IN THE SALT FLY FISHING - ISSUE#7 by In The Salt Fly Mag

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ISSUE#7 // SPRING ‘18

INTERVIEW WITH A

VIKING LUDERICK ON FLY KINGTIDE KINGFISH THE BLACK SPOT TUSKFISH FLY FISHING THE UNFISHABLE MONTAUK BLUEFISH HINCHINBROOK CHALLENGE 2018

A LSO IN C LU DED : TI E ‘ N FLY BO X TH E TA I LI N G L OOP STU FF YOU N E E D

Photo © Solid Adventures

JASPER PÄÄKKÖNEN

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14 INTERVIEW WITH A VIKING 30 LUDERICK ON FLY 46 THE TIE ‘N FLY BOX 60 SPECIES SPOTLIGHT 72 AFO HINCHINBROOK CHALLENGE 82 FLY FISHING THE UNFISHABLE 86 106 THE TAILING LOOP A KINGS TALE

LUCAS ALLEN & CHRIS SHARLAND JASPER PÄÄKKÖNEN

BRETT CLARKE & CHERIE FORBES GAVIN PLATZ

DR JULIAN PEPPERELL DAVE BRADLEY KEIR GILLAM

MARTIN DVOŘÁK

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#7 CONTENTS

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The tail of the KING Photo: Chris Sharland

THE ED JUSTIN WEBBER THE ADS JUSTIN WEBBER THE EYE DAN CALLISON JUSTIN WEBBER THE WORDS DAN CALLISON CONTRIBUTORS JASPER PÄÄKKÖNEN LUCAS ALLEN BRETT CLARKE CHERIE FORBES DAVE BRADLEY KEIR GILLAM DR. JULIAN PEPPERELL MARTIN DVOŘÁK PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS BYGRAVE AL SIMSON GRANT ZIETSMAN CHRIS SHARLAND SUBMISSIONS IN THE SALT WELCOMES ALL SUBMISSIONS, CONTENT OR PHOTOS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO PUBLISH THE ARTICLE OR CONTENT. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT ALWAYS OF THE MAGAZINE OR ITS OWNERS. IT IS ILLEGAL TO COPY OR REPRODUCE THIS MAGAZINE. CONTACT US

info@inthesaltflymag.com.au www.inthesaltflymag.com.au

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ISSUE #7

IN THE SALT

FLY FISHING MAGAZINE ISSUE #7…well this has escalated quickly! We are so proud to bring you the seventh edition of our magazine. In this issue we get the low down from Jasper Pääkkönen, an actor in the hit TV show Vikings and one of Hollywood’s rising stars, on his life, work and of course fly fishing. We chase winter Luderick with the BWC team Brett Clarke and Cherie Forbes where they show us their tactics for targeting this wonderful species. Lucas Allen takes us through his backyard in New Zealand and the fish he’s come to love, Yellow Tail Kingfish. Keir Gillam takes us on an extraordinary journey to the wind swept, rugged coast line of Tasmania where he is living his fly fishing adventure.

wonderful fish called the Blackspot Tuskfish, not to mention our local fly tying guru Gavin Platz. Thank you to everyone who made this issue possible without you it just wouldn’t happen! We have a few things in the pipe line for the coming months, so you’ll have to watch this space! Please sit back, relax and enjoy this issue of IN THE SALT a fly fishing magazine dedicated to saltwater fly fishing and travel. Welcome to IN THE SALT a fly fishing magazine dedicated to saltwater fly fishing and travel.

We get a wrap up of the Hinchinbrook challenge for 2018 from Dave Bradley and we hit the shores of Montauk for a first encounter with huge Bluefish. Of course, our resident fish scientist Dr. Julian Pepperell gives us a great insight into a

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Kings Tale King Tide Salt Fly

As if New Zealand wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already enticing enough with its large wily Browns and frisky wild Rainbows, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now another reason to pack an extra rod for your next visit to the land of the long white cloud.

Words & photos by Lucas Allen & Chris Sharland

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New Zealand has a long-standing history

of pristine emerald waterways that host highly educated Trout of epic proportions. However, it’s now time to think about adding a few extra options to your NZ travel itinerary. An exciting salt water fly fishing scene has been bubbling away for a long while under hushed tones, with few people realizing its true potential until recent years. Chances of tangling with a Yellowtail Kingfish in less than a meter of water don’t come better than the many flats on offer from roughly midway up the country northwards. We affectionately refer to them as “ray riders” and they present an exceptional sight fishing experience to cap off your back-country Trout adventure. They pull

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light a Permit, fight like a GT, and have a Brown Trout pedigree, making them an excellent target for any self-respecting fly caster. This is just the tip of the iceberg for what’s on offer in our little slice of paradise, but it is certainly a major drawcard to our fledgling salt water fly scene. Often traveling the flats on the backs of large Black Stingrays, they present a great target. Once you’ve acquired the hang of it, the stalk is nerve racking, the eat is heart stopping and the next few split seconds, as the fish races off, turn into a mix of commotion and exhilaration. This ranks the Southern Yellowtail Kingfish as one of the new species that has a huge spotlight on it currently, especially the addictive flats style fishing they provide.

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KINGIE A superb NZ Yellow Tail Kingfish

We’re lucky to have a season that stretches from November until late May and tends to coincide with the exceptional freshwater fishing we have on offer here. Bring an #8-10WT along for the journey and you’ll leave with a newfound admiration for these green-backed, yellow tailed thugs New Zealand is now adding to the discerning fly anglers hit list. There’s even the “Kiwi grand slam” to tempt anglers with three of the finest sport fish we have on offer:

Kingfish�

� Well known for their smarts, aggressive nature and stubborn bulldog like fights. The all tackle world record sits at 52kg (2 identical weight fish) just a few miles offshore in the Bay of Plenty.

Kahawai School in huge numbers yet can be as fussy as a Permit. Can be found everywhere from flats to channels and offshore reefs. Very acrobatic and put on a great show. Maori name means “strong in the water”.

Snapper

Bread and butter inshore recreational species. Targeted successfully with bait, lures or flies, Snapper can be found in some amazing places. Quieter flats will have fish up to 8kg hunting bait amongst the mangroves, and deeper reefs hold big numbers of fish.

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Tauranga Harbour is known as the birthplace of chasing ray riders and often the first port of call for many to take their chances against one. The harbour boasts over 200 square kms of sand flats and channels. With some of the best fishing being close to the main town, it’s easy enough to be picked up from the airport and be fishing a world class fishery within 20 minutes of arrival. With the momentum this fishery has gained in popularity, it is easy to see parallels with some of the biggest salt fly destinations in the world. Putting New Zealand on the podium alongside acclaimed Bonefish, GT and Permit hotspots is easy and it’s little wonder more and more people are opting for a slice of the action. NZ flats Kingfish should be on your bucket list and definitely something you want to experience at least once in your life.

For more information and booking that trip of a lifetime contact Lucas Allen, owner/operator of King Tide Salt Fly. New Zealand’s flats fishing specialist. www.kingtidesaltfly.com lucas@kingtidesaltfly.com Or check out “king tide salt fly” on Instagram and Facebook

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The perfect dorsal spines of a GBR Spangled Emperor Photo: Al Simson

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To cast or NOT to cast......CAST, CAST, CAST! Photo: Chris Bygrave

Double trouble, Spangled Emperor on the flats are exhilarating! Photo: Al Simson

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THE FLY FISHING

VIKING - Interview with Jasper Pääkkönen -

We were lucky enough to get to speak to one of Finlands best actors, well known for his role as Halfdan in the hit show Vikings and his most recent Hollywood block buster BlacKkKlansman. He shares his love of fly fishing, acting and protection of our wild places.

Words by Jasper Pääkkönen Photos by Jasper Pääkkönen, Solid Adventures, Stephan Dombaj & Vikings/History Channel

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Photo Â© Vikings/History Channel

Photo ÂŠ Solid Adventures

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Who is Jasper Pääkkönen? I’m a Finnish fly fisherman, an actor, an environmentalist and an entrepreneur. In that order of priority. My work that may have reached the Australian audience includes the role of Halfdan in Vikings and my role in Spike Lee’s latest film BlacKkKlansman.

How did you get into acting? I started acting full time in Finland when I was 18, and the TV-series was a Finnish version of Neighbors. It became the biggest hit in the history of Finnish TV, and after I was on the show for roughly 500 episodes (2.5years) I started working in film, and have done about 20 films in the last 15 years.

Have you ever dressed up like Halfdan and hit the streams to scare off other fly fisherman? Ha ha ha well first of all, those clothes weigh a ton. Not the easiest stuff to wear to the river. And just the face tattoos take an hour to put on and another 30-40 minutes to take off. So maybe not!

How did you get into fly fishing? I started fly fishing when I was 12 after simply deciding I wanted to be a fly fisherman. I didn’t know anyone who could teach me, so I got all

the fly fishing books from the library and studied them with almost manic passion.

How does fly fishing fit into your busy life? I make my busy life fit around my fly fishing. I’ve turned down a bunch of job offers from movies when they overlapped with an epic fly fishing trip... and whenever possible I try to make sure work doesn’t stand in the way of the next fishing adventure. My agents know that it won’t be easy to get me to work in the summer, since that’s the most important part of my fishing season. Atlantic Salmon fever and being stuck at work do not mix well...

What are your other hobbies? I don’t have time for other hobbies that could become a passion, or that might take up a lot of my time. I work out mostly to stay in shape for work, but I was never that into sports. I do a lot of environmental politics to campaign and lobby for more sustainable fishing practices, which could be considered a hobby, I guess, since it’s a kind of a passion project for me.

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Favourite three locations to fish around the world and why? Kola Peninsula, Russia, for Salmon. This is some of the last untouched tundra that is still relatively easy to reach, and the fishing is amazing. It’s also always an adventure to jump in that old Russian military Mi-8 chopper... Tsimane, Bolivia, for Golden Dorados. Sight fishing for these monster Dorados in shallow streams is like Trout fishing on steroids. Wet wading and casting a big streamer upstream in crystal clear water for a 20lb Dorado is an unreal experience. The third would have been Lakshadweep, or the Laccadives, at the Solid Adventures liveaboard yacht exploring islands that have practically never been fished before, fishing pristine waters for GT’s. But unfortunately, the local government made it too difficult for that operation to continue so I’m waiting for the boys at Solid to find a new GT location somewhere around the world... I’ve only done two weeks of GT stuff, but the brutality of these creatures is something that you’ll never, ever forget.

Swords and blood or #3WT and Trout? That’s easy, but over both of these I’d still always go for an #8WT and a dead drifted dry fly for big Atlantic Salmon. Or a #12WT and a 6/0 streamer for a lit-up GT.

Photo © Stephan Dombaj

How often do you get to fish these days? I tend to prioritize quality over quantity, but I’ve been lucky to have the chance to fish quite a lot during the last two years since I wrapped up shooting Vikings. A couple of weeks in Laccadives, two trips to Patagonia, a week in Venezuela for Bones, a week in Bolivia, 3 weeks in Russia, 4 weeks in Norway... that’s more than I could’ve hoped for, given the fact that the previous

two years leading up to this I was pretty much stuck in Ireland filming Vikings!

Your favorite species to target? During the last decade I’ve been quite passionate about Salmon, especially single-handed fishing with dry flies, hitches and sunrays. Nothing beats seeing a big Atlantic Salmon hammer your fly and having to go through an epic battle with a single handed rod (which

quite often results in the fish winning the fight). I’ve lost many of the biggest fish I’ve hooked after being spooked or broken off, and it’s a part of the magic of salmon fishing.

What’s on the horizon for Jasper Pääkkönen? Work wise I have nothing lined up, which is fine for me - more time for fishing trips. I’ve just booked a trip to Norway for sea-run Browns for September and I was invited to

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Photo ÂŠ Solid Adventures

“THE BRUTALITY OF THESE CREATURES IS SOMETHING THAT YOU’LL NEVER, EVER FORGET.” 36

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Photo ÂŠ Solid Adventures

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go fish Agua Boa lodge in Brazil for Peacock Bass in October. We might also do a scouting trip with Solid Adventures for some new Bonefish and Permit areas in the Caribbean in November.

changes happening in our reefs due to human caused reasons. It’s up to us fishermen to make sure our voice is heard, so that the politicians will hopefully wake up to the grim reality that our waters and fisheries are facing.

You have been very active in politics when it comes to endangered fish and dams, can you tell us more?

We’ve heard via the coconut telegraph that you’ve had some pretty crazy trips with Antti from Vision Australia. Can you share one of them with our readers?

I’ve spent quite a few years in my home country publicly fighting against hydro power companies and politicians who have destroyed many of our most important rivers by building dams, and who do not seem to give a sh*t about doing anything to compensate for the damage and destruction it has caused to our fisheries. Public campaigning is luckily opening people’s (and our politician’s) eyes to the fact that fisheries should be managed sustainably, and that there are plenty of reasons, from an economical viewpoint, to protect the fish. Fishing tourism can bring in a lot of money for remote areas that are in desperate need of jobs.

Antti is my oldest fly fishing buddy from around 1994, so we’ve had a bunch of adventures. Before when we were young and wild and free, and not proper adults like today, being 38 and all, we used to do these crazy road trips around Finland and Sweden. Sometime during the week, it always started feeling like the best idea was to jump in a car and drive hundreds of miles to the nearest town to see if there was any action in the local bars. What started as a fishing trip often led to weird adventures with locals in rural areas, and some of those stories can’t be told publicly.... ha ha ha!

How would you enlighten our readers about the current state of flats, corals and reefs? I would like to think that anglers are among the most aware in issues regarding the depleted reefs and the

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Big Golden Trevally are superb flats targets, visual and often hungry they will eat most flies Photo: Al Simson

Tasty snacks get eaten by big and small. This little Bluey biting off more than he can chew. Photo: Chris Bygrave

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OMANI GOLD (Trachinotus Africanus)

CAN YOU HANDLE THE PRESSURE? Professionally guided, tailor-made fly fishing trips in Oman.

For more information: info@arabianfly.com | Tel: +968 9209 5933 ARABIANFLYSPORTFISHING.COM

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Young Brent getting bent on a recent trip. This kid will be a weapon when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s older...like 7 Photo: Grant Zietsman

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TA R G E T I N G W I N T E R

LUDERICK O N T H E F LY

WORDS & PHOTOS BY BRETT CLARKE & CHERIE FORBES

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T here are always good reasons behind why we’re attract-

ed to targeting a certain species of fish. The locations that fishing takes us to, and the people we fish with along the journey, add to the memories that keep us wanting more. With such a vast variety of species along our waterways you could say we are almost spoiled for choice. However, there is a certain time of the year and seasonal cycle when the decision seems obvious. For us, as winter rolls around, the shore based choice is Luderick. Venture along any jetty or break wall on the east coast of NSW through winter, and you are bound to come across a Luderick fisherman. There’s no better way to spend a warm winter’s day with a blue-sky backdrop, soaking up some winter sunshine. I am going to start by stating that we are not experts in targeting Luderick on the fly. Whilst we both have had some success in various situations and locations, the information contained herein is provided to help you form the foundations to working out your own locations and styles. I know that we have had to ask many questions along the way to put the puzzle together, and to those who have taken the time to answer and share their knowledge, we are eternally grateful. There have been many fishless outings along the way, so take what you can from our experiences and apply, modify and tweak them to suit your own locations. Learn from each trip to the water, learn from other anglers, learn from local anglers and piece it together until the formula for success is consistent. Essentially, it’s what makes the fly community tick – learn, share, and succeed. Luderick are a very accessible species for most of the estuary anglers along the East Coast of Australia, ranging in distribution from Southern Queensland through to Tasmania. During the cool-

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er months, large schools of Luderick form up and occupy most estuary systems, with a strong following of anglers who are dedicated to targeting the species. To begin your search for Luderick, start looking around rock walls, jetty pylons, ocean platforms and weed beds. Concentrations of available food in the area will help you out, so look for the bright green weed and cabbage often found attached to rocks. Fish need to eat, and their primary source of food will not be far away.

THE OUTFITS A rod/reel setup in the #4WT to #6WT class will be more than sufficient, and the fish will put up a nice account for themselves on those outfits matched with a floating weight-forward fly line. The one that we are currently using is the Vision Merisoula 6 weight, a line purposely built for saltwater use with a moderate aggressive head for turning over flies with ease. Floating lines are my preference as these lines can be managed and mended easily from off the surface film. This management results in a cleaner fly presentation during the drift, and a reduced amount of belly in the line allows for a quick hook set since you’re more connected to the fly. The leader length is often determined by the water depth, but we use nine feet as a starting length and we can either shorten or lengthen that with tippet depending on what is needed. Remember, the above is the type of set up that we are using confidently in our locations. There are a whole range of options available in the area of lines and leaders that may suit your local conditions better; full intermediate lines, sink-tip lines, and sinking lines to name a few.

THE FLIES

THE SET UP

Focus on weed flies, with a few weight variations in your kit to be prepared to present the fly in varying water depths.

When we are targeting Luderick in shallow water, the set up has a minimalist approach; straight through fluorocarbon leader, nine feet in length, with a two fly rig. Depending on the tidal strength, a brass bead fly, weighted lead fly, or a tungsten bead fly will be used at the end of your main leader, with an unweighted weed fly trailing 30cm behind.

Starting with the colours – Bright Green, Olive, Blended and Brown flies, in the hook sizes 6 through 14, with sizes 8 and 10 delivering most of the success in our experience. Recently though, a very good mate of ours has had a lot of success using weed flies in the smaller sized class, down to a size 14. Here’s his latest quote, it’s like throwing Mars Bars to fat kids” and I remember eating Mars Bars once like they were going out of fashion, so I know how the humble Luderick was feeling watching those tiny bite-sized pieces of weed come floating by. An important consideration is the weight requirements of the fly. A correctly weighted fly will allow the for the ideal depth presentation into the active feeding zone. This element is critical to your success and subsequently there is a range from zero weight, brass bead, and lead wrap through to the heaviest, being tungsten bead. The choice of weight will have a significant impact on your fly presentation, essentially, the choice needs to be based on the sink rate required and depth you want to present the fly to the fish. If you are into tying your own weed flies, look no further than the range of Tiewell Weed Dubbing. The product leads the way by a tidal mile when it comes to simplicity of use, durability and effectiveness. Three colours that are currently available are Green, Olive and Dark Brown. All these colours represent types of stringy weed found in the estuary system.

In the deeper water, an indicator set up is employed, much like setting up an indicator rig for Trout nymphing. Whilst still maintaining the nine foot leader, a Thingamabobber indicator is attached and set to the depth that you want to fish the flies. The Thingamabobbers create little resistance to your cast, and are easily adjusted so you can make a depth change whenever necessary. They are also available in a few sizes depending on the buoyancy requirements of your location. In the calm water estuaries and along the protected edges of rock walls, the small size seems fine. In the stronger currents, heavy washes or windblown rock walls, the next size larger is required. It would be strongly recommended to have a few indicator size options in your kit. There are plenty of options out there to choose from. Find an indicator that works for you and run with it. In both set ups, we are running an 11 pound, Space Fluorocarbon leader as the main line. On the trailing flies, on rock walls, an 11 pound tippet is maintained, however in shallow water situations, we will drop down to around 7 pound breaking strain for the secondary trace. There are of course sight fishing opportunities available to really get you into chasing down these little striped battlers, and in these scenarios, you will be ditching the indicators as quickly as you can. Straight through tension to the fly is required. The eats vary from a timid chew to a smash and grab of the drifting weed fly. One of my most memora-

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ble sessions comes from sight fishing on the flats. Upon arrival at our chosen destination, a quick wade across the flats and there they were; backs out of the water, sitting high in the water column scoffing down weed that had been dislodged fromheavy seas the day prior.

TWO FLY RIGS. In almost all situations, we will set up the two fly rig. This is done by attaching the weighted weed fly to the end of your main leader, and then an unweighted weed fly tied directly from the lead fly hook bend with a 30cm length of fluorocarbon. See in the image on the left, the tungsten bead is the lead fly, with the unweighted weed fly trailing behind. In most cases, but not all, the eat comes from the trailing fly. The 30cm separation from lead fly to the trailing fly seems to work for us. We have tried shorter distances and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to see as many eats. The presentation of the fly is up and across the current, as this allows the rig to drift with the tidal flow

and swing until the drift on your fly becomes unnatural. Mend the line as you go to keep in relative contact with the fly. Large bellies of fly line floating around in the current will result in a lot of missed strikes. Other areas to search with your casting are through the tidal current seams, and pockets of slack water or eddies just off the main flow. Most importantly, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to set the hook properly! Traditionally an upward lifting of the rod was used which was derived from the float fisherman driving home the hook. A solid strip set without lifting the fly rod will see much better results. We hope this helps you out with your pursuit of Luderick on the fly. They are a fun, challenging and rewarding species to pursue in yourlocal estuary system. Enjoy! Brett Clarke & Cherie Forbes BWCflies

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The face of one of New Zealands greatest sportfish...The Yellowtail Kingfish Photo: Chris Sharland

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Critical fly selection Photo: FlyCastaway

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A beautiful sight cast Queenfish. You could happily catch these guys all day long! Photo: Grant Zietsman

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THE

FLY BOX FLIES BY

DL GODDARD’S GLASS MINNOW

As tied by Capt. Gavin Platz D L Goddard I was first introduced to D.L. Goddard’s flies in the middle 90’s by Cam Sigler Jr while we were chasing Tuna on the fly out of Mooloolaba. Cam produced this cute (if a fly can be cute !!) made of epoxy & mylar tubing. Even though he is not with us anymore his creativity and influence on the fly-tying community will never be forgotten and in fact still influences Anglers worldwide. He is perhaps best known among fly fishers for his inventive use of epoxy in saltwater tying with patterns such as; Glass Minnow, Mylar Minnow, Firecracker, D.L’s The Thing, D.L’s Big-Eyed Smelt, D.L’s Redbone Fluff, D.L’s Snapping Shrimp, and D.L’s Winged Snapping Shrimp etc. He was an outdoorsman – Hunter, an angler custom Fly Tier, Casting Instructor and fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. He retired in 1990 as a Captain in the Miami Beach Police Dept where he spent 27yrs as a full-time police officer. During this time, he was also a part time flats guide and after retiring began a new career as a commercial fly tier, outdoor writer and photographer. He’s been published in numerous publications, taught fly tying, fly casting and fly fishing. He lived until his death in 2016 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with his wife and 3 dogs. D.L.’s creativity is sorely missed throughout the angling community

however his influence will surely not be forgotten by fly tiers and saltwater fisherman internationally. The following tie is not by me but by my partner Deborah (who is new to fly-tying) I will be in Kiribati, exploring for you salty fly fishos new exciting destinations when this article goes to print. Hopefully she will demonstrate not only the tie but how a recipe can be followed with the knowledge of a few basic techniques. So here is a Glass Minnow I particularly like to tie. Have fun tying.

Gavin

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MATERIALS HOOK Size 2 to 4 Tiemco 800S, Tiemco 811 S, Mustad 34007 or similar THREAD White or Grey Flat Wax EYES Stick on silver 1.5mm & 2mm sizes BODY Small Mylar Cord Pearl and Epoxy

BODY

TAIL

EYES

Start the flat wax thread just behind the eye of the hook.

Fray the Mylar to create a tail and trim to fit the profile of the fly.

Place the stick-on eyes at the hook shank behind the eye of the hook

Take a piece of the Mylar about four hook shanks long and pierce a hole at the centre point using a dubbing needle, fine pointed scissors or tooth pick. Push the opening over the eye of the hook and secure this with a thread in a figure of eight and progress your thread to the bend of the hook.

Epoxy the entire body, ensuring you rotate the fly to ensure an even coverage of epoxy, use a UV torch to initially cure and place outside in the sunlight for a few hours on a rotator to ensure the UV dries and is no longer sticky.

Tie the Mylar tubing to the top and bottom of the hook shank, just passed the point of the hook, so you can make a loop to the top and bottom of the Mylar. Whip finish the Mylar into place. Colour the top back Mylar with green/ blue marker pen and highlight the gills with a red marker pen.

Panning for gold and striking it rich! Photo: Al Simson

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E T IT F T U O G IN H IS F Y L F R E T A W T L A S T IS L IA C E P S Y AUSTRALIA S ONL ‘

PRIL V YTER & A O R A IN T IS

OKEY

! U O Y S A E T A N IO S S A P S IS A O H W E N O E M O S M O R F E IC V D A D N A R A E G R U O Y ET ‘

FIND US AT

BE GUIDED BY CPT. GAVIN PLATZ ◦ Saltwater & tropical Freshwater Fly Fishing Specialist ◦ FFFcasting instructor ◦ Hardy Pro Staff ◦ Tuna, Mackerel, Billfish & Saratoga

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Sunshine Coast & Harvey Bay Christmas Island Bonefish and GT trips Purpose Built 6.7 tri-hull in-shore boat 4.5m impoundment dory

Shop 1A 8 Point Cartwright Dr Buddina Beach QLD 4575

P. 07 5444 0611 E. flyshop@tienfly.com

W. www.tienfly.com

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Golden delight. Chris getting it done on his home turf! Photo: Chris Bygrave

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Double bending somewhere on the Great Barrier Reef! Photo: Al Simson

Winter Luderick are super fun on light gear. Cherie Forbes here with a stonker! Photo: Brett Clarke / Cherie Forbes

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A F LY F I S H I N G M A G A Z I N E Â©Stephan Gian Dombaj

pass me some

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Species

SPOTLIGHT

Blackspot Tuskfish

(Choerodon schoenleinii) Other names: Blue Tuskfish, Purple Groper, Yellow-bellied Tusk-fish

BY DR JULIAN PEPPERELL, PhD. Photos by Chris Bygrave Dr. Julian Pepperell, PhD, is one of the best-known marine biologists in the world and a leading authority on Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna and Sharks.

The Blackspot Tuskfish is just one of around 225 members of the wrasse family, Labridae, that are found in Australian waters, expanding to well over 500 species found worldwide. In fact, Labridae is the second most ‘speciose’ fish family in Australia. Now, while all of the members of this very large family are officially called ‘Wrasses’, the common names for many of them can be quite confusing. To see what I mean, each of the following names apply to at least one or more ‘wrasse’ species: Groper, Rainbowfish, Tubelips, Cleanerfish, Foxfish, Pigfish, Hogfish, Combfish, Razorfish, Knifefish, Double Header, Bluebone, Maori-Wrasse and yes, Tuskfish. For that reason, it’s probably better to refer to members of the family as Labrids.

It is a particularly widespread Labrid, occurring from the Ryuku islands, off southern Japan, through Indonesia to Australia, and in the Indian ocean, possibly as far as Mauritius. Its Australian distribution is typically tropical/sub-tropical, covering the coastal northern half of the continent from just south of Shark Bay in the west to around the Gold Coast in the east. There are several possible records from northern NSW, and a single record from Sydney, which is highly dubious.

Another relevant example, by the way, of why common names of fish can be confusing is that, in addition to the Blackspot Tuskfish, another member of the Labrid family, Austrolabrus maculatus, a much smaller, temperate species, is known as the Black-Spotted Wrasse. Tricky, non?

The Blackspot Tuskfish is one of the larger wrasses, growing to a reputed length of 90 to 100 cm. With the possible exception of some of the larger members of the family, such as Blue and Baldchin Groper, the biology of the majority of the Labrids is poorly understood. Most are small fish of little or no commercial importance, so studies, if any, tend to be confined to underwater observations of behaviour. However, perhaps because of its broad geographic distribution, size and conspicuousness, the blackspot Tuskfish is somewhat of an exception to the rule. The species has attracted some scientific attention in the Ryukyu islands off southern Japan, where they are a highly prized table fish and are a target species of a specialised nighttime spearfish fishery.

Most Labrid species are highly sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females are very different from each other. Male Labrids are nearly always much more elaborately coloured than females, and they are also normally larger. This is because they change sex, all fish beginning life as females, then turning to males when they reach a certain size, the technical term for this being the terminal male phase of the life cycle. A single male will usually tend a ‘harem’ of several females. Blackspot Tuskfish can be identified by a large dark spot, or ‘ocellus’ at the base of the rear one-third of the dorsal fin. They also usually have blue spots on each scale, often forming blue horizontal stripes along the body, and a blue line at the base of the anal fin.

Blackspot Tuskfish and four other sympatric Labrid species in Shark Bay, WA were also the subjects of a Ph.D study by David Fairclough of the University of Western Australia. Focusing just on the Blackspot Tuskfish for the purposes of this article, the study showed that female fish mature at about 25 cm long, or

an age of 3.5 years. Around 50% of females will then have changed to males by a size of 55.5 cm, at which size they average 10 years of age. The Blackspot Tuskfish is somewhat famous in being one of relatively few species of fish in which apparent use of tools has been observed. Yes, really! This is based on an observation in 2006 by a diver in the Keppel region of the Great Barrier Reef. Alerted by a cracking noise, the diver noticed a Blackspot hovering over a sand patch, near a rock, with a cockle in its mouth. He snapped off a group of photographs showing the fish rolling on its side and whacking the cockle against the rock a number of times until the shell broke. So, in the sense of the definition of tool use by Chimpanzee expert, Jane Goodall – being “the use of an external object as a functional extension of the mouth or hand in the attainment of an immediate goal” – the use of a rock as an anvil certainly qualifies.

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A HUGE Spangled Emperor from the reefy flats of the GBR. Photo: Al Simson

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STUFF WE THINK YOU NEED

A COLLECTION OF FLY RELATED PARAPHERNALIA THE YETI COLSTER® RRP AU$39.95

The YETI Colster® Talk about over engineering a stubby cooler! These blokes have done a great job on helping us keep our frothy ones cold in the heat of the Australian sun. I’ve put this little nugget to the test and man does it deliver! It even doubles for a rum mug for when you forget your faithful Rambler in the car (yes that did happen to me). This stubby cooler should be in every man’s bar/shed/boat/trailer, so basically what I am saying is take it everywhere with you! Description: The YETI Colster® keeps cans and bottles so cold for so long that you’ll have to rethink your understanding of a few natural laws. Standard 375mL cans and bottles fit like a glove – a glove with double-wall vacuum insulation. The Load-and-Lock™ Gasket secures your drink in place, and No Sweat™ Design keeps your hands dry while your drink stays cold.

LOON OUTDOORS FLY TYING KIT RRP AU$129.95 These guys have thought of everything that the modern fly tying enthusiast needs all the way to the professionals. You can buy this as a kit or each tool individually.

SIMMS CURRENTS SHOE RRP APPROX. AU$179.95

VISION FORCEPS RRP AU$19.99

We all need practical shoes when we’re up on that platform or running around the deck dodging fly rods and hooks, Simms have just that. A cool looking sneaker that’ll not only protect your feet but let you have the feeling of being barefoot. They are light weight and fast drying.

If you fly fish you need forceps and not only to help reduce fish injury but also to pull flies from toothy mouths. The Vision forceps have a soft grip which makes them easy and comfortable to use and there’s also a needle at the back to keep those hook eyes nice and clean!

OUR TOP 3 VIDS RIGHT NOW

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BeAlive

Jeff Currier Fly Fisherman and Painter, Aims

Golden Shenanigans The endless session

to Catch Over 500 Species

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Like a Tiger waiting to pounce! Photo: Lucas Allen

Early starts of 7am see the hangovers dusted off and gear prepped. Rods and lines, secret flies and even more secret locations are all part of a plan to try and pass the Challenge. There is a list of species and the more you tick off that list the more bonus points you score and that right there is the key to taking home the prizes. Species from Barramundi, Mangrove Jack, Estuary Cod, Flathead, Tarpon, Trevally, Queenfish and Permit are all on the list.

21 years and 25 teams had a reason to celebrate at the 2018 Australian Flyfishing Outfitters Hinchinbrook Challenge. With the weather set to glam and the maximum number of teams reached for the 1st time in the comp’s history it was sure to be a good weekend. A short but concise briefing and welcoming night starts the event, grab bags full of gear from the generous sponsors are handed out and it’s like everyone has already won. There’s a comp Aquasoul shirt, an Airflo flyline, Simms cap, headsox, leader spool, flies, custom fly tying tools made by a couple of the club guys and more, it’s an amazing effort by the club and sponsors to rally this gear together. After dinner at the Lucinda Hotel, the comp’s base for the weekend, bets are placed in the calcutta and drinks flow freely as you mingle with the cool bunch of people that are the northern saltwater flyfishing community.

While a few of these species may just appear in close range of each other and perhaps even in a matter of just a few casts, you still might need to plan as to where and when you are going to find each one, and then its a team event so you really need two of each species. Jon (Snelly) Snell took out 1st place in the angler category, a new Scott Meridian #9WT and teamed with Kim Strathern they took home Champion team honours. Rod Collings and Troy Burbidge runner-up team and Troy third placed angler, with Brad Morris 2nd placed angler. Troy also landed his 1st Permit the day before the comp fishing with Dave Bradley. No doubt everyone had a great weekend and as dates are ready to be set for 2019 you’d best get on it as the 25 teams of two anglers is the cutoff point for the Challenge. Well done to the NQ Flyfishers and particularly Richard Stanhope, Rod Collings and Dan Collins for putting together the best fly comp downunder.

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The business end of these great fish. Photo: Al Simson

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Fly Fishing

The Unfishable Who rigs up and heads out fly fishing when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blowing 40-50 knots? Those that know me will be nodding their heads. I never thought it possible to fly fish in such conditions, but there I was being spray and sand blasted, struggling to stay on my feet, and catching fish. I was having the time of my life!

Words & Photos by KEIR GILLAM

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Saltwater fly fishing on the West Coast of Tasmania is unlike any fly fishing you’ll do anywhere else. The scale of everything is extreme: wind, surf, hydraulics, fishing depth, and most importantly the beauty.

his coastline is a wild and rugged place that gets battered by swells up to 20m and winds in the 86-97 knots (160-180 km/h) range at least once or twice a year. That might explain why some of the rocks are like knives that can quickly trash all your gear, including what you thought was staunch foot wear. It is a very intimidating place to fish, even on a good day. To fly fish the West Coast successfully you must fuse three styles of fly fishing - Trout, saltwater, and spey. It is the most challenging, yet extremely rewarding, fly fishing I’ve done or will probably ever do. Having to start from scratch and work out how to shore fish for new and old species all over again was a refreshing experience. I took it for granted that some of my old familiar species would be present here (some were and some were not!), while others I was not sure would be here were later confirmed as I dragged them from the surf. So, in a completely new environment what do you do? Explore, sit, watch, think, and then wait for crazy ideas to spew forth on how to fish this special place. Tassie’s Coast will challenge all you’ve got - your knowledge, technique, equipment, patience, as well as your character! Most other places you can pretty much grab any full set up and you’ll catch fish as long as you match your fly and leader. Here on the West Coast you

have to get your entire kit sorted out perfectly. Choosing your rod, reel, line(s), leader/tippet (mono or fluro), fly, and hook type (J or circle) requires perfection. If one of these elements is not correctly matched you will catch nothing, loose gear, or possibly lose your life. Check your lines and knots regularly as you don’t want to be diving in naked, off the rocks, braving 16 degree water like I did to recover a skagit head due to a snapped running line - bloody sharp rocks they were too! Day one was a calm day for the West Coast and as I sat watching the water I saw a school of Barracuda patrolling the rocks. I was amazed at the lines they were taking, weaving in and out of some of the narrowest and shallowest passages. It would have been a highlight to sight cast to them, but they moved incredibly quick, and by the time I saw them they were gone. I started casting a #2 white Flat Wing Deceiver to probing around and I had a follow by a Gemfish. Right at the end of a retrieve it savaged the tail of the fly. Instead of leaving it in the water and letting it sit like a bait fish with its tail bitten off, I instinctively lifted and recast. I realised in that moment I lost the chance at hooking and landing a deep-water species from shore. This confirmed what I had experienced in the past, you can catch deep water species from shore. I spent one afternoon trying to catch the Wrasse I could see in the waving kelp. After much experimenta-

tion the rig required in this location, for this particular species, was an integrated floating intermediate line with a T8 sink tip using modified Czech nymphing techniques, a #8 UV Crazy Charlie on a four foot, 8 lb leader. The first thing to do was to try and cast parallel to the ledge, getting the line and fly as close to the waving kelp. Then I had to allow for the surging swell and get the fly to sink five to ten metres down. Then it was time to strip or Czech nymph on the retrieve. If the fly was too far they wouldn’t look at it and obviously if it was too close you ended up tangled in the kelp. If you got everything perfect the Wrasse would come out and savage the fly and it was on! Now for the dirtiest, brutal fight. Keep the pressure on doing your best to keep the Wrasse out of the kelp and/or the kelp from wrapping around your line while you watched with your third eye the constantly surging swell! For their size, they are incredibly powerful fighters, easily the equivalent of Australian Salmon at least twice their size. For small ones you’ll go close to snapping a #6WT if they really don’t want to budge. At times they are like a school of piranhas attacking your fly. I found a great spot on the rocks to try some poppers in the wash. I estimated it was 60 feet to the white water but upon the first cast I was bitterly disappointed. It turned out it was about 120 feet. I was ten feet short of the sweet spot, casting the Rio GT 550 on the Hardy Zephrus #12WT as far as I could. It was hard work casting and stripping fast, but then I saw two big fish following,

strip strip, strip - two small 6 kg Tuna followed the fly right to the edge. I was gutted as my major goal was to catch a Tuna from shore specifically a Southern Bluefin. I realised my mistake was not accelerating the speed of the fly once they started following. A few fly changes later I tried Tuna tactics - cast and as soon as the fly hits the water get it moving fast! On the back cast I heard a huge crack...I’m sure I dropped the back cast a tiny bit into the elevated rocks behind me and smashed the point of the hook off again, but I continued. Two big green-backed fish appeared behind my 6/0 popper moving fast 80 feet out. So, from the earlier lesson I accelerated the fly constantly… bang fish on! The adrenaline surging through me now from watching the hunt and the take was amazing. After a short fight the Salmon was landed and then I saw the hook had no point! I was even happier - who needs points on hooks I thought to myself! This fish was lunch and I wanted to know what they were feeding on, it turned out to be krill from what I could determine. The beaches offer brilliant, difficult, challenging, and rewarding fishing. They are incredibly varied with the holes and gutters systems changing daily. Some of the beaches are very steep where you strip off a good amount of backing and then run down chasing the outgoing surge and bang out 100 to 165 feet of running line. Then run back up as fast as you can so you are not engulfed by the metres of water racing back in. Note that you cannot out run the surges and at knee deep you can be washed off your feet as the

swells are extremely powerful. At times on some beaches you can only roll or spey cast due to the elevation and dunes behind you, and some gutters on the beaches you can swing flies in currents moving at speeds up to 10 knots. The other hazard to watch for is quicksand, yes quicksand is a real thing here on the West Coast and it does claim a few vehicles. It almost claimed me on a beach walking as the sand liquefied beneath my feet run Forest run!! I did manage to stay on top of it for a few metres until I reached safety. Some of the flatter beaches offer some of the most challenging sight fishing I’ve come across. Firstly, was ultra-skinny water with ultra-light gear chasing Yellow Eyed Mullet 100-200mm long. I was wading no deeper than ankle deep at any time, trying to spot them amongst the foam and its shadows. I found them a lot harder to spot than Bonefish as you can only see them during the brightest part of the day. Casting #16 hot orange weighted worms on ultra-light gear in 20 knots, trying to place the fly while the surge runs in and out 80 feet

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adds another dimension in fly placement. Finally trying to get an eat at times was frustrating, but watching four 200mm Mullet single file chasing a fast-moving fly was exceptional. This was some of the most satisfying fly fishing I have done, and highlights that timing is everything in fly fishing. Also, on the beaches using Tuna tactics on schools of small Salmon on the surface provided hours of entertainment, casting ultra-light gear 80 feet to the school and having the fly moving the instant it hits the water then game on miniature Marlin style! Another species sight fished was medium to large Eagle Rays with a flounder fly on a barbless circle hook. Cast the fly within sight and then wait for the Ray to go over for the eat and then hang on! Line screams off your reel, enters the water in one spot while the dark shadow races away. Then the battle begins. On the note of Rays there are some other monster Rays in the 150-250+kg class that could be targeted with #15WT gear and a good release plan with a second person – a definite future project! The most spectacular fish caught was the Blue Throated Wrasse. Like with other Wrasse species, the fly needs to be almost in the kelp and once they come out and savage your fly they are absolute brutes, very similar to Kingfish. As soon as they are hooked if you cannot lift them clear of their holes and the kelp close by then the battle is basically over. The first one I hooked got back to its hole and after trying combinations of constant pressure and complete slack I managed to get 10m back over 10 minutes before I was broken off. Once they are clear of holes and kelp they can come easy or they can be like freight trains, heading back down testing you and your gear. The Blue Throat, like so many species in so many locations here are best fished with a “give no line” policy no matter what! Landing these beautiful brutes (500mm, 5kg) was tricky and my preferred method was on the top of a good swell use the butt of the 15’ Sage Method #10WT and pull them out like Tuna and hopefully not hear a catastrophic crack while doing so. The biggest surf I successfully fished was 8-16m while the strongest wind fished was 60 knots, something I never dreamt

possible for fly fishing. I’ve found it comes down to the right equipment and modified casting techniques to deal with the extreme conditions, as well as an “anything is possible” attitude. Being able to cast off both hands is almost a must here. Thank you, April Vokey, for teaching me to spey off both hands - it has truly maximised my fishing time. The two main reasons for casting off both hands here are; never turn your back on the swell and distance really does matter on the West Coast.

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Average water depth 10-25m Wind, if it wasn’t 15-30 knots it was 40 - 60 plus knots. Four days per month it’s 10 knots or under. Line management had to be perfect or you would end up tangled, potentially losing a fly, a line, or your life. I lost a lot of flies and one line. Always watch the rocks you are going to fish off before going out on them and always have an escape plan as there is always one huge wave coming! Essentially if the rock is wet it will get wet again. Some swells split and change the angle they come in on at the last minute and very occasionally a big one will come from a totally random direction to the current set. You can find somewhere to fish in any condition on the West Coast no matter the wind or swell if you don’t mind braving the elements. In one spot I found a large clean saltwater rock pool with a large fish in it 20m above the water. There are many more species to target, some are going to take some serious time and effort to figure out but that’s why we fish.

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Some serious saltwater lollipops. Photo: Keir Gillam

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A beautiful Picasso Trigger Fish. What they lack in size, they make up in beauty. Photo: Al Simson

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This guy has been ticking some serious species of the list recently. Grant with a superb Golden. Photo: Grant Zietsman

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The backside of a blue blob a.k.a. Blackspot Tusk Fish Photo: Chris Bygrave

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TAILING LOOP Montauk Blues By MARTIN DVOŘÁK

IN 2014 I HAD JUST FINISHED MY STUDIES AT CZECH UNIVERSITY IN LIVE SCIENCES. I MAJORED IN FOREST ENGINEERING IF YOU WANT TO KNOW. I DIDN’T FEEL READY TO START A REAL JOB JUST YET, SO I DECIDED TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROGRAM OF WORK AND TRAVEL IN THE UNITED STATES. The visa for this specific program allowed you to work for three months in the US and then subsequently stay for one more month of traveling. For my work program destination, I chose the city of Montauk which locals call “The End” because is located on the real end of Long Island, in New York state. Naturally, before leaving, I used Google to look for fly fishing opportunities close to my new residence. Search results seemed quite positive for the surrounding area, especially some videos I found describing a phenomenon called the “fall blitz”. I excitedly watched videos of real madness that showed thousands and thousands of Striped Bass schooling close to the seashore. Other search results came up with potential targets of Bluefish and False Albacore. I immediately packed my #9WT set up. I don’t want to bore you with the details of my flights, train rides and work experiences. So, we will start this story in Montauk at the beginning of my stay in June. My fishing expectations were high, but reality was little bit different – much harder than I had expected. I was pretty busy in my work and Strippers season was late in coming to the region. I tried a few times to fly

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fish from shore, but I just lost one fish in more than five trips out to the beaches. One day, my friend Katka Švagrová (also a contributor of this magazine) connected me with Bob Popovics. Bob is a famous fly tier and angler with a vast array of local knowledge. He gave me some advice and more importantly, he gave me the contacts for his friend Paul Dixon. Paul had been guiding on Montauk for years and when I got in touch with Paul he quickly invited me to come fishing with him. I was very excited as I waited for the ultimate opportunity to break into the secrets of the local Stripper fishing. Finally, I had a day off and could meet Paul down at the local docks. Even the ride in the boat was an exciting novel experience. I’d never ridden in a boat in the open ocean and his 300 HP motor made it a truly enjoyable experience. Paul headed to one of his hot spots, and as we stopped the boat he showed me one of today’s targets – a Bluefish. There were a lot of them schooled up, but they were too far to cast a fly. But Paul had a trick to solve this challenge. First, we prepared my #9WT rod with a setup consisting of a floating line, strong leader, and wire trace. Blue-

fish have very sharp teeth and without the wire trace it is too easy to lose your fly and tippet. Next Paul chose a pink and white deceiver. Then I stood on the casting platform, stripped out some line and prepared to cast. Paul took a spinning rod with big popper attached by wire trace. The lure was without hooks, he just wanted to attract the fish from the main school and move them closer to our boat. It really worked! On his first cast, several fish followed his lure. They attacked it like dogs. When they came within casting distance, I cast my fly in front of them and start stripping as fast as I could. Three of them broke off from the teaser lure and started following my fly. Suddenly Paul said, “Stop and go!”. I stopped briefly and then started stripping again. I got an immediate eat. I set the hook and the fish was on. Wow, the fish was so powerful! As a long-time fresh water Trout fisherman, I had never in my life had such a big fish on my fly rod. What a feeling. Line was running out of the guides in seconds flat, and soon I saw the colour change of my backing hurtling out toward my rod tip. After a 50-meter-long, initial run I finally turned the fish and started fighting it. After quite a few

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minutes Paul brought the fish to the boat. We shot some proud pictures of my first saltwater fish and then we had the Bluey back in the water. I was so ecstatic and ready for another fish! We repeated the same scenario, and in a few minutes, I had an even bigger fish eat the deceiver. This brute of a fish took more backing than my first one and I had more minutes of fighting to get him in. In a few hours, I had managed to hook up with nine big Bluefish and land seven of them into Paul’s hands. All our fish were in the 7090cm range and in excellent condition. All of them took meters off my backing on searing first runs. After all those years of fishing for trout, I had never experienced backing come screaming off the reel like I had with Paul fishing at “The End”. These fish are so aggressive.

It doesn’t really matter what fly you’ve chosen from your box, just cast in front of them and retrieve as fast as you physically can (takes some practice!). The day goes by in a blink of the eye when the fishing is so good. Suddenly it was late afternoon as the summer sun started toward the horizon and sadly it was a time to head back. After a short ride, we returned to the dock and we set about cleaning the boat. Paul took me back to my accommodation in town. I couldn’t thank him enough. For sure, this was to be the highlight of my entire stay in Montauk. In fact, I think it has become one of my best fishing experiences to date.

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fortunately, local commercial fishing has destroyed everything. Blue fish and Bass were decimated by netting. Most of the fish we targeted that day are now gone, sold for pennies on the pound and there are no Blues or the unique “Fall Blitz” phenomenon. That’s literally “The End” Finally I could write this article in English. That’s for you Paul! Thank you very much again! You’re the best! Hopefully I will see you again. Also thank you Katka and Bob for your help.

I visited Paul the next summer, but we had bad weather during my stay and we didn’t get an opportunity to repeat the previous years’ experience. We are still in touch, and he is still guiding around Montauk. Un-

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Did someone say Squid? Photo: Keir Gillam

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Final Offering

ISSUE 7. What an exciting time for our magazine. Seven issues down and only getting stronger! Thank you to all our readers, we depend on you and it is you that makes doing this fun. Please share our magazine far and wide so that everyone can enjoy reading this as much as we enjoy making it.

From the editor

CALLING ALL WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS. We are on the look out for fun, engaging stories to share with our readers so if you have something to write about please send it to info@inthesaltflymag.com.au. After all, besides hitting the water and practising, thats how we all learn.

You can also share with us on instagram using the #inthesaltflymag or by tagging us @inthesaltflymag we would love to see your salty adventures and what you get up to.

With every new edition our readership grows exponentially. We are reaching some far off shores and distant waters with our publication and its bloody great!

We know that you will all continue to support us and look forward to bringing out many more great issues in the coming years.

As always, thank you for reading our publication and we hoped you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thank you to all our incredible contributors without which none of this would be possible. Thanks also to all our advertisers, new and old, we are super stoked to have you all on board and look forward to this continuing journey together.

In closing please practise catch and release as often as possible helping sustain our incredible fisheries and those that we visit. Be sure to like us on Instagram and Facebook. Sign up to our newsletter to get this publication delivered direct to your inbox and also stay up to date with what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up to. Till next time, tighten those drags and give them nothing! Justin Webber Editor & Publisher

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