Fly Fishing Report .. Lots Learned

[fishauhj2]

hi all:

I just came back from Brisbane and finally had chance to flyfish saltwater for the first time my prior experience was trout fishing I would like to share what I learned. I didn't catch much but I had opportunity to try many different techniques and different water conditions. Things were beginning to click and I had to leave! Overall I caught little whiting, hooked a taylor and and few others but here's a summary of I found out salt water fly fishing in Australia near Brisbane. It's a little long but perhaps someone may find some information useful.

Coolangatta (cove and off rocks):

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This was my first place I salt water fly fished and my first difficulty was understanding the water and the tides and the fish. Lot of nice mates explained me how the tides moved and there was a beautiful mini cove and an inlet. I made some basic mistakes; first the fly was too large for the fish I could see (whiting) and for the flatties the fly wasn't hitting the bottom.

I tried a big hole off the rocks I could see fish but they weren't interested. I even threw a class 6 sinking line to get down to them. One fisherman suggested I try a hard plastic with my 8wt and I found I could cast it and I had a bream come to the surface to take a look. He also gave me a small plastic jiggy. On hindsight I realized off the rocks I either have to either excite the fish at the top (a lot of work with a fly rod) or take it to the bottom using a floater with a lead shot on the leader with a downstream nymphing technique and give lot of jigging movement at the critical moment. For the cove I should have used a much smaller fly (#6) and a long leader, those fish I saw were spooky.

Surfer's Paradise and fishing for flatties (off a boat)

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My boss and I hired a guide boat and fished area around surfers's paradise. My boss caught one flatty and for me it was zero. He was using a 9wt rod with 300grain fast sinking line and I was using an 8wt intermediate line. I asked the guide to fish and I couldn't see what I was doing wrong (I didn get some strikes but was difficult to feel with the intermediate line). I then asked the guide to fish with the spinning rod he had with soft plastic and he hooked into smal flatties.

I dawned on me I wasn't hitting the bottom and only way I found I could was to add a split shot before I could see noticeable slow in the drift. The problem I was was controlling the drift of the line and something still wasn't right. I could be having either too much slack or could be lining the fish.

Nugee Beach - flat silty channel inlet at Brisbane

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I finally caught some fish, some small whiting using a #6 white and tan sparsely dressed clouser retrived at a slow pace off a floating line. I was told by many that they were hard to catch on a lure but they did take a fly! so I didn't get totally skunked. I tried nigth fishing once and I forgot to bright my head lamp and tying on a fly became a tricky operation. Again, unfortunately I didn't know quite what I was doing and if I were to go back I would stick on a large deceiver off a floater and search the water.

Maroochidore Inlet area - Sunshine coast

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I spent most of my time fishing the inlet of the maroochidore river inlet. My biggest handicap was understanding the currents but gradually begin to construt a picture by asking a lot of people and I was lucky to find and visit a local fly shop and ask a lot of questions. The shop owner Capt. Gavin Platz http://www.tienfly.com was very helpful and also very funny as well (he told us to think like a "shrimp"). I didn't hear that but I was beginning to think like that already and was beginnint to question lot of things I was doing previously.

Flatty Technique:

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I had some time to discuss technique with someone who had experience with these fish he explained to me these fish are lazy and wait for the food to come to them and sense vibrations throught their belly. I began to see a problem with fishing these with a fly rod with a sinking line was lining those fish. He said he used a sinking tip and used the downstream nymphing technique so that the fish weren't lined. Alas, I didn't have a sink tip line and I wanted to try to catch a tailor if I could. I were to go back I would try a sink tip or a floater with a shot on the tippet (I did try it and got some striks but couldn't connect) and use the tidal currents and terrain more effectively.

Night fishing and Tailor

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People told me they were catching some tailor but good ones were beyond the breakers so I figured I would try to catch them in the evening when the fish were supposed to be closed to the bank at a cove. I fly fished a cove with a deep hole close to the mouth of the river inlet in the evening to see if I can hook a monster. I saw mullets jumping and bait fish jumping out of water and occasionally a large splashes at the surface so I knew something was there.

It was a lot of work casting a 8wt intermediate line with a #2 deceiver and I finally managed to connect with a fish and he was on the line for about 10 seconds before he came off. My night foray ended early with a thunder storm but it was neat getting a hookup at night.

Next day I told Gavin what happened and he suggested I try a bigger fly for Tailor perhaps a #0/1 surf candy. Also, by now I realized it's important to cast efficently if my shoulder was to survive the casting ordeal of night fishing so I decided to take his offer of a casting lesson for $50AU; if my cast didn't increase by 20ft he said he would give my money back. At the end of the lesson I imanage to throw the whole line so I didn't get my money back. I found it was matter letting the fly rod to do the work and letting the butt section of my fast action fly rod to load properly. It was money very well spent because most of trout fishing involve casts less than 40ft.

Armed wish the lesson and a bigger fly I headed back to the cove. I did get a strike where the fly was completel stopped in its tracks and I struck and I didn't get a hookup which completely baffled me. I missed a second softer strike and after that I looked at the fly closeup and I found that line had wrapped around the body due to a wind knot I couldn't see except at close inspection. If I had inspected the fly I may have had better chance. I told him what had happened and he told me it's important to check the fly often.

One interesting trick I learned from Gavin was as Tailor heads up the mouth of the river they are sometimes hooked by spin fisherman and the Tailor vomits up its last meal with causes a "berley" trail and causes more Tailor to come up. He said he casts right into the mess and catches fish with a fly. I do have to admit that is clever but I did't see a single person catch a Tailor while I was on the beach. I was told that it was the end of Tailor season and Tailor fishing had been spotty.

Fly fishing the surf

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I tried fly fishing the surf using intermediate and sinking lines with a 8 and 10 weight rods. One thing I found was it isn't easy! First, the intermediate line was not quite dense enough and the 300grain class 6 was perhaps too heavy to get distance and to get adequate feel. I fished the gutters I saw but got no strikes and it probably didn't help that I didn't wake up early enough. However, I was satisfied because I wanted to try it to understand what the problems of fly fishing the surf were; it was simply matter of getting distance.

Everyone I talked to who were fishing with long spinning rods said big fish were beyond the breakers and I didn't quite have the right rig to go beyond the them. I talked to Gavin about this problems and he said he uses shooting head with thin rio running lines and subsequently through email I found he uses 10' 6wt rod to cast beyond the breakers. The ironical part was I did have a 6wt spey rod but I didn't have the right line but I know what to do next time. I should have tried fishing the surf in the evening when the waves weren't high.

Summary

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I found saltwater fly fishing is lot of fun (and work) but for the locals who understand the tides and the fish things would not have been as difficult. However, I realized proper technique is also very important and fundamentally the techniques are not different from fly fishing for trout; and most important of all one has to be able to cast the fly a long distance for hours without getting sore. If anyone fishes around the Moolooloobah and the sunshine coast I would heartily recommend that person to lookup capt. Gavin Platz I enjoyed talking to him because he is down to earth and he knows a lot about fly fishing (and fishing).

I am back hunting for little trout in knee deep water it's a different game but the I'll try to put the long cast to use if I can.

[Guest Boppa]

Excellent report mate

You certainly put the effort in and I hope it rewards you at some stage

Boppa

[Guest bluecod]

fishauhj2 - good report mate and while you may not have fully cracked the code, it sounds like you had a lot of fun getting to where you are.

Its funny how you feel out of your element in [otherwise] unchartered waters. Recently I had a chance to have a fly at some trout, but had absolutely NFI where to start - give me a bream, tailor, flathead or mullet anyday

[pogo]

Great report fish,

Well done, sounds like you put in a lot of effort and thought.

Are you coming along to the fluff chuckers day, love to have a look at your spey rod, got one myself a while back but dont feel I'm on top of it yet, have only caught fish on it useing a blowline and dapping.

Got to admit that the most of my SW FF is done from boats which makes life a lot easier than bank based.

Regards POGO

[Guest Jocool]

Some good info there mate. Thanks for putting it up.

Are you coming along to the fluff chuckers day, love to have a look at your spey rod,

71457[/snapback]

Pogo...That will be a bit hard. He is based in the states.

[fishauhj2]

pogo:

My speyrod is an Scott Arc1196 a real soft rod I went to my local fly shop to try different fly lines and it seemed to work with a 7wt floater. One backcast and I could practically shoot the whole line. The owner told me with water loading I should get more distance and for overhead shooting he said I need to try different shooting heads. I am beginner in speyrods but the sense I get is there is some art in getting the rod rigged with the right line. A good source of info. is www.speypages.com.

gongfisho:

Fly fishing equipment is much cheaper and better than years ago and entry level equipment is fine and you can always get them used. It turns out the most expensive part is not the equipment but the flies over the long run! I bought few sample flies and I overheard Gavin telling customers he would be more than happy to sell them flies but if he ties them himself it would only cost $1 a piece. There are expensive but luckily saltwater flies are easier to tie.

If I were to go back I would tie flies for different tide conditions when the tidal movements weren't strong those clousers I was using sank too fast and caused a hinge and was more difficult to feel a soft take. I would go for lighter flies and perhaps add a shot to the leader which is the way I nymph for trout which help to create a straight line. I heard at least for trout they hold it in their mouth little longer if it's softer. I would play around with shots as well. Another thing would have been to experiment with jig heads. Too bad I am so far away.

I did notice the bait fish I saw were very small at some locations. I bet some of trout flies and san juan worms would have been great for whiting and bream but I could kick myself for not having taken a trout rig when I was there.

I think the fun part of chucking flies is figuring out how.

Have fun fishing it's fall here and it's getting colder and soon the trout will get lethargic.

Ted