Fly FIshing in QLD

[Rosso]

Why do you think that FF art practiced in Queensland is literally unkown?

The sydney fly rodders have triple figures for members (mind you they have been around for a few years) while the BFF are struggling to get fresh blood...

Do you think its because its hard, it looks silly or do you think its just a case of no-one knows about it?

I mean you can catch the same a baitfishing (if not more...) you can carry the flies in your pocket, they won't rot, you don't have to defrost them or chuck them away at the end of the day, and you can impress your friends with a fly that really looks like a bug/insect or some wierd alien creature.

It can't be the money. How much does a golfer pay for a set of clubs? (not to mention the silly outfits - but i won't go into *that* discussion yet )

Anyway, input from everyone would be greatly appreciated!

Regards

Rob.

[Local_Guy]

i would say it just hasn't caught on here yet. i just got into it around x-mass. unfortunatly 3 weeks later my rod/reel got stolen. so i've been out of it for 6 weeks.

but i do enjoy it and it is something different.. i love my lure fishing and i took it up as it's something different and is a new challenge.

i'll get another rod/reel soon and be back at it.

i picked up the basics of casting within 2 hours. i can now honestly say after only about 8 hours total casting i can cast confidently. it's just practice.

for those that have thought about it geting into it. you won't regret it.

[SNELLY]

Rob,

I have wondered the same thing up here in North Queensland about getting increased interest in SWF from a club prospective.

I do not think that SWF in Qld is unknown. There is plenty of interest around. Most fisherman who have fished for a while and done a bit usually have had at least a small dabble with "THE DARK SIDE"

I came to NQ in 1992 when the Cairns flyfishers had not long formed and there was plenty of interest and the club grew quite well. I was president of the club for a few years and the club had over 50 members when I was transfered to Thursday Island in 1996. After this the club folded but reformed again in 2000. The club meet on an informal basis and this was all well and good but with public liability you can't do much unless you are incorporated. We incorporated and started regular monthly outings. What surprised me was that this saw some people no longer come along which is a dissappointment. Not sure if people just like to talk about flyfishing rather than do it.

Also what I can not understand is there is plenty of people interested in SWF but do not want to be part of a club. Some say they don't like the politics associated with a club - To my way of thinking it is only as political as you make it and our club is very informal and non political and I would like to see it stay that way.

Our club as it stands has a good core of active members but I would like to see more and as I said with the amount interest around I would expect our club to be a lot stronger.



Looking for others thoughts

JON SNELL

[Harry_In_Toowoomba]

G'day Bob, mate, one thing i've noticed when talking to a lot of guys is that the publicity of the soft plastic brigade has lead to this misconception that soft plastics are the only way to catch a lot of fish. How many times have you read a magazine article saying how Tom or Mary caught 30 Bass on soft plastics and that they got them because they were using this prescented grub, or that shad pattern.....?

In the end what a lot of people don't realize is that to flick a fly through those same schools, would have meant having to learn another technique, but would have been just as effective.

There's also the fact that there's a LOT of closet long wanders out there that've never really given the fly gear a real go. They buy a rod and reel package worth say 200 bucks from a tackle shop, can't cast more than 30 ft by the end of the first week and simply put it in the too hard basket.

The rod ends up another dust collector in the shed.

Queensland doesn't have very many casting instructors. (But we've certainly got some great ones)

Think about Tassie, NSW and Victoria, where fly fishing is as popular as any other form of fishing. Probably because of trout. Everyone associates trout with fly fishing. There wouldn't be too many streams or impoundments in those states where you could head out for a day and not see a fly fisherman.

On a local level, we've got dams with stocks of Bass, Yellowbelly and Cod. One day, about 18 months ago, i was flicking a few flies around for yellowbelly when 3 guys motored past trolling for YB's, they looked kindof confused the poor buggers as they commented......."mate, there's no */"#@^&*!trout in here" and proceeded to wet the floor of their boat whilst slapping the comedian on the shoulder.

About 30 seconds later, i got hit and dragged in a yellowbelly of around 40cm. "No mate, no bloody trout, but thank god something in here always eats a fly". Was hard to keep a straight face.

I run my own web site purely for fly fishing in Australia. Interestingly enough, the biggest slice of our members are Queenslanders.

Cheers,
"Harry"
http://groups.msn.com/FlyFishingDownUnder

[Rosso]

Hey hey! what a great post!

FIrst off ther soft plastic debate.

What goes around comes around. They have been around for many many years (i have a bucket full of them that are at least 15 years old...) but it took bushy & co to redesign it to make it look good to buy...er...fish to eat

Secondly (correct me if i am wrong) but a great bloke by the name of Greg Jackson once said that 1/2 of the fly cast is lure flicking. You just have to master the back cast....

3. I agree with the closet fishers. the current president of the BFF got into it because she brought a rod/reel package for her hubby who didn't use it. (now i think she catches more fish out of the family )

4. Fly Casters instructors eh? I wonder how i can go at being one!

5. Was at the sundown marine place a few months ago ( i think it was anyway) and asked the guy if he had a 4wt rod (knowing full well that he didn't) the response i got was "nah...don't stock those here. no trout in qld you see"

Which I found hilarious. a) a shop owner/runner would say something that stupid. b) i use and *love* by talon 4wt rod *plug plug plug* (I use it more then my 7wt) and c) another guy in the club fishes 3wt in salt water

as for FF on dams (BP acutually) and yellowbelly, I have a great story of that as well. but ill, leave it for another time.

Anyway,

Thanks for all of your input.

CHeers

Rob.

G'day Bob, mate, one thing i've noticed when talking to a lot of guys is that the publicity of the soft plastic brigade has lead to this misconception that soft plastics are the only way to catch a lot of fish. How many times have you read a magazine article saying how Tom or Mary caught 30 Bass on soft plastics and that they got them because they were using this prescented grub, or that shad pattern.....?

In the end what a lot of people don't realize is that to flick a fly through those same schools, would have meant having to learn another technique, but would have been just as effective.

There's also the fact that there's a LOT of closet long wanders out there that've never really given the fly gear a real go. They buy a rod and reel package worth say 200 bucks from a tackle shop, can't cast more than 30 ft by the end of the first week and simply put it in the too hard basket.

The rod ends up another dust collector in the shed.

Queensland doesn't have very many casting instructors. (But we've certainly got some great ones)

Think about Tassie, NSW and Victoria, where fly fishing is as popular as any other form of fishing. Probably because of trout. Everyone associates trout with fly fishing. There wouldn't be too many streams or impoundments in those states where you could head out for a day and not see a fly fisherman.

On a local level, we've got dams with stocks of Bass, Yellowbelly and Cod. One day, about 18 months ago, i was flicking a few flies around for yellowbelly when 3 guys motored past trolling for YB's, they looked kindof confused the poor buggers as they commented......."mate, there's no */"#@^&*!trout in here" and proceeded to wet the floor of their boat whilst slapping the comedian on the shoulder.

About 30 seconds later, i got hit and dragged in a yellowbelly of around 40cm. #"No mate, no bloody trout, but thank god something in here always eats a fly". Was hard to keep a straight face.

I run my own web site purely for fly fishing in Australia. Interestingly enough, the biggest slice of our members are Queenslanders.

Cheers,
"Harry"
http://groups.msn.com/FlyFishingDownUnder

[SNELLY]

OK, getting off the track a little but I have always wanted to ask this question re soft plastics - Where do you draw the line ? ie they are lures but when you start putting every sort of ferimone ( spelling ? ) and scent on them that you can imagine where does it end ? What is next put a livie on the hook and you have gone full circle

I'm not trying to judge anyone but just a thought

SNELLY

[DRJ]

Harry in Toowoomba is right - there are plenty of flyfishers in QLD. Up here in Mackay there are plenty of guys (and gals) into the long wand with a great deal of success. I'm just a beginner (read "can't cast well, can't tie well yet") but I am having the time of my life learning - along with a lot of laughs - I didn't realise you could hook trees so high up!

What finally convinced me to take it up was a trip for saratoga where the other guy in the boat fished fly only and I was using the overhead. After 7 hours of fishing time the score was 12 to 1 and it wasn't my way (not to mentioned the fact that his hookup rate was low as he had probably 3 to 4 times as many takes than I had. What it showed me was that a well presented fly can be a real winner.

I understand there is a large club in Townsville - don't know how many members - maybe someone else can let us know.

Regards
Darren

[basserman]

hi i'm 1 no a fly fisher YET! 2 from nsw
but this is a great post and i agree about swf being some what misunderstood and how most people think because you say flyfishing your after trout
here in port macquarie a bit of swf happens chaseing the humble bream flathead whiting and now they are starting to chase the kingie and jewies on the flys
one thing that gets my goat up is i prefur hardboadys to the sofites but i do fish them at time now when i go into a store and ask for lures these days i get the wirdest look when i say i don't want soft plastics
the thing people need to relise is that soft plastics are only catching most of the fish because most of the people are useing them now if all those people were useing hardboadys or flys i think it is fair to say them they would say flys catch more fish
after all what these bloke are doing with soft plastics is only what you guys have been doing for years with flys eg; small light lure casted into fishie locations to fool a fish

[Harry_In_Toowoomba]

Yep, you're right about what gets fished with catches the fish........

However, there'll be days when fly and soft plastics fail to produce the goods and so the fish will be caught on say a spinnerbait or a bibless rattler etc. This tells me that to be really consistent, you'd need to (at least in a lot of cases) be equipped to try different techniques.

Now i know that won't sit real comfortably with some people. However, it should be a case of fish with what you prefer. Me, personally, i prefer have some fun, relax and enjoy what i'm doing and grab a chance at a challenge. To me, that means fly. To Joe, that may mean a plastic grub or to Mary, that may mean a spinnerbait.etc etc. ......i've digressed.

Over the last twenty plus years, we've seen a lot of technological advances in many things, including soft plastics and with the information superhighway we're all using to read this message, there's been a tremendous boost in sharing of techniques and information all around Australia and across the world. This has led to a level of commercialization of recreational fishing that's never been seen before. This in turn has meant that the manufacturers of whatever piece of gear have been able to promote their gear and it's been picked up by the regulars on the pro tournament circuit and in turn promoted. Promoted very effectively indeed. No differently to how "wildfish" very effectively promoted a boom time with fly fishing (getting back on track).

I think we'll see another turnaround over the next few years with fly fishing and we'll all benefit in this evolutionary process. eg, higher sales usually means lower prices, more variety etc.

In the meantime, it's up to us to effectively promote our sport/recreation and to foster newcomers to the sport and to gently encourage the "retreads" to drag out the dusty gear and give it a wave in the air to see what bites.

Give a kid a bit of help with casting, hand a stranger a fly you know usually works promote the good instructors that teach in your area, go to the "closet fly fishers mardi gras" - Tackle shows etc and every now and then, leave the other gear at home and have a fly only trip, . You'll be amazed what "bites". Join a club if there's one around your area - There's lots of benefits. There's none in the Toowoomba area, but i'm thinking very seriously about starting one.

Bring on the Fly Fishing Revolution

Cheers,
"Harry"
http://groups.msn.com/FlyFishingDownUnder

[Local_Guy]

you can't use fly rods in wind.. unfortunately.. so thats prolly why you get people using the soft plastics.
you've got to resort to the short stick every now and then

[Harry_In_Toowoomba]

Repositioning the boat, rethinking the cast and different fly lines are all ways to overcome winds up to about 15-20 knots.

Mind you who'd want to be out fishing in that kind of wind anyway.?? Just a thought.

Cheers,
"Harry"

[Local_Guy]

yeah. well just after i learnt to cast we went out fishing. the wind at that morning was calm - 5knots. by the time i learnt to cast and we got to our fishing destination it was closer to 20 - 25knots. needless to say i almost hooked my leg.

but i think also what made it difficult was the rod i had was very stiff. wasn't easy to get a nice tight bow in it.

[basserman]

harry that was a bloody good wright up that has defantly got me reaching for the fly rod
only new to it but might give it more of a go
any surgetions on what to chase to start in salt water (mid north coast NSW)
and how to fish certin flys?
got a 7wt fenwick with 7wf flyline think it is pretty cheap stuff but (green in coulor)
would like to get better so i could start to chase the bass on fly or even try outside next summer for the dollies

[Harry_In_Toowoomba]

Mate, i'll drop you an email with a couple of contacts for more accurate information. I'm not that familiar with the area. But we'll find you some that are.

Cheers,
"Harry"

[Chris.Y]

G'Day Basserman
Mate ,where your livin theres heaps of lizards around. Get 1/2 dozen clousers (white, clouser/white, pink/white, orange /white like a yabby colour. Cast into gutters etc & fish slow ,but make that fly pop the sand on retreave ,if you can get a bit of crosscurrent you can make that fly swim between pops & sit nose down in the current,. sure to get fish on fly if your fishin in the right spot