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Large populations of dark olive Yabbies of the Cherax Genus have developed in both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and many other places. Many anglers suggest that the Yabby has been responsible for changing the feeding habits of trout in the lakes as the populations of Yabbies have increased. In fact in both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene you seldom catch a trout with a full stomach when the contents doesn't include yabbies. Yabbies live around the margins of the lake with the preferred habitat being muddy banks and shallows. They live in holes that they borrow into the banks and shallows and move from hole to hole as the water levels change. Whilst they are sometimes active during daylight hours it is the dusk to dawn that they prefer. They move out of their holes to relocate, to forage for food and to find mates. All of these activities make them vulnerable to trout. Juvenile Yabbies are available from February and trout targets yabbies of all sizes.

Over the years I have experimented with various Yabby patterns and whilst some have looked great unfortunately they have all been “dogs” to fish or more correctly to cast. Generally rather than using them I have reverted to fishing a weighted woolly bugger instead. Well all that has now changed and I now have a selection of three yabby patterns to choose from. They all cast and fish well.

This is my latest addition to the genre and it's more of a polaroiding fly than a stripping fly. I like to use it to ambush sighted fish by casting well in front of patrolling fish and generally a little closer to shore and then let the fly sink and lie doggo. More often than not attentive fish will see it but if it looks like the fish is going to pass the fly by unnoticed then the smallest twitch generally gets their attention. Takes off the bottom have to be watched carefully and it's best to not strike until you see a flash of white from the fishes mouth as they pick up the fly. Strike with a short strip of the fly so that if the fish doesn't actually have the fly it looks to the fish that the yabby is trying to escape.

Materials

Process

A	The hook I have used here is a Tiemco 3761 which is formed of relatively heavy wire which creates a good 'keel' effect on the finished fly so that it will swim the right way up. Understanding hooks Wind the thread in touching turns half way down the bend of the hook. If you don't add any weight you may find that the fly hangs in the meniscus which of course isn't a good look for a sinking fly. Alternatively if you add too much weight the fly sinks like a brick which doesn't look very natural and of course it may be more prone to getting snagged. On a size #8 hook I like to add just 5 wraps of 0.10 mm lead wire to ensure it breaks the meniscus and sinks only at a fairly natural rate. Once you have tied the lead wire in continue winding to the bend of the hook. Tie in 5 or 6 barbules from a Peacock herl sword as sieves extending a distance equal to the gape of the hook over the bend of the hook. I generally tie the but ends of the barbules down along the top of the hook shank and trim the butts of behind the lead wire.

B	Directly behind the lead wire tie in 2 or 3 peacock herl half way along their length. I have used 3 herl for this size #8 fly.

C	Pull the forward facing herl back over the top of the fly. Tie the herl down along the top of the hook shank to the bend of the hook. Take the thread back to just behind the lead wire. Tie in a length of silver along the top of the hook shank to the bend of the hook. Return the thread to just behind the lead wire.

D	Trim a bunch of marabou of the side of a marabou quill. Keeping in mind that this bunch will be split into two claws I like to tie in a quantity about the same that I would for a thicker than average woolly bugger tail. Woolly bugger type tails Tie the marabou down along the top of the hook shank to the bend of the hook. I also wet the marabou down so that its easy to handle. The marabou should now look something like a woolly bugger tail about as long as the hook.

E	Split the marabou into two equal bunches - each representing a claw. I generally use a needle or bodkin point to do the split. Dub on a body of seals fur dubbing from the bend of the hook to just behind where the lead wire is tied in that is about as thick as a third of the gape of the hook. Continue dubbing to the 95% position reducing the thickness of the body to nothing as you go.

F	Pull the strands of peacock herl up between the claws and along the centre of the top of the fly and hold it in position at the eye of the hook. Whilst holding it in place pick up the silver wire with your other hand and take 5 or 6 tight evenly spaced wraps of the silver wire to lock the peacock herl into place and to form body segments on the yabby. Body segments on flies The last wrap of wire should lock the herl into place just behind the eye of the hook. Lift the excess peacock herl up and take a final wraps of the silver wire directly behind the eye of the hook and under the herl.

G	Take a couple of firm wraps of thread behind the eye of the hook locking the herl in place on top of the final wrap of silver wire. Whilst still holding the excess peacock herl out of place worry the excess wire off and whip finish the thread over the herl directly behind the eye of the hook. Trim the excess peacock herl away just a short distance forward to the hook so that the butt ends of the herl represent the yabby tail.

H	Using a bit of Velcro fuzzel out some of the seals fur dubbing to represent the yabby legs.

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