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The caddis grub fly

Here is a new ‘go-to’ pattern for the freestone rivers of Tasmania. While I have a preference for fishing the dry-fly, this isn’t always the best approach. This is when I opt to fish a nymph in tandem with a larger, bouyant dry fly.

A nymph that has proved very effective this week has been a caddis grub pattern. Originally tied for the fastwaters of Tasmania’s north-east (North Esk, St Patricks rivers), this fly has historically produced for me a few times, but didn’t ever rate as a must-have pattern. That was until this week.

The speedy tail-outs of fastwater slots (the fastwater run-ins at the heads of pools), and the deep bored-out channels found on the outsides of long runs had always under-produced for me on Tasmania’s Mersey River. This caddis grub pattern, fished on a long dropper, has provided the key to succeeding on these sections of water over the last two days of fishing; seven brown trout between 1 and 2lbs, and a wild 2lb rainbow have been proof of its appeal, all fish that have been captured from these previously difficult water structures.

This fly is pretty simple to tie. Olive seals fur makes up the under-body, which is covered with an olive uni-stretch shell-back and copper wire ribbing. A black seals fur throat is added, just behind a black tungsten bead, all tied on to a curved grub hook. It probably looks a bit more like an amphipod than a caddis, so may be it should be called ‘The Amphicaddis’…

Mersey River - The Walls to the Cliffs

Anyone with a copy of the Spring edition of FlyLife magazine will see an article I wrote, based on a year of exploration on the Mersey River, in northern Tasmania. The article itself was a labour of love, enabling me to write about my favourite river.

 Some people might ask, why would you promote your favourite river - wouldn’t you rather keep it to yourself? For me, writing about favourite places is based on a use it or loose it mentality; you see, who is going to look after the river if it has no voice? It’s bushwalkers, kayakers, fishers and other outdoor enthusiasts that are the effective voices of the wilderness, and without these friends of the bush, the bush has no voice. 

The Walls to the Cliffs and the fish… 

The Mersey River story contains an essential part of any good fishing story: A big fish yarn. For all those doubters out there, I thought I might post a couple photos of the cannibal resident, at pre and post hook-up. Enjoy the photos (kindly supplied by Greg French)…don’t get drool on your keyboard.

 That’s a serious looking fish, even in five-foot depth of water!

The ‘seepage springs’ as I call them are the spring creeks of the Western Lakes. Flowing underground from feeder lakes, these springs are the most common spring creek types found on Tasmania’s Central Plateau. My best guess is that they are formed when dolerite bedrock fractures, creating a subterranean riverbed for lake-bound waters to escape into. Somewhere along their travels, these waters re-emerge among the scoparia and pineapple grasses, where they hold the odd trout, who are in fact translocated remnants of winter floods.

The best way to fish them? I like to start at the bottom of the catchment, and fish my way up. The lakes found along the way will provide for good polaroiding, while the interconnecting stream offers a more intimate snout-hunting venue. If you are lucky, you will reach the headwater of the spring, which are often true trophy trout waters.

The give away on the maps are the systems as I have described them: look for chains of lagoons and tarns interconnected by a whisper of a blue line.