A day of multiple firsts

[Little_Flatty]

Those of you who follow this site may know that I have been trying to get a fish on fly for almost a year now. I thought it wasn't going to happen, but today I finally broke my duck!

Fast forward back some eleven months or so, @DerekD gave me a refresher on fly casting and started me learning how to chase Luderick on fly. From his description, it sounded very straightforward, but for some reason, we donutted over several sessions!

A few weekends ago, Derek messaged me telling me to get down to the water NOW with my fly rod, but I had a thousand things on that weekend and couldn't possibly get away. Then the whole household got the flu, including me, and I didn't fish at all for almost two weeks.

Today I had the day off work, and I was lucky enough to find one of my best mates free to join me. Now, he's not a mad fisho like me, but hanging around me over the decades, he obviously knows how to operate a fishing outfit (he couldn't escape!).

We started the day down at Mosman Bay Wharf. My reasons for choosing this spot: I wanted to get us on the board with some bread-caught bream and trevally and (more importantly) have a couple of coffees on the wharf cafe...I'm a latte sipping angler, that's me! 🤣. It didn't take us long to get our first bite, then our first hookup, but but the time I wrangled my rod out of the makeshift rod holder, the fish had me snagged. My mate also missed multiple hookups.

After another bustoff and two coffees each, I started getting itchy feet and wanted to get the fly rod out. So we headed for Clifton Gardens, getting ourselves a pie along the way.

The plan for me was to chase Luderick on the fly, and rig up my mate with a float and some cabbage/weed that I had collected yesterday. Arrived at the spot just before the top of the tide, got a berley trail going and then...realised I'd left my strike indicators in the car! Started my mate fishing, then ran back to get them. Things were looking good, because we'd sighted several big fish cruising the weedbeds.

I got back, set up the strike indicator and then put in my first cast. I'd made a naughty purchase recently, picking up a cheap fibreglass fly rod, reel and line. My excuse was that I wanted a 6wt as well as an 8wt .

It barely took me ten minutes to get my first down, and after a spirited fight (I was really glad for the forgiving action of the fly rod) and some coaching of my mate on how to use the landing net, I managed to land my first ever fish on fly! At 32cm and my first on fly, I decided to take it home for a feed.

It seemed that the fish weren't in a cabbage kind of mood today, so I re-rigged my mate's float rig to take a weed fly, then eventually added an additional dropper which he fished with green weed. That finally did the trick, and it totally made my day when he hooked up to a 35cm fish, that did its best to dust him off under the wharf. It also went into the esky (sorry, no pictures).

Not long after that, the fish came onto the bite. I hooked and subsequently dropped another fish, then next cast I hooked up again, landing a smaller model, still legal but I decided to let it go:

After releasing that fish, it was time to head home to pick kids up from school. If we hadn't had to leave them biting, I suspect we would have had a few more fish in the bag, but as it was, we were thrilled to have two keepers to take home. It totally made my day to get my first fish on fly, and get my mate onto his first ever luderick.

A great day all round!

[Rebel]

Great report.

Well done, but you forgot the Green Peas.

Top photos. Nice looking Black fish.

[Blackfish]

That’s a great first, I’m not sure many could say their first fish on a Fly was a Luderick.

[Jo5hC]

Great first on fly! Was this at the Clifton gardens jetty? 

[mrsswordfisherman]

Fantastic @Little_Flatty 👏👏👏👏

[Little_Flatty]

2 hours ago, Rebel said:

Great report.

Well done, but you forgot the Green Peas.

Top photos. Nice looking Black fish.

Next time Rebel! If I'm still casting flies for them, I'll need to create a pea fly  

Shame I didn't think about that option for my mate.

2 hours ago, Blackfish said:

That’s a great first, I’m not sure many could say their first fish on a Fly was a Luderick.

I was worried my first fish was going to be a chopper tailor, so very relieved I have a Luderick as a first 😎

1 hour ago, Jo5hC said:

Great first on fly! Was this at the Clifton gardens jetty? 

Yep. The spot you were at the other day would hold them too😎

1 hour ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Fantastic @Little_Flatty 👏👏👏👏

Thanks Donna, good to finally get onto a fish after what felt like an eternity.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Awesome to break the duck on a nice sized luderick. They punch above their weight... would have been a fun fight on fly!

[Little_Flatty]

46 minutes ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Awesome to break the duck on a nice sized luderick. They punch above their weight... would have been a fun fight on fly!

They punch above their weight for sure! I was using 6lb tippet so they gave me a run for my money. Great fun.

[big Neil]

Fantastic Mike and friend, I am so happy for you. A great bit of angling from you guys and hats off to DerekD for his thorough tuition that allowed you to have these new experiences. Always good to get a first, the memory will stay with you for ever. Cheers, bn

Edited August 7, 2023 by big Neil
typo error

[Yowie]

Nice work. A bit of experimenting, and it paid off.

[Little_Flatty]

50 minutes ago, big Neil said:

Santastic Mike and friend, I am so happy for you. A great bit of angling from you guys and hats off to DerekD for his thorough tuition that allowed you to have these new experiences. Always good to get a first, the memory will stay with you for ever. Cheers, bn

Thanks Neil. Wouldn't have got there without @DerekD's tuition!

47 minutes ago, Yowie said:

Nice work. A bit of experimenting, and it paid off.

Thanks Yowie, love trying new methods for new species. Just had the fish for dinner with my family. Delicious!

[dirvin21]

That's absolutely awesome Mike

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, dirvin21 said:

That's absolutely awesome Mike

Cheers Dave!

Also, for those who might be interested, this is my new 6wt. Being glass, I suspect it handles rather like a traditional Luderick rod; whippy, forgiving and protective of a blackfish's powerful lunges. Though the colour is not everyone's cup of tea, I chose the raw fibreglass finish. I like it for something different.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how it roll casts - I have heard medium actioned glass rods roll cast nicely.

[Larkin]

Top catch Mike! 

nice rod - I like the colour! Never tried fly myself - one day!

Do you tie your own flies? I think I’d find that part interesting.

[wazatherfisherman]

Great stuff Mike I'm betting the plastics get a rest for a while now! Clifton isn't always an easy spot to catch them either. Hope you enjoy the feed!

[noelm]

There’s something about fly fishing, not too sure what it is, but even for an old dude like me, it’s great fun and somehow “interesting” or something. I use only bread flies, and it’s amazing what I catch at times. I’m not too sure why it’s different to bait or lure fishing, but it is. Sometimes I come home with nothing at all, yet I feel ten feet tall because I finally made a great cast or something.

Edited August 7, 2023 by noelm

[zmk1962]

Well done LF! That’s a great first … one you’ll not forget. 
cheers Z

[DerekD]

Hi @Little_Flatty, Congratulations and very well done. It was only a matter of time. Technique and determination were there. The luderick is a great little weed fly taker once you've found the schools. Burley is usually not critical to success. It only gets easier from here on in but please leave my record luderick on fly standing for a little while longer. 😀

Did you use one of the strike indicators I made or use your own? When that indicator suddenly pops below the surface it is very clear that there is a luderick on the other end of the line.

Looking forward to discussing further and hearing of more successes.

Regards,

Derek

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by DerekD

[Little_Flatty]

8 hours ago, Larkin said:

Top catch Mike! 

nice rod - I like the colour! Never tried fly myself - one day!

Do you tie your own flies? I think I’d find that part interesting.

Cheers Chris, I like it too!

Fly fishing off a jetski, now THAT would be something to watch! I think you'd have a good level of success with your surface fish species.

Don't tie my own flies yet. I actually told myself that I wouldn't start fly tying until I've caught a fish on fly. Now I have, I can consider it, but I think I'm a bit preoccupied with fishing at this present moment🤣 I also have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't cheaper to tie them yourself, unless you tie a lot.

7 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Great stuff Mike I'm betting the plastics get a rest for a while now! Clifton isn't always an easy spot to catch them either. Hope you enjoy the feed!

Cheers Waza, I certainly know how challenging it can be, given the donuts I've had fishing there! The feed was fantastic, kind of wish I took the other fish, but how much can one eat? Will just need to go back 😎

41 minutes ago, noelm said:

There’s something about fly fishing, not too sure what it is, but even for an old dude like me, it’s great fun and somehow “interesting” or something. I use only bread flies, and it’s amazing what I catch at times. I’m not too sure why it’s different to bait or lure fishing, but it is. Sometimes I come home with nothing at all, yet I feel ten feet tall because I finally made a great cast or something.

Certainly is Noel! At some points over the past 12 months, I was left wondering why anyone ever thought swoffing with the long wand was ever a good idea, but I somehow keep doing it (and spending money on it) 🤣

There's also something about fishing with bread. I enjoy it much, much more than I should! So I guess bread flies is something else I will be doing a lot of  

29 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

Well done LF! That’s a great first … one you’ll not forget. 
cheers Z

Thanks Zoran

18 minutes ago, DerekD said:

Hi @Little_Flatty, Congratulations and very well done. It was only a matter of time. Technique and determination were there. The luderick is a great little weed fly taker once you've found the schools. Burley is usually not critical to success. It only gets easier from here on in but please leave my record luderick on fly standing for a little while longer. 😀

Did you use one of the strike indicators I made or use your own? When that indicator suddenly pops below the surface it is very clear that there is a luderick on the other end of the line.

Looking forward to discussing further and hearing of more successes.

Regards,

Derek

 

Cheers Derek, you were the one who got me started! I used my own foam indicators yesterday, but with a special mod: the thinner diameter O rings that you suggested. Less worrying about flotant.

[Green Hornet]

Awesome Mike, a fish you’ll never forget I’m sure.

As far as SWF goes, luderick certainly aren’t an easy catch and won’t give up the fight until they’re in the net. 34cm is a great fish and well worth all your efforts, great catch.

[Little_Flatty]

42 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

Awesome Mike, a fish you’ll never forget I’m sure.

As far as SWF goes, luderick certainly aren’t an easy catch and won’t give up the fight until they’re in the net. 34cm is a great fish and well worth all your efforts, great catch.

Cheers Pete, yeah had a harder time than expected getting it into the net! I now totally understand why the whippy rods are necessary. I would’ve popped the tippet on a stiffer rod.

[noelm]

A couple of years ago I loaned my good fly rod to a “mate” unfortunately he never returned it, and of course, I can’t remember who it was…….so I have been using a cheap as chips “Rex Hunt” fly rod that my son bought when he was about 12 years old, and strangely enough, I kind of like it. I don’t own a fancy high tech setup (well not any more) but this cheap rod, with an ABU reel works a treat. Just for kicks, I might borrow my sons good setup to have a play.

[GordoRetired]

Perseverance pays off. Well done.

[big Neil]

11 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Cheers Dave!

Also, for those who might be interested, this is my new 6wt. Being glass, I suspect it handles rather like a traditional Luderick rod; whippy, forgiving and protective of a blackfish's powerful lunges. Though the colour is not everyone's cup of tea, I chose the raw fibreglass finish. I like it for something different.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how it roll casts - I have heard medium actioned glass rods roll cast nicely.

You're right there Mike. If my cup of tea was that colour, I wouldn't be drinking it.   bn

[Rebel]

There is a great article on fly fishing for Ludrick & fishing for Luderick in the September issue of Fishing World.

Cheers.