Saltwater Flyrodders

I went down to the narrows on Saturday evening to spend a few hours casting at the pylons on the southern shore.

Word must have got out that the mulloway are on the bite as the shorelines were crowded. I was still able to get a spot where I could cast near the southern pylon. Fortunately all the bait chuckers left the spot with the rocks alone so I could wade out in front of to cast into the channel.

The first hour was bit slow. After the lights switched on, the bream switched on and started biting.

I was initially using a 6 wt rod and intermediate line for the first part of the evening. Then switched to the 5wt "method" to try to christen it with its first bream. I was using a floating line with the 5wt and got three fish on it. The largest was 28 cm. It put a good bend into what is a very light rod. Even the smaller fish felt good on the method. The method casts little clousers with ease.

At the end of the night I had caught 9 bream and 1 blowie. (Not on the method, it is still yet to get its first. Would've been tragic if the first fish it caught was a blowie.) For every fish I caught I would have got another knock. Also dropped a good fish right at my feet.

Strategy was very simple. Cast up current and let the line swing in arc while trying to keep the line tight. Vary the retrieve speed. Sometimes the bream will hit the fly while it is drifting. Other times they will hit it as I was stripping the line in.

Also saw a Mr Rohan Smith who was doing some saltwater meat rodding. He said he was going to throw snapper leads at me but moved around to another part of the beach. He did get the lure out at get a bream and jagged a crab.

I had a pretty good night. I may consider going down next weekend. If I do, I will put up a post and try to get some more members down there so I don't feel like a lonely fly fisherman. If any the new members are keen let me know.

its a good place to fish at 2am during the middle of the week, too many people these days but always something happening.. have you considered taking a 9 or 10wt down and fishing the skinny side of the causeway at busting boneys? this time last year I started to see boneys getting smashed in the channel near the causeway.. I threw a few hundred casts amongst it but didn't manage to hook up.. a mate of mine did with conventional gear and go SMOKED!

good luck doug next week and hopefully you can put a bend into that new 5wt!

Nice one Dougie what flies were you using in which colours.

I was using small clousers tied by myself. It is a version of the flashy profile

The pattern I use is a very simple tie. The ingredients as below.

Mustard size 4 Streamer hook
Steve Farrar's SF Flash bend Yellow material.
Chartreuse yellow Flashabou, about 4 to 6 strips.
XX small or X small reel eyes.
Red thread for tieing the fly.

Fly is tied very simply, Tie eyes first with the Steve Farrar's material tied under wing then the strips of Flashabou tied next.

I tie my bream flies relatively sparsely. 1) save material and 2) It seems to work just as well when you bulk it up.

I found this out as the bream kept hitting the flies after it get mangled and lost material. The sparser version doesn't tail wrap as much either.

Chartreuse yellow Slinky Fibre can be substituted for the Steve Farrars. It works just as well. The Steve Farrars does look a little nicer in the water.

I used both versions on Saturday night and the bream did not care.

Big advantage to this fly is that you can sit down and tie a lot quickly. This helps when you go fishing as you can throw them into snags and not mind too much if you lose the fly.

Small eyes also allow the fly to be cast by the lighter rods. Catching bream on 4, 5 and 6 weight rods is a lot of fun and a real challenge when they get over 30cm long. I have line burn from the 28cm fish I got on the 5 wt method last night.

Might even stop meatrodding and throw a fly myself if this damn weather would warm up a smidge !

Thanks Dougie – appreciate the info.

Sounds like a great session. Id be keen to head down this Saturday night if anyone is up for it?

I have just checked the tides for saturday. High tide at Frematle will be about 10.30pm. So an afternoon/evening fish should be good.

I will speak with the boss(Wife) and get a pass to go down for Saturday afternoon and evening.

I have got the leave pass.

I will down at the narrows starting from around 4.30 to 5pm. I will be earlier I if can can get away.

Tied a few of the flies you described Doug and had a cracker fish this afternoon around ascot. Most of the flies i tie turn out quite bulky so i had to use some restraint! less is more works again. . .

I'm in for tomorrow too, i can never get enough of breaming. should be there around 5ish too