Etude in Shrimp and the Figtree Flattie Fingerling Quartet

[Little_Flatty]

So my fly fishing journey continued over the past week. Flipping through the past few issues of Flylife magazine had me curious about tying something more challenging than a Crazy Charlie or a Clouser. I started looking up some intricate shrimp patterns, but when pricing up all the bits and pieces required, I would end up spending the best part of 100 dollars. Granted, this would've been a lot of flies (and professionally tied, these retail at 10-15 dollars a pop), but still, I needed something that matched my basic equipment and skills.

Being school holidays, I was left high and dry by my work team for lunch on my office day, so in my lunch break I visited a well-known CBD tackle shop that specialised in fly fishing. I was looking for tan coloured rabbit fur and couldn't find any, and thankfully got talking to the staff there. One thing led to another and I ended up getting a lesson in dubbing loops and how to tie in silli legs.

In the meantime, I had also started making my own epoxy shrimp eyes with 30lb mono, nail polish and UV epoxy:

(this little alien was a piece of blu-tak keeping the eyes standing up while the nail polish and/or the epoxy dried...I come in peace...🤣).

With my newly acquired skills in hand, I started researching shrimp flies in earnest and started experimenting with various patterns I found on youtube that use dubbing for the body. The pattern I landed on was the Fuzzle Shrimp:

I tied various permutations and combinations of this shrimp over the ensuing days, and this was starting to become a study in both shrimp and fly tying. Tying these files reminded me of my childhood music studies, learning from a maestro and then the constant practice, practice and practice, hence the title of this post. I had tied almost an entire 15 pack of Gamakatsu saltwater hooks! By the weekend, I had arrived at this (perhaps overdressed/overdubbed) effort:

 

More practice needed, but for now, this would have to do for my next performance.

I wasn't intending to get out this morning, owing to the wind the night before, but I woke up at 5am to complete stillness outside and decided to go for it. Unfortunately I had a few things to do for work before I could go, and ended up not leaving until pretty close to 6am. Get to a spot on the Lane Cove river and start casting. Not much interest, but I did have a 30cm tailor pop up for a look. Trying to flick my shrimp off a snag, I realised I had company, casually hanging off a vertical wall:

After a halfhearted attempt at luring up a luderick on a weed fly, I had to bid my new friend goodbye and go home.

Spent most of the day organising a few details for my eldest's upcoming birthday party. Then late in the afternoon, I ask if the family wanted to do anything. The kids were glued to their screens and the wife wanted to sew, so I ask if I could get out again. Go for it, was the answer, and believe me, I was out faster than a flash!

I'd been reading some ancient fly fishing reports up on here about fishing the flats at Figtree Bridge on the Lane Cove River. I hadn't fished those flats for years, but I figured it would be a good place to fly fish. Plenty of room for a back cast, lots of small enthusiastic flatties that would probably like my shrimp and it's reasonably close to home. Get myself there, don the wading shoes and get out.

I'd long forgotten how soft the mud is in the river! Hopping off the retaining wall, I ended up knee deep in the mud! Not a great start, but I squidge my way out to knee deep water and start casting over the flats. The first hit took me by surprise; I didn't realise how different hits on the fly outfit would feel compared to lures and bait. Basically I'd be stripping the fly and all of a sudden, something would stop the strip in its tracks. So I missed it.

Cast back into the same area and the next hit I was ready, landing this fingerling of a flatty that was barely 15cm long:

The next one came in quick succession, with a slightly bigger model at about 20cm (all sizes estimated as I didn't think any of these fish were worth getting the brag mat dirty!):

After that, it goes a little quiet, so I move to another spot, having a chat to a couple of fellow fishos along the way. I station myself under the bridge, casting at the eddies behind the pylons. It is here I snare another fish, not much bigger than the second:

It goes quiet again, so I move to the other side of the flats. I don't last long there, because the mud was so soft that it's hard to keep your balance! Started wondering if some kind of snow shoe advice might help with this situation. I didn't have them today, so after missing a couple of hits, I moved back under the bridge.

One of my fellow fishos lands a nice bream on chicken, but apart from one hit that felt different (might have been my first bream hit), I didn't get any fish. It was 6pm and almost time to go, so I head back to my initial expanse of flats for a few last casts. This was rewarded by an estimated 30cm fish:

And with that it was time to go home. Had a few dramas cleaning myself up afterwards and my fly line was feeling quite dirty. I had only just cleaned it this weekend! Got home, cleaned the gear, then literally undressed into the washing machine and into the shower. Reminder to self: get a sprayer bottle to wash myself down next time!

Anyhow, I don't think I've ever been so happy to catch four undersized flathead, but it was just immensely satisfying to learn a new fly tying skill and dupe a fish on a new fly pattern tied at home. In my mind, these tiny flathead might have well been a permit, bonefish or a trophy NZ trout. The casting felt good too; I was able to cast quite a distance this afternoon, assisted by the wind (but pretending it was actual skill 🤣).

I have a feeling I will be down here a bit in the summer.

Thanks for reading.

[Yowie]

Well Mike, fishing can be different, but getting into furry things and nail polish ?    🤣

The flies look good, and some flatties for your efforts, though only small stuff, but still a good effort.

As for the mud, very hard to move through it without sinking down, and it can cause a bit of muscle strain trying to move through it and not fall over.

[mrsswordfisherman]

@Little_Flatty I have always wanted to have a go at fly tying. 
We used to have a group on here that used to make them and send them to others in the group. It was a surprise thing and they did not know what they would be receiving. 

That looks very professional Mike.

[mrsswordfisherman]

Here you go @Little_Flatty from the year 2005

 

[bessell1955]

What skill you have, well done. 

 

[Little_Flatty]

5 hours ago, Yowie said:

Well Mike, fishing can be different, but getting into furry things and nail polish ?    🤣

The flies look good, and some flatties for your efforts, though only small stuff, but still a good effort.

As for the mud, very hard to move through it without sinking down, and it can cause a bit of muscle strain trying to move through it and not fall over.

Cheers Dave. I haven't even told you about the discount store pink feather boa yet! 🤣 That said, I've been told a lot of discount store stuff isn't colour fast, so maybe the boa is safe for now.

I decided I wanted orange eyes for my next batch, so I got some orange nail polish. My wife sees it and goes "that's a nice colour". I thought she was making fun of me, but she said "no, really"! I offered it to her and she said "oh no no no, I don't want to interfere with your collection"🤣

4 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

@Little_Flatty I have always wanted to have a go at fly tying. 
We used to have a group on here that used to make them and send them to others in the group. It was a surprise thing and they did not know what they would be receiving. 

That looks very professional Mike.

Thanks Donna,

I still have a way to go, but it's good to see that the fish like the flies. I just have to get up to the standard to fool the bigger ones.

You'd be a gun fly tier, with your craft and fishing background. Give it a go again, both the fly tying and fly fishing.

Would be good to do a fly swap one day, but for now, once I get up to scratch, I have a friend whom I owe quite a lot of flies. He got me started with a beautiful collection of his own creations.

1 hour ago, bessell1955 said:

What skill you have, well done. 

 

Thanks Bessell, it's a constant learning process but I'm getting there!

[jenno64]

Those flies look amazing and the small flatties certainly approve....what happens if you make one 5 times that size? ....a metre croc perhaps!

[Green Hornet]

Nice going Mike, both on the vice and the water. Catching fish, no matter what size, on your own creations is extremely rewarding as you're finding out.

I was mucking around on the vice a few years ago and knocked up this shrimp pattern out of scraps. Just a bit of estaz chenilie for the body and hackles for legs, feelers and tail. Its an effective fly for working around shallow weed beds (no weighted eyes or shank) tied on a #6 Gamakatsu. So far its got me flathead, bream and is particularly good on whiting.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Green Hornet

[Little_Flatty]

2 hours ago, jenno64 said:

Those flies look amazing and the small flatties certainly approve....what happens if you make one 5 times that size? ....a metre croc perhaps!

Thanks Rob, I've just taken delivery of a kit for another shrimp fly from an excellent fly tying business. This pattern will be in size 2, so four times the size of my current size 8 fly, so we will find out! 😎

My prediction: I think I'll still catch tiddler flatties (eyes bigger than their stomach), but hopefully will find a bigger model around as well.

2 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Nice going Mike, both on the vice and the water. Catching fish, no matter what size, on your own creations is extremely rewarding as you're finding out.

I was mucking around on the vice a few years ago and knocked up this shrimp pattern out of scraps. Just a bit of estaz chenilie for the body and hackles for legs, feelers and tail. Its an effective fly for working around shallow weed beds (no weighted eyes or shank) tied on a #6 Gamakatsu. So far its got me flathead, bream and is particularly good on whiting.

 

 

Love it Pete. I particularly like how you  used scraps to tie it. Seems like fly tying generates heaps of scraps. I'm going to see if I can find a way to use them, even if it's just for practice.

[Yowie]

7 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Cheers Dave. I haven't even told you about the discount store pink feather boa yet! 🤣 That said, I've been told a lot of discount store stuff isn't colour fast, so maybe the boa is safe for now.

I decided I wanted orange eyes for my next batch, so I got some orange nail polish. My wife sees it and goes "that's a nice colour". I thought she was making fun of me, but she said "no, really"! I offered it to her and she said "oh no no no, I don't want to interfere with your collection"🤣

 

🤣🤣🤣

At least your wife can see you are only producing fishing lures of different types.

When my mother-in-law was still alive and in her 90's, and she was fairly prim and proper, a large bird feather fell into her yard. I picked it up and said, "particularly nasty weather". She said, "I may be in my 90's, but I know that means 'tickle your arse with a feather'". Well, surprise, surprise. 🤣

[Larkin]

Nice going on the little flatties Mike! id call that a successful fly session! 

everything’s going to start to look like tying materials….did you read that article Donna posted…. the fella that went to the zoo to hang around the exotic bird aviaries 😂😂😂

 

 

 

[Green Hornet]

13 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Love it Pete. I particularly like how you  used scraps to tie it. Seems like fly tying generates heaps of scraps. I'm going to see if I can find a way to use them, even if it's just for practice.

I keep a smallish Tupperware type container on the bench and all the scraps go into that. Helps keep things tidy as well as handy for times when you just need that little bit of fluff.

[Little_Flatty]

8 hours ago, Larkin said:

Nice going on the little flatties Mike! id call that a successful fly session! 

everything’s going to start to look like tying materials….did you read that article Donna posted…. the fella that went to the zoo to hang around the exotic bird aviaries 😂😂😂

 

 

 

Cheers Chris, I haven’t read that article, but the other day in the park, a dog decided to help itself to our picnic. While the kids were freaking out, I thought…hmm, nice substitute for rabbit fur🤣 I might have swapped Fido a sausage for a tuft of fur and we both may have called it fair🤣

10 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

I keep a smallish Tupperware type container on the bench and all the scraps go into that. Helps keep things tidy as well as handy for times when you just need that little bit of fluff.

That’s a good idea Pete, I might try that. Worst case, we could whizz it all into a coffee grinder and make Frankenstein dubbing 😎