The art of the fly

[breno1967]

I have just spent the weekend learning/honning the skills of fly fishing at Millbrook Lodge in Vic. The weekend consisted of gear selection, set up and learning the casting. They also covered basic fly tying and entomology (bugs etc). As well as time on the water trying to catch a fish or 2.
The guys how run these lesson have more passion and knowledge than anyone I have fished with before.

And yes I did manage to pull out a nice rainbow just over 4.5lb in old school speak, funny how trout fisherman still measure they fish in pounds.

So all in all a great weekend was had and if you have the interest and time I would recommend them.

Cheers
Breno

[chich0]

well done bud, its amazing catching a fish on fly :)

[sammy]

i want to catch a trout top fish mate

[Perky]

Beautiful fish mate.

[sammy]

is that a crazy charlie fly

[breno1967]

Thanks guys, no the flies called a shaving brush. Don't ask me why but that's its name.

[kamikazeghost]

That is a good catch, and it is great to practise and hone the casting skills. It is a good way to learn to "get rid" of bad habits and errors made in casting to improve the casting technique.

The shaving brush is an emerger pattern - a very useful dry fly type pattern when chasing trout. They are tied in such a fashion to represent a nymph that is emerging, trapped in the surface film at the point where it is about to open its wings to become a dun.

Continue to always practise your fly casting. The more you cast, the more you understand the errors and correcting such errors. This will thoroughly improve your short, mid and long casting. There is always a worthwhile gain in seeking a casting instructor in your area to help now and again.

Keep having fun. It is a wonderful experience to catch fish on fly.

Michael

[breno1967]

Cheers for that Kamikazeghost, I plan to spend a lot of time practising casting and developing my skills.
Now to build up my gear to suit the new found interest. Will keep you posted.

Cheers
Breno

[Piscateur]

Nomenclature conundrum?

[The Growse]

Good stuff mate, Millbrook is meant to be sensational.....
Get ready to spend some SERIOUS coin though lol!

I'm tying shaving brushes and para emergers with Goose biot- for NZ in Jan, awesome flies....

[Rog78]

Nice work Breno,solid trout :cool:

[breno1967]

Cheers guys, would again recommend Millbrooks to anyone interested in learning fly fishing. Well the coin is why we work so we can fish. LOL good thing the other half came with and is keen as well. Might have to off load some bream gear, NOT!!

[macca33]

Yep, the world of the fly is a great one to explore, however, it does hurt the ole' wallet at times. BUT, that first surface take is what it is all about!!!

cheers

[kamikazeghost]

Yes, fly fishing can be a pricey endeavour, but if you search around well enough, you will find yourself starting off with some relatively good gear at a fairly reasonable price.

If you're targeting trout and estuarine species, and that is all you wish to target, then basically a couple of fly rods and reels with line would ideally suit. But, start with a reasonable 6wt is my suggestion. There are reasonably priced rods for $200-$350. (put it this way, if you're going to buy a reasonable spin rod, you'll pay around the same price, but there is a lot more options, under that mark).

A reasonable 6wt reel can be from anything of $60 - $200, and getting pricey above $350. If you know the fish are not going scream off backing, then all the reel is doing is storing the line. You don't need an expensive reel.

Fly line is important and hence spending $100 for a good fly line is worth it. You look after the fly line, it will last a fair length of time.

Reasonably, I think you can set up a reasonable outfit between $350 - $500. It will be a good investment and then you can save for more premium market gear later if you really love the sport. (And then start chasing longtail tuna and Goldens, Threadfins and the likes!).

At the top end of the market, with the way things are currently with warranties, etc, I recommend the Sage Fly Rods. I feel they have the ratio spot on with weight, balance, taper, power displacement, etc. Another top rod is the G-loomis (but the warranty now is a problem), and Scott Rods.

In the end, it is each to their own and finances for a top end rod and reel. But think about a few things when going to purchase:
1. what species am I going to mostly target?
2. rod taper and action
3. balance
4. power
5. feel
6. Anything else I might of currently missed.

It is a wonderful sport and I hope you will enjoy it immensely from here on in.

Michael