Big fish flies - temperate & tropical destinations

I developed this fly to fill a place in my fly box for a fly that can be fished in all those areas where scroungers including: Flathead, Mangrove Jack, Fingermark, Grunter and Salmon and other predators scrounge are targeting small fish that are being flushed out of mangroves, rocky shores, drowned…

Jelly prawns are one of the critical building blocks at the lower end of the food chain in our tropical and sub-tropical estuaries. They are also a favourite food item for many species of iconic tropical sport fish such as barramundi, king threadfin salmon and blue threadfin salmon and tarpon to…

The original version of this fly was tied on a size # 3/0 hook and the finished fly was 11cm and 12cm in length. This mega version is tied on a size #4/0 hook and the finished fly is a whopping 15cm to 16cm in length. Orange & yellow combinations are popular with lure fishers and those colours have…

This is one of just four colour combinations that I tie my articulated swimmer fly in. Hard bodied Brown bomber lures are very popular as a lures for targeting barra and jacks in Queensland waters and most lure fishers have at least on in the lure tray. Based on the colours of the 'brown bomber'…

This fly is a down bib version of my 'articulated swimmer' range of flies and adopts the "sunburst colours" of a number of popular barramundi lures. Like those lures this fly comes into its own when fishing water that is tannin stained or carrying a lot of sediment. Building an articulated fly is…

My articulated swimmer been one of my most successful prospecting flies for Central Queensland. It has caught more than its fair share of barramundi in both the Boyne River and Awoonga Dam and has caught other species including bream, flathead, grunter, fingermark, queenfish, trevally and mackerel…

This fly has a poddy mullet shape, casts well and as the name implies it has an action which is similar to both a jerk bait lure and suspending lure. The set up of the jig hook and extension puts the tow point 15mm back along the fly so that a medium to fast strips cause the fly to dart off in…

"If it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use." Well I don't subscribe to that but I do carry a couple of flies in chartreuse over white, shrimp or off white in my fly box. These flies are a great standby for when big queenfish, GT's and goldens, that are either hunting on sand flats or are attacking…

My first fish on fly fell to the magic of a Woolly Bugger and many have gone the same way since then. Some say that what we call a woolly bugger had its origins in America where it appears to have been tied, as a leach imitation. Others say it had its origins in English where evolving at roughly…

This is a variation of my very successful articulated swimmer and is a great fly when targeting barra in Lake Awoonga and other barra impoundments on those quiet days when the barramundi are sulking and you need a fly that is going to be in their face for a relatively long time but still active. I…

This is the biggest version of my "mud prawn" fly and the one that I use when chasing barramundi, flathead, grunter and fingermark in Central Queensland. I tie samller versions on #2 and #1/0 hooks and this large version on size #2/0 and #3/0 hooks. All 3 sizes provide a representation of prawn…

This is a booby version of my very successful articulated swimmer fly. I have modified the articulated swimmer by replacing the dumbbell eyes with large booby eyes to ensure that the fly is marginally buoyant, and will sit in the surface and not on the surface but with the hook hanging down behind…

Poppers are a bit harder to cast than a normal fly because of the wind resistance but if you slow your cast down a little I'm sure you'll soon get the hang of it. Once you do you have another tool in your arsenal which is useful in three diverse situations: When pelagic fish are actively pushing…

I designed my original pregnant prawn in 2011. That fly is tied on a #2 hook and is a corker of a fly for targeting bream, whiting and flathead. This bigger pregnant prawn fly is one of my goto flies here in Central Queensland estuary waters. I often fish it when targeting barra, grunter, jacks and…

Matching the hatch is the key to catching pelagics such as Queenfish, Tuna and Australian salmon on fly. These unweighted flies are like candy to pelagic fish because they closely match the form and function of a lot of naturals they are targeting. I always tie the bottom 3/4 of the fly in white…

Whilst not designed to represent any particular bait fish I have designed this fly to have a shape, form and function similar to many of the little fish that predators hunt. In the #4/0 version this is a very effective "big fish fly" and is 12 cm long but because it's unweighted it's relatively…

This fly is designed as a bait to jig along the muddy and sandy bottom of local rivers and estuary bays when targeting fingermark, grunter and and flathead in particular. Presented to scrounging fish it can then be jigged along the bottom or close to the bottom suggesting it's a wounded bait fish….

It doesn't matter if your fishing saltwater or freshwater, targeting demersal or pelagic fish or that your target fish is feeding on mullet, garfish, herring, bony bream, hardyhead or some other baitfish … at 13cm long and with a great swimming action more often than not my articulated bugger in…

When tuna attack a bait ball they absolutely guts themselves and if captured it's not unusual for them to cough some of the fish they were feeding on. In this recent capture on the "dark side" one did just that revealing what they had been feeding on … in this case hardyhead.   Each year the…

I developed this fly to fish both the snaggy rock and coral waters for reef fish but more recently have found a place for it when fishing the open blue waters pelagics and estuary waters of Central Queensland when targeting bigger inshore fish which we regularly encounter including but not limited…

To enjoy and be successful in the task of catching big fish on fly a good starting point is to have the right back up gear, fly fishing gear and tools on hand. So here is my "check list" of the items I think you need on hand when targeting big fish on fly.     GRAB BAG: as set out in this…

[map state="QLD"] I have fished the Boyne pretty much through all seasons and understand why it is regarded as one of the iconic fishing locations for the Gladstone Region. It can produces Barramundi all year round even though the number caught is often low. Other target species include Mangrove…

[map state="QLD"]Cania Dam has a reputation of being an all round fishing venue but in reality for me it is best suited to the warmer months when there is plenty of insect activity. Even then, for the best results, fish a morning session from at least half an hour before sun rise to when the dawn…

[map state="QLD"] Mast head and other off shore reefs Rundle Island (top of Curtis Island) Facing island reefs including Perl Rocks and Sable Chief Jenny Lind and Seal rocks Channel markers Gear options: 1) General fishing: 15/50 with 30lb braid, 50 flouro and a #4 fastatch clip. This can fish for…

If I could only carry one surface fly when fishing for Bass, Yellow belly and other native species my black Poll-Head-Popper would be it. When Bass or Yellow belly are feeding on big insects like Cicadas and Hoppers that crash onto the water they also become susceptible to poppers cast around their…

From what I can gather the original Wiggle Minnow was conceived by Mark Felty of Felty’s flies in Sydney. By varying the materials used, the colours and size I have accounted for trout, bream, flathead, mangrove jack and even barramundi on wiggle minnows. The recipe I have set out below is just one…

Designed by Lefty Kreh in the 50's this fly or class of fly has stood the test of time. In terms of popularity with salt water fly fisher folk it probably runs second only to the Clouser Minnow. The Deceiver was designed to be easily tied in a range of sizes and in a range of colours and…

This is a larger blue water version of my very successful 'Flats minnow". It's a very fishy looking fly and has a little blood spot that adds to the appearance of the fly being a wounded fish. It sinks quickly and because of the relatively heavy dumbbell eyes and the wing that is well above the…

This is my variant of Peter Morse' Gusto fly and is one of my go to flies when targeting barramundi in Lake Awonga. It's dressed on a #3/0 34007 stainless hook which is quite a heavy hook and that creates an effective "keel" effect. It has a long marabou tail and a dense hackle collar which creates…

One of the most important things I learned in my competition fishing career was the importance of not forgetting to have items on hand that I needed in a competition session. An early memory I have was a bank session on Little Pine Lake in Tasmania where my beat was on the opposite side of the lake…

This is a variation of my very successful articulated swimmer and is a great fly when targeting barra in Lake Awoonga and other barra impoundments on those quiet days when the barramundi are sulking and you need a fly that is going to be in their face for a relatively long time but still active. I…

There are a lot of colour combinations of Christmas Island Special (CXI) flies that my mates and I have seen on our various trips to Christmas Island and Aitutaki. Some work sometimes and not others and some work more often than not. Below is my list of CXI flies that more often than not…

The original thing was pink and white and was tied by Graham White of Darwin the early 80's. It got its name "pink thing" when one of his mates asked for "a lend of one of those pink things".  Whilst the "pink thing" was tied as a barra fly it has turned out to be a great dirty water fly for a…

I designed my original pregnant prawn in 2011. That fly is tied on a #2 hook and is a corker of a fly for targeting bream, whiting and flathead. This is the biggest pregnant prawn fly that I tie and is one of my goto flies here in Central Queensland when targeting barramundi in estuary and harbor…

The Clouser in my view is the quintessential salt water fly. It can be tied in sizes to suit Bream or Bill fish and with the correct dressing and size is equally at home in salt water, trout and bass fisheries. Many flies whilst not acknowledging their heritage are based on the Clouser recipe. Have…

A great fly to use when target fish are actively feeding on small fish such as sardines, whitebait and pilchards. You can either fish it on a floating line and strip it across the surface with dramatic effect or fish the fly on a sinking line, count the fly down and then retrieve it up through the…