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OF 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…

See also: Getting started – wet trout flies Getting started – salt water flies Getting started – bass and native fish flies Getting started – the gear There are only really two types of flies dry flies and wet flies. A dry fly is any fly that is designed to be fished on or in the surface film of…

The Iron Blue Dun is a standard hackled classic dry fly that has a permanent home in most UK dry fly-fishers fly boxes. Its also considered a staple fly in many Australian and New Zealand dry fly boxes. It is representative of the male dun and the hatches occur throughout the season. Materials Hook…

I reserve my dry fly selection for flies that are fished on the surface of the water and either represent the dun or spinner of a an insect that spends part of its life cycle in the water such as a Mayfly, Caddis fly, Midge, Dobsonfly, Cranefly etc. or they represent terrestrial insects that have…

For 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…

Food 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…

Food 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…

Food 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)…

Food 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…

I have several flies, particularly in my saltwater range, which include a lead shot on what is the the bottom of the hook shank when the fly is intended to swim hook point up. There are a number of benefits benefit of using a lead shot as opposed to say a set of dumbbell eyes including: When you…

A “Dun” is that stage of the life cycle of a Mayfly when it emerges and rests on the surface of the water or nearby vegetation whilst its wings dry. During the Dun stage it is very vulnerable to passing and searching fish. The Caenis Dun is a generic representation for members of the “Caenidae”…

A “Dun” is that stage of the life cycle of a Mayfly when it emerges and rests on the surface of the water or nearby vegetation whilst its wings dry. During the dun stage it is very vulnerable to passing and searching fish. If you have a look at Duns whilst the colours vary dramatically there are…

This is more of a class of flies rather than just a fly. Perhaps the best known Para Dun Emerger is the Parachute Adams. It was derived form the Adams Irresistible and whilst the Irresistible sits high on the surface film the parachute version sits comfortably in the film making it a very useful…

When we speak of wings on flies the first thing that comes to mind for me is are the beautiful feather tip wings on flies like the iron blue dun and the twilight beauty or the subtle hair wings on a hair winged royal coachman . . .I don't immediately think about wings on wet flies. Wings on wet…

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…

A “Dun” is that stage of the life cycle of a Mayfly when it emerges and rests on the surface of the water or nearby vegetation whilst its wings dry. During the Dun stage it is very vulnerable to passing and searching fish. The Baetis Dun is a generic representation for members of the “Baetidae”…

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…

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…

A “Dun” is that stage of the life cycle of a Mayfly when it emerges and rests on the surface of the water or nearby vegetation whilst its wings dry. During the Dun stage it is very vulnerable to passing and searching fish. The Baetis Dun is a generic representation for members of the “Baetidae”…

Technically the term 'spinner' refers to that stage in a Dun's life cycle when it has moved off the water or, vegetation etc. after drying its wings. The adult or imago of all Mayflies, Caddis flies and Midges can technically be regarded as spinners. Having said that the term is generally used only…

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…

I have been keeping a data base record of my fishing outings now for around 15years. When you do a search say on November, December and January for Lake Jindabyne its interesting to see the similarities for that period of time over the years. There is obviously some skewing of the results because…

Technically the term 'spinner' refers to that stage in a Dun's life cycle when it has moved off the water or, vegetation etc. after drying its wings. The adult or imago of all Mayflies, Caddis flies and Midges can technically be regarded as spinners. Having said that the term is generally used only…

A variant of a old English wet fly this variant is in the same class as an Alexandra this fly as an attractor fly particularly when rainbows are the target. It is different to the original in that the dyed blue hackle has been replaced by blue barbells from the chest feathers of a male peacock and…

Insects such as Mayflies, Stoneflies and Dragonflies that have part of their life cycle in the water provide a significant part of a trouts diet. For a Mayfly Life begins as an egg. Gestation period is only a few days and the hatched nymph is a miniature of the adult except for the wings and tail….

The Wonder Winged Dun or Spinner is a generic representation for members of the “Leptophlebiidae” (Lepto) family of Mayflies and in particular the various Highland Duns & Spinners, which are members of the “Oniscigastridae” genus. Hatches generally occurs between the months of October and…

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…

Round 1 of the NSW fly fishing championships was held over the weekend of 15th to 16th September 2012. For full details follow this link: www.flyfishaustralia.com.au/cms/ffa-nsw-act-201112-3 There was a lot of interest in this competition and a strong filed of competitors including 2 from Tasmania…

The Dunkeld is certainly one of my top 2 or 3 middle dropper flies for lock style fly fishing. Until mid 2012 I was using a version of the Dunkeld that had a hackle Palmered along the body as in the original. At that time I was experimenting with "fuzzeled" bodies an an alternative to bodies with a…

The Twilight Beauty trout fly is a popular dry fly and a good adult mayfly imitation. It as the names suggests works best in the evening and in particular on warm still evenings when mayflies are hatching. There are many versions of this popular and effective fly ranging from dark forms as in the…

It was the summer of 2000 that I first became involved on English style Loch Style fly fishing and slowly I accumulated an arsenal of techniques and flies. The Mallard & Claret was the first for me in this series. Whilst it has been tweaked at the edges a little this Mallard & Claret…

It was the summer of 2000 that I first became involved on English style Loch Style fly fishing and slowly I accumulated an arsenal of techniques and flies. The Mallard & Claret was the first for me in this series. Whilst it has been tweaked at the edges a little this Mallard & Claret…

== The Narrows is a 40 or so kilometre stretch of water that runs between the mainland and Curtis island. For me the southern end of the Narrows as far north of the Crossing just below Ramsay Crossing is the gem of the estuary fishing in Gladstone. The reason I focus on that area is that it…

This is a variant of a variant and starts its journey with the oldest of true Australian trout flies the Bredbo which was designed around 1896 as a drowned hopper. Two hundred odd years later I tied a Bredbo MK1 variant which incorporated the materials from the Bredbo configured in much the same…

I fished very well over the 2014 Nationals weekend with basically just two "small" problems. The first was that I blanked my first session which was on the Bundarra. As it turned out my beat on the Bundarra didn't give up 1 fish in any of the 5 sessions. Despite that disaster because I managed fish…

I tie a few hair winged duns but don't tie them as representations of any particular Dun or Spinner (imago) stage of any specific insect. They are however good “buggy” flies and are readily accepted by trout. Also because of the white calf tail wings there easy to see as light fades or in fast…

The Wonder Tail  Dun or Spinner is a generic representation for members of the “Leptophlebiidae” family of Mayflies and particularly useful for the various Highland Duns & Spinners, which are members of the “Oniscigastridae” genus. Hatches generally occurs between the months of October and…

==Lake Maroon is one of South East Queensland's best freshwater fly and surface fishing destinations It lays close to the base of the Great Dividing Range on Burnett Creek, a tributary of the Logan River. It is a relatively small impoundment with a surface area of 350 ha and an average depth of 9.6…

This is one of the flies that I have tied for an impending trip to N.Ireland to fish in the 2018 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships. My research shows that there can be Autumn hatches of caddis and occasionally olives and midge. Those sort of hatches often occur in relatively shallow water and…

Hi Kerry, Thanks about your email looking for information on Lake Maroon. I love Maroon and have had a couple of podium finishes there in Fly Fish Australia competitions. I am not aware of any guides that fish the Lake Maroon area so I cant help you there but I have set out a little information on…

==Lake Maroon is one of South East Queensland's best freshwater fly and surface fishing destinations It lays close to the base of the Great Dividing Range on Burnett Creek, a tributary of the Logan River. It is a relatively small impoundment with a surface area of 350 ha and an average depth of 9.6…

=NSW=Located in that part of New South Wales that is still referred to by some as “old town country”. By virtue of how it is accessed the lake is virtually split into three areas of public access. The only access point I have used, and consequently the focus of this post is via Burrendong State…

=NSW=Completed in 1967 Lake Jindabyne is part of the iconic Snow Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme. Its an iconic lake has a reputation as a brown and rainbow trout fishery. It also produces reasonable numbers in the coldest of months. Jindabyne is the gateway for the NSW snow resorts and as you can…

Published: Dec 31, 2016 Revised Mar 07, 2021 This is a list of flies that I know all work well for both Lakes Tantangara, Eucumbene and Jindabyne. For the sake of convenience I have set them out in my "go to" lock style teams and also some "matching the hatch" options and finally some alternative…

This is a list of flies that I know all work well for the lakes around Miena and Bronte in Central Tasmania. For the sake of convenience I have broken the list below up into 4 distinct sections: The first table deals with "Matching the hatch" and is best read in conjunction with an article I first…

Basically a mutant version of the quintessential fresh water trout streamer fly the Woolly Bugger this fly has and articulated shank and a down bib that gives the fly plenty of movement. One of my favourite prospecting flies taht can be fished on any type of fly line. It is slowly building a…

==Perhaps the most iconic lake in Tasmania and for many the most iconic lake in Australia. Arthurs is a hydro lake that was created by the damming of the Upper Lake River in the early 1960's and the flooding of the areas that contained Blue Lake, Sand Lake and the Morass Marsh. From a fly fishers…

For the sake of clarity I just want to note that there are two Christmas Islands. The first is very well know as the Australian detention centre in the Indian Ocean where illegal ‘boat people’ heading mainly from Indonesia to Australia are housed and process when intercepted by our boarder security…

== Gladstone is blessed with a lot of fishing options including iconic rivers such as the Boyne and Calliope rivers, Awoonga dam which is famous for its barra and of course expansive estuary waters including a 40 kilometer stretch of water between Curtis Island the Main land called The Narrows. On…

Because of their high protein count and high nutritional return trout will eat most small fish and tadpoles including their own young if given half a chance. Listed below as some of the small fish like creatures that trout eat as well as just a few suggested imitations.

The term "Killer" flies refers to a style of fly rather than just a particular pattern. The common ingredient in the style is that successive pairs of  feathers are tied along the side of the flies vertically. Although there is some controversy over the actual origin of the style New Zealander…

Commercial CV – Stephen Peter Chatterton (Retired) BEcon, BAcc, FASA, FIPM, FICS & FIPM BEcon – Batchelor of Economics UOW BAcc – Batchelor of Accountancy UOW FASA – Fellow and Principal in Public Practice ASA (Australian Society of Accountants) FIPM – 4 year Undergraduate Diploma Personnel…

Please read this article in conjunction with the companion article: [member Link="p=6028" Title="Fly fishing tips"] "French leader" or often called "leader to hand" came to my attention in 2009 through the competition sports fly fishing scene. At that stage I was President of Fly Fish Australia and…

There are heaps of options of materials for posts for parachute dun emergers. Deer hair is a great option because it is buoyant itself, has a natural look, there are plenty of color options if viability is a problem and unlike some other post materials lands softly. Set out below are the steps for…

It was the summer of 2000 that I first became involved on English style Loch Style fly fishing and slowly I accumulated an arsenal of techniques and flies. I really enjoy tying flies and so as I have seen various patterns I have tied them and tried them. Most have been discarded and just a few have…

Cania Dam has been on my bucket list now for a couple of years and consequently I have been undertaking quite a lot of research so that when I do get up there hopefully this year I have enough information to make a reasonable job of that fishing trip. This is what I have found so far. Lake Cania is…

==Located near Imbil south of Gympie Borumba Dam is unique in that it offers both great Bass and Saratoga fly fishing. The layout of the lake is interesting in itself and basically forms a cross. On the north east axis you have the dam wall and main lake and opposite that you have the Yabba Creek…

Loch Style fly-fishing  involves fly-fishing from a boat, side onto the wind, using a system incorporating one or a number of flies. There are both wet and dry lock style fishing techniques. The dry fly technique involves casting out in the direction of the drift, stopping the cast above the water…

Whilst the tips I have set out below evolved from fishing in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, in general terms they are equally appropriate to a whole range of fisheries. These tips are all designed to help you locate trout to encourage their cooperation.   Location, location, location Location is…

"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…

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…

Please read this article in conjunction with the companion article fly fishing tips. Loch style fly fishing is fly fishing over the lee side of a boat with the wind at your back with the boat side onto the wind, using a system incorporating one or a number of flies. It is a technique that is well…

=NSW=The Thredbo River runs from just east of the ski fields of Thredbo to Lake Jindabyne where it enter the lake at Waste Point. Once known as the Crackenback River it is very accessible and consequently receives a lot of attention from both fly fishers and those pesky lure fisher folk. Moving up…

I think that the Zulu tied with a black hackled body and a red tag has origins that go back to circa 1600 England. Not only a great dry fly but also a fantastic top dropper fly for loch style fly fishing. The original features a wool tail and probably a wool body with both the body hackle and front…

Well this fly is really interesting. I have had this recipe in my fly archive since around 2000. I have certainly seen it in a fly fishing magazine in the last few years and of course I have looked for that and have searched the web but can't find any reference to this fly any where. I have the…

The original Invicta was created by eminent English fly tier and tackle dealer James Ogden in the 1870's. With just a few tweaks this fly is as relevant today as it was 140 odd years ago. This is a great attractor fly at times when yellow winged hoppers and other insects with yellow body parts are…

Read in conjunction with: [start-member] [list Link="p=2890" Title="Fly lines"] [list Link="p=6193" Title="Casting a fly line"] [end-member] In terms of manufacturers of fly lines there are heaps of very good manufacturers out there. Look for brand names that are well known and proven in the fly…

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 post is a work in progress and lists the different species of fish I have landed on fly in Central Queensland. I have had a look through my photos from the last couple of years and added those that I have found but there are still some photo gaps which I'll add as I find the photos or will…

In 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…

I am pretty sure that barramundi take these long thin soft plastics as garfish which are a popular food source for Barramundi. The Alpha Gar is based on my Hammer Variant with the main difference being it is much thinner. Like my Hammer Variant as well as a very active tail the Alpha Gar have a…

If the Clouser Minnow is the quintessential blue water fly then the Crazy Charlie is perhaps the same for inshore waters. First tied by American Bob Nauheim as a flats fly for bluefish this fly has proven to be a very versatile fly pattern. The original was tied both, with and without a tail, with…

This fly box is very much a work in progress. I am pre-occupied tying flies for the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships at the moment so have had to do the unthinkable and have purchased a range of Fulling Mills Xmas Island Specials to start my Christmas Island fly box off. I will find time to…

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…

  Quicklinks   There are times when the right bait for barra is a hard bodied lure. Selecting the right style and swimming depth of hard bodied lure is definatley one of the keys to that process. You can do things with hard bodied lures that you can’t do with any of the soft plastics…

The Quill Gordon is a standard hackled classic that has a permanent home in most UK dry fly-fishers fly boxes. Its also considered a staple fly in many Australian and New Zealand dry fly boxes. It is representative of a male dun and the hatches occur throughout the season. Even though Theodore…

AKA: Divided hackle or hair tails Spinners in particular are great examples of insects with long split wings.The temptation is of course to try to represent the wings as closely as possible but from experience I have found that is no a practical long term solution. Spinner tails are typically quite…

A The process of stacking deer hair is an efficient and effective way of lining up the tips of deer hair. Clip a bunch of deer hair. Insert the bunch of deer hair into the stacking tube with tip down. Insert the stacking tube into the stacking base. Hold the tube with your thumb over the top and…

This 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…

AKA: Proportions – dry fly The physics of dry flies are quite simple either they rely on  buoyancy (displacement) to simply float or they rely on the materials used to be light and  resist water  penetration and consequently to be supported on the surface tension of the water. Booby beetles and…

On many occasions over the years I have been told that trout are true opportunistic feeders and that they will eat almost anything. From my experience this statement is both true and false. If you approach your fly selection on the basis that trout eat anything, over time (probably your first…

As the pupa or sub-imago of Mayflies, Caddis, Midges, Stoneflies, Dobson flies etc. move to and through the surface of the water to hatch they are referred to as emergers and when large numbers go through this process at the same time it is referred to as a hatch. When fish are feeding on emergers…

As many of you will be aware there is a Welsh fly called a "Green Peter". It was designed as a dry fly. In a crunch one day when I was fishing a slick and targeting fish that were taking just below the surface I included a Green Peter dry fly in my team with two English wee wets behind. There was…

There is nothing new about "Booby Pumping". English fly fishers have been doing it for years and for a time it was considered so successful in some impoundments that it was banned. I have been fishing boobies for quite a few years and booby pumping has even won a couple of competitions for me. I…

For me the hair winged humpy is a great prospecting and indicator fly for fast water. The combination of materials and the structure of the tie provide a fly that floats well and has a good buggy appearance. I don't tie them as representations of any particular Dun or Spinner (imago) stage of any…

Peter Hayes would be one of the countries top fishing guides, his level of professionalism and innovation in the industry is well known, as well as being a former Australian fly fishing champion. Nine times Australian casting champion only adds to the list of impressive credentials. Peter fished as…

== South Esk. Longest river in Tasmania. Session 2 010 Nationals. I has what Peter Walsh called the swamp after last competition. A beat of around 200 meters long but 90% of that behind tangled willow trees. Amongst the trees there was no acces to the main river but there was access to pockets of…

=NSW=Lake Eucumbene is one of 16 lakes in the iconic Snow Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme and was completed as the second dam in the scheme in 1958. The full water level is 1030 meters putting the lake around 100 meters higher than Lake Jindabyne. The dam was created by damming the Eucumbene river…

==Even though Rocky Valley is only 265ha in size (roughly 8.75 kilometres long and 2.5 kilometres wide at it longest and widest points) because of its large snow melt catchment it is the main storage dame for the Victorian Kiewa hydro electric scheme. It is located directly in front of the Falls…

The 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…

This fly is accredited as being the first Australian designed and made fly and whilst the originator is not known with certainty there is highly persuasive evidence that suggests that it was conceived around 1896 as a grass hopper imitation for targeting fish on the Bredbo river just outside of…

The Bredbo fly is accredited as being the first Australian designed and made fly and whilst the originator is not known with certainty there is highly persuasive evidence that suggests that it was conceived around 1896 as a grass hopper imitation for targeting fish on the Bredbo river just outside…

31/8/11 Just a short report from the Snowy Mountains. Three outings last week resulted in 37 trout. The first trip was polaroiding Lake Jindabyne with regular fishing partner Chris Mills. Plenty of rainbows in the margins and for the first time we are seeing some bows hunting and other groups…

March Brown Mayfly dominate the early part of the season and occur on both still and running water and fly imitations have been recorded back as far as 1496 where imitations were recorded and described as "Dun Fly". Over time imitations have been variously described and probably the second most…

Perhaps the best known Para Dun Emerger is the Parachute Adams. It was derived form the Adams Irresistible and whilst the Irresistible sits high on the surface film the parachute version sits comfortably in the film making it a very useful emerger pattern. Available on line – just $2 each fly tied…

More of a class of fly than a fly in itself because you will find UV crunchers tied a all sorts of colours from black right through to dun colours and pale olives. I like this particular tie because it incorporates peacock herl which is one of my favourite fly tying materials. Materials   Hook…

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 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…

Fantastic 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…

This 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…