Fly fishing in the harbour

[Mike89]

I was down at Drummoyne Wharf a few days ago for a quick stab at the blackies (so far unsuccessful there) and came across an older gent with a fly rod casting out the front of the wharf into a drift.

Curious, I approached him to see what he might catch and asked him what he was chasing. "Fish" he said bluntly. Cool, never seen anyone fly fishing in the harbour. What do you catch here? Again, "fish". Wasn't much of a talker I guess then.

My question is what sort of species would you catch on a fly off a ferry wharf? There was a pretty strong drift that day, and he seemed to be casting a small fly and letting it float along the surface.

Maybe just practicing? Don't know.

[Crossfire63]

I've seen a bloke catching flat head and whiting off the sand flats near Cronulla Ferry Wharf on a fly rod.

A couple of blokes yelled out to him that there wasn't any trout in the bay and he responded by pulling two flathead out of his shoulder bag and yelling "they told me these were trout"

[sam bros]

Not sure about the harbour,

But i have seen a lot of people catch bonito, frigates, salmon on fly along the central coast.

[Razzell]

I know in the summer whiting can be taken on the fly, and I imagine bream would also. I've also heard it said that salmon are great on the fly and will readily take (particularly when they're on the micro baitfish).

If memory serves, the 'how to fish pittwater' article from this site also talks about catching kingies on the fly in summer...

[TunaSickle]

Schools of Salmon

[fragmeister]

Its good to think of saltwater flies as just another lure.

So, from the jetty, you just have to present the lure to the fish around the structure or at the fish if they are in close and feeding.

If you want to increase your chances of getting something on fly then start a slow burley trail going. This time of year the trevaly are pretty thick and they

will take flies pretty aggressively if they have been burleyed up and are feeding without caution.

Just cast the fly (these are wet flies and sinking line) along the burley trail and let it sink down to the burley and strip the line back.

I like a prawn pattern and it works on all the bread and butter species but trevaly and real suckers for it.

Cheers

Jim

[Mike89]

So flatties on a fly as well?

Wet flies sink?

Don't know a thing about fly fishing.

[Ryder]

There has been a bit of surface action in the harbour.

Schools of legal kings working the shoreline. Maybe his target.

Most of the bread and butter species in the harbour will take a fly. Blackfish included.

Passion and persistence pays off.

[fragmeister]

So flatties on a fly as well?

Wet flies sink?

Don't know a thing about fly fishing.

Sorry Mike...

Fly fishing originally came from fresh water. The flies mimic the insects that are hatching at the time so if its a blowfly landing on the surface

you would use a dry fly that floated on the surface and a floating line so the fly was not dragged under.

If there were insects things hatching under the water you would use a wet fly that sinks... there are lots of combinations including a wet and dry fly at the same time but essentially you are trying to get the

fly presented naturally.

In fresh water streams you sometimes let the fly float along with the current , sometimes you slowly strip .(pull it along without reeling it in) to simulate movement or control where it drifts in the stream.

In saltwater all flies that I am aware of are wet flies and you always impart some action to represent movement.

Flathead certainly are taken on flies.

Like any lure, you have to get them within striking range of the fish.

I would say that most people who cant get the hang of lures are just not putting the lure where the fish are.

For the most part the water around us is devoid of fish so casting and retrieving lures or flies in to empty water is not going to produce

any fish and the novice soon gives up and returns to bait fishing.

There are some expert lure fisherman on this site as well as some very accomplished fly fishermen who I am sure will give you some great advice if

you want to get into fly fishing.

Fly fishing is very specialised and it takes a good deal of practice to get proficient enough to catch fish but its also a lot of fun.

Cheers

Jim

[Mike89]

Cheers Jim, thanks for the informative posts.

I haven't done any serious lure fishing but have recently been getting into squidding which has opened my mind up in terms of thinking about trying some plastics/lures.

I have a gift card from a fly fishing shop sitting around at home that can either be a 1-day fly-fishing course (which didn't sound too interesting when I enquired about it) or $200 to spend at their store.

I watched a video yesterday of a couple of blokes catching queenfish and brassies on surface-popper type flies. Was pretty cool. The rods seem so light and flimsy but can really hold a fish!

[big Neil]

If you are considering getting fly fishing gear Mike be sure to start off with what you want to target. Like other fishing gear fly gear comes in different "weights" depending on what type of fish you hope to catch on them. A trout set up and one for large pelagics are very different set ups. Good luck whatever you decide to do with the gift card. As Jim said fly fishing is an acquired art which can take time to master. Cheers, Neil.

[luderick -angler]

I have two passions luderick on the long rod and pin. And fly fishing. In recent years luderick on fly has become a real obsession when I am not chasing trout. In regards to fly fishing there are a lot of gimmicks.

The best all round weight rod is a six it will get you trout bass small yellows carp Redfin etc and in the salt it will get you bream whiting flatties and most bread and butter fish.

Rod choice can be daunting. Fast action medium action slow action etc it depends on the application. Floating lines sinking lines etc etc....do research pick your target species start out with a plan stick to it. He most important thing get casting lessons so you don't form bad habits. There's so much involved. Example I have six fly rods all with different actions and length for various applications. Different weights differing line tapers etc. Get the drift! But don't let that discourage you the world of fly fishing once entered and once you start to master it is very rewarding

[Hooked-Up]

All good info there!

I would suggest a 7wt med/fast action as the best first rod.

I reckon its the best all rounder.

I dont really chase stream trout more of a stillwater man so the 7wt served me well as a first rod.

My sage vxp 7 covered everything i wanted it for as my first flyrod, flathead was what i chose to learn on as i was very confident with them on lures.

Didnt take long for me to become full blown fly head lol!

So incase you didnt know the whole purpose of flyfishing was created to be able to cast (veeeery small objects) that are so light its impossible to cast on spinning gear.

As an example, how far could you cast or even throw a tiny bare hook with no sinkers attached?

Probably 3 metres if your lucky lol.

With the long wand you arent actually casting the fly, you are casting the flyline which carries the fly along with it (the line is whats weighted not the fly, it just goes along for the ride) you could potentially cast a bare hook upto 30 metres and beyond with practise.

Thats why the fly can be so devasting when fish are on the small stuff, nothing compares!

So pretty much flyeods are needed when you need to present small items to fish that is otherwise not possible.

Whenever you see people casting things that you could comfortably cast on a spin rod the fly rod isnt necessary however myself included would prefer to still use it over a spin rod fir the fun factor.

Sooo for trout it can be neccesary, same for salmon, sometimes kings and many other fish at particular times, other end of the scale is casting huge popping flues on 14wt rods for GT. Completely uneccessary and actually leasens your odds of capture by a heck load lol. But soooo much fun to be had.

Ive discovered through flyfishing its not just about catching fish, we happily put the odds in favour of the fish alot of the time.

To me now its the circumstances the fish were captured under that the real rewards come.

Doesnt have to be a world record fish to be memorable lol.

Once you get it!

Thats it!

Lol.

[luderick -angler]

Hooked up is spot on! All. Wry true what he says. The physical act of casting the line forming loops and laying out the perfect presentation is half the fun but my goodness when you hook up! The Sage VXP ( now discontinued) is an awesome rod. For more of a budget and awesome warranty look at Temple Fork Outfitters with a fly rod you want an unconditional lifetime warranty and very few fly rod makers do a good one. Sage, Scott, temple Fork are three that one to mind. The Scott A4 is another awesome medium fast rod. My go to rods are a Sage One 590 and a Sage TCR 890 both very fast rods and cannons great for casting into headwinds. Just rmwbr try before you buying your in Sydney PM me and we can organise a casting arvo for you I have rods of varying actions so you can get an idea of what suits you