The Vice Newsletter of the Tasmanian Fly Tyers' Club Inc. Volume 11, Issue 1 Summer Vice February 2013
Presidents Report Contents Page A Happy New Year to all and as I pen this President’s Presidents Report 1 report I am looking at the early morning sun on Editorial 2 Penstock Lagoon, with a clear sky and little wind which is in sharp contrast to our weather of the past Penstock Weekend 2012 3 month on which I will reflect later. Fly tying on the WWW 4 John Fowler Trophy – Snowy Ranges 6 Just as a recap of events, prior to Christmas we again AdVice - Tips and Tricks 9 had another successful day at the Snowy Range Trout Farm. 12-12-12 A Date we won’t see again 9 For those that attended a good time was had by all with AAT Webcam Project 11 Shelby and Mark taking out the Fowler Fishing in Friendship Classifieds and Membership Details 12 Trophy. Coming events The day was made more pleasurable with our Patron, Barbara Date Fowler joining us for the day. Many thanks go to John Smith for Great Lake Shark trip Jan 21 again doing a great job in organising the day. Dee Lagoon Weekend Feb 22-24 Annual Casting Competition March 31 Our Christmas drinks evening was well attended and convivial discussions on the usual Christmas activities were held. to the guys who put in the effort to arrange these days and hope that they are well supported. Then came the long awaited Christmas break and with it came the wind. If it was not hard southerly it was hard northerly and The weekend of the 19/20th January saw the current in the middle of it all searing hot weather and the dreadful loss committee of your club having a field weekend of their own at of property through bushfires. I know of one fly fisher who lost the Great Lake shack and a range of topics were discussed. all of his gear, books, flying tying materials etc. Some thought provoking facts were tabled relating to the current status of club membership, the average age of The fishing diary at the shack records the efforts of those who members, our assets in the form of shacks and operating visited the lakes and I have heard that some anglers had good liabilities. It was indeed interesting looking around the table days in between the wind breaks. and listening to the committee members (most of all having been or are business managers) and taking heed of their Fishing on Arthurs Lakes produced some good numbers of fish professional comments. albeit small and there has been spirited discussion on fish numbers, fish to food ratios in this lake and possible fish The outcome is that some effort by the committee and management. I am sure more of the same will be heard. members to gain a current operating picture of where members perceive the club is at the moment and what the Penstock Lagoon also suffered from the wind with constant future holds is needed. turbidity caused by wind and waves and the lower level also saw the bigger boats having trouble accessing the lakes!!! In the coming weeks a survey will be produced and circulated to members and I encourage you all to participate in this as the Through it all we are ever hopeful and on the bright side there valuable information received will help formulate the future are three field day/weekend activities programmed for path of the organisation. January/February/March. A sharking day on the Great Lake, a trip to Lake Fergus and the Dee Lagoon weekend. All are Well the sun is higher in the sky and the northerly wind is opportunities for members to engage in fishing and fellowship increasing no doubt so maybe a good day on the Great Lake. through the efforts of those who arrange these events. Thanks We are ever hopeful.
Malcolm Crosse The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 1 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
Editorial I have just come back from my first trip to the shack for the New Year. I went with my mate Shane and we decided to go to Arthurs because we heard
it was fishing well in the Cow Paddock and the Lily The boys at Spot On fishing tackle have kindly Pads. It was a great day provided the Club with 4 vouchers to the value of $30 with a light north westerly each for this year’s competition. I’m sure everyone and a hazy sky. As usual will join with me in thanking the lads for this kind we were bobbing about support, and continue to patronise Steve’s shop. aimlessly looking at a Vouchers can be picked up from the Editor at your seemingly barren stretch leisure! of water with the odd little fish breaking the surface. So…Write the best story and win a Another boat came into view and it was to change our $30 Spot On voucher! day. It was one of the most welcome sights that anyone could wish for at the beginning of a trip. It was Have a go Westy! He and his mate had been on the water for Simply send your entry to Doug Miller about 3 hours and had boated 22. In typical Westy [email protected] style he showed us what he was using and even gave us a couple of his exquisite flies to use. This turned our day around and we finished up 2 days of fishing This time the prize goes to Brian West for his brilliant with a total of 21 fish ourselves. As a result I have now contribution on how he ties his Claret Dabbler, sharing written in permanent texta on the gunnel of the boat it with the current editor and previous editor Smith the letters WWWD – What Would Westy Do – and it is who, after landing his 12th fish and having yet another a mantra or a way of thinking I will use for a long time fish pointed out for him to cast to, was heard to say – to come. ‘I’m not sure if I can be bothered!’ .
In this issue we have reports on the John Fowler Trophy, The Penstock Weekend as well as some interesting ideas for tying Tasmanian grasshoppers for the warmer months. The highlight for me is Westy’s description and photos of his adaptation of the Claret Dabbler he uses. I will certainly be tying a number of these over the next few weeks. Enjoy
DM
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 2 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
If there are any places more beautiful than sitting on the Bruce Barker managed to fool a few, Steve Martin got in on newly constructed deck at Malcolm’s Shack watching the the action and I lost one the biggest fish I have had on for a sun setting over Penstock Lagoon then I want to know while. (In fact the more I think and tell people about it the about them. bigger it gets…)
The annual Penstock weekend took place at the end of Dave Choate put in a marathon effort in his newly acquired November and was well supported by members who all float tube and managed to hone his casting skills from the appreciated the hospitality and generosity of those who rubber armchair to a great degree. His striking and landing opened up their shack at the beautiful lagoon. skills did not get such a work out unfortunately
There were a number of people who brought their boats and they generously offered spaces to those on foot. It is great to learn from others and have someone else to hunt and commiserate with at the end of the day.
David O’Brien managed to remove and return a number of his favourite fish by wandering the shore. He of course knows these fish by name and probably was just checking up on to see if they had everything they needed to survive The fishing was hard as usual with the duns being sparse on Christmas. the water and the fish generally being shy or just not really tuned into them.
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 3 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
The food of course was a highlight of the weekend and Fly Tying on the WWW ranged from Ross Scrim’s bacon, eggs and black pudding breakfast treat to the veritable feast on the Saturday night. The World Wide Web is a treasure trove of information and tips for the fly tyer. YouTube in particular reveals a staggering number of responses to the most basic search. In this new trial section of The Vice the focus will be on some interesting tyers and techniques. If you have any favourites that you think should be shared with our members please send them in. DM
Tasmanian Grasshoppers Summer is grasshopper time on many of our rivers and lakes and according to my very rudimentary search on Species Finder Tasmania there are 5 basic types of true grasshopper commonly found in Tasmania. They can be found from lowland to alpine areas and do vary in colour somewhat. I have included some pictures of them below and then some basic methods for tying. I am sure you will have your own favourites. The colours and proportions are interesting to note.
Monistria concinna
Brachyexarna lobipennis
If you missed out on the Penstock weekend this year try to get to the next one. You certainly won’t regret it!
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 4 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
Russalpia albertisi Some common tying patterns from ‘YouTube could be adapted to suit the Tasmanian Grasshoppers and crickets. Sizes of course vary but the proportions stay the same.
Grasshopper http://globalflyfisher.com/video/tying-grasshopper
Jan’s Simple Grasshopper – Jan Spencer http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage& v=TcOI1bhcL2I
Tasmaniacris tasmaniensis
Truganinia bauerae
Fiery Brown Hog Hopper – Davie McPhail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpyFFDf8lGk
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 5 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
fishing. There was even special dispensation for Ron who The John Fowler Trophy wanted to fish alone on the grounds that if you are over 90 you can pretty well do whatever you want!
The John Fowler Trophy has been run and won for 2012. Unlike the previous years it took place on one day down at the Snowy Ranges. As suggested in the previous edition of The Vice it was a ‘One Fly Competition’ with competitors being teamed up for the day and the prize going to the pair that caught the largest length of fish in total. The trick was that they could only fish with one fly and if that was lost or didn’t work they couldn’t change it.
The original idea was to tie the fly on site but this proved not to be a popular idea. The trip down takes a while and it seems that people just wanted to fish and not tie anything. (I still think it is a good idea though and will continue to push for it again next year).
The arrival of Club Patron Barbara Fowler signaled that it was time to start. Barbara made the long trip from her home in Bothwell just so that she could be part of the proceedings and it was great to see her there.
There were three teams that competed – Pete Murphy and Jim Davis were the bookies favourites but there were keen eyes on the shrewd skills of Noel Wilson and Andrew Blackwood. The dark horses in the group were Shelby Jarrell and Mark Quinane who disappeared off to the lower ponds in search of trophies. In hindsight the “Jackson Hole One Fly’ shirt that Shelby was wearing should have been an ominous warning sign.
The rules of the competition were – to say the least – fluid. There were no restrictions on rod weight, leader strength, The flies that people used ranged from black and red woolly hook size and just an hour break for lunch to interrupt the buggers and chartreuse fluoro headed nymphs through to green marabou wets. (As the only one who tied a fly on site
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 6 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
I thought I should get a special bonus, but after seeing my weighted black and red peacock herl bodied fur fly floating With President Malcolm and the amazing Barbara Fowler like a cork I decided to concentrate on taking pictures). ready to make the presentation the competition was called to close at 3.00pm and it looked like Pete and Jim had hung on despite a blank afternoon in the normally reliable salmon pool. However they didn’t count on the guile of Shelby who managed to land a trophy winning 85cm fish at 2.55pm to get his team across the line.
Now those who have been to the Snowy before will know of the huge size of the fish on offer and the relative ease with which they can be caught – this day was however an exception. The fishing was hard!
The first casualties were Noel and Andrew who both lost Official results were: their flies before lunch with no fish on the bank. They Team Name No of Fish Total Length suggested that the fish were against them and that luck Jarrell/Quinane 5 330cm was not on their side but they still didn’t trouble the Murphy/Davis 5 302cm scorers. Blackwood/Wilson 1 45cm
At lunch time the Murphy/Davis team looked to be in the box seat with Pete hooking a nice brown and Jim landing an 83cm monster on his fluoro nymph in the top pool. Shelby and Mark were quietly confident but kept a low profile.
While all this was going on there were of course many others attending the day that went about their business catching fish. If there was a prize for the most number of fish caught then young Andre would have been a shoe in! He caught fish from every pool and creek in the vicinity and had a brilliant day. There were also some magnificent smiles of the faces of Nick Ingles grandchildren as Granddad got them onto their first fish.
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 7 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
As usual John Smith and his co–organisers did a magnificent job quietly making sure that everything went smoothly, that everyone was happy and that all were well fed. Thanks must also go to Bob Cleary for again allowing us to use his amazing facility. So with the Trophy won we can look forward to a bigger and better competition for next year.
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 8 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
Ad-Vice -Tips and Tricks Wing: Bronze Mallard (dark part of the feather). I tie in a top wing only really. Traditional dabbler has Gadgets, gear and good ideas are always close to the bronze mallard skirted all around surface whenever fly tyers get together. This trial section of from memory – to really push The Vice features recommendations, quick reviews and tips some water when Loch styling. to make the fishing experience even richer. Please feel free to send in any tips you might like to share. Front Hackle: Hungarian Partridge (brown or As mentioned in the Editorial the idea of WWWD – What natural). Why – nice leggy look! Would Westy Do – is at the very front of my brain at the moment. It seems that if you find yourself fishing the Lily Optional: Couple of bits of Pearl Mylar in Pads at Arthurs and there is a hatch of duns, black spinners tail (one each side) and so on you could do worse than fish a team of 3 flies Eyes – red holographic tinsel. with a Claret Dabbler on the bob, a possum emerger in the middle and a floating nymph on the point. Others have Fishing: I usually use the dabbler in a suggested variations of having a Peck’s Dun (See the Spring three fly rig (with a least one fly Vice 2012 for tying instructions) in the mix. having some sort of colour/attractor ‘trigger’). The The most successful fly in terms of WWWD was the Claret dabbler is tied on the top Dabbler which had some UV glister tied into it. The tying dropper (closest to the fly line). instructions are from A Passion for Trout by Mick O'Farrell. This means you can dabble it 'UV Claret Dabbler' page 202 back causing a nice disturbance through the water. Then hang it! Following is Westy’s version/adaptation of the Claret Often fish (Arthurs and Woods Dabbler which he has kindly written up for The Vice. especially) will grab it at the last moment. I waterproof my flies Westy’s version/adaptation of the Claret Dabbler when I tie them but after a while (and a few fish) you will need to Hook: Gamakatsu S10, size 12. Why? I gink up the dabbler. When like black hooks, they are light working they sit up beautifully yet have reasonable strength. like a bushy dun pattern. Does it matter? Nup, use what you’ve got. Other flies on at the same time? -Usually a possum emerger in Thread: Black 8/0 the middle and a floating nymph (Stokesy mohair or possum) on Tail: Either Claret Cock or the point (or a black spinner brown/claret dyed Pheasant tail. lately). Interesting thing Does it matter? Suspect not, use is…when fish are clearly on what you’ve got ! spinner they still grab the dabbler in preference. Maybe Rib: I use gold holographic tinsel. my spinners are dodgy (although This is not ideal as it hasn’t they are a Noel Wilson tie)! I sufficient strength to protect chuck it out, let flies sit for a few body hackle, but it does look seconds, give a couple of good….Jewell Madeira #525. ‘twitches’ and then draw back to Available from Sewing Machine boat and hang. Shop… If fishing nymphs (which actually Body Dubbing Claret Seals Fur or Claret mohair has been rare this season), I still or claret mosaic dubbing or have a dabbler on top dropper claret UV micro straggle. (or a ‘duck’ fly). Sometimes mix a couple as well. I am experimenting with body colours. The UV straggle certainly works!! Sorry those doubters.
Body Hackle Claret cock hackle
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 9 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
Photo 1: one with UV straggle/claret seals mix 12/12/12 - A date we won’t see again
The Editor was alerted to this entry in the Shack Journal
that appears to have been written by our CBL (Current
Beloved Secretary) in response to a day on the Great Lake shark fishing with our BIPE (Beloved Immediate Past Editor)
Photo 2: one with Claret mosaic dubbing
John Smith and Pete Murphy launched in Boundary Bay at 12.12pm expecting to catch 12 12lb sharks each. It took Smithy 12 attempts to back the trailer in and the motor started on the 12th go. (He hadn’t had it serviced for 12 months!) Conditions were fairly good, clear with a steady 12knot northerly, but a
little cool at only 12˚C. This may have
been the reason there were so few beetles about – we only saw 12 and hence very few fish. We saw 2. The first saw us before the fly. John
managed to put it in front of the th second one on his 12 attempt and it These are available from http://www.flybox.co.uk/ readily took it. He forgot to strike. We gave up at about 4pm as the breeze had strengthened and returned to the shack for a beer or 12.
Source – The Shack Journal
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 10 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
AAT Web Cam Project Penstock Lagoon
Malcolm Crosse has been heavily involved in the Web Cam Project that AAT has funded. They, with considerable input from Malcolm, are currently installing seven webcams on central highland lakes at Arthurs Lake, Great Lake, Penstock Lagoon, Little Pine Lagoon, Augusta Dam, Bronte Lagoon and Lake Burbury. The AAT web cam page can be viewed at http://anglersalliance.org.au/arthurs-lake/ and live links to the 5 lakes completed so far are listed below along with a graphic of the general location of the Web cams s you can get your bearings
Arthurs Lake Webcam Penstock Lagoon Webcam Lake Burbury Webcam Bronte Lagoon Webcam Little Pine Lagoon Webcam
Arthurs Lake - Pumphouse Bay Bronte Lagoon
Lake Burberry
Little Pine Lagoon
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 11 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013
Application for Public Notices Membership John Fowler Trophy Presentation Application for membership For payments to the club The Committee has received the following nomination. It will be considered BSB: 807 009 at the next committee meeting. Account No: 12130456 Name: Tasmanian Fly Tyers Club Inc Then email the details to Applicant Chris Berndt Nominator Doug Miller Andrew Blackwood
Seconder Brian West [email protected]
Please remember to clearly identify yourself for ease of recording your payment
Still For Sale! Club Website Community Notice Nissan Terrano 4x4 Intercooler Turbo Your new committee 1997 Diesel 2.7 litre, Hi-Lo Range, 7 http://tasmanianflytyersclub.org President: Malcolm Crosse seats, Tow bar, Central locking (03) 6244 7009 Very Good Condition $5500 ono Vice President: Tim Munro Secretary: Peter Murphy (03) 6243 0288 Treasurer: Andrew Blackwood
Committee Members Malcolm Crosse Tim Munro Pete Murphy John Smith Andrew Blackwood
Contact Doug Miller 0408130536
The Vice Tasmanian Fly Tyers’ Club 12 Volume 11 No.1 February 2013