long all at bend in  basically a lump
Dabbed that with nail polish then wrapped to secure with thread
Then a touch of flash (8-12 fibres) tied at hook bend
Some synthetic fibres around all this to encapsulate the flash material
Then a subtle few blue fibres along the top - don't go overboard here just a hint of colour
I attach the prism eyes by placing a dob of clear silicone, a bit smaller then the eye itself attaching this silicone to the back of the eye before squishing the eye into place - as so easy to adjust and re-position the eyes this way if needed
Allow this to set over night
Then using red thread create a long nose along the rest of the hook shank towards the hook eye
Finally, using a rotary device - add a layer of epoxy over the nose and eyes to toughen the fly up for a hopeful mackerel onslaught!


I like the result

Also tied up a heap of size 1 clousers in goat hair with a touch of flash material between the two wings of goat hair - I tie my clousers the old way - eyes, flash then wing on outside of hook shank, flip over and tie in wing on hook point side - rather than 'charlie' style where both wings tied on hook point side of shank and both tied in at same place  between eyes and hook eye.
below are 24x with beadchain and 24x with plated lead dumbbell, these last ones with a chartreuse threaded nose to tell them apart quicker in the fly box - they are for the deep holes cahsing blues and tarpon for the upcoming fly fishing competition.

Also can hardly wait to put these in front of some big fish.............
My version of Rupert Harvey's Funky Muddler - see his tying video
These are about 10-12cm long, thick profiled and ready to push water about as they swim through the water... very excited about these

then there are some big eyed baitfish 1/0s

Then some larger profile baitfish

For these I made my own clear fish skulls using a dollop of clear silicone molded around the head area before attaching a 3d prism eye and once set a light coating of epoxy

Problem is now I have so many flies and no way to lose any till the 9th when the DFR Saltwater challenge competition starts!!!! Bring it on

Now what will I tie tonight?????