Hi
Open this Thursday (3 August) until 7.30pm for your last minute trout season opening needs.
Call in for a chat, get Mike to nail
knot on a new leader, put a new line on for you or grab a few flies. Come in with some mates or just come for a chat.
Bargain 5 weight 9' rod - Thursday only
Airflo Bandit - 4 piece with spare tip and tube $120.
This is an outstanding value rod that is far better than what its price indicates.
Normally this is great value at $200, but Thursday they are $120 with a spare tip and tube. We only have a few, so if you want an extra
rod, starter rod, spare rod in case you break one, here it is.
Season opener tips - Christopher Bassano |
Lines for the start of the season
Here are some lines for early in the season - as well as places to fish.
Four Springs is an outstanding place to catch your first fish for the
season. The factors I think about here are: It is a little warmer than highland waters being at a lower altitude, and there is also less wind. Less wind means a sinking line gets more chance to sink as you are not drifting onto it too quickly.
So for me at Four Springs I would try a 3ips (inches per second sink rate) or a 5ips if windy.
Early season use 8lb fluorocarbon. They are not fussy.
I like experimenting with lines and there are two that really interest me: The Airflo sweep
lines which sink belly first and Scientific Anglers lines that sink tip first.
Sweep lines pull flies down through a zone and then back up through several depths. They were an English designed line for fishing stocked waters. The retrieve was very slow at first while the flies were still high in the water, then as the line started to pull the flies down deep the retrieve was sped up. It can work here very well at times, especially trying to find the depth the fish are at. Of course,
while using these lines, anglers were not using weighted flies.
Scientific Anglers on the other hand have several ‘Sonar Titan’ lines that have a fast sink tip, medium sink mid-section and an intermediate running line. This sinks in pretty much in a straight line. I think they give better contact and are certainly the best casting of the sink lines. Because the line in your hand sinks more slowly than the line in the water, it also makes them much easier to handle and less prone to tangles
because the line in your hand is much thicker. I am sure that SA will also be coming out with sweep lines very soon.
Go to flies
Shrek, Brown Woolly Bugger, Orange Magoo, Cat flies, Bitch Variant (Black/Red) or Humungous if it is bright.
I fish the Humungous on the point or in the middle or both with an
Angel Hair Humungous in the middle and standard Humungous on the point – and when using the Shrek, it is always on the top dropper. My droppers are around 10” long at the start of the day and I don’t like them getting shorter than 6”.
Not many people fish Brown Woolly Buggers and they should. It is a colour that works very well and when the fish are keen on it, they will pick it out from anywhere on the leader. If it hasn’t caught one of your first few fish, take it off because they don’t
want it today!
The McGoo is a classic. I can’t imagine not having it in my box. Whether it is unweighted, copper bead or orange, there is generally always a place for it on the leader. Early in the season, the ornate bead head and orange thread head is fantastic but if the water is relatively clear, the copper bead or unweighted McGoo without the hot spot head is brilliant.
If I am using a fly with weight in it, I prefer the unweighted flies on the top or middle dropper. This helps
with casting as well as the sinking pattern of the flies.
I don’t like using too many flies of the same colour in my cast at the same time. Until the fish are locked onto one colour, it is a good idea to keep mixing it up with colours and where they are on the leader. A certain colour may fish best on a particular dropper.
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Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News is full of tips and tactics and out now |
This is one of the best we have ever done. It is full of tips and flies from some great anglers. Christopher Bassano is arguably the best Australian fly fisher. He
gives his tips along with many other on where to go, what flies and lines to use. Some of the other content includes: Woods Lake – Early Season —
Michal Rybka
What’s in the Box – Flies for Early Season — Dan Pursell
Where Should you Start your Season — Matt Sherriff
Food, Fear and Sex — Steve Starling Explains
Great Lake – Lure and Fly — Gavin Hicks
Beating Burbury — Brad Martin
Shore or Boat – What is Best? — Justin O’Shannassy
Flinders Island — Killecrankie Ken
Inland Fisheries Report and Stocking
Winter Bream — Jamie Harris
Build a Bamboo Rod — Nick Taransky
FREE with any purchase at Essential Flyfisher at 105 York Street, Launceston.
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Check your gear - some things you might need |
Flies
Dries - Not too many this time of year.
Wets - Shrek, Humungous, Matuka, Woolly Worms - see above article.
Floatant: Shimazaki Dry Shake is great.
Gink, Loon, Silicon Mucilin etc.
Sinkant: Xink, Loon etc
Line floatant and Sinkant
Leaders: Most versatile are 9’ 4X, 5X, 6X - or 3X for early
season
Poly leaders - Different sink rates
Tippet
Mono
Fluorocarbon
Tippet rings
Strike Indicators
Nippers - or folding scissors
Hat, wide-brimmed
Polarized sunglasses Flyline
Floating
WF, DT
Flyline
Sinking
Sink: Inter, 3, 5, 7
Sink tip
Gloves
Cold weather - Thermadry possum gloves are the best
Waders
Wader repair outfit
Wader - breathable revitaliser
Wading boots
Wading staff
Rain jacket
Bandana
Fishing vest, hip-chest pack
Forceps
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Some 10 foot rods - bargains and other good buys If you fish from a boat a 10 foot rod will help you cast further and control your line and flies better.
Every competition fly fisher uses one - now you can too
Airflo - 10’ #6 rod and reel outfit with spare tip — $280 (Rod only $200)
Snowbee - 10’ #7 — Was $400 - NOW $200
Douglas DHF - 10’ #6 — $350
Echo Ion - 10’ #6 — $385
Sage Response - 10’ #7 — $530
Echo 3 - 10’ #5 — $545
Scott Radian - 10’ #6 — $1250
Sage X - 10’ #5 —
$1330
Sage X - 10’ #6 — $1330
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