General articles

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

There is nothing new about the snell knot itself but what you will find here is a unique way to tie it. I currently use this process of adding a stinger hook to the front of larger flies, soft plastics or even Mustard Fasthatch clips when I am fishing in low light or dirty water conditions. The…

I use this method of tying an FG knot when setting up rigs for big fish using outfits that typically have 30lb Suffix 832 braid that I connect to quite hard Suffix F100 fluorocarbon. Since I perfected this tie of the FG knot I have not suffered a failure of the knot and it has accounted for heaps…

  The reason for this post is twofold. First to give me a permanent record of how all the wiring works on my Polycraft and secondly I hope this post and the wiring diagrams included may be of benefit to anyone setting up a series of complex 12V or 24V electrical systems on their boat.  …

This is how I add weight to weedless / worm hooks. I generally do 4 at a time as set out below. Process A Tie the thread in just behind the bottom of the vertical post on the hook shank and wind the thread about a third of the way back along the hook shank with tight touching turns.   B Tie in…

You will probably be aware that most fly lines now come with formed loops at the business end. Unfortunately those loop knots don't always last for the life of the fly line so with that in mind have developed this nail loop knot as a replacement. A Nail knot tool and prepared fly line. B Take…

Food source [months] Fly * Dark Side suggestions Bream [10] [10] [20] [30] [40] [50] [50] [40] [30] [20] [20] [10] FLY Mud prawn PET shell prawn Mutant clouser DARK SIDE Flathead [50] [40] [30] [20] [20] [20] [20] [20] [20] [30] [40] [50] Articulated swimmer Mutant clouser Mud prawn Pregnant prawn…

When I am talking about big soft plastics I have in mind the soft plastics I carry when targeting species such as but not limited to: Barramundi (both freshwater & saltwater) Kingfish (Yellowtail and Cobia) Lutjanids (Mangrove Jack & Fingermark Javelin fish (Barred Grunter and Silver Grunter)…

I have owned a number of canoes and kayaks over the years and the Hobie Mirage Outback shown below is by far the best of that type of fishing platform I have experienced. They are light enough to be loaded onto and easily transported on the roof of the car, they're stable on the water, have plenty…

I keep my emergency kit in a small orange zip lock bag. It does have just enough first aid items to get by but most of the content are items you may need in an emergency. Quells, Mobic, Paracetamol 2 Pressure bandages Elastoplast Bentadine ointment $50 cash Toilet paper Cigarette lighter Scissors…

When I am talking about big fish flies I have in mind the flies I carry when targeting species such as but not limited to: Barramundi (both freshwater & saltwater) Kingfish (Yellowtail and Cobia) Lutjanids (Mangrove Jack & Fingermark Javelin fish (Barred Grunter and Silver Grunter) Flathead (Dusky…

Most of what I have learnt has been accumulated by reading books and magazines, by talking to and watching others, by imitating some fly fishers whilst trying to avoid the antics and pitfalls of others and by carefully observing a range of fisheries I have been exposed to. If there is any new…

When I fish for native fish species such as bass, perch and saratoga and when I fish for salt water species I always use a loop to loop connection between my fly line and my leader. The loop to loop connection using the nail loop knot on the fly line and the 2 turn loop knot on my leader is very…

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in….

This knot is very simple to tie and because of its figure eight configuration is relatively strong. It also has the advantage over the other many other loop knots in that the two parts of line coming out of the actual knot are next to each other so the actual open part of the loop can be as narrow…

This is my approach to “Mal de mere”, “sea sickness”, “motion sickness” or whatever you want to call it. It is a terrible affliction and can spoil what may well have been a great fun day. The reason for sea sickness seems to be two fold. The first factor is that our balance centre, which is in the…

Whilst I don't do it so often these days there is a time in my fishing history when fishing off the rocks or "rock hopping" as we called it was my preferred form of fishing. Sure rock hopping has its inherent risk factors but with a little good management you can still undertake this form of…

See also: Getting started – dry trout flies Getting started – wet trout flies Getting started – bass and native fish flies Getting started – the gear Salt water flies are flies that have been designed specifically for use in salt water to catch fish that live full time or part of their life cycle…

I was recently at my home on the shores of Lake Jindabyne the wind was up and blowing from the north east at about 20 Km, it was cold and overcast and there were intermittent snow and sleet showers. All in all it was a miserable day and better suited to tying flies, reading or writing than actually…

These are the AFTMA fly line ratings for traditional single hand fly rods used for traditional techniques. Line Rating —- Line weight —- range for line rating 12 weight | 380 grains | 368 – 392 grains 11 weight | 330 grains | 318 – 342 grains 10 weight | 280 grains | 270 – 290 grains 9 weight |…