THE IDIOTS GUIDE TO BYNOE

I hope I don't offend anyone, but, unless you are one of the gurus, Bynoe can be difficult like any other harbour on the flats for fly....so seeing I'm not the smartest, but have done well out there, I thought that I should give some very suspect advice....especially seeing the Bynoe Sheep Station Stakes is on in a few weeks.

For some really good advice click onto these links  Accuracy  and Game Plan from Graeme the Grey

First off.....since we have been fishing with an electric motor we have caught less fish...why?????

I think it is because we keep moving.....I have watched some of the gurus.....they use the electric....but on the slowest speed or anchor....in the old days we would beach ourselves and wait for the fish.....I think,  the Grey Ghost ''GG'(Graeme) often sits and waits for the fish too....but with the bloody electric we keep moving.....so when the fish arrive we are often not there.

The year that the old girl got seven species for the Challenge three days in a row, we did not have the electric on and we sat in spots for a set time, fifteen minutes, then moved on.   If the tide has over 4m movement.....as the gurus says...you only have that short window to fish before they move on....so if you keep moving on the motor you often miss the fish ......on this occassion it worked.....while other boats only got a few we killed a pig.

I think the electric scares them too, or you are too busy looking and not fishing...so using it less may keep the fish around....not to mention what nearly always seems to happen is that you get into fish, get careless with you line and the next thing its wrapped around the electric and no one can fish....and if you are uncorordinated like me, how man times when you hook a fish, instead of turning off the electric or heading out away from the fish, you hit rocket propelled and drive into the mangroves.   I first saw this fishing with Chris Makepeace before I had an elecric.  He would catch a fish, forget the electric or hit the wrong button and the next thing we were on the bank.   It must be an old mans' thing (both Chris and I were born the same year in the 40's) because I do the same bloody thing.

So, maybe you need to change your habits with the electric???

the next thing is the fly.....truth is...I have heaps of 'pretty' flies....but the simple white clouser is really the must fly to have....it works every time...I must say though, for big fish, a special fly often works better but look at this...a small white clouser when nothing else was working

The fly is an anaemic white clouser.....

Nearly a metre on .......

......a white clouser

so!!!!!.......what fly should you have with you???????

Now ...where to fish.....this is the most interesting and everyone has a 'spot'.....but each spot is subject to the tides...there is a group that loves Turtle Island  at the top of Bynoe, and if you get there at the right time....it will be great, trouble is....when is the right time.

Really I don't think you should lock yourself into a specific spot.....if it ain't fishing...move on.

In one Challenge we got into schools of threadies on a creek mouth to a flat that only drains on very low tides....I think we got eleven of them and could have got more....Lord Jim and the Stig got onto huge schools of them as they were coming out of a  flat opposite us, but this flat drains early and they didn't catch any. (I think the fish were getting off the fast draining flats and coming across to where  we were).....Wayne Hinton (A guru and the first to get the seven species) used to pick an area across from fast draining flats and sit in the quieter water.  So have a look at the flow/currents and maybe you will find these spots, and there are quiet a few of these spots on Bynoe.  What did we catch them on....guess??

So basically what I am saying, is that if the flat is draining fast, often the fish will go past without looking at the fly, whereas, even on the same tides, if it is an area that drains a bit later we seem to do better on it. (Maybe we a just arsey?)

You must really know and understand, as best you can, the tides in that area...

Lines...well we mainly use a ghost tip intermediate line with a floating back.   There are a variety of these about with 9 foot and 15 foot intermediate heads, both type 1 (sinks around 1 inch per second) and type 2 (sinks around 2 inches per second).   We also have back up 200 or 300gn lines which have a sink tip and intermediate running line.  (These are for over the rock bars on higher tides).

Leaders are only short.  Only a metre of 30lb from the fly line and a metre of 20lb or a bit lighter from that.   No bite tippet, but for macks will have a very short wire trace, no more that 3 inches because it seems to scare the fish off?.

Now I did say this is the Idiots guide so dont be too hard on me, but perhaps some of the tips might help....hope they do.