Friday 25th March 2011

Mar 262011
 

This evening it was back to the Southport Seaway again with the Talon Midgar 15footer 10/11w weight Double Hander.

The huge swell had dropped thanks to the Westerly wind however there was the so called rogue wave came on in.

Low tide made fly fishing difficult to say the least as this exposes the lower wall rocks, the rocks that steal to many flies and leaders.

Nothing, not even a fish, not even a couple of bait fish, not even a bird, the area as far as the eye could see that dead, nothing, with water as good looking as this evening coupled with the rip running out past the rocks, surely there must be a big fish looking for a meal, but nothing !

Then when it was dark, some how as I was retriving the fly through the rocks a wave came rolling in, the sure sign to losing a fly, but worse, my shooting head and running line appeared to be fouled up out there in the dark, so there was only one thing left to do, start pulling and seeing what would be left, to be replaced.

In came my Talon Advanced running line with the outter skin ripped up, and then to my surprise in came the Head, now I was real lucky, I only had to cut back the running line and reform the loop.  

A beautiful Autumn evening as the sun goes down.

double handed fly rod fishing

 March 26, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods Tagged with:

Thursday 24th March 2011

Mar 252011
 

Today was a little different, I took my fly fishing drug at around mid day, from 10.30 to 2.30pm at the Southport Seaway. and after the standard one thousand casts with the mighty Talon Midgar Double Hander of 15feet the only results were or was one poor little Dart at 300mm long.  And no rain which was a welcome change, this time it was brilliant burning sunshine, a very hot mid day.

We had a social adventure this evening, hence the fly fishing fix in the middle of the day. A hunting friend had grassed a small goat and this was to be consumed by hunting friends along with beer and red wine, of course. What was produced was the best, by far, goat I / we have ever eaten, the goat went around for over 2.5 hours slowly cooking and had lemons cut and placed within is chest, then as it rotated lemon juice, salt and pepper painted over it.

You could say, heaven rotating on a spit ! In the back ground you can see suds/potatoes on another spit, these were painted with, arr, it doesn’t matter, they were the best spuds you have ever tasted in your life. Myself I have never thought of cooking potatoes on a spit before, however its something you should really try.

goat hunting and eating

 March 25, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Hunting, spey rods Tagged with:

Wednesday 23rd March 2011

Mar 232011
 

Once more back to the Seaway, and enjoying a beautiful almost summers evening as the sun started to set, the tide still on the way out and almost on the bottom, maybe in a couple of hours time.
double handed fly rods and saltwater fly fishing

There was a 25 Bertie broken down that could have drifted out to sea, and then along came Air Sea Rescue to help the guys out.
double handed fly rods and saltwater fly fishing

Casting from Yellow Rock produced nothing, then the swell suddenly started to increase out of almost nowhere, with me enjoying the changing of the colours of the sun setting,

Without a touch or even a strike it was time to move and try another loaction, the flat rock at the end of the Seaway Wall. And its here the mighty Midgar 15foot Double Handed fly rod really did its work, firing the fly out well over 100feet, past the rocks that form the edge of the lower step of the Seaway, that was uncovered by each suck back by the bigger and bigger swell that can rolling in. The fourth cast, we are on, and away goes the running line, then in time slowly the fish came back, from where I was standing its easy to see its a very nice Treva of over 600mm in length, then in comes the swell, you guessed it, good bye fish and the fly.

This happened a total of three times, including looosing the fly. then another strike, this time it was a smaller fish 550mm long, at last between the swells I was able to guide it through the exposed rocks below me, take a grip of the leader and haul him up, take a photo, then thought, I’ve let numbers go, time to eat one of these fish, and bleed him, I then placed him on a safe rock well behind me and went back to fishing, nothing not a touch again, I would suggest the school moved on. I had a great time and turned around to pack up and go home BUT………… BUT my fish had gone, no where to be found !

Earlier I had noticed some people standing there looking at the fish and thought nothing of it, and now I think some low life creature need my fresh fish more than my family did. Looks like there are nice people everywhere !

double handed fly rod and saltwater fly fishing

 March 23, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods, Uncategorized Tagged with:

Tuesday 22nd March 2001

Mar 232011
 

No rain today, and a very warm day around 30degrees C, which should have increased the surface temps, in the local Tarpon and Giant Herring ponds, and if the surface temp is up, so should both of theses fishes be active, well thats the theory at least.

So tonight trip was taking me to one of the ponds in the hunt for these fish.

The evening resulted in only one very small Tarpon of around 350mm plus, and then back home, less than 10 minutes away.

 March 23, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods Tagged with: , ,

Monday 21st March 2011

Mar 232011
 

To the Southport Seaway again, and this time with my rain coat, and I needed it latter in the evening !

After numbers of casts at the end or around the end of the Seaway wall, which produced nothing, not even a touch, not even a squid to play with, I decided to move back to the eddy near the Seaway Tower, a easy place to cast, and I wonder why the local Flyfishing Club doesn’t turn up to at least fish the easy locations, but then again, well thats their problem and I wonder why the Clubs from Brisbance don’t come down and also fish the easy locations, well at least in the daylight hours, as fly fishing at night might be a bit much for all the ………. .

On the way back to the eddy area, I thought it might be worth a cast near the coffin rock, on the second cast, bang your on and going a very nice Treva came to below my feet after some time, the fish being around 600mm long, and then under my feet was the last time I saw him as the large swell came crashing over the rocks, taking my fish back to his freedom once more. This very same thing occoured 4 times and cost 4 flies, the fish won its freedom and I guess thats how it should be, myself all good fun and the fish gets to feed for another day and with luck give another fly fisherman or women a thrill.

Now back fishing the eddy, when that feeling like sea weed was on the line, the slow attempt to pull backwads suggest another squid, so with care I slowly retrived the fly and there he was a nice squid about 300mm/1 foot long, and once more as the fly started to break the water mr squid said goodbye. This location is holding numbers of squid.

Where there are squid, there could also be Jewfish/Kob hunting for a free meal, came into my thinking, then about dozens of casting for nothing and I am dripping wet, it was time for home.

 March 23, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods Tagged with: ,

Saturday 19th March 2011

Mar 192011
 

As it has rained all day here, the river systems the surface layers would be cold from the rain, and this will put the Giant Herring and Tarpon down of a day or two,  which left the Southport Seaway as the choice of fishing location and if I was lucky a Jew could be cruising around looking for a feed after a bit of a fresh in the river.

Rain coat of course as it was raining a fine almost mist like rain and no wind at all, upon arriving at the Sseaway, I was greeted by rain of about 1 liter sized drops, good tropical type rain that pelted down and no wind, but upon venturing out along the Seaway walls, in came the wind about 15knots, driving the blo,,,y rain through everything ! After casting and casting with the Talon WMD 12foot 7/8w Double for what seemed like forever without even a touch and sick of being wet, I moved back towards the Seaway tower, as tried this location for a while.

Then just as I was about to wind in and empty my shoes of all the water they contained, a feeling like seaweed was attached to the line, the feeling small squid introduce to the retrive, then once more as I was about to lift this 300mm squid from the water, he let go and slide away into the darkness again.

Where there are squid sometimes there are Jewfish, so I decided if I was wet, getting wetter didn’t matter, then about about 5 minutes, while retriveing the fly with the incoming current, a smash, and the running line racing out, then into the backing all with what seemed like second, there was no stopping this very heavy and powerful creature, at a guess at something like over 100yards, we lost the connection to the creature in the darkness, what it was we will never know, but my guess would be a very nice Jewfish, that could have been attracted to the squid and found my 100mm/4inch fly. I found the hook had pulled after winding the line back in.

Now, it was time to go back to the truck and pour the water out of my sneakers and change some of my very wet clothes and head home to a warm shower.

 March 19, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods, Uncategorized Tagged with:

Friday 18th March 2011

Mar 192011
 

Tonights quest sent me down the coast, down the 19th Avenue way, for those who know the coast, as the in coming tide was ideal for Giant Herring and the Tarpon up the river systems.
The result, I feed the mozzies, when they bite straight through the shirt I was wearing !
After about 3 hours having not seen anything that even looked like a Herring or Tarpon and a thousand casts, it was time to give it away, because the local mozzies were well feed my now. Score nothing.

 March 19, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods, Uncategorized Tagged with:

Thursday 17th March 2001

Mar 182011
 

Tonights fishing trip sent me to the Southport Seaway in search of Tailor, Treva and maybe an early Tarpon arriving down in the salt for winter. Tonight’s casting tool, the mighty Talon Midgar 15 foot 10/11w, which if you haven’t cast one, your missing out on a thrill, as this is truely a casting machine.

No rain, this was a welcome change and I decided to leave the rain coat in the truck.
Fishing, about the fourth cast, the line felt slightly heavier, like there was sea weed or rubbish on the fly and as it came closer to the rocks I was standing on, there before me was a nice little squid of about 200mm long hanging on, thinking he could eat the fly, then as I lifted him out of the water, an instant release, he was gone, back into the deep again.

This evening produced 4 nice Blue Trevars, and one lost GT of something around 10/12 pound upwards, he was lost in the white water crashing around the rocks at my feet. The fly, a long shank model of the fly thats caught just about everything this summer, opps haven’t I shown this yet : )

Blue Trevars are by far the best of all Trevars to eat, and this caused two of the fish to be released for another day and two to take the trip home with me.

double handed fly rod and saltwater fly fishingdouble handed fly rod and saltwater fishing

 March 18, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods Tagged with:

Wednesday 16th March 2011

Mar 162011
 

Back again to the same ponds as last night.
Results tonight were one nice fat Tarpon with very black fins which is unusal for our fish and one hook-up with a heavy fish that I wouldn’t even guess at.

Of interest was a thumping big eeel, that tried its best to chase and eat my Talon yellow floating Running/Shooting line.

The fly used tonight, the same fly that has taken Jacks and numbers of Giant Herring, Tarpon, Treva and Tailor throughout the summer months.
Did I show you the fly or how it was constructed, maybe not, one day when there isn’t fishing I will take you through the construction step by step as its almost too simple a fly, however it tricks numbers of poor fish into thinking its a free meal.

The fat Tarpon from the Giant Herring pond, come to think of it, I wonder where the GH have all goone ?

Some people say, you only catch little fish, my answer is, I fish every evening of the year and most times where I fish is only 15minutes away from home, AND I enjoy catching little fish, because there are more little fish than big fish. Could life be any better than this ?

double handed fly rod and tarpon

 March 16, 2011  Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods
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