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A wet fly is a fly designed to be fished below the water's surface of the water or a dry fly that has been drowned and is being fish below the surface of the water. Basically there are two main types of wet fly: The type is representational flies which are flies tied to represent food that trout…
Last Updated: March 2026If you were to suggest to a traditional North Country (UK) fly fisher that there is such a thing as a bead head spider they would think your a rod section short of a fly rod. For their sake you could call this fly and my other "bead head spiders" "bead head soft hackles" but I find that more people…
Last Updated: April 2026If you were to suggest to a North Country (UK) fly fisher that there is such a thing as a tungsten bead head spider they would think your a rod section short of a fly rod. For their sake you could call this fly and my other "bead head spiders" "bead head soft hackles" but I find that more people…
Last Updated: April 2026If you were to suggest to a North Country (UK) fly fisherman that there is such a thing as a bead spider they would think your a rod section short of a fly rod. For their sake you could call this fly and my other "bead head spiders" "bead head soft hackles" but I find that more people get the ideas…
Last Updated: April 2026Activity [months] Fly suggestions Brown trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] [50] Quicklink Rainbow trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] Quicklink Dry fly fishing [40] [60] [60] [60] [40] [00] [00] [00] [00] [00] [30] [30] Dry…
Last Updated: April 2015Activity [months] Fly suggestions Brown trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] [50] Quicklink Rainbow trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] Quicklink Dry fly fishing [40] [60] [60] [60] [40] [00] [00] [00] [00] [00] [30] [30] Dry…
Last Updated: April 2015Activity [months] Fly suggestions Brown trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] [50] Quicklink Rainbow trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [50] [40] [40] [20] [20] [60] [60] [60] Quicklink Dry fly fishing [40] [60] [60] [60] [40] [00] [00] [00] [00] [00] [30] [30] Dry…
Last Updated: April 2015Activity [months] Fly suggestions Brown trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [50] [30] [20] [10] [10] [20] [40] [60] Quicklink Rainbow trout feeding [50] [50] [50] [50] [50] [30] [20] [10] [10] [20] [40] [60] Quicklink Dry fly fishing [40] [60] [60] [20] [00] [00] [00] [00] [00] [00] [20] [30] Dry…
Last Updated: April 2015An important part of my bead head fly box. I am a firm believer that when fishing rivers you have to get down to where the fish are holding and also that flies particularly in faster running water should include "hot spots". These flies satisfy both these requirements. I tend to use my bead head…
Last Updated: May 2011This fly is modelled on the most successful estuary and inshore fly that I have ever fished with my sand skipper fly. For me in those shallow water salt water environments where you need a fly that you can fish deep in and around snags and other structure, can be fished at a range of depths…
Last Updated: February 2019As long as there is a flow in a river to work a fly then English Spiders are an option. Particularly if you want to target educated fish in clear slower water. They land softly and are suggestive little flies. The combination of the buggy shape, the movement of the soft hackle often produce a…
Last Updated: April 2026Food source [months] Fly suggestions Gudgeon and galaxia [50] [50] [50] [50] [10] [10] [10] [10] [10] [10] [10] [50] Bead head nymphs Magoo Shrek Mrs Simpson Murdoch Adult yabbies [30] [30] [30] [20] [20] [20] [10] [10] [20] [30] [40] [30] Yabby Woolly bugger Floating yabby Shrimp shell yabby Small…
Last Updated: April 2015Food source [months] Fly suggestions Adult yabbies [30] [30] [30] [20] [20] [20] [10] [10] [20] [30] [40] [30] Yabby Woolly bugger Floating yabby Shrimp shell yabby Small yabbies [00] [00] [60] [60] [50] [50] [30] [20] [10] [10] [00] [00] Mini woolly bugger Woolly bugger Worms (as vegetation is…
Last Updated: April 2015Food source Seasonality (Jan–Dec) Fly suggestions Adult yabbies Woolly bugger Floating yabby Shrimp shell yabby Booby Small yabbies Woolly bugger Floating yabby Shrimp shell yabby Booby Ants & termites Foam flying ant / termite Foam flying ant / termite 2 Ant Midge Midge Beetles Red tag…
Last Updated: March 2026Food source [months] Fly suggestions Adult yabbies [30] [30] [30] [20] [20] [20] [10] [10] [20] [30] [40] [30] Woolly bugger Floating yabby Shrimp shell yabby Small yabbies [00] [00] [60] [60] [50] [50] [30] [20] [10] [10] [00] [00] Mini woolly bugger Woolly bugger Worms (as vegetation is drowned)…
Last Updated: April 2015==I Have only fished the Upper Derwent River a few times now around November between 2005 and 2009 Nationals so I am by no means an expert on this fishery. Having said that I have researched it and this information may be helpful. The general flows have been around 50 cubic meters per second (50…
Last Updated: May 2026AKA: Adding weight to a fly Adding weight to flies is almost as old as fly fishing itself. The main aim is to get flies or teams of flies down to where the fish are holding. There are many ways of adding weight to flies and this post examines many of the most common techniques. In most cases if…
Last Updated: May 2023This fly has it's origins based on my non bead-head inch nymph fly that I started tying over 20 years ago. For about 10 years now I have been tying this bead-head version in in black, dark olive, Adams colours, claret and brown. It's a great buggy looking fly and one of the on-going inclusions in…
Last Updated: April 2026Bead Head thread spider type flies are amongst the best flies for fishing fast rivers and streams. They are suggestive little flies and the combination of buggy shape and the movement of the soft hackle often produce a hit. There is also the added benefit that they are so easy to tie. Finding good…
Last Updated: April 2026My first fish on fly fell to the magic of a Woolly Bugger and many have gone the same way since then. My understanding is that the Woolly Bugger has its origins in America where it appears to be tied, as a leach imitation. having said that there is also an English fly with bead chin eyes called a…
Last Updated: April 2026This is a hybrid of a spider fly and a bead head nymph with a tungsten bead up front and are particularly useful in situations where I need a bit of weight to get a fly down yet still want the anchor fly to fish well and be enticing to trout rather than just being an anchor for other flies in the…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly swims well and the propeller at the front adds an element of action that fish find enticing. You can tie this fly in any colour combination to mimic the colour of some of the more popular lure colours that your mates that fish the "dark side" use so successfully. My favourite colours are…
Last Updated: March 2026This tungsten bead head / cul de canard river bugger is one of a series of 6 bugger variants that I carry in my trout river fly box. They are all very buggy looking flies that lend themselves to being swung down and across shallow water or to being swum down where the fish are holding in deeper…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is one of a series of 4 woolly bugger flies that I tie specifically for river fishing. They sinks well and the jig hook encourages the fly to bounce along the bottom hook point up which of course mitigates getting snagged up. Most jig hooks are suitable for this fly but my preferences are…
Last Updated: April 2026This is my favourite hybrid of a spider fly and a bead head nymph with a tungsten bead up front. I carry this fly in two sizes and find them particularly useful in situations where I need a bit of weight to get a fly down yet still want the anchor fly to fish well and be enticing to trout rather…
Last Updated: April 2026This is more a class of flies rather than just one fly and is a hybrid of a spider fly and a bead head nymph with a tungsten bead up front. I carry 4 different hybrid spider nymphs in two sizes and find them particularly useful in situations where I need a bit of weight to get a fly down yet still…
Last Updated: April 2026I was introduced to spider fishing a couple of years ago and had the opportunity in 2010 of tweaking my spider fishing skills when I fished the Eden river just outside Penrith where I was born. Fishing spiders or particularly swinging spiders has always worked well for me, I guess its in the blood….
Last Updated: April 2026Jeremy Lucas was our river coach leading up to the 2012 World Fly Fishing Championships and one of the flies we fished was a flash back bead head nymph but it was unlike other flash back flies we had all fished in that the flash was very thin. Jeremy's view was that too much flash spooked the fish….
Last Updated: April 2026This is a hybrid of a spider fly and a bead head nymph with a tungsten bead up front and is particularly useful in situations where I need a bit of weight to get a fly down yet still want the anchor fly to fish well and be enticing to trout rather than just being an anchor for other flies in the…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is one of a series of four woolly bugger flies that I tie specifically for river fishing. They sinks well and the jig hook encourages the fly to bounce along the bottom hook point up which of course mitigates getting snagged up. Most jig hooks are suitable for this fly but my preferences…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is one of a series of 4 woolly bugger flies that I tie specifically for river fishing. They sinks well and the jig hook encourages the fly to bounce along the bottom hook point up which of course mitigates getting snagged up. Most jig hooks are suitable for this fly but my preferences are…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is one of a series of 4 woolly bugger flies that I tie specifically for river fishing and if I only had one woolly bugger in my river fishing fly box this would be the one. Most jig hooks are suitable for this fly but my preferences are Hanak, Fulling Mills and Knapek. I generally tie my…
Last Updated: April 2026I 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…
Last Updated: April 2026OF FLY TYING AND FLY FISHING TERMS See also: A TO Z OF FLY TYING SKILLS ABDOMEN. Rear most of the three body divisions of an insect. ADIPOSE EYELID: an immovable transparent outer covering or partial covering of the eye of some groups of bony fishes, such as mullets and trevallies. AMADO. A…
Last Updated: May 2023The bead head version of the Brassie fly has been around for a long time and certainly has a place in ever river fly box. It's a handy fly to have on hand if you need a buggy looking fly that sinks like a brick or an anchor fly for a team of two or three flies. If this fly is a little heavy try…
Last Updated: April 2026If your going to fish any faster flowing water or if you are going to fish running or still water where you may want your fly to get down then Bead Head or Cone Head nymphs are very useful. Beads and Cones can be made of various materials with tungsten being the heaviest. Whilst this nymph is not…
Last Updated: April 2026Over 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…
Last Updated: April 2026I reckon that the Woolly Bugger is the quintessential streamer or stripping fly. Fly fisher folk must agree with this statement because the Woolly Bugger seems to be the origin of more variations than any other, or at least almost any other, streamer or stripping fly. This fly is a variation on the…
Last Updated: April 2026At the 1999 world fly fishing championships held at Jindabyne in 1999 fishing buzzers was the buzz (excuse the pun) and as soon as I got home I tied some up according to the patterns I had seen. I fished those flies many times , without conviction or confidence, and with the inevitable poor…
Last Updated: February 2017Flash back nymphs have been around for a long time but they still work. In my view the only trick associated with this fly is to select an appropriate flash material for the flash back. I favour several strands of sparkle flash or similar material rather than a single strand of flat Lurex or…
Last Updated: April 2026The Pheasant Tail Nymph is a New Zealand pattern designed to suggest a small "Deleatidium Vernal" Mayfly. Whilst that family doesn't extend to Australia I suggest you still carry Pheasant Tail Nymphs or one or two of its variants in a couple of sizes because they are very buggy and particularly…
Last Updated: April 2026I am a firm believer that in some flies realistic eyes are a trigger that elicits a response from fish. There are many ways of adding eyes to a fly. Alternatives A Burnt monofilament eyes Very realistic eyes can be made by taking a short length of monofilament and burning each end with a flame. The…
Last Updated: May 2023Squirmy wormy flies hit the market in 2014 with gusto. They were described as the new wonder fly. For my part I have to say that despite their emerging reputation I thought it just a fad and didn't embrace them. Over time they have endured and their reputation of, on the day, being an exceptional…
Last Updated: April 2026This is a shrimp or prawn imitation which I made up as an alternative to my Mud Prawn for competition fishing trout fishing. That's right trout fishing. I had been using small versions of my Mud Prawn for trout feeding on shrimp with considerable success and I wanted to carry that success into my…
Last Updated: April 2026a.k.a. Shuggie This 'frog or dog nobler' type pattern by David Downey is a fusion of two flies. The first was 'frog or dog nobler' variant tied by Loch Leaven anglers Jock Hodge and Dusty Miller. That fly had small bead chain eyes on top, a black body palmered with an olive hackle and a tail of…
Last Updated: April 2026Stoneflies thrive in the rubble of cold well oxygenated rivers & streams. They are an available food source throughout the season and fish may feed on them to the exclusion of all other food sources particularly during hatches. The nymphs crawl along the bottom and exit the water at the stream…
Last Updated: April 2026Whilst beads used in fly tying are made from a variety of materials. There are basically two types. The first are beads that we use in fly tying that were designed for other purposes such as jewelry beads. They come in a rang of shapes and sizes and generally the opening at each end of the bead is…
Last Updated: May 2023I was ripping the black tailed version of this fly through the chop with some success when my boat partner asked what fly is that 'silver surfer'. I explained to him that it was just a woolly bugger variant tied with a black tail and silver UV straggle fritz. I tried to give it a real name such as…
Last Updated: April 2026This is a inexpensive fly to tie that works well on bream as a specific targeted species or as a second fly fished about a meter above a heavier fly such as a mud prawn or an estuary fly. Materials Hook Thread Head Body Collar Gamakatsu SS15/T size #2-6. Clear mono Clear pearl bead Synthetic…
Last Updated: April 2026If the fish are cooperating I would always prefer to catch my bass or other native species on a surface fly. Sometimes however you just can't convince them to come to the surface to take your fly but you know they are there because there still responding to your mates who are fishing on the "dark…
Last Updated: March 2026Since my very early days of fly fishing I have always carried in the corner of my fly box a couple of flies which I called anchors. Those anchors were flies that had been tied with a lead body covered with just a very thin thread or dubbed body and they were there for the occasions when I need a…
Last Updated: March 2026Please read this article in conjunction with the companion article: [member Link="p=6028" Title="Fly fishing tips"] A very good technique for water of almost any depth that has a little width to it and an obvious flow that will work your flies. It is often only used where holding fish can't be…
Last Updated: December 2014The word nymph has of course two fly fishing meanings. The first is "Juvenile, sexually immature stage of certain insects, usually similar to the adult in form, and which require an intermediate stage before becoming an adult. Mayflies, Caddis flies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Stone flies and Midges…
Last Updated: August 2012As long as there is a flow in a river to work a fly then English Spiders are an option. Particularly if you want to target educated fish in clear slower water. Traditional (i.e. North country spiders) land softly and are suggestive little flies. The combination of the buggy shape, the movement of…
Last Updated: April 2026As long as there is a flow in a river to work a fly then English Spiders are an option. Particularly if you want to target educated fish in clear slower water. Traditional (i.e. North country spiders) land softly and are suggestive little flies. Many English flies have a spider version and…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is a variant of the original prince nymph which has its origins around 1965 and in California USA. It seems that it was probably developed by western USA angler Jim Black as an extension of his fly collection that incorporated biot quills. His prince nymph was probably tied as a…
Last Updated: April 2026Published: Mar 14, 2011 Midges are part of the Chironomidae family of true flies. They are very small as the name implies and their cycle is similar to the mayfly or the Caddisfly. When fish are taking midges the midges are generally available in large numbers. The Lava is between 6 & 12 mm in…
Last Updated: April 2026I first used this fly in Canada in 2016 at the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships. Tied by Josh Flowers from Tasmania I doubt that a session on the lakes passed without every team member tying this fly on their version of this fly on for at lease some of the time. I have since learned that it’s…
Last Updated: April 2026Bead Head spider type flies are amongst the best flies for fishing fast rivers and streams. They are suggestive little flies and the combination of buggy shape, the peacock herl body, the movement of the soft hackle and the trigger of the hot butt often produce a hit. This mid water fly is…
Last Updated: April 2026Based in Maple Ridge, B.C. Todd Oishi designed his "leach" (Vampires are also a blood sucker hence the name) fly with a tail of black rabbit fur or black marabou and with Vampire Vippy as the body. I have not been able to find any Vampire Vippy and tie my Vampires with UV straggle fritz which I…
Last Updated: April 2026Designed to imitate a caddis grub this fly has additional weight so that it can be fished bouncing along the bottom or close to the bottom. It is very easy to tie and whilst it is not tied to represent any particular caddis grub it has a form and function and of course the hot spot added by the…
Last Updated: April 2026Vern Barby's Magoo is a very special fly and a great variation of a woolly bugger. Vern designed this woolly bugger variation specifically for use in 'smelt' rich Lake Purumbeet in western Victoria. It's worth a swim in any water where 'smelt' whether they be Galixia, Gambesia or other small fish…
Last Updated: April 2026The word nymph has of course two fly fishing meanings. The first is "Juvenile, sexually immature stage of certain insects, usually similar to the adult in form, and which require an intermediate stage before becoming an adult. Mayflies, Caddis flies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Stone flies and Midges…
Last Updated: April 2011This as a good buggy looking fly that has the advantage of having its hot spot on each side of the fly. I like to fish it on my top dropper as an "anchor fly" with one or two lighter flies below. Materials Hook Thread Weight Tail Rib Body Cheeks Thorax Knapek G #10 to #14 Brown TBH + lead…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is my take on one of the flies that was promoted by our 2018 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships team guild as being a productive fly for use in the lakes that we fished there. Because of the lack of body dressing and the epoxy body this fly sinks quickly and apparently…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly is my take on one of the flies that have been referred to me as being productive flies for use in Northern Ireland lakes that I will be fishing in the 2018 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships. Because of the lack of body dressing and the epoxy body this fly sinks quickly and the mirage…
Last Updated: April 2026I subscribe to a couple of British fly fishing magazines so its not surprising that I have been aware of "Mary" nymphs for quite a while. They are a recurring feature of many of the articles. I had tied and used them on and off for few years but they really didn't come into their own until I…
Last Updated: April 2026The 'Fiona' (Shrek's lady) as I have called this fly is a counter balance for the increasingly popular fly called a Shrek. It is in fact the same tie as the Shrek except that it incorporates different coloured materials. Both are basically Woolly Buggers by design and just as the emerald green is a…
Last Updated: April 2026In 2018 I represented Australia at the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in N. Ireland and in the lead up to that event I was introduced to a fly called a Droz nymph that had skipped my attention even though it has been used for several seasons with great success in Tasmania, Victoria and even…
Last Updated: April 2026This is more of a class of fly rather than just one fly. A very generic representation of a caddis nymph tied on a Czech nymph type hook. A good buggy looking fly that also has a hot spot emerging wing of UV material. Caddis fly (or Sedge) are of the order Trichoptera and are common throughout the…
Last Updated: April 2026This wonderfully named fly came to light in Australia when John Horsey published an article about the 2008 Fly Fishing Championships that he came fourth in just a few months earlier. He went onto say 'I switched to a slime line and put a Black Straggle Fritz Taddy on the point, kept the Damsel on…
Last Updated: April 2026I was introduced to this fly at the 2012 World Fly Fishing Championships during the trainin sessions by our guide Marko Gradnik. This was his "go to" fly for all the river sectors of the competition and produced fish for all the members of the team. Materials Hook Weight Thread Tail Rib Body…
Last Updated: April 2026For the sake of convenience I have broken my fly suggestions up into 5 distinct sections. I have put those sections in the order in which I methodically go through as I determine what fly or flies to tie on. MATCHING THE HATCH WITH DRY FLIES It's hard to beat the exhilaration that comes with…
Last Updated: November 2020I 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….
Last Updated: May 2024A streamlined fast sinking fly that will anchor your team. Materials Hook Head Extra weight (optional) Thread Tail Body Thorax Coating Hanak 300BL #14 / #16 3.0mm / 2.5mm slotted faceted gold tungsten bead 0.010 lead wire Fl fire orange UTC UV thread Coq de Leon Fibres Brown Micro Glint Black nail…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly was out of left field as far as I was concerned and when I was first introduced to it I had no great expectation of it finding its way into my fly box. I was wrong. The bright tinsel body certainly stands out and rather than spooking fish as I expected it seems to trigger a response from…
Last Updated: April 2026At the 2003 Australian Fly Fishing Championships held at Mt. Beauty this was one of the few flies that produced more than one fish. It is a favourite fly at Lake Bullen Merri where it gets its name BM Special. Because of its history of success it is often regarded as a quintessential Rainbow trout…
Last Updated: April 2026The BMS is a favourite fly at Lake Bullen Merri where it gets its name BM Special. Because of its history of success it is often regarded as a quintessential Rainbow trout fly by many Victorian fly fishers. This variant is tied with round tinsel which doubles up as a dubbing loop. In smaller sizes…
Last Updated: April 2026If your a competition fly fisher, I would go as far as saying, this is one of those flies that you should have in your fly box. It can tied in any combination of colors but for me the three shown below are from my point of view the best options. I have called this a variant as my version includes a…
Last Updated: April 2026Flies that represent spiders and beetles are very buggy and suggestive flies. Weather being used as a polaroiding fly, a static wet, one of the flies in a team of loch style flies, or a fly to cover rising fish spider type soft hackle flies may be taken as a snail, submerged beetle, drowned…
Last Updated: April 2026This fly whilst not being representational of any particular caddis is a good buggy looking fly that incorporates a hot spot in the form of a ultra violet (UV) emerging wing bud. Caddis are are common throughout the year but with the greater concentrations occurring from September through to March….
Last Updated: April 2026A very effective fly yet perhaps the simplest of bead heads to tie. I think it's all about form and function and of course the hot spot added by the collar. This is one of my heavier flies and as well as the tungsten bead includes 9 or 10 wraps of the appropriate size lead wire. Materials …
Last Updated: April 2026Orange is a colour that that seems to be quite attractive to trout and hot spots of orange are used very successfully in quite a few flies. This fly came about as an extension of the idea of using very popular carrot dry fly and has turned out to be a great weighted attractor fly to use on the top…
Last Updated: April 2026This is a variation of a bead head woolly bugger that has worked very well for me in Lake Eucumbene and Tantangara Reservoir on brown trout and on Lake Maroon for bass. Materials Hook Bead/weight Thread Tail Rib Body Hackle Collar Knapek S #6 to #10 Metallic/anodised TBH pink bead 6/0 brown…
Last Updated: April 2026I was introduced to the non bead head Tassi variation of a woolly bugger in the lead up to the 2002 Tasmanian One Fly which by chance I won. Whilst I was not comfortable enough to use the Tassi Bugger then I have used it and this bead head version many times since to great effect. Like most woolly…
Last Updated: April 2026There are a few flies that I have absolute confidence in and consequently have no hesitation in tying them on if I am in unknown territory and am up for a bit of prospecting. This fly is really a merging of two of them and it is so consistent that its has earned its own place amongst my top 10 or…
Last Updated: April 2026Please read this article in conjunction with the companion article: [member Link="p=6028" Title="Fly fishing tips"] At the 2012 World Fly Fishing Championships which I participated in as part of the Australian team leader lengths were limited to twice the length of the fly rod. Whilst at the…
Last Updated: May 2024As long as there is a flow in a river to work a fly then English styled spiders are an option. Particularly if you want to target educated fish in clear slower water. They land softly and are suggestive little flies. The combination of the buggy shape, the movement of the soft hackle often produce…
Last Updated: April 2026This 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…
Last Updated: March 2026This is a variation of my very successful articulated swimmer and is a great fly when targeting barra in the relatively static water of Lake Awoonga and other barra impoundments. Tied on a #3/0 hook, is 11cm long and on a #4/0 hook this fly is 12cm long. I fish this fly on a #10 weight outfit with…
Last Updated: May 2024Fantastic event that was well organised and mostly equally well executed. My rotation for the competition was: DENNETT RIVER On day one my departure time for my Dennett session was 7am. Competitors were supposed to be dropped of at their beats with at least 1 hour of time available to set rods up…
Last Updated: March 2026A similar fly to a Shrek or Bloody Mary this fly is distinguished by the bands of fuzelled seals fur and holographic tinsel along the full length of the body. This is a particularly good point fly early and late in the season when the browns and bows are getting ready to make their spawn run. Brown…
Last Updated: April 2026The cormorant fly is a popular loch fly and particularly in rainbow trout waters. The original tie has a peacock herl body with silver rib, no tag or tail and no lateral flash so this competition version has a few more trigger points. It can be tied with a brass or glass bead head and the colour of…
Last Updated: April 2026This tungsten bead head / cul de canard river bugger is one of a series of six 3.5cm bugger variants that I carry for those occasions in rivers and still water where I need a small very buggy looking fly to either fish alone or in a team. In rivers they lend themselves to being swung down and…
Last Updated: March 2026If you went back just a few years and you a asked an average fly fisher to name his for her favorite fly chances are it would be an unweighted, or lightly weighted probably with a few turns of lead wire, Fuzzy Wuzzy. The traditional Fuzzy Wuzzy has always been useful as a river and lake fly leading…
Last Updated: April 2026I was attracted to this fly because it is made of two of my favourite fly tying materials UV Ice dubbing and CDC. It has looked like a winner since I first saw this fly and it has not let me down. Designed by, as I understand it, Craig McDonald it is a very popular fly in Europe and fast developing…
Last Updated: March 2026I 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…
Last Updated: March 2026Jelly 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…
Last Updated: March 2026Flathead are definitely one of the easier species of estuary fish to catch on fly. They will respond to a wide range of traditional and specialist flies and you will catch them as a by catch when your fishing small flies (from a flathead's perspective) to species such as bream and whiting and…
Last Updated: March 2026We are very lucky in Central Queensland (AKA "CQ) to have an extensive range of big fish that we can target. That includes but is not limited to the species listed below. Barramundi (both freshwater & saltwater) Kingfish (Yellowtail and Cobia) Lutjanids (Mangrove Jack & Fingermark) Javelin fish…
Last Updated: May 2024














