Love a 'bong of a morning.

With the advise that a certain chain of billabongs had just opened it was grab a couple of boxes of BBQ and Pizza Shapes and a carton of beer for nutrition and drive East arriving there at 11pm.

A cool night gave way to a great sunrise and low mist on the water, but no fish! Fished all day with little interest being shown until 3.30pm when someone threw the switch and barra would follow every retrieve but would only tail nip the fly. Full day of fishing equated 2 barra in the boat. Tough day!

The local residence (mossies) were just a bit too friendly to enjoy a cold beer around the camp fire so was in the swag by 7pm. On the water at 5.30 for a quick fish before breaking camp and "what a difference a day makes!".

Barra were full of aggression (and as fat as) and took the fly with gusto resulting in 11 barra and 1 toga in a short 2hr session, fun at its best. "I love a 'bong of a morning." 

One of the 11!

Remember; "You'll never never know, if you never never go. Get out there and fish!"

Tight lines
Jim Churchley

BIRD FUR WILD THING - REVISITED - AN OMEN?

THE FLY
I'm not too sure of the year, but back in the early 2000's, 2002 I think, Wayne Hinton introduced the Roger Sinclair (The Silver Fox) 'Wild Thing' fly to us.   Cathie had a thing for the pink things because she had caught her first metery on one, but I couldn't catch a fish on them and I don't think I have yet.  Wayne showed us the 'Wild' thing which was similar to the other but had a green/chartreuse tail instead of the white/grizzly like the 'pink'thing.   I had a lot more success on them, bearing in mind though, I wasn't a really successful fly fisher anyway.

Later, around 2006 or maybe a bit later, the Whiting Farms bird fur arrived on the market.  Each bird Fur patch was one-half of a full, large Spey Rooster saddle, with long wispy fur-like feathers up to 6"long.    (Sadly the original Rooster is harder to get now because of the demand for feathers, I'm told, but the shorter Spey Hen saddle is available as Mini Bird Fur.)

Bird Fur

Some of  us tried this feather fur out and originally didn't like it much because it was too whispy we thought.  But after just putting a clump of one colour on as the tail and then a clump of a different colour as the head of the fly, instead of palmering a feather, we found it was a pretty good fly and even though it was very anaemic looking after it got wet, once in the water it seemed to pulse.   Got us in anyway.

We tied up a Bird Fur 'Wild Thing' and went out with Piero Bertocchi (Tocs) who was stationed up here at the time, to have a first trial of this new ( to us anyway) material.   It was a great success and that trip ended up as a small article in Flylife magazine. Click Bird Fur for the link to the article if it's too hard to read in the picture below

The fly was called monstrous by a  critic on the east coast but the fish liked it....and it has caught a heap of fish since.

 THE OMEN
Well, it's strange how things happen, yesterday I started tying some more 'wild' things but with the smaller mini Bird Fur....I haven't tied them for a while, probably a year or more because I have been trying out these see through 'No See Um' flies as the Stig calls them.   But I started on them yesterday and thought that I should contact Tocs to see if he could use them in NZ.   (Tocs moved to Canberra and then NZ over the past few years, he has three articles in Flylife, one for the Saltwater up here and two for trout fishing in NZ).

Anyway, I ramble on a usual, and had this in the vice when Graeme the Grey Williams came over for a coffee.

In the vice, not quiet finished, the smaller mini bird fur.

We were sitting outside and Graeme mentioned that he had found one of my old 'Fish a cast' flies, (referring to the fish a cast with the wild thing in the Flylife article) and he said that the fly caught twenty barra on a recent fishing trip.  So I have to make a heap more now.  But that was only part of the 'Omen'?,  because last night got a message from Tocs that he hopes that he is on his way back to Darwin in 2017. .   His previous time up here saw the La Nina and some of the wettest years on record. ..................and the La Nina is returning.....coincidence????or an omen???.    Who knows but bring on the fishing.

Fly Tying / Social Day Sunday 26th June 1100am onwards (Humpty Doo)

I thinks its time we had a fly tying / social day & there appears to be enough interest to hold the event this weekend!
There is plenty of room out here at Humpty Doo with verandas all round & plenty of parking space etc.  We have a few tables we can set up.  Please bring a chair or two.
I will provide some drinks & light refreshments.  There is a BBQ here if you wish to bring a snag or two also.
Please let me know if you are coming for catering purposes.

Jon

The Vernon's with the Stig & Canadian Pete

Saturday morning had us meeting Richard & Pete at the Nightcliff ramp at 0500hrs.  Getting the poly off the trailer was difficult as the return trip from Wiligi had welded the boat to the bow roller!  A bit of persuasion with some screwdrivers had us on our way.
The initial run in the dark was interesting, following Pete's anchor light as he motored along.  Our guides were very good, stopping to allow us to catch up & make sure we were ok.  Its very hard to judge swell & when to back off etc in the dark!  About the halfway mark the sea calmed & combined with the emerging daylight saw us arrive at the North West Vernon island.  We fished a beacon whilst Stig & Pete went exploring a nearby reef.

This Jack came off the beacon along with several Spanish Flag

Jack pulled around 5 or 6 Spanish Flag from the same location (I reckon it was the same fish!).  Heading further east around the top of the island we stopped for an intermission of heavy rain.

Heading further around the island we stopped & fished a reef adjacent to a sandbar.  Several small reef species were caught & released.  The next spot was a plateau of water cascading off the reef into the dropping tide (think small waterfalls).  This looked fantastic with a nice drop off & beautiful clear water.  Several small Bluebone, a Coral trout & various others were landed.

Small Bluebone were abundant

Coral Trout are a beautiful fish

Alas the Pelagics were nowhere to be seen, no bird or fish activity of any sort.  After briefly visiting the Southern Blue Hole we decided to head back towards the ramp.  A short distance from the ramp we stopped under strict instructions from the Stig.  Within minutes Pete was on to a good fish which they gave chase to & landed.  After seeing a few fish I started looking at the sounder which began to light up like a christmas tree.  The Trevally below came from a sink as long as possible approach...

A new PB Trevally on fly

Further exploration had Jack hook a nice Queenfish which was unfortunately lost.  I also hooked another pelagic which went the same way.......  The fish were there you just had to locate them.
Heading back to the ramp we came across some Tuna, Jack had a follow but no take.  In all the excitement we ended up with a fly line around the prop of the Suzi.......time to call it a day.
For those of you with electric motors, check your shear pin!  After removing the prop we found ours is half missing i.e. broken!
Many thanks to Richard & Pete for a great day on the water.  I wouldn't normally consider such a long run, however it does have benefits compared with a longer drive over a very average gravel road!

Get out there & fish!

Jon & Jack

2016 JULY OUTING - BYNOE HARBOUR.

The 16th and 17th of July 2016 has been set down for the first (of many) official outing for the NT FLY FISHER INC.  The tides are neaps and three days before the full moon.  Here are the tidal predictions which give us easy access from all the boat ramps.

For the weather click onto this link for the predictions....Accuweather

The venue for most will be at Sand Palms  but make sure you contact them to ensure bookings phone 8978 2822   

Weed guards on the barra flies and maybe a small wire bite tippet for the pelagic flies.

Make sure your boats etc. comply with the NT regulations and you .........................

  We will put out more on the weather etc. as the dates get closer, but don't leave your accommodation 
arrangements too late.

Here are some links to July fishing in Bynoe, just click onto the date to see the post..

9th July 2013 (1) 

9th July 2013 (2)

14th July 2013

24th July 2013

13th July 2014

14th July 2014

26th July 2014

29th July 2014

8th July 2015

21st July 2015

These posts will give you an idea of the great fishing, and July has always been a time that the mackerel used to spawn around the reefs if you can get out there.   You could almost walk across the water on the masses of fish which was something not to miss if it happens again.

Hope to see you out there.

THE EYES HAVE IT?

Roggie just got a delivery of more eyes and fibre to tie flies...I think that is 5000 or so eyes now and with all the fibre here, and still to come, he will be tying a lot of flies.......

  

........and I’m going to have a go too.  

Young Sam McCowan showed Roggie a few tricks of the trade yesterday and got me inspired, so a new vice on the way for ME.

   I’m going to try to tie some of Sam’s crab patterns and he, Sam, suggested that we should have a  ‘Unaffiliated Event’, and have a tying day, because, in his words, there is "too much knowledge in the two clubs not to share” which is so very true.

Here is a result of one of Sam’s crab flies, on a 6' 6" 3wt (THREE WEIGHT) from the Harbour.   Extreme fishing!

MARDUGAL MAGIC

Recently been talking to a young fellow who is tying flies to fish one of our favourite spots that we haven't been to for a while.......that's Madugal billabong out in Kakadu.    Mudugal turn off is just past the Cooinda one as you head south from Jabiru.    The Billabong links to Home Billabong (Cooinda) and through a tight passage into Jim Jim Billabong as well.    It's a great spot and good campsites if there aren't too many caravans there that seem to want to camp on top of you.

Setting Up

Tying up some specials during lunch break.

   We would have a morning fish in Yellow Water and fish the afternoon/evenings in Mardugal and Home Billabongs.   We had to learn to do the 'stop' cast as I call..... it to get the line to go under the overhanging trees.   Wayne Hinton was a master at this.  (Stop your forward cast early to tighten the loop and then lower it under the trees...not easy for some!!!)


It.... Mardugal, was our 'go to' place after a Saltwater comp., usually late September or early October.   This was good too because the blossoms were dropping and the Saratoga would move them away if they dropped into there 'space' because they were usually breeding. We 'invented' a fly out there we called the 'Cooinda Viper' which is really a vampire fly.....well with the rum etc. we knew it started with a 'V' so we were close.

The 'Cooinda' Viper (really a vampire??)

The results

 

Dave with a beauty on the six weight

Toga from Yellow Water

The way through to 'Home' Billabong.

Dave with a late afternoon Toga

Even took the flies after the sun dropped.

Wayno with another beauty.

Marissa with a sooty

Lyle with another good toga

Dave keeping the scores.

 During the heat of the midday period, we would tie flies, have a rest and clean our lines...they got very dirty.

Lord Jim making important decisions.

Lord Jim with all his mates near the entrance of the cut through to Jim Jim

Wayno relaxing!!

Dave finding a cool place after lunch.

Even I could catch them!!!

 If we used 'bottom' lines you needed to learn your 'strip/strike' techniques, that is, let the fish pick up the fly and move it (sort of like a crab picking up bait) then strip the line and strike with the rod. Poppers just got taken on the top.

Tying for the young blokes during the night.

On..again