new south wales First on fly!

[ryanyoung]

G'day All,

Finally got a chance to get out and give the new wand a run, targeting trout in the local waters. I had a capability/perceived skill mismatch :silly, which kept me to the skinnier water between the deeper pools, but still managed four 'Bows for the trip, with numerous fish dropped/missed :woohoo:

On top of that, I was fishing some of the most scenic country ever, which made the day all the better on top of the first fish on fly :cheer:

I'm loving the 4wt, and the new style of fishing!!! Hopefully I'll have the knowledge by the next outing, so as to target the bigger girls in the deeper pools lol.

All fish caught on a Craig's Nightime, and all released for another day.

Cheers, and thanks for reading,

Ryan.

[Binder]

Lovely country. Very Jealous Ryan!

[Old Scaley]

Inspirational report, thanks Ryan. How did you know where to start? For example, is that stream on a farm, or public land?

[ryanyoung]

Inspirational report, thanks Ryan. How did you know where to start? For example, is that stream on a farm, or public land?

Thanks mate,

That river meanders through private land and state forest, however there are numerous public access points along its course. The river itself, like the majority of wateways in the area, is public access so long as you stay in the bed. As for knowing where to start, I have been lurking on the internet since moving down this way, and with a couple of tips off the local Tackle World, found this location. It is actually a pretty well-known spot down this way, and one of the only rivers that wasn't overly affected fishing-wise, from the floods of several years ago.

Hope this helps,

Ryan.

[Dinodadog]

Well done Ryan my fly rods are gathering dust, might have to extract the finger.

Dino

[Nog]

Great work Ryan. Felt good?

[ryanyoung]

Great work Ryan. Felt good?

Yeah it did Norm. Trout taking a fly are far more subtle than lures, and the lightness of the rod takes a bit of getting used to. My knowledge at this stage is pretty much non-existant lol. It's pretty cool to basically be able to start fishing from the very beginning again, and learn a whole swag of stuff. I just need to learn how to fish a bit deeper is all. I'm looking at split-shotting and dry with a nymph on a dropper. Is that feasible???

[samsteele115]

Wow, top stuff Ryan. Beautiful trout. I keep getting drawn towards the idea of fly fishing, I know I will definitely get into it one day

[aussie123]

Geez i felt a little bit of homesickness when I seen those pics.

The Craigs Nightime is my all time favourite fly up in the Snowies but mostly in the bigger rivers and streams and lakes.

Keep an eye out for any dead pukeko (eastern swamp hens) on the road and grab a handful of their blue feathers.

They are the proper ones to tie your Craigs Nightimes with and they actually pulsate in the water where as a dyed chook feather does not.

Your catch rate on those flies will increase ten fold.

The Taihape Tickler is a variant of the Craigs Nightime and is another awesome fly.

Small streams like that one I would have used weighted nymphs to fish deeper or dry's in a Geehi or Greenwells Glory pattern.

You are going to see some amazing country down there Ryan, especially once you start to venture right up into the high country

[rayke1938]

Thanks for the report,

Would you still go for a swim to recover a snagged lure in those waters?

Cheers

Ray

[ryanyoung]

Thanks for the report,

Would you still go for a swim to recover a snagged lure in those waters?

Cheers

Ray

Got my waders now Ray , although I do tend to leave some behind, as they are too far up trees :whistle:

[Farawayfishing]

Steely - You're destined for a wand. Just wait! All those sessions of bantering will come up to haunt you and once you catch your first fish on a fly your api rods will all gather dust!

[Nog]

Great work Ryan. Felt good?

Yeah it did Norm. Trout taking a fly are far more subtle than lures, and the lightness of the rod takes a bit of getting used to. My knowledge at this stage is pretty much non-existant lol. It's pretty cool to basically be able to start fishing from the very beginning again, and learn a whole swag of stuff. I just need to learn how to fish a bit deeper is all. I'm looking at split-shotting and dry with a nymph on a dropper. Is that feasible???

Ryan, if you are fishing really deep (i.e. more than a metre or so) you can buy or tie nymph pattersn with a tungsten bead head. These get down super quick. Depending on circumstances you might have to fish and indicator instead of a dry if the nymph is really heavy.

You will quickly become a broken, confused, frustrated but very Zen dude if you keep persisting.

Norm

[Nog]

Great work Ryan. Felt good?

Yeah it did Norm. Trout taking a fly are far more subtle than lures, and the lightness of the rod takes a bit of getting used to. My knowledge at this stage is pretty much non-existant lol. It's pretty cool to basically be able to start fishing from the very beginning again, and learn a whole swag of stuff. I just need to learn how to fish a bit deeper is all. I'm looking at split-shotting and dry with a nymph on a dropper. Is that feasible???

Ryan, if you are fishing really deep (i.e. more than a metre or so) you can buy or tie nymph pattersn with a tungsten bead head. These get down super quick. Depending on circumstances you might have to fish and indicator instead of a dry if the nymph is really heavy.

You will quickly become a broken, confused, frustrated but very Zen dude if you keep persisting.

P.S. I have a bag of pukeko feathers

Norm

[ryanyoung]

Great work Ryan. Felt good?

Yeah it did Norm. Trout taking a fly are far more subtle than lures, and the lightness of the rod takes a bit of getting used to. My knowledge at this stage is pretty much non-existant lol. It's pretty cool to basically be able to start fishing from the very beginning again, and learn a whole swag of stuff. I just need to learn how to fish a bit deeper is all. I'm looking at split-shotting and dry with a nymph on a dropper. Is that feasible???

Ryan, if you are fishing really deep (i.e. more than a metre or so) you can buy or tie nymph pattersn with a tungsten bead head. These get down super quick. Depending on circumstances you might have to fish and indicator instead of a dry if the nymph is really heavy.

You will quickly become a broken, confused, frustrated but very Zen dude if you keep persisting.

P.S. I have a bag of pukeko feathers

Norm

Thanks for the info Norm, I have turned into a sponge for this sort of thing lol. I'm not really at the stage of tying my own flies, I wouldn't know where to start lol, although I will probably start giving it a go once closed season kicks in. I take it that using an indicator is due to its greater buoyancy with heavier nymphs? I will hopefully get out next weekend for a crack, and I will use some nymphs in an attempt to get down deeper. Is it viable to have two nymphs below an indicator?

Cheers for the info,

Ryan.

[Nog]

Exactly. Otherwise your poor little ball of fur and feather gets sucked under.

You mean a dropper on a dropper!!!?????

Heavy big one with a smaller lighter one attached.

Sometimes affectionately known as the hopper, copper dropper

What idiots come up with these names?

/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m0QbVTWhtw

[ryanyoung]

Exactly. Otherwise your poor little ball of fur and feather gets sucked under.

You mean a dropper on a dropper!!!?????

Heavy big one with a smaller lighter one attached.

Sometimes affectionately known as the hopper, copper dropper

What idiots come up with these names?

/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m0QbVTWhtw

I'm not sure whether it's a dropper on a dropper. More like a couple of nymphs at different depths below an indicator? Is that even a thing? Ha ha ha!!! Ah, the stuff I don't know!!!

[Nog]

It's called a paternoster rig

And yes google dropper set ups and you'll find heaps of variations.

/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYdkojxrEsM

[Farawayfishing]

Don't be afraid to try streamers just before the cold really sets in. Can be a good way to get in the fishes face and they could want a big hunk of protein just before they settle down.

Try a size 8 black wooly bugger on the swing or a big terrestrial pattern. you just never know where that pb Trout might be hiding!

Looks beautiful mate

[ryanyoung]

Don't be afraid to try streamers just before the cold really sets in. Can be a good way to get in the fishes face and they could want a big hunk of protein just before they settle down.

Try a size 8 black wooly bugger on the swing or a big terrestrial pattern. you just never know where that pb Trout might be hiding!

Looks beautiful mate

Thanks mate,

I had a few hits on streamers the other day, they are just a bit harder to cast with my current ability lol. I was attempting to use a tungsten head woolley bugger to get down a bit, but struggled hard :whistle: I'll keep at it, and see how I go over the coming weeks before closed season.

Cheers,

Ryan.