Jason M recently acquired some second hand Abu Garcia level wind baitcaster reels. In Tackling the Trouble he describes some of the maintenance work he did to bring them back to good form. I’ve later discovered this work is actually in two parts. The concluding episode is here.
Jason gets bored when bait fishing, so he took some time out to evaluate some of his rods
The Zoom session on 26 Aug was run by Claude.
our notes:
Hook: #14-10 Kamasan B170
Thread: Black 8/0
Body hackle: Black
Hackle: Black
Tag: Red Float-Vis
Rib: Silver wire or thin tinsel twist
Like the Possum Emerger, it does it all and will catch fish in many circumstances. It’s a great fly to hang a nymph under, such as a 007 for tailing fish and is easy to see in most different types of light.
Don’t be afraid to vary the pattern either, clip the hackle underneath so it sits low, tie it bushy or sparse. Try a hot orange tag or blue wire rib. If you vary it too much you can’t really call it a Zulu anymore but really the basic pattern is all you need.
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Attached is a notification about geological investigations at Talbingo Reservoir and continuing work to install the underwater communication cable. The work will involve intermittent disruptions to the boat ramp at Talbingo Reservoir from 1 August to 31 October 2020.
Normally I’d keep this for the next Burley Line (there’s a lot of good stuff here), but there is one item promoting an online session tomorrow 30 Jul.
With contributions from over 100 Indigenous individuals and organisations, these Indigenous-led Guidelines support a step-change in learning, by both Indigenous peoples and their partners, about best practice ways of working with Indigenous knowledge to look after land and sea Country. Supported by NAILSMA and CSIRO, and funded by the Northern Australia Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP), the Our Knowledge Our Way Guidelines are based on 23 case studies that illustrate the critical principle that Indigenous people must decide what is best practice when working with their knowledge. The launch will be held online between 1-2pm on the 30th July. It features a short film, followed by a Q&A session with indigenous co-authors and partners. Register online here.
Wed 8 Jul 2020 meeting saw Jason speaking about the Bronte Fly Fishing School course he went to in Tasmania – this was part of a recent trip he made to Tassie and JM has provided some insights on travelling to the Apple Isle (if it ever opens up again for business!).
Our angling has slowed down but it was a morale boost to get a number of articles from regular contributors. Thanks Jason and Claude for submitting some interesting articles – even if the results of your expeditions did not include fish (we are an Angling association after all), the information obtained will stand us all in good stead. As ever, I’m impressed by how keen young Luke has become – rewarded here with ‘photo of the month’ plus another photo in his article. Ever vigilant Jaime spotted one item – make sure you click through to the link in respect to the huge cod landed in LBG. There is hope still for all of us to land a lunker locally. Lyall has put in two promotions – for our free casting lessons and for Peter Morse’s classes coming up here in Canberra. Lots of other news from near and far in this edition.
Our new Facebook editor had a reassuring incident this month. I’d put up in the CAA (website) News Blog a promotion for our annual fly casting lessons. Someone following the blog (everyone should think about subscribing) was sufficiently enthused that they then announced the event on the CAA Facebook page just ahead of Shaun doing it himself. We’ve got 47 folk subscribing to the CAA blog for emailed alerts (some are not CAA members). By contrast we have 424 followers on Facebook (almost none are CAA members) and more every day. I wonder if CAA should get onto Instagram and Twitter with the way this newfangled social media is being embraced.
ACT Government website confirms the re-opening.
Given the AGM is going ‘virtual’ with us meeting on-line via Zoom, the traditional raffle has also gone on-line.
If you haven’t already bought your ticket, best you hurry. Buy your tickets ‘contact-free’ by transferring your money to the Canberra Anglers’ Association bank account at BSB 032727, Account 240159. $10 per ticket. Be sure to include your name in the bank reference. Lucky winners will be announced at the AGM.
$300 of prizes suited to all styles of angling. They include a Snowbee fish smoker, a McLean Angling folding weigh net (kg and lbs) made in New Zealand and a SIMMS wading koozy.
North Country Spider: Partridge and Orange
North Country Spiders – is the name given to wet flies tied in a particular style in the north of England. The Americans refer to them as “Soft Hackles”. They are at the foundation of all North Country fly fishing and are tied intentionally to be very sparse. They have been used for over a hundred years and are tied using simple, traditional, fly tying materials, to represent the full spectrum of insects available to the trout and grayling. There are many North Country Spiders variants that can represent virtually every insect and they have been successfully employed in lakes and rivers in Australia.
Shaun will be leading the tying session…you may recall the informative Loch Style fishing presentation he provided to the club earlier this year. Shaun has successfully employed these types of flies internationally and locally so his tying session is sure to be informative to all levels of fishers. Even if you don’t want to participate in the tie, join us with a single malt or camomile tea for the informative chat.
Tying List:
Hook: Wet Fly, Size 14-18
Thread: Orange 8/0. Traditionally actual tying silk made by Pearsalls. and waxed before use.
Rib: Fine gold wire (very optional). Substitute: You can use what you have in your tying kit
Hackle: Speckled neck feather from an English Partridge. Substitute: similar from a hen cape (rounded and soft)
Alternate ties: With a peacock herl as a thorax or head – behind or in front of the hackle.
Even more alternate ties: With a touch dubbed body.
Secrets he’ll talk about on the night:
– History, 15th Century Italian, 19th Century Yorkshire
– Finding real tying silk without paying $50 a reel on eBay
– How to fish
– Alternate ties
– Herl headed and Thorax spiders
– The Tenkara Tie
10 Soft-hackle Flies You Need to Know • Outdoor Canada
Method:
1. Lightly wax the thread first. Then tie on just behind the eye.
2. Catch in the fine gold wire and hold in-line with the hook shank as you wrap the thread in touching turns.
3. Stop wrapping the thread just short of the bend.
4. Wrap the thread back up in touching turns to just short of the eye.
5. Take the gold wire in open even turns towards the eye to produce 4-6 ribs. Secure the rib with two wraps of thread.
6. Helicopter the surplus gold rib close to the body.
7. Catch in a prepared partridge feather by the tip using only two or three wraps of thread running away from the eye. I’ll explain how to prep a feather on the night.
8. Cut away the feather tip.
9. Using hackle pliers make between one and two wraps with the feather. Be careful to keep the feather from twisting so the feather barbs take position perpendicular to the body. If you stroke the barbs back as you pass the hackle around the shank you will avoid catching any preceding barbs.
10. Make a careful whip finish with three or four wraps of thread. Avoid letting the whip finish flatten the feather barbs.
11. Touch in the head with a couple of tiny drops of head cement.
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