20220326 - Manton Dam - Freshwater comp practice

 

So we were both very keen to get our flylines tight to fish after many weeks of not fishing together

Peter had gone back to Canada to catch with his Dad for several weeks. While I, without my own boat now, was going nuts waiting for him to return – just couldn’t bring myself to land base fly fish.  -   (just 'lazy as' these days)

We almost didn’t fish with Peter’s back playing up since his long flight back from Canada the weekend before and getting back into his office chair since his return. But pain was endured – thanks Peter!

So come 5:15am it found me at his place putting gear in his boat and hooking up the trailer to his ute. And off we go, anticipation high.

We got to the dam a little after sunrise. On launching the boat we see a few of the DFR club members casting away on the opposite shoreline out from boat ramp

We head north to the weed line and start casting

Ribbon weed is everywhere – the area we targeted first was the ski boat area and as such lots of chopped up weed at the very edge of the lily pad line blown in by the prevailing winds – thus 4 out of 6 cast were hampered by weed collected on the retrieve

I stuck to using surface flies all day, while Peter stuck to his “jelly Bean” fly (think egg sucking leech but different). The lily weed beds were 10-20m from bank a with clear water lane like area between them and the bankside. We cast everywhere, retrieved all sorts of ways, tried anything to entice a take.

 We both got the occasional nudge and touch, but the weed was a real problem. To join leader materials Peter used a surgeons knot and his leader knots constantly were picking up weed as he cast into the weed beds, let it sink and then started a retrieve. I used a double grinner and due to being able to trim really short the tag ends – got a lot less – but still picked up weed occasionally – it was everywhere – uggghhhh!!

I dropped a couple of good toga on my version of a Gurgler fly: uses a plastic lure worm hook with a V tail of foam in which the hook tip rides up and is almost weedless (well not totally here given chopped up ribbon weed everywhere!!) – got the idea from an article by the guy who invented those gutless frog flies they use on east coast mountain ranges for Goodoo (Cod).

We were fishing Manton Dam this weekend due to other DFR club members having a monthly outing on the water and more so in practice for the DFR freshwater comp in 5 weeks on Corroboree Billabong (currently inaccessible due to water over the road from the wet season). However, the lilies are very different here – stringier stalks, smaller pads – and then the chopped up ribbon weed from the skiers – all added up to some difficult casting and retrieving.

But the Day was absolutely awesome – almost windless mirror calm water – yeah a couple of water skier boats but no any negative impact from their activities (aside from chopped up ribbon weed).

I finally got a toga to stay connected and netted a 46cm fish – first fish of the year! (soooo sad it is the end of March already – must fish more!). this fish must have followed the surface fly to come 15m from  the safety of the lilies and weeds, but due to its dark colourings and the dark stanin stained waters - I didn't even know it was there til the vicious surface strike that hooked itself - woke me from a repetitive cast and retrieving stupor i was in! I was very lucky to net this one.

A 100 proverbial casts later as we worked along the weed bed edge, Peter was almost back to the boat with one of his deep retrieves and his line went tight - fast! Rapidly, the line moved away, it cut a significant rooster tail across the water on the first blistering run and then a very big toga exploded out of the water – doing their typical body flex and reverse to the opposite flex extreme. The splash as it hit back into the water was huge! All within two rod lengths of the boat.

This saratoga was one of the biggest toga I have seen in a while – it had launched itself almost 1.5m out of the water – it seemed to be at my head height when it spat the hook. Peter’s tight line and the fish spitting the hook, saw the fly spring back to thwack into Peter’s shoulder.

This fish was so deep and so thick! So, so deep in its body depth, and very, very long. Its colours in the morning sun were breathtaking. What a fish!

But its assumed size, its show of strength, power and speed as exciting as it was to witness – did not alleviate the hurt of a flyline gone loose, and of not netting the huge fish. 

Bugger, would have liked to measure that one!

But Peter being Peter shrugged off the lost (despite my constant comments about the incident) and kept casting hoping for another. He is the one more cast king!!

For the next two plus hours we cast and cast and cast some more – finally Peter hooked up tight to a good fish – it hit the net and was measured at 55cm – well done Peter.

Right after that, it was time for to head in to chat with other DFR members at the BBQ.

So, an interesting outing – hard fishing, complicated by copious amounts of shredded weed on surface. Several half takes and nudges, thankfully a couple of fish to hand – a surface fly for me put higher on the “goto fly list”. 

Here is a 'how to' of the surface fly I used at Manton Dam

Tying the V Gurgler fly – it is very easy.

Bascially a surface version of Peter's Jellybean fly

put the worm hook with the shank upmost in vice. lay down bed of thread from bend to eye of hook

Tie in short strip of rabbit fur about hook shank length at hook bend – this time for me is was a black barred dark purple zonker

Then some long sparse black cactus chenille (the bits that hang off about 12-15mm long) this for the half hook shank up from tail tie in point

Then short ice cactus chenille for rest of hook shank– this time bright fluoro orange

Turn hook over in the vice and tie in a pre cut V of black foam – this is tied right behind the hook eye. With the hook point 4-5m back from inside of bottom of V in the foam. I add a drop of glue to keep the foam in place enough for a few fish at least chewing it before is starts to roll around and not ride right. then replace it with another fly and repair the twisted one once home with another drop of glue to get it ready for another outing.

Usually there are 8 hooks in a worm hook bag from the tackle store. So usually tie 8 at a time. Cutting the foam Vs first to match the hook size. At Manton I used flies with a 1/0 worm hook. But once home tied some with a #1 sized worm hook – so have two sizes for the comp. I will start with the larger versions at comp and if too many non-hook-ups will go down a size to see if it makes a difference