Saltwater - tropical

Like many fly fisher folk I did my fishing apprenticeship using bait. One of my favourite baits was poddy mullet that abounded in Lake Illawarra just beyond our back fence. We caught these little fish in many ways but one of my favorites was with the help of one of those long oyster bottles that…

Prawns and shrimp are crustaceans, of the family Isopod, and are endemic to our Australian estuary waters. They are toward the top of the food chain for a lot of coastal species of fish including bream, flathead and whiting. Prawns and shrimp are similar in form and function to each other and have…

As the name implies these flies are built using a soft plastic lure body. I like to use 2" and 3" crescent tail type soft plastics as they tend to have a little more movement than some of the alternatives. For general prospecting or when targeting bream and whiting I use the 2" version and when I…

This is quite a realistic prawn or shrimp imitation and incorporates a little bit of flash and a rattle in the body. Its particularly useful as a salt water polaroiding fly when just a twitch is often enough inducement for a strike and in murky water where a stop start strip gets the rattle…

This is a great fly to rip through the water in front of Tailor, Australian Salmon, Tarpon and any other fish that is a predator of small fish. The combination of the resin head and the body materials create a fly that is translucent and a very effective imitation of many small thin fish that that…

If bass are not actively feeding they will generally sit deep and either in or close to structure and out of reach of dry flies and you'll find it easier to target them with a seductive wet fly fished deep and slow. When their active its a whole different story and they will be attracted to almost…

I had the pleasure of bass fishing with Peter Morse a couple of years ago and he introduced me to the concept of "fuzzeling" which I understand was developed between Muz Wilson and himself. It's dead simple and involves creating a dubbed body and then picking out the dubbing fibres with a strip of…

No this is not a fly promoted by a news network, rather the CNN stand for "Cheap aNd Nasty". I first tied this fly for use around structure where if you don't loose a few flies then your not in the game. The fly I had previously used in those situations was an estuary fly that cost between $2 and…

Jiggy heads are similar to bead heads except they are designed for salt water use and they have an obvious fish head shape and have a recessed area on each side incorporated to accommodate stick on holographic eyes. They are also covered with epoxy once the fly is tied. They were designed by Bob…

This is the big brother of my foam hopper which is a formidable trout fly. When I converted it for use as a bass and tropical fly fishing I added a sparkle chenille under-body and grossed it up dramatically so that it would withstand the aggressive nature of fish like Australian bass and tropical…

For a long time I simply sized up my trout stimulator and used them on bass. I grew out of the habit of tying them on as I always had a feeling that they just didn't offer bass a big enough morsel and even though they were bigger than anything I would use for trout they still landed too softly ……

At the time of adding this fly to this web site John Schofield had now won six Bass Pro events attributing much of his success to his Bass Vampire fly. Its not surprising that the fly has elements of a Clouser Minnow because it was inspired by the successful black and purple Clouser Minnows that…

As the name implies this fly has been designed specifically for fishing into mangroves and other tropical structure such as gravel and rock bars. It has several attributes that make it the ideal fly to entice fish like Barramundi, Mangrove Jacks and Fingermark out of structure and to take the fly….

This fly is basically my original mud prawn that I released in 2003 and have now miniaturised and modified. This orange and brown size #2 hook version of my tidal flats shrimp is my first choice of fly when targeting feeding trigger fish. It stands out in the storm of mud and other debris that…

This is a popular rubber tailed Gotcha type fly designed by Christopher Hall, an Aitutaki regular for targeting big bonefish. Materials Hook Threads Bead Tag Body Beard Legs Wing 3X strong Gamakatsu SL11-3h Uni big fly thread throughout except for 3/0 Olive for the whip finish Double pupil orange…

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…

This is a fly which I developed progressively over the period from 2012 to 2015 to fill a gap in my arsenal of flies to target barramundi around Gladstone. When I first came to Central Queensland I started out fishing for barra with pink things, clousers and deceivers that I had tied for barra…

This fly is primarily designed as a simple yet effective fly to be fished behind my articulated popper heads. Colour choice are infinite but three of my favourites are. Materials for trailing hook Hook size Thread Under-tail Tail flash Over-tail Body Mustard 34007 #3/0. Big fly thread Hends or…

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…

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…

This fly is inspired by the Clouser but it is so different I just call it a a baitfish fly. It's slightly translucent and swims well making it a realistic generic baitfish pattern. It also sheds water well on the pick up and back cast making it easy to cast. I tie my "baitfish fly" in a range of…

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…

I tie my mutant clousers in a range of colours and from size #1 up to #4/0 and if I could only carry one colour that would be olive over UV shrimp. That one colour tied in a range of sizes covers a big cross section of fish that I target in Central Queensland. In the smaller sizes it's great for…

I designed this fly to cast easily and to displace or push a lot of water when retrieved. The water displace by the head creates currents along the body which activate the body materials. This black over gold version (i.e. gold bomber colours) is particularly good over weed banks or in dirty water….

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…

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…

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…

If I could only carry one type of fly when fishing for bonefish on Christmas Island, Aitutaki, The Bahamas, tropical Australia or other Pacific Islands or The Seychelles or other Islands in the Indian Ocean it would undoubtedly be the Christmas Island Special. The recipe is very much a tropical…

Black fish move into the estuaries and around the coastal rocks at different times of the year and become challenging targets for fly fishermen. If they are actively feeding on weed around structure or you have used berley such as weed and sand to get the black fish feeding they will often take a…

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…

This is a prawn or shrimp imitation that has stood the test of time. Whilst I have seen it in all sorts of sizes and colours I have found that small flies tied in translucent shades of olives through to browns work best. Materials Hook Thread Eyes Weight Mouth parts Sieves Legs Body Size 2 to 6…

If your heading off on a fishing trip the gotcha fly in a few colour combinations and a couple of sizes should definitely be included in you fly box. I was looking at the Fulling Mills bonefish flies and one of them was predominately orange with a pearl body … this is my version of that…

If your heading off on a fishing trip the gotcha fly in a few colour combinations and a couple of sizes should definitely be included in you fly box. Whilst preparing for a trip to Aitutaki I came across a video of Etu tying a fly like this for Paul Worsteling from the Tackle World franchise ……

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…

This is definitely my preferred popper for targeting Australian native bass in their natural river and lake habitat. Bass strike for 3 reasons. The fist and most obvious is when they are actively feeding. At those times bass can have an appetite for everything from nymphs, yabbies, small fish,…

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…

I came up with the design for this fly in 2011 and have used it with great success ever since. Designed to be fished with a stop start retrieve along the bottom this fly looks very much like a shrimp or prawn that is in row carrying eggs)and is an ideal fly for targeting bottom feeders such as…

In the #3/0 mega size this is one of my three main goto flies when I am chasing barra in both fresh and salt water Central Queensland environments. The 1/0 smallest size is great for fresh water tarpon and the middle #2/0 is a good general prospecting size. It doesn't matter if you fishing the…

This is a fly that I developed specifically for sight fishing on the flats to the likes of bream, flathead, bonefish and permit. 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…

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…

Hard body lures in brown bomber colour have earned a place as a popular lure colour combination for barramundi in estuary and coastal mangrove edged water. The same colour scheme is a great colour combination for flies used to target barra along the edge of mangroves. In the smaller sizes it's…

Guns and Roses coloured of red over chartreuse are very popular hard body and soft plastic lure colours in Queensland and work equally well for flies particularly in low visibility water. In the smaller sizes it's great for estuary and coastal species such as bream, flathead and whiting. Moving up…

Qantas colours of red or orange over white are very popular hard body lure colours in Queensland and equally successful for flies. This is second to only wild olive over shrimp as my favorite ‘all rounder’ colour for many flies that I use in Queensland. In the smaller sizes it's great for estuary…

This is a popular rubber tailed Gotcha type fly which is very similar to other ties for rubber legged gotcha flies. It has it's place in your bonefish fly box for those occasions where the bones shy away from the bright colours of most other bone fish flies. Materials Hook Threads Bead Tag Body…

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…

This is a Peter Morse fly and is a great variation of a Woolly Bugger and is making its mark. It's dressed on a wide gape hook that creates an effective "keel" effect and sports a relatively long marabou tail and a dense collar which together create plenty of currents around the fly that really get…

Unfortunately, in the process of Tiewell being sold and reinvented the large rubber tails for #2/0 versions of my estuary fly never came back on the market. What I have come up with as an alternative is using the rear half of the 2.5? Z Man Grub Z. That has created an even better fly. I have stuck…

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…

This fly is basically my original mud prawn that I released in 2003 and have now miniaturised and modified so as to represent the sort shrimp that you find on tidal flats in tropical waters. On my next trip to CXI this year I am expecting that this variation will work really well particularly on…

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…

When barra are showing on the sounder but are not responsive I have noticed that the soft plastic fishos revert to rolling 5" plastics such as the Castaics Jerky J very slowly past sulking fish. If they can get their offering in the face of fish they will often get a response seemingly just to…

Whilst not tied to imitate any particular insect this down wing style of fly can be tied with your favourite materials and in your favourite colours to imitate a range of insects. It is a good prospecting fly when nothing appears to be happening. In larger sizes it can be twitched or fished dead…

As the name implies these flies are built using a soft plastic lure body. I am happy to call this a fly because I fish it on a fly rod and fly line, cast it, retrieve it and land fish caught on it in the same way that I do when fish a traditional fly made of say fur and feather for say a brown…

Over the years I have identified three flies that have elements of their ties that are similar. Depending on who ties them they can be almost the same or can be diverse as two Woolly Buggers tied by two different fly tiers. The three flies I refer to are of course the Flash Harry, the Dirty Harry…

When bass are feeding on big insects like Cicadas and Hoppers that crash onto the water they also become susceptible to large noisy and obvious flies like Dahlberg Divers cast around their structure or twitched across the surface. At other times they just have a whack at these big flies because…

Bonefish are an amphidromous species which means they migrate from fresh to salt water or from salt to fresh water at some stage of the life cycle other than the breeding period. They live in inshore tropical waters and moves onto shallow mudflats and sand flats to feed with the incoming tide….

The bendback is very effective fly in locations that contain a lot of structural hazards such as oyster racks, mangroves, tree stumps and rock bars. The design of the fly reduces the propensity of the fly to snag.  Choose the colours of your materials so that your version mimics local bait fish….

All sorts of estuary fish respond to bread berley and will take a sinking bread fly suspended or slowly sinking through the feeding zone. Materials   Hook Thread Weight Body and back Size 6 to 10 stainless White 6/0 Lead wire Polar fibre Process   A Wind the thread from the 95% position…