Ben Hall

Thanks Hoods It sure turned my day around from looking like a pretty ordinary day with only one pan size snapper in the esky. Don't think I even had another cast and just headed in knowing it couldn't get much better. Also with the amount of whales passing by trying to keep out of their way, I get a little nervous with them guys especially after having a close call a few years ago.

Wasn't the sisters

82cm Mac Tuna on fly record submission 20lb tippet on the 10wt. Report in brag board

Back in 2022 we had a great run of Mac Tuna in mid winter in my local area. The dream was to catch a Longtail but had to settle for some Mac Tuna, fishing with my 10wt and 20lb tippet these guys put up an awesome fight. Fight times excess of 20min. The fly of choice was small Surf Candies about 50mm long. They were super frustrating at times only staying on the surface for short periods before going deep again. When you were lucky enough to have them feeding in range and got a cast into the action, they rarely refused a well presented fly. It was very much a match the hatch scenario with flies as you can see in the photo. Such a worthy opponent.

Thanks mate, doesn't matter what new species I might catch deep down I'm a Jewie fisherman to my core. I'm so glad that the minimum size was increased to 70cm and only 1 fish limit to try and look after the stocks, these days if I can release a Jew I will but also do enjoy a feed.

110cm 25lb Jew on fly, report in brag board.

What inspired me to take up fly fishing was the dream to catch a Jew on fly, I had caught them on bait, hardbody lures and soft plastics so fly was the next challenge. It took alot of practice casting, especially with big flies that need to be cast distance. I found a fly that filled me with confidence to cast for Jew, the 6/0 Black Mamba rattling Fat Boy tied by Scott from Saltwater FLIES Australia. The fly is a very heavy hard fly to cast. I fished with my 10wt Sage Salt Hd rod with the Spectrum Max 9/10 spooled with SA clear tip line which the clear tip section sinks. I constructed my leader in pieces the butt section 50lb and the tippet section 30lb wanting to put the odds in favour should I hook the fish I've dreamed of. Lots of casts went into this capture, this was my first Jew on fly that measured 110cm and weighed 25lb caught back in 2019. I've caught quite a few since on fly but haven't been able to beat my first Jew which is still my PB.

Ive had a couple of sessions on lure where I've caught multiple fish but in no way have I cracked the code for Bream fishing with my biggest Bream measuring 45cm on a lure which was unexpected since i was fishing for Flathead at the time, and caught some big ones on bait over the years. They are such a worthy opponent and can be good for those starting out since alot of the fishing can be done with relatively short casts, although some of that casting is around structure which calls for some accuracy. When we talk about matching the hatch, in this case some well tied shrimps. I would think look more natural then alot of lures that are cast at Bream. I'm sure you've seen some of the flies tied by BWC flies which I think set the benchmark for especially Bream and shrimps for Bream, with Brett and Cherie being Bream specialists. Thanks Little flatty

Thank you and thanks for linking up my report.

37cm Bream on fly 8wt rod with 6lb leader. Report in brag board.

I don't target Bream on fly that often so when I do and catch a few fish I call it a success. Recently caught fishing the heavily weeded banks up the back of the bay (port stephens). I opted to fish with my 8wt Sage X rod with a SA hover line, knowing I was planning to cast some heavy crab flies in some challenging conditions (windy). The hover line has a sink rate of 1 (ips). I was running a leader about 10 foot long with the business end being 6lb flouro. The fly was a HPU shrimp, i cant remember if i tied this one or not as i try to tie them exactly the same as a well known fly shop does. I made a nice cast probably around 60 foot and with a slow draw and some pauses twitching fly from time to time. I got the bite I was fishing for, the fish put up a good fight with it getting its head down in some current, I used soft hands to ensure my 6lb tippet didn't pop. 37cm Bream. Fish was quickly released after photo.

I do enjoy fresh sashimi but I've never had it that fresh while still in the boat.

The more you do it, the more you'll enjoy it. When you keep improving and make cast's that you couldn't before or adapt to challenging conditions and catch fish. Don't worry I still have days that I question myself "do I really want to be a fly fisherman" Cheers Ben

Thanks Little_flatty If your out there catching fish on fly your already winning, just got to hope the big one comes along. I would suggest running a bite tippet for insurance if you are serious about getting a big one. If I remember on this fish I was just running 10lb tippet but when I'm out casting bigger flies in hope of that big fish I have run about a foot of 16lb shock tippet for insurance.

Attached report in brag board