THE FISHING

WET FLY
Most of our wet fly fishing is done from a drifting boat. We use two flies-tail & dropper. My cat fly on the dropper and a green machine on the tail is usually all you ever need and is a deadly combination. (see flytying for pattern descriptions). Little Pine Lagoon & Arthurs lake are the two most productive waters for this method of fishing where bag limits are not uncommon. August - Early December and March, April being the best months.
For clients who do not possess a high degree of casting skill - Wet fly is the best option if fish in the bag is high on your priority list

DRY FLY
Covers a myriad of options - Beetle falls , Chironomids , Duns , Spinners , Caddis , Stone flies , Caenids , Jassids , & Ants..... To name the main sources.

GUM BEETLES
Terrestrials which live & feed on Eucalypt trees. On warm sunny days, anytime from November - April they fly away and fall onto our lakes in large numbers. These floating Beetles are sometimes consumed by the trout with great gusto. Other times they are completely ignored.

CHIRONOMID
Commonly called Midge or smut, they are aquatic and can hatch at any time of the season, usually early morning & late evening when the wind is down and usually trigger a feeding frenzy from the fish.

DUNS
The mainstay of our summer dry fly fishing. The dun is the sub-imago of the highland spinner and they hatch during December , January and February. The dry fly fishing to dun feeders is highly civilised and happens between 11am & 6pm - office hours!! Once the hatches start around early December they usually hatch every day until late February , with the heavy hatches occurring on overcast days.

SPINNERS
The adult mayfly - Same time slot as duns. Spinners fly and mate on warm, sunny days when the wind is down and nearly always get attention from the trout, who gulp them down readily.

CADDIS
Are usually taken on warm summer evenings.

STONEFLIES
Are not very reliable but can produce some of the earliest rises for the season.

JASSIDS
When they do decide to appear are never neglected by the fish who seem to love eating them. Jassids appear in large numbers about every seven years during the months of March and April.

POLAROIDING
Is my absolute favourite. spotting a cruising brown in the shallows of our clear water lakes and casting a small dry fly about six feet in front of him , then watch as he slowly cruises up to the fly and ever so slowly sips it down - A pause then set the hook. A magic experience.

The start of our polaroiding is usually around mid October , with Little Pine lagoon being the best at this time. The fish are in close to shore feeding on amphipods "A small crustacean". All you need is a sunny day.
In the summer months you can virtually polaroid any of our waters but the favourite venue is the western lakes. Comprising around 3000 lakes and small tarns they are situated on a high plateau west of the Great Lake. Most of these waters are exceptionally clear and mainly shallow. The fish are easily spotted but are spooky and shy so casting to them has got to be precise and low - side cast is the best. They also do not like to see the fly land - Lead them by at least six feet.

WIND LANES
The oily, flat, bright strip of water you quite often see on a windy day on a lake which is covered with waves. If the day is warm and there are insects abroad, then if one zooms over to a sighted wind lane and has a good look in it, not only will you find a concentration of insects but more likely than not you will find fish feeding on them in a very orderly fashion. These fish are not difficult to catch if your eyesight is good and you possess a degree of casting skill - Wind lanes can turn an otherwise blank day into a day of the red letter variety.

TAILING
Early in the season from September through to November the browns come into the edges to feed on Amphipods and in so doing they stick their tails and fins out of the water. This activity is more prevalent in the early morning & late evening.
These fish are extremely difficult to catch but great fun to cast at.