The Corroboree Chihuahua

So here's the tying method for the 'gun' fly on the last foray into the freshwater at Corroboree Billabong
 (see Freshwater prep comp outing)

First all - here are the flies I tied for the comp prep trip to Corroboree

For the prep trip I had mostly tied size2 clousers with weedguards in various colours yellow on white, pink on green, black on orange, some smaller weed-guarded black gurlgers with rubber legs red and  rabbit strip tails. Lastly on the left of image are the so called "Corroboree Chihuahua" type fly (with no weed guards) - think the name has something to do with it being small with attitude!

See the link to blog entry in the intro sentence at top for a trip report to see why all of a sudden this smallest fly of those tied - is my go to fly in Corroboree for the next few trips (till next "saviour" fly comes along anyway)

This recent fly, the "Olive Chihuahua", got me five species on my last sojourn to freshwater - including ten toga above 35cm, with one going 61cm, and a few more under 35cm we didn't count.  It caught three barra (if small) and had others chasing it. It also caught a large number of 35-45cm tarpon - solid thick shouldered fish. This after drawing a blank with other more trusted and tried flies for the first three hours of the trip.

Now in any comp when you don't have to change flies to catch different species it means more time with a fly in the strike zone (that is maybe hooking a fish!) - which has to be to the fly fishers benefit during "lines in" when participating in a competition! Plus any fly that can catch most of the species in the billabong is a "GOOD" fly!

Better still, it is a simple fly with only a few materials. I stuck to all olive colours but Peter's favourite of orange tail and black collar (and the reverse) would work just as good - well for Peter anyway!

This is basically a beadchain nymph come damsel nymph type pattern
Now to tying method I use but feel free to tie it anyway you want






So firstly - a bed of thread on a really sharp size 4 hook













Next is bead chain eyes tied in behind the hook eye
















Next is  tuft of marabou to form tail - leave butts attached
















These marabour butts - I fold down along body













Then I use some Emu herl

Which is tied in butt first

This hackle is wound behind bead chain to form a collar. The emu herl is stiff with plenty of fluff on each barbel

Then I shape a "V" out of 24 kilo mono to form the weedguard - cut it a touch too long when making the "V" - that is before you tie it in - then trim once tied in, just a bit longer than hook point.









This weedguard I tie in in front of the bead chain, adding a touch of nail polish to the thread tie off point to give it more durability

And that is it - go get it wet - right in the lilies~!!!   

Enjoy!

20180425 - Corroboree prep comp outing

So my usual fly fishing expeditioner has entered the local fly fishing freshwater comp without me (seeing I have been turned off comps for a while now but may have to change that as I need a new rod or two that is the regular prizes for such comps)

So we planned a foray into the fresh in prep for the comp in a little over a week 

I got to sleep in this trip as Peter volunteered to get his boat ready and pick me up at my place on the way to Corroboree Billabong. He had to leave town at 4:45am to pick me up at my place by 5:30am. I only got up at 5:15am as my stuff was ready to go the night before.

When almost to the billabong, we met up with a couple more fly fishers at the Corroboree Tavern and then proceed straight to the billabong a short distance down the road from the tavern

There was a bit of a traffic jam at the boat ramp but everyone was efficient as they could be and we were very soon on the way to our first testing area. It was a testing area as we would test out flies, methods all day to refine and fine tune our fly fishing - in the areas of casting, retrieval and fly selection.   

The casting has to be tight and close to structure, shadow and weed edges, the retrieval would varying depending on mood of fish and many other factors, fly selection is endless so we were basically trying to work out colours, as too fly type which always varies greatly – surface? sub surface? or deep flies? Flies with pulse, size, weed guards or not......... the list goes on endlessly

Our first testing area proved quite testing as no fish other than tarpon showing or being caught. Our fly fishing companions in the other boat got four toga which raised our enthusiasm!

Peter and I used different fly lines and flies to work the full water column and to test as many flies as possible but to no avail! 

Eventually the next spot was decided to be visited.

This proved quite fortuitous. 

Peter had been focusing on weed guarded whistler style flies made mostly of bunny fur. These have been very successful for us previously. He was casting right to the back of the weed/lily beds. Once as we spoke of the best part of this style of fly fishing of when the toga smashed the lilies to get at flies drag across the lily's surface - it occurred - the toga twice whacked the fly on the lily but the fish failed to hook up.

I cast into the area and miss it by a metre or two but still managed to get a nice toga out of the exact lily edge area Peter had been casting into - was it Peter's fish??????. 

This capture proved very fortuitous for our theories on how to fish our chosen flies during the comp which we continued to refine, tweak and test til 4pm in the afternoon.  

Prior to this instance, for about a half hour I had wanted a little bit of action, any action! So I had switched over to my other rod with a small damsel pattern on the end of the leader - for which Peter has dubbed the type of fly – the "Corroboree Chihuahua" (why?? I have no idea - maybe small with lots of bark and attitude!). 

This fly shown here is the one that got the 61cm and a heap of tarpon

But the basic concept is a marabout tail, and a emu herl collar just behind bead chain eyes. Hook size is about a four.  you could add some peacock herl along body area but i am using a short shanked hook and didn't see the need. I used all olive materials and fluoro green thread. It is suppose to be a version of a damsel nymph but this fly here has been chewed on severely!

With this type of fly, once in a little personal competition when nothing else about, we decided to see who could catch five meters of combined length of tarpon in the shortest time. I think we both caught over 6m of 10-20cm tarpon up the creek to the right of the boat ramp that day in a very short time – so we knew it was a successful pattern in this location - well for at least Tarpon anyway.

So the night before I had tied a 12 of these - well my version of it for this prep comp day of fly fishing (but sadly in hindsight - without weed guards!!!). This just in case a tarpon fiesta was warranted if we couldn't catch anything else of merit

I was casting to a few boiling tarpon in the middle of the waterway while Peter persevered casting his larger fly into the back of the weeds looking for those bigger toga we have caught previously. I was hooking plenty of tarpon in the 35-45cm range and having a lot of fun (because it seemed I couldn't catch anything else on my usual flies) 

On seeing Peter's action with his lily attacking toga - I cast towards the area but missed it by a few meters. Still I began to retrieval my poorly cast fly. Surprisingly I came up tight to a nice 45cm toga – Man! they are a most beautiful fish! 

As we worked our way slowly along the water way - Peter kept casting to back of weeds and I cast to the edges of weed lines. Peter was using a fast sinking line. I was using an intermediately line (usually use a full sink line) with my tiny fly on the end of a long light tippet. I would let the fly sink and then retrieve a little, followed by a short pause before repeating this till back at the boat.

I was regularly picking up small toga and good sized tarpon in close to weeds - and once away from the weeds and shadows  on way back to boat - a heap of smaller tarpon. All this on this same fly little fly. I also got a few other species - long tom, catfish and even (praise the fishing gods!) my long-time nemesis - a couple of quite small Barra - one 35cm and one 25cm. 

We had several follows from similar sized Barra. Peter got fish on his big fly too - Toga and some nice (greedy - given size of fly) tarpon. Along one lovely length of waterway, Peter got three 45cm toga in about 6 casts over a 200 metre stretch. Later he had a vicious take from a thick chested 55cm toga. Peter also gets a small Barra and a plethora of good tarpon.

While starting disheartenedly slow- now we were having a great day - for the day we ended up with 17 toga - the biggest 61cm and most in the 45-55cm range, along with a few smaller ones. 

Once, on the way back to the start of our run area - I cast my tiny fly along a tip of weeds and letting it sink, I felt the take on the drop and strip struck, coming up tight to the biggest fish of the day a 61cm toga! You beauty!!! So unusual in our experience to catch such a decent toga on this small fly.

In the end a great day was had, plenty of tight lines with beautiful silver fish - then thankfully with the odd fish in a lovely golden brown colouration with brilliant pink spots in one of the most picturesque places to fish anywhere in the world! All, only a little more than an hour outside of Darwin

Who would live and fly fish anywhere else!

So more flies to be tied, most definitely a few with weed guards to get deeper into the weed beds.

We have marked a few spots to concentrate Peter's efforts during the comp. Our casting was getting much tighter by end of day, our retrievals finely tuned to our target species and the toga's at times subtle takes

But Peter - remember to bring the net on comp day! (unlike today!!) 

20180414 - Tuna Time already - Trip SUmmary Video

some of the things we saw and did this last fly fishing trip ------
tuna hammering baitfish a rod length from the boat
me almost falling off boat while untangling fly line from motor prop
some of the best weather and tuna fly fishing we have experienced in a long time
An absolutely awesome day on the water!

enjoy

20180414 - First tuna of the year have showed up - well for us anyway

So a late night phone call changes our location for the next day’s fly fishing trip to wider regions and it also moves the start time up an hour. And this motivates me to get straight to bed for sleep - as it will be a long hot day on the water.

Next day it’s a 3:30am get out of bed time – then gather a few things out of fridge (rest of gear already in ute) and start the drive to Peter’s place 40minutes away. We launch a little after 5am and it’s very dark with no moon – so we back off the throttle given the trees and logs washed into harbour over the wet season.

Once to the Six mile buoy we set the charts to a heading of 308 degrees towards out first location of the oil rig that has been offshore for a few years now. We have always manage countless fish from its piers but after the long ride out we found very little around the rig.

We get a few small queenfish, but only just as the large schools of them seem in a swimming slumber barely reacting to the flies we retrieve in the clear green water. I got a beautiful blue finned trevally, the photo here doesn’t do justice to its beauty as in the water the blue was incredibly iridescent, while the yellows on its lateral line so contrasting – what a beautiful fish! If only 35 or so cm long.

With every cast to one of the massive piers, I was getting plenty of touches and brief hook ups with the resident meter plus Long Toms. Most that may the flyline come tight with a little jump and flick remove the fly which is usually only twisted in their teeth and no real hook penetration. However, I finally manage to stay connected to one of the big ones, connected long enough to get a hand on it for a photo or two

A very much unique fish with its blue tinged teeth aligned along its beak like mouth with rows of tiny super sharp knives, and elongated body with an squarish edged head.

After a few hours working the area around the rig, we decide to head back towards some humps we spied on the sounder on the way to the oil rig. We putter away from the rig and move back to the outer regions of the harbour.

We get to about 10 or so kilometres off Lee Point in about 20m of water and zero structure showing on the sounder. The water has calmed to an oily slick-like surface and in these super calm conditions we clearly see a several hundred meters away some water surface action with a few wheeling birds hovering above it. We quickly decide zip over to investigate - hoping it is not the small fringe-finned trevally (the biggest usually barely 15cm) that filled this area later last year and at that time we ended up targeting the black tipped reef sharks that were in turn hounding them)

Can you see the boiling water a cast length from boat? that's a few hundred spottie macks!

On arrival near the actively feeding fish, we hook up regularly but they are all small spottie mackerel. A few larger ones are spied amongst the school of fish keeps us casting that we don't sadly hookup to. The water is absolutely crystal clear and watching all the fish move about is a massive thrill. The macks are all round the boat and under it, ignoring it and us completely as they chase baitfish and feed with abandon.

We can clearly see the large schools of macks deep in the clear water as they wheel about and circle the bait. They push the bait upwards to then ravage the small baitfish on the surface. Quite breathtaking to see so many fish after basically a fishless morning in such clear and calm water. So graceful in their movement through the water - well until the baitfish could be corralled and then with utter mayhem - consume them.

While I am hooked up to a small spottie mack I think I see off in the distance a tuna doing its porpoising type surface breach which makes me want to get my glasses prescription check if I am mistaken and increases the heart rate all at the same time if it is the first tuna for the season that we might be able to catch.

Despite plenty of fish, if on the small side, around us we leave them feeding and we head straight to the tuna. With predator schools starting to hammer bait all around us, we avoid some of the action that due to the surface slashing are clearly mackeral and veer towards what is now absolutely seen to be longtail tuna. our excitement has risen immensely to say the least! 

We had hoped to see the tuna out at the rig earlier this morning, one of the reason for going there due to a few reports buzzing out the social media circles of tuna out wide. 

But here we are with 120 plus kilometers travelled for the day to out wide and back to harbour, and ironically here within sight of Lee Point and the city skyline - the longtail tuna are all about us. We both hook up and lose fish. We chase, we drift we cast poorly but we still get hook ups such are the numbers and their lack of concern about being near the boat – typical early season behaviours.

So we found them, in large numbers too - right at the side of the boat too! (wait till you see this action on the video - awesome!!!!!!!!!

Our buck fever at seeing the longtails for the first time this year, create so many ways to not to cast and others ways to lose fish – I lose two fish with a few hundred metres of backing out leader breaking near the fly - takes so long to wind in especially when tuna are still at side of boat feeding with abandon. Peter loses one tuna a few seconds after hook up when the free line on the deck loops as it rapidly races out of the rod, and the flyline briefly wraps around one of his fingers and it pauses the fly line just enough to snap the leader as the tuna is racing for the horizon at an unbelievable speed. 

Such is the mayhem of Long tail tuna!

Once, I am so busy looking for the tuna - I don't see my only 8w sinking fly line wrap around the ticking over prop - which results in a shredded fly line. It is now in three pieces - so I join it with double uni knots in two places and keep using it (as my this is my backup line and the other line is at home in the same condition! - as least I know what I am getting for my birthday this year!). This is all happening while countless tuna continue to gorge themselves on baitfish around the boat. 

At one point on retrieve and unwrapping my shredded fly line, I also almost fall out of boat and end up hanging over the motor leg. I was on the verge of cooling off in the 31.2 degree water, and Peter has to stop casting, hop down off front casting deck, and haul me back into the boat - thanks Pete!

These tuna are not huge but very strong, and I mean very strong. These 65-70cm versions we are catching this trip, fight like the 80-90cm fish we were catching at the end of last season in 2017. Just absolutely love these football/torpedo like fish – frustrating chasing them when they are boat shy – yes, but awesome fish all the same.

I brutalize my fish during the fight never given them an easy time, to such a degree even opening slightly the hook of the fly I am using on one the larger fish for the day. in case you want to know - the main fly we used was the Silicone sirf candy in sizes 1/0 and 1, about 5-6cm in length. Search the whole blog using the search option at the top right of this blog for the tying instructions of this fly. my favourite saltwater fly for the saltwater regions I fish (freshwater tarpon like it too!) 

my second and biggest tuna was caught onc a fly line that had two double uni knots holding the fly line together

Peter is exhausted with early start and fighting two very strong fish. My forearms, my shoulders and back are aching intensely from my two to hand and several lost tuna but I want more. Peter said just after bringing one tuna to the boat that the next fish is mine and he will drive the boat, but it only takes one comment from me (and twenty to thirty tuna pound the water surface right near the boat) to get him casting and hooked up again. This time we get a double hook up, I lose mine after a bit but Peter stays hooked up to his ,for his second fish in a short period of time. I don’t know whether his groan on hook up was excitement at another tuna or despair at the pain he would feel getting it to the boat over the next 10-15minutes. Man! These fish are tough, stubborn and in turn a fantastically awesome species to target on fly.  

Both us agree to do some fitness work to ensure we can fish all day for these awesome fish over the next few months.

With the great weather we experience this trip, the ride back to the ramp was so much smoother than for as long as we could remember - both us enjoying the calm afternoon water not experienced for a few years now. Ssuch were the conditions, Peter opened up the throttle to achieve a top speed of 50.2kmh - not bad given the weight of all our gear and two very big guys in the boat! (both of us well over 6 feet.

The trip back to the ramp was spent planning the next tuna focused trip - we revelled in knowing they would be about for several months more! Hopefully the calm weather is travelling with them!

I want more! - COME ON TIE SOME BAITFISH PATTERNS AND GET OUT THERE! 

Catch some with us! they will be here to late into the 2018

The video for this trip will have some awesome fly fishing scenes and fish surface action. 

It will make you casting arm ache to be casting to such fish so close to the boat! - will have it up on the blog as soon as I can. 

20180408 - Trip Report - Six Mile Queenies

Had a cracker of a morning on the water on weekend while giving my little boat a run – its a 4.75 Stessl Protracker with an old 60hp merc on it – I call it a small boat cause there are crocs (and sharks!) up here regularly bigger than it and it also has a low profile – which makes it far too so easy for the crocs to jump on the casting platform and have a sunbake! 

Doesn’t stop me using it but the thought is always in the back of my mind. 

The rig is more of an east coast estuary bass/bream comp type setup.

but it gets me on the water - if it can be a little rough in any sort of chop and swell

The run around the harbour was needed as the result of having been fishing last six months out of a mate’s bigger boat - so my rig was not getting much use other than a location for mud wasp nests – under the console in particular!

  

The motor really needed a good long run – to begin with the motor was as rough as for the first hour – even had trouble starting it one out front of Darwin Harbour after the first 45minute run - which was a bit daunting of the thought of drifting to Timor if i couldn't start it. However, after a tweak and a fiddle by letting out the water from the petrol/water filter - it was going again a bit better.  

The tide was almost to the top – a nothing tide for the harbour, one I would normally do others things than plan to fish – but when time is limited and nothing else going – why not – you’ll never know if you never launch it! It’s only a bit of fuel at the minimum!

On way back into Darwin Harbour from Lee Point after not see a single bird or fish movement on ride out and at a few spots on way back in - I was thinking this trip would be like my last two trips - fishless!

But eventually 500m west of east point - I spy a few birds around the red Six Mile buoy (roughly half way between Mandorah on the west side of harbour and East Point on the Darwin city side of harbour)

Fantastic - something to cast at!!!! 

As where birds are wheeling and diving and fluttering - there is usually fish underneath! Even if a few small ones for the cats at home!

With tide running fast and the electric not up to the task, I keep the motor ticking over once I get within casting distance of a pod of thrashing queenfish

Hooked up and backing racing through the rod runners- LOVE IT!

The best part - all fish seen were larger than the standard or normal for Darwin harbour – these pelagics were between 80-90cm, with the occasional 1m plus busting through the others audaciously with much more slashing and crashing. Nothing small at all amongst the feeding silver flashes. Most times its 40-50cm queenfish with a few 70cm tossed in. So love all the big guys present this trip – stronger, smarter, more selective in fly patterns, longer fights, bigger runs, whirring reels, plenty of backing stretched out! - Awesome fun!

 

I zip around chasing the sporadic groups of active fish. They are not in a spot for long. Up and down before I can get into casting distance. I position the boat on the flowing tide and/or windward side of a frothing area and drift into and moving along with the feeding fish

After a while I work out a sort of line of the current they are mostly working and drift along it – hoping the fish increase their action around me. Saves me zipping about!

They do increase their action along this line of current and I am on more consistently

I cast a few hundred times - sadly short, long, to the left and right - but eventually I land the fly a bit closer to the action or specific cruising big fish.

I hook 16, lose three at side of boat – including a metre plus version that made me say naughty words when the leader popped just as I was about to grab the tail wrist!!!! – I tie another fly on quickly, as they smash bait right next to the boat, then disappear when I am ready to cast - !&$@#$!!!

The larger fish are quite focused on the bait they are eating, a bait that was larger than the silicone surf candies I love to use in the harbour. I ended up using 2/0 clousers for much better results – mostly in all white wings with an internal touch of a bit of gold tinsel (thanks for that idea Roger!). These flies about 7-8cm long rather than the 4-5cm length of the SSC. This bigger fly they chase hard! I even snapped off one big queenfish, in full view of the boat, on the take - such was the enthusiasm for the match the hatch size of this larger clouser pattern.

I think about heading home for the afternoon function my wife has planned for the family, but you know how it is - it is always one more cast, and as you are packing up they burst into action right next to the boat, then it's one more cast, then the whole scenario repeats until you realize you have been messing around with them for two hours and today was just a wet the boat kind of trip with minimal fly fishing.

But I did get 8 to the net, these between 82cm and 89cm in length, I keep a couple for the old ladies in my wife’s church who like a fish frame for fish and lemon grass soup and have no opportunity to catch their own.

Not a bad morning fly fishing - a couple in the esky, I was off the water before 11:30, the motor benefited by the few hours of buzzing about, and I got into some rod bending line pulling, free jumping silvery fish for two hours of mayhem and fun. Bring it on - any day!

Currently working on a trip video with all the jumps the queenies made – will upload it soon.

Oh that reminds me - school holidays in a week - plenty of time to go fly fishing in Darwin waters! 

Who would live anywhere else!

the dry season is almost upon up - go tie some flies and get them wet!

 

Video summary of 20180408 trip - Six Mile Queenies

find below the Video summary of 20180408 trip - Six Mile Queenies