# NSW: 13/1 First bream on fly



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

I thought I'd be marooned in Canberra again this weekend but the calendar miraculously freed up late last night when Squidette managed to find alternate means of getting to the airport - how lucky am I that this allowed me to ride Craig450's coattails to one of his honey holes, and catch my first bream on fly. 

I have been on a quest to catch my first fish on fly for quite some time - it finally happened with a redfin last week down at my local, after a couple of near misses.










Don't get me wrong, I was stoked to break the duck. But I still didn't feel like I'd caught my first 'proper' fish on fly. I feel like I have now though! Started the day on plastics, and had a couple of hits and dropped a fish in the first half hour. I could hear drags squealing in the distance as Craig and Andrew plied their trade. I then didn't get a touch for the next 20 minutes, and my thoughts kept drifting back to the fly rod that I'd thrown in as an afterthought this morning. I have hardly any saltwater fly patterns, and my casting is still very novice most of the time, but I picked something that looked a bit shrimpy, retied the tippet that I'd tied 5 granny knots in during my last outing  and tried to channel Patwah who I'd seen throwing sweet loops from the kayak at Eucumbene a few weeks back. The first thing that I noticed - casting fly from a seated position is damn tough! I was lashing the water on the forward and back casts much to my frustration. By some miracle I managed to lay out a reasonable forward cast that landed the fly more than 2 metres from my target snag. The resident bream obviously took pity on me and ventured much further out than he should have to accept my offering, and then showed further kindness by making some terrific lunges, but not throwing the hook and also not stitching me up in the timber, despite my fumbling slack line moments while trying to use my fingers as drag. Craig heard me giggling and squealing (his words - in my head I was bellowing manfully) and came over to watch me net the beast and take a few photos. It was a dark bronze specimen of almost 35cm to the fork, and I was delighted 8)


















I persisted for many, many more hours, and I'm really proud to say that I stuck with the wand and didn't touch the spin gear for the rest of the session. I caught myself in the head a couple of times, and had to replace the badly knotted tippet twice. I lost two flies to trees and had one of those types of knots in my fly line that defies logic, and took 15 minutes to unpick. But somehow out of all those sloppy casts and bungles I managed enough reasonable presentations to land one more bronze warrior, and hook and drop another 4 or 5.










By 1pm I was starting to struggle and called it quits. The forefinger and middle finger on my right hand were both bleeding from stripping sharkskin fly line all morning, and my casting arm was screaming for a break. The other boys really, really smashed it, way into double figures both of them, but I reckon I grinned more foolishly on the drive home  Still trying to figure out if this is the beginning of the end (of fishing with spin gear), or just another beginning.

Thanks for reading.


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

:shock:


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

Fantastic squidder, good to see you didn't muck around with tiddlers, you just went all in and picked off a horse.


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## Sibbo (Aug 11, 2012)

Great stuff. Those fish a super dark! Way to persist with the fly.I have enough challenges casting a fly as is let alone whilst sitting in the yak. And then there is the wind knots... 

What's next....snaps on fly?


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

Stoked for you Jase. That is awesome.


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## granpop (Mar 23, 2007)

Great Squidder - and don't they go on the flyrod. Now you will be learning to tie bream flies 

Cheers

Dave


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Thanks dudes 8) Really opened my eyes to the possibilities today, just need to keep practicing!

No idea what either of the flies are called that I landed fish on. Also dropped a couple on unweighted black and olive woolly bugger.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

I was pretty happy to witness the capture Jase, its hard not to use the gear you knew would catch fish, and persist with something you were not entirely sure was going to work so well done for sticking with it and a very good end result dude 

I had another really good day, im not sure how many fish were landed, i just know it was more than Andrew, im pretty sure Andrew said he got 28 fish, so i must have got 29 8)

The big ones were harder to come across than last week, but still plenty of nice fish around 35cm, and just the one to break the 40cm mark at 41cm.

A great day on the water with good company and some great fishing, thanks for coming guys!!










Another shot of Squidders first fish


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Bertros said:


> Seriously dark fish there Craig... Is it heavily tannin stained water, thick weed, or some other reason they are so dark?


They sure are dark, it is very heavily tannin stained water mate


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

patwah said:


> Fiddy, did you hug Squidder?
> 
> Flyrod is ready and waiting for you......


I did hug him Paddy, i also licked his face...we had a moment.

Its a shame i didnt have the fly rod today Paddy, cos after i out fished Andrew so badly, i could have moved to fly and smashed Squiddly as well :shock: total domination


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

Stoked! Well deserved, you've definitely jumped in the deep end opening your account with fish like those. Looks like another awesome session, well done guys.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Rstanek said:


> Stoked! Well deserved, you've definitely jumped in the deep end opening your account with fish like those. Looks like another awesome session, well done guys.


When are we going to see you head south again Rowan?


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Good job squids

Might have something for you with the jig heads


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

craig450 said:


> Rstanek said:
> 
> 
> > Stoked! Well deserved, you've definitely jumped in the deep end opening your account with fish like those. Looks like another awesome session, well done guys.
> ...


I'm flat out until mid February but will try get back down before uni starts back up at the beginning of March. I scoped a few estuaries out on my way home from Dalmeny but didn't get to fish them, some further exploration is in order!


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Teeth like that only live in one place..... 
Must get back there.
Well done Jase!


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## pescado (May 17, 2007)

This post is going to get ado frothing! Big congrats mate. You've got the patience to be a good fly fisho so be very careful!

And craig, that poor yak of yours is just crying out for some love. Give that baby a rub down, its filthy.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

pescado said:


> And craig, that poor yak of yours is just crying out for some love. Give that baby a rub down, its filthy.


It was fine when i left home in the morning!! the down side of a trailer mate, the yak sits fair in the middle of the dust trail :lol:


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## CodBotherer (Aug 24, 2012)

Well done Jason,
Nice fish, well that just cost me a packet for a new fly rod, now time to start practicing.
I've only ever caught 1 fish on fly, mind you it was a 68cm brown so I sought of gave up after that.
Cheers
Paul


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## brant78 (Jun 24, 2012)

Cracked it Squid! Awesome.
I promise though that if you catch one with me there will be no bro lickage. I'll leave that up to Craig et al! :shock: 
But seroiusly, it is a great feeling to catch fish on fly. Particularly from the kayak, those backcasts are difficult and getting it shooting through your guides and in a more 'upwards' direction than feels normal is hard to do. I haven't sorted that out totally either.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Congrats Jase, and a fitting reward for persistence mate.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

brant78 said:


> I promise though that if you catch one with me there will be no bro lickage. I'll leave that up to Craig et al! :shock:


I thought you two were mates? mates dont let mates catch good fish without a face lick as a reward, try to keep up Brant :lol:


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## badmotorfinger (Mar 15, 2010)

Holy f**k. How did you get that second fly look so much like a brown dog.

Well done on the fish. Would like to watch someone fly fish out of kayak. Must need good organisation.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm beginning to wonder whether waving one of those funny sticks around like a pansy might be something I could enjoy. The VB drinkers on the bank would certainly be entertained!


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Great fish guys and well done on the wand squidder a style of fishing that I struggle with so my hats really off to you for persisting an nailing your target. Awesome work

Cheers Hedgy


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## brant78 (Jun 24, 2012)

craig450 said:


> brant78 said:
> 
> 
> > I promise though that if you catch one with me there will be no bro lickage. I'll leave that up to Craig et al! :shock:
> ...


Face lick, handshake, pat on back. All the same really! :lol:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWSNPaXIAAAdfgAAQYAEAAIARFAAvr96gIABUUaGgAAAIptNGowJiGaahMkVF+Run2GEYDLACbMpbybnBdudKaR2E+CvvCvPvkToQTS+LuSKcKEgRp7S5AA==


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## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

No way. N-O F---I-N-G W-A-Y.

How did I miss this? It must have been denial. There was one tiny tiny tiny part of fishing where I was better than Squidder (only because he'd never really tried). Now I have no hope of ever catching him. I can't believe the man is so polite that he never even PM'd me to gloat. I would have been all over it.

Those fish looked a lot bigger than your measures. You could have gotten away with more.

Time to get some salt water flies. Pondage is calling,


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Basil: Eventually?

Manuel: Eventually? Er, in the end


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

I took the time to get some expert instruction from a fly casting teacher and in the classroom section where the technical details were being discussed I asked if he had ever taught anyone to cast from a sitting position as I definitely wanted to improve my casting from the yak...

Before I explained what I wanted to do he replied...

"Yes, I have taught a few disabled people..."

cheers

PS... way to go Jase


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## Darwin (Jul 25, 2008)

There are many ways to catch bream. Everyday has something to learn... Congratulation!

Cheers
Darwin


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