2015

Tungsten Beaded Nymph - wet fly Nice small, quick sinking nymph that would probably be amongst its variants a most reliable upstream nymphing pattern and can be suspended below a buoyant dry fly, Royal Wulff or grasshopper etc. Hook: size 16 Body: pheasant tail Tail: pheasant tail Thorax: pheasant tail mixed with a little colour of antron Back to Trout Flies

Guitar String Nymph - wet fly This wet fly is basically a fairly large bead headed nymph using the brass bead from a discarded guitar string (or course, a regular bead works fine too!). I like to experiment with things I have around. I first used this nymph in clear fast water upstream nymphing and found that it did quite well consistently taking fish. Its nature is to ride through the gravel and bounce around amongst the stones, so it really does get right into the slower zone, close to the stream bed. It fits in quite well with some [...]

Tups Indispensable - dry fly This fly is truly witchcraft! One of our favourites, it can be used in such a wide variety of situations. Float it. Sink it. Fish it in a beetle fall. Fish it in a spinner hatch. Fish it as an emerging sedge. One of every size in your fly box! Hook: size 12 – 16 Tail: honey dun hackle fibres Body: sparse, fine yellow silk, waxed Thorax: dubbed rams wool Hackle: honey dun fibres

Scruffy Jassid - dry fly Usually after Christmas jassids will show somewhere, and in some years populations explode. Don’t be out there without this pattern in your fly box. Trout love jassids like Fiona loves chocolate! Place it 5 – 6 feet in front of a rising or feeding trout, one twitch, be ready for a hook up! The cycle appears to be several years. Hook: size 12 – 14 Body: red seals fur Wing case: black synthetic raffia Hackle: olive grizzle or black

Royal Hair Wing Coachman / Wolf - dry fly Great as an indicator when fishing a nymph. Also fished as a grasshopper in summer. A good ant imitation on lakes. Easily seen, readily taken. A great stream fly. Hook: size 12 – 16 Tail: golden pheasant tippet Body: peacock hurl, segmented by red floss silk Hackle: ginger cock Wing: traditionally calf tail is used, we like to use white antron as it’s sparse, doesn’t absorb water and it sparkles

Great Lake Beetle - dry fly A good floater, highly visible. Works well when gum beetles are present on Great Lake, and of course other waters. Hook: size 12 Body: black deer hair or black cock hackle trim Wing: dyed orange upright Hackle: dyed orange cock

Brown Dun - Dry Fly The full adult brown dun mayfly can be good when the fish are genuinely on the top. It can be greased up to hang low in the water and is also useful as an emerger. Hook: size 12 Tail: ginger cock fibres Body: brown seals fur, or similar Wing: speckled hen Palmer & Hackle: ginger cock

Black Smut - Dry Fly Fished in the film during a chironomid hatch, with the upper hackles greased, often very productive! It's only tied half way down thereabouts on the hook shank, so as to give a sparse silhouette, yet maintain a reasonable size hook strength. I found it works well when any small black stuff is around on the water, like caenid, chironomid, ants. Hook: size 16 Tail: elongated black cock squirrel fibres Body: tied short with black silk, 2/3 of the shank length Hackle: few turns of dark olive or black cock (grizzle optional)

Black Beetle - Dry Fly In Tasmania there are great numbers of beetles throughout the whole season. The cockchafers, tea tree and soldier beetles, the black click beetle, and many others. This is a good generic beetle, dry fly imitation. This fly could stand alongside the Red Tag. Hook: size 8 - 1 Body: dark palmer cock hackle, tied in from the tail to head. Some clipping, especially under and over the hackle, is required. Wing Case: black raffia or dark or black duck wing is pulled over the whole lot from tail to head, before the last hackle is tied on. Hackle: dark [...]