Claret Dabbler
Great news for Tasmanian fisher’s has been the big-wet of late. Just a few days ago, Mole Creek (on the Mersey River) saw 150mm’s of rain (that’s half-a-foot!) in a day, and all the rivers, including the drought ravaged Macquarie River, are in flood. And by flood I mean that they are well over their banks! The drought-depleted and algae-bloom affected Leake, Craigbourne and Tooms lakes are now full, or close too, which is awesome news—Tooms’ in particular features excellent fishing to baitfish feeders, while the Macquarie downstream offers the best small red spinner mayfly falls in Tasmania. This will be the best season in four years or more, both in terms of water flows and lake levels, and associated mayfly populations and fish sizes.
With two or so weeks to go until the new trout season opens, I’ve spent the last month tying flies for our webshop, and exploring remote waters in the Western Lakes. The trip report from our last weekend of explorations among the wilderness Western Lakes is here, but in a nutshell, early rains brought about early spawning, which will result in bigger and healthier early-season trout. As I type, Lake Augusta on the rim of the Western Lakes is overflowing, and has been for four days.
We’ve also been concentrating on lots of behind-the-scenes activities in the last month, which have included gaining access to new guiding locations on the Meander River. This river adds to our guiding venues on the Mersey, Macquarie, Brumbys, North Esk, South Esk, St Patricks and north-eastern creeks. I’m sure that repeat clients (as well as new guests) will enjoy this season’s new venue.
As alluded to, our trout season opens in just over two weeks on the 1st of August. Many will be heading up to the hydro lakes for opening day (such as Arthurs Lake), but I’ll be hunting around in the flooded backwaters of our northern rivers. The author David Scholes made these flood-fishing events famous, but the recent years of drought have seen opportunities for flood fishing all but disappear. I’m not going to miss out on this winter’s offerings, so the Upper Macquarie, lower Meander, and perhaps even the South Esk or Lake River will be on my flood fishing to-do list. Patterns such as the Fur Fly, Woolly Caddis and Black and Peacock Spider will feature among the fly patterns to try.
As August moves in to September, hatches and falls of cockchafer beetles, stonefly, and by late September, mayfly will be underway and the trout will be looking for dries. By October the mayflies will become consistent (outside of any flood events) leading to some of the best close-quarter dry fly fishing of the season.
The annual Tasmanian Trout Expo (at Cressy) is on over the weekend of the 29-30th of August this year, where I’ll be found manning the Petrarchs Bookstore stand. The Sunday will see Greg French and Philip Weigall also at the stand, happy to talk to fellow fishers and sign books. Phil will be launching his new book ‘Fishing Season’, so it will be a great opportunity to get your copy on the day. More info on the Trout Expo here.
October 2009 -May 2010 Try a Three Rivers Package and lodge accommodation with RiverFly Tasmania and Quamby Estate Homestead
November 2009 – May 2010 Book in for a Wilderness Campout. We have a remote river venue for 1-2 night trips, and Western Lakes campouts for those wanting to experience Tasmania’s wilderness fishing mecca.
Fly tying classes – shortcuts, improving techniques, and trouble-shooting - Keep an eye out on our Blog for the dates of our second round of fly tying classes. The first round finished successfully in early July.
Tip1: If you get caught wading in water that is too powerful and need to turn back, try and avoid wading downstream back to shore: the water will start to ‘float’ you away as your centre of gravity is pushed downstream by the force of the current. Instead, it is safer to slowly work your way back to shore in a diagonally upstream direction, where you can keep your centre of gravity forwards, and your feet on the ground.
Tip 2: When tying parachute flies, always use a hackle that is one to two sizes larger than usual. This will give the fly a larger ‘footprint’ on the water (which will make it a better attractor), and ensure that it stays upright on each presentation.
The Source-Tasmania DVD by Gin-Clear Media is now in stock and can be ordered through our WebShop. As the feature film of last month’s international Fly Fishing Festival, The Source has already been shown to more than 2000 people, to generally great reviews. The film-fest is now headed for Europe for showings next month.
The film is beautifully shot across four locations: Sea-run trout destinations on the North-West Coast, the rainforest creeks of the Western Tiers, the mayfly waters of the Lowland rivers, as well as a longer section featuring the wilderness Western Lakes. The Source features Greg French and Daniel Hackett, as well as a cast of visiting anglers. Purchase The Source here.
That’s all for this months newsletter. Look out for the August edition which will contain a report on the opening month of fishing, with a focus on the feature-flood fishing we’re looking forward to. Have a great opening Day from the RiverFly team-Daniel, Simone and Patrick
A brace of Black and Peacock spiders
Our fun and modern fly tying courses are beginning to take shape for Launceston, Hobart and the North-West. Launceston classes start on the 21 May, and there are still a couple of spaces left. The venue is at The Essential Fly Fisher, at 105 York Street. Email me to reserve a place www.riverfly.com.au/contact
Dates for the Hobart and the North-West classes will be set soon, as class numbers are beginning to fill. Please email me if you are interested in attending courses in either of these areas www.riverfly.com.au/contact
The courses have been structured to enable all skill levels to participate, and to teach take-away skills for tying better flies, and tying them easier. Some of the topics covered will include:
- Technique for tying durable bodies with peacock herl
- Tricks for tying deer-hair and Possum Shaving Brush ‘wings’ for better flotation and fish-catching
- Technique for tying in durable, non-slip parachute hackles
- Techniques for tying easy ‘porcupine’ hackles – the easy high-viz alternative to parachute hackles.
- Tying with deer-hair – bullet-heads and the WMD
- Correct techniques for tying with foam – glue, legs and the Chernobyl Ant
- The rules for using colour and UV reflective materials in flies
The course will cover many more topics along the way, and the day-to-day techniques that may be troubling you (such as dubbing!) will be covered through the course of tying the featured flies.
There’s no better thrill than catching a fish on a fly of your own design. Come and join us to learn more about how to do it.
A Tasmanian trout on a hand tied fly
As promised, here are the dates for our first round of winter fly tying courses. The dates are subject to minimum numbers (3 pers) and course numbers are limited to 6 participants. The course is structured with some simple ties first off, and the complex flies last – so the course is suited for all abilites from beginners to experienced. Your flies will benefit from the tricks and tips taught in these classes, from a simple and durable technique for tying with peacock herl, down to the best ways to tie deer-hair.
Learn to tie all the flies you’ll need for the new season. From simple and deadly Stick Caddis or F-Fly patterns, right up to the chunky WMD and Chernobyl Ant. All in all, a minimum of 12 patterns will be covered.
Cost: $190 per person, with tying notes, fishing notes and required tying material on the night supplied by RiverFly.
Dates : 5 nights, 2 hours/night, every Thursday starting 7pm 21 May at the Essential Fly Fisher, 105 York Street Launceston.
Devonport / Hobart Classes: If you and 5 mates would like to form a class and have a suitable venue, please contact us: for your efforts we’ll give you your place free of charge!
Contact Daniel to book your place or for further enquiries www.riverfly.com.au/contact
(A small number of vices are available for beginners to use on the night, or you can purchase your own, with scissors, deer-hair stacker, bodkin and bobbin holder for ~$150 through the Essential Fly Fisher.)
Bloody Mary
In Flylife Magazine Spring 2008, I wrote an article on the Mersey River in Northern Tasmania. Within this article I spoke of hatches of giant stoneflies, and the large bouyant dry flies used to imitate the adult insect – flies such as our WMD Hopper, or the slightly more crass Chernobyl Ant. Well, it appears that this is a hatch that hasn’t passed through time completely un-noticed.
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky to receive a parcel in the mail from well know fly-fisherman Rick Keam, detailing the history of Max Christensen’s Bloody Mary fly, a popular wet fly used even today among the highland lakes of Tasmania. In Rick’s own words:
‘Few people today know that he (Max) developed it as an impressionistic imitation of those same stoneflies. It is still around of course, but nobody ties it with the really long, raked-back hackles it originally featured’
Of even more interest in the parcel were two items: an excerpt of an article written by David Scholes on the Bloody Mary, originally published in the Anglers Digest during the late 1960’s, and three Bloody Mary flies tied to correct proportions for me to try.
From the Anglers Digest, Scholes writes:
‘But every so often a real gem comes to light, a fly that either answers some long-standing need, or, by virtue of it’s success just as a nondescript, is a contribution of definite value to the sport…Without question the Bloody Mary is such a fly.’ ‘Max Christensen’s thoughts were first stirred when he considered the larval and adult stages of large stoneflies and wondered how to best imitate them. Bloody Mary is the result of much subsequent trial, error, and careful experimentation. I have no doubt that, in addition to achieving this aim, Max has accidentally evolved a most remarkable general-purpose fly which, so far as I can see, will work successfully at any time, so long as it is fished correctly.’
Isn’t it interesting how the future is often rediscovering the discoveries of the past? My questions in parting is this: if Max was seeing enough stoneflies to prompt thought, it is most likely that he was fishing the Chudleigh Lakes or the Mersey River, two modern-day hotspots for giant stonefly activity. The thing is, these fisheries were barely mentioned by the friends of Max such as David Scholes. So where was Max fishing – was it way out west in the Chudliegh Lakes, or perhaps deep among one of the Mersey’s great gorges, well before either became modern-day icon fisheries?
