Nathan led the team tying the bibio. He remarked that he did quite well with it at Tantangara Dam for the recent FFA event.

Black and red seals fur, silver wire and hen hackle. More details via email.

keyword wetfly

hosted by Claude

In Australia’s Best Trout Flies Revisited Pat Kennedy writes that David’s Aero Emerger has become his go-to fly whenever a hatch begins on the Mataura or its tributaries.  He notes that it rarely lets him down.  Suprisingly the black wing usually has excellent visibility, and seems to present a credible profile of an emerger dun.  When tying the wing, leave a small shoulder to suggest the wing-case of an emerging mayfly. Dub the body very sparsely so that it sinks when wet.  Prior to fishing, apply a small amount of floatant to the wing and shoulder only.

keyword dryfly emergerfly

This month Nathan will be showing us how to tie chironomids also known as buzzers or midge larvae.  They come in a huge array of colours and can be tied to float head up, tied bead head as a point fly, tied with or without gills or oxygen bubbles.

The materials you will need are:

– hook – pupa or caddis curved hooks #14, 16 or 18 or as small as you dare

– thread – black, olive or red

– silver ultra wire

– peacock hurl

– white poly yarn or similar

For those interested in entomology, take a look at http://www.mdfrc.org.au/bugguide/display.asp?type=5&class=17&subclass=&Order=7&family=252&couplet=0  which will tell you why red buzzers are red (red pigment haemoglobin to help them absorb oxygen), where they live and life cycle.

keyword wetfly

Claude is a relatively new member, but very much engaged – witness his previous contributions to Burley Line.  In the lead up to 2017 winter, he made some enquiries about files he should be tying over winter.  He sought advice from some notable fly tiers (and one not very notable at all – ie Bill). Readers might want to consider the final assembled list and contribute comments (I’m sure Peter will add ‘iron blue dun’ to the dry list).

Howdy Bill, Evan, Lyall and Nathan,

So my original intent was to find ‘5 flies of each type’ that I could tie over winter. As I’m fast learning, there is no simple answer … especially when trying to search what some of the recommended flies look like and you get multiple versions! I may have to get that Aussie Trout flies book I’ve been trying to avoid buying. I have added some links to some of the flies (not to buy, just to see what they look like). Below is a summary of the feedback I have received.

Thanks again for your advice 😊.

Dry:

• EHC – normal and CDC
• Royal Wolf (some ‘big’ to suspend nymphs)
• Black Mayfly spinner (doubles as an ant pattern)
• Midge ball?
• F Fly (a super simple dry with a CDC wing): https://www.troutflies.com.au/f-fly-black.html and http://flyandlure.org/articles/fly_tying/5_easy_to_tie_cdc_f_fly_patterns
• Stimulator: http://www.goulburnvlyflyfishing.com.au/Information/Fly%20Patterns/fly%2013%20royal%20stimulator.htm

• Some kind of muddler (marabou or minnow) for the lake. Interesting, Bill looks here for “something that floats and puts out a good wake when retrieved whereas Peter has always argued that one should retrieve slowly if at all.  I suppose it all depends on what the fish think it is at the time”

Most agreed with #14 or #16 for trout, but reminded Claude to consider some oversized dries to suspend nymphs and down to #18 for finicky eaters.

Emergers:

• Parachute Adams
• Aero Wing Emerger
• Possum Emerger
• Shaving brush
• Klinkhammer See http://www.goulburnvlyflyfishing.com.au/Information/Fly%20Patterns/fly%208%20klinkhammer.htm
• CDC emerger

Nymphs:

• PTN – all pheasant, peacock hearl, flashback, bead heads (copper, black, gold, orange, weighted, unweighted)
• Black/brown nymph – with and without Pheasant tail?
• Nathan’s trout run nymph?
• Sexy waltz worm? – an interesting fly I found on an Orvis podcast (https://loren.teamfreestone.com/tutorials/nymphs/sexy-walts-worm) will give it a try locally
• Scruffy hares ear
• Midge Pupa Chironomid: https://youtu.be/Nac9l3h_eXk
• Frenchie

Don’t forget to tie a variety using weighted/unweighted, bead head or not (copper or tungsten)

Wets:

• Biblio – https://www.troutflies.com.au/bush-bibio.html
• Woolly bugger: https://www.troutflies.com.au/flies/the-complete-wooly-bugger-collection-boxed.html
• Glo bug (using a beetle pattern?)
• Pat Kennedy suggested Hotlips
• Shrek:  https://www.troutflies.com.au/the-shrek-collection.html
• Magoo

Carp Flies: Evan provided some specific carp advice and added that “A lot of trout flies double as great patterns for Carp and Redfin, the following would be my ultimate Carp box in various weights, sizes and being creative with colours ie. nymphs don’t always need to be natural 😉”

• Spork size 6-10
• Unnamed jig Fly of mine that looks like a carrot…
• Buggers with and without hot spots, rubber legs, flash
• trout nymphs with and without hot spots, rubber legs, flash
• damsel nymph 
• parachute Adams size 10
• glo bugs

I suspect Claude was anticipating only a few fly patterns to concentrate on, but this is what happens when you ask 4 or more people for fishing advice J  I really appreciate his sharing this journey with us, also to the other contributors for their knowledge.  We’d welcome any additional thoughts from you too.

Please be patient with Bill with his first time out front.  He has jumped in here to fill a void – JQ was horrified to hear that recently he’s only been tying simple nymphs – especially as Bill hasn’t tied this one in years!

To follow on from Lyall’s lesson introducing us to use of deer hair (via the Elk Hair Caddis we tied in May) Bill will help people take the next step of spinning deer hair heads.

Materials:

Hook size can vary but let’s start with #6 – longish please

Deer Hair for head and top wing – Bill likes black

Marabou for tail and inner wing – purple used to be a hot colour.  Bill suggests Spotlight or Lincraft sourced dyed turkey feathers provide a cheaper alternative

Chenille or dubbing for body – your choice but size it to suit your hook size.

keyword wetfly streamerfly dryfly

Evan hosted fly tying on 28 June tying the salt water Weed Flies in advance of the July salt water weekend.

Materials you will need:

– a tube (like a pen with the middle out)
– size 10-8 extra strong grub hooks ( TMC 105, black magic G8)
– tiewell ice dub in olive or bright green
– super glue
– 140d or 6/0 thread olive or chartreuse

keyword wetfly

Notes from our instructor  (Lyall)

This month, we kicked off at 7:00 pm with a few basic techniques for beginning fly tiers then at 7:30 we began tying a simple Elk Hair Caddis.  No matter what style of fly fishing I am doing in Canberra or it’s surrounds, I always have an Elk Hair Caddis in my fly box.

Materials list:

Hook: size 10 , 2 x long, light weight hook (doesn’t have to be dry fly but must not be heavy)

Thread: tan 8/0 or 6/0

Body: polyester yarn (hard to find in fly shops). Substitute Sullivan’s Nylon Knitting Ribbon available at Lincraft sewing shops.  I paid $5 for ninety metres so have enough to tie 1,800 Caddis so everyone is welcome to a metre!!!

Hackle: palmered brown and/or black hackle (preferably cock hackle which will retain its structure rather than hen which will pulse while stripping)

Wing: elk body hair, natural brown colour

keyword dryfly

Jason Q found this item in a weekly newsletter he gets from the US.  Makes for interesting reading, especially for those of us who tied the squirmy wormy this month.

http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/gink-gasoline-fly-patterns/4-worm-patterns-i-always-carry-in-my-fly-box-3/

keyword wetfly

Notes from our lead, Jaime, below:

We are going to tie the SQUIRMY WORMY. It’s a heavy fly (weird to call it “fly” cause it doesn’t have a single feather or hairy material). It’s one of the flies mentioned in the video we watched during our April meeting, about European Nymphing and is becoming more and more in this style of fly fishing.

One of my rainbows in Tumut’s outing was caught with one of these flies in fast water.

I think this fly was created and inspired on the San Juan worm but it’s heavier than that and has a special action given by the material. We are going to tie the original (version 1: squirmy wormy, properly) and a lighter version (version 2).

keyword wetfly

Instructions from instructor (Nathan)

This month’s fly is an experimental one.

There’s a fly called ‘The Spectra Nymph’.

Now there are many variations of this pattern, so I thought we’d get members to see what weird and wonderful creations they can come up with.

I will guide on how to tie, and give the list of materials, but colours I’ll leave up to the individual.

Hook: Hanak H450BL or Basic Nymph Hook. Size #12, #14 or #16

Body: Spectra or Diamond Brite Dubbing. (Any Colour)

Tail: Hackle Fibres.

Thorax: Spectra or Diamond Brite Dubbing (Any Colour), or Peacock Herl.

Rib: Copper, Gold, Silver or Coloured wire.

Bead: Gold, Copper, Silver, Black or Coloured.

Hotspot: Fluorescent Thread. Hot Pink or Orange.

With the spawning run approaching, the fish will be quite aggressive and not as selective, so it’s a great time to experiment and try something different, and out of the ordinary.

Should be a bit of fun, and we can compare patterns and have a laugh at the end.

See you There,

Nathan

……………

Some examples of the flies tied on the night below

keyword wetfly nymphfly