Nymph or Dry – A small stream decision.

Before the first cast comes the decision: which type of fly, nymph or dry? Logically, you could choose either, or both (and yes, I know there are also streamers, but it is a rare choice, so let’s not complicate things). This decision is often driven by the angler’s preference, predilection, fanaticism, or the latest magazine infomercial. I have tried to put my prejudices aside to give you an approach that will give you a choice that may improve your chance of success.

I consider the following questions:

Are the trout rising?
What food sources are available and abundant?
Where is the trout likely to be holding?

Are the trout rising?

This is why it pays to stop and watch the water before you fish. If you can observe a trout rising, it gives away its location and a likely way to fool it.

When a fish is rising , it means the trout is looking up for a meal, and often means the trout is sitting mid water or higher. In this situation it is important that you fly be above the trout’s holding level, a dry, a lightly weighted nymph on a greased leader or a dry with a nymph on the dropper ( up to 60 cm) are all options.

A heavy nymph on a long leader is likely to drop below the level of this trout and therefore drift by unnoticed and untouched.

What food sources are available and abundant?

According to many reliable sources, most of a trout’s diet consists of sub-aquatic insects. Some say it is as high as 70%. In New Zealand rivers, this is often much higher. A nymph will generally take a trout all year round but may not be the best choice on a given day.

Certainly, the insects we imitate with dry flies are not abundant year-round, and typically early season and very late season there are very few species that are in sufficient abundance to suggest imitating them is the best option to fool a trout.

In the warmer months, November through to March, here in Victoria, terrestrial insects are abundant, as are hatches of sub aquatic insects. A single dry fly is great first choice at this time of year; however, you can also choose a lightly weighted nymph or a nymph dry dropper. Recent rain will lift the water levels, and releasing more nymphs, so as the water drops to a fishable level, the trout can be focussed on nymphs and reluctant to rise.

Very early season Sept/October and late season May/June, the cooler weather and higher flows means very terrestrial few insects about and little or no surface feeding. While catching a trout on a dry fly is not impossible it is highly improbable, and the weighted nymph will be your best choice.

Where is the trout likely to be holding?

Trout hold position , facing up stream, where the force of the current is low. This enables them to minimise their energy expenditure while watching for passing food.

Fast water

In sections of the stream where the water is flowing quickly, trout are likely to be found in the lee of a boulder or mid-stream obstruction, hard up against the bank or right on the bottom. All these positions will have protection from the main current.

Slow pools and runs

In the slower pools and runs the trout may hold position to feed or patrol a beat searching for food.

Deep Water

In deep (over 1 metre) fast flowing sections, the trout will often be on the bottom, and will be hard to tempt with a dry fly. It takes a lot of energy to swim up to the top, then back down again, so it needs to be worth it for the trout. A big hopper will sometimes pull a large trout up from the deep. However, a better option is to fish a weighted nymph under an indicator on a long dropper that drifts just above the riverbed.

where the bubble line flows hard against the bank, or a log, the trout will be holding and feeding there, and a fly drifted within a few inches of the bank will be pounced on. Trying to fish a weighted nymph, or a dry dropper hard up against the bank is supremely difficult, and usually end up either drifting too far from the bank , or snagged up. If it is a smooth rock wall it is possible to hit the wall with nymph and indicator and let it slide straight down. A successful technique I discovered by accident on a pool on the Crooked River. A better option is a single dry fly (if the time of year is right), as an accurate cast within six inches of the bank is easier to achieve.

Midstream boulders can be targeted by drifting or swinging a heavy nymph drifted close by. Another option is to land a dry fly in the dead point above or below the boulder with a slack line presentation, so it pauses a few precious seconds to entice a take.

In the deep slow pools, the trout could be anywhere: deep on the bottom, or up on the surface feeding. If the water is over a metre deep, unless the trout are visibly feeding, a nymph is most likely to be productive, however in the warmer months a dry fly drifted in the bubble line is a better first choice, and if unsuccessful, you can always try a deep nymph subsequently.

Mid Depth Water

Any water between fifty centimetres and a metre deep is good holding water that allows a trout to feed easily anywhere from the bottom to the surface, however in the quicker water, the trout will need some protection from the current. At the right time of year, the trout will rise from the bottom to take the dry. A good first choice for any time of the season, is a dry dropper combination. Early and late season the weighted nymph should be first choice, and in the warmer months a dry fly is often best.

Shallow Fast Water

Trout, especially rainbow trout, like to feed in fast shallow broken water: there is food, oxygen and cover. In warmer weather this is a good area to target with the dry, or a nymph on a short dropper under an indicator/dry fly. Within this water the trout are often able to hold in hollows and depressions, or between small boulders. the quieter pockets are worth targeting in the same manner.

Often overlooked, slow shallow water can hold some surprising fish, especially if there is nearby cover or bolt hole. Given a nymph is likely to get snagged on the bottom, your best choice here is a dry fly. An alternate option is an unweighted nymph on a greased leader.

Summary

Depending on the time of year, and water speed and depth, sometimes there is a superior choice, however often not so important, and your choice may boil down to your personal preference. I have included a table and a legend below to give you a guide. Note upper case means the choice should be a primary one, lower case , means it is a secondary option you might also consider.

Month	Deep > 1m	Mid (0.5 to 1m)	Shallow (<0.5m)
Sep	NW	NW,dn	NU
Oct	NW	NW,dn,d,nu	NU,d
Nov	NW,D,DN	NW,DN,D,NU	NU,D
Dec	NW,D,dn	DN,D,NU	nu,D
Jan	NW,D,dn	DN,D,NU	nu,D
Feb	NW,D,dn	DN,D,NU	nu,D
Mar	NW,D,dn	DN,D,NU	nu,D
Apr	NW,d	NW,DN,D,NU	NU,D
May	NW	NW,dn,d,nu	NU,d
Jun	NW	NW,dn	NU

Fly Choice by Month and Water Depth

Weighted Nymph	NW,nw
Unweighted Nymph	NU,nu
Dry Nymph Combo	DN,dn
Dry	D,d

Fly Type Legend

At one stage, I used to fish almost predominantly the nymph. In warmer months a dry with a nymph dropper, and only fish the dry, when the trout stopped taking the nymph. These days my first preference is to fish the dry, where the time of year and water allows it. Where there is good holding water and the nymph is a better choice, I will swap over. I prefer to fish a single fly for simplicity, trusting in my choice. To that end I carry two reels, one rigged with a line and leader for dry, and the other with a line and leader for nymphing. I find it easier to swap reels over than meddle with leaders, especially if I need to swap back and forth as I progress along the stream.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Autumn Lake Tactics – Midge & Smelt

According to the calendar, Autumn commences in March, but the river fishing generally keeps me busy until April. This is when the dry fly action slows and the trout begin their spawning and so I turn my attention to still water fishing.

Autumn trees, country track and a farm dog

Autumn a great time for Lake FishingAutumn

Image of Fly fisherman fishing for lake trout in Autumn

Autumn Lake Fishing

In spite of the cool sometimes cold days, around the central highlands, Autumn is one of the prime times for lake fishing. It offers great sight fishing for trout feeding on midge and smelt.

Midge fishing

Midges (or Chironomidae to use their taxonomic name) hatch all year round, however in Autumn when the air is still and warm, they are plentiful and a main source of food for the hungry trout.

Fishing for Midge feeders at dusk

An Adult Midge Fly

The bead head blood worm with marabou tail is my most effective pattern.

The midge larvae (blood worms) live in the muddy bottom, and when mature, and the conditions are favourable, they transform into the pupal stage to begin the metamorphosis into the flying adult. The pupae twitch there way to the surface, where they make the final transformation as they hang in the meniscus. The trout feed on the midge in all their stages of transformation, but they are most vulnerable during this hatch.

Before a hatch, the trout feed on the blood worms close to the lake bottom, where I they are beginning to move prior to the hatch. As the hatch comes into full swing, the trout feed vigorously on the pupae chasing them as they ascend. Trout feeding on the ascending pupae, will rush to the surface, pushing up plate size ‘boils’. The boil is a plate sized rise form that appears as bulge of water on the calm surface not dissimilar to the way a gas bubble in boiling water does.

Later in the hatch when the pupae are hanging in the surface film, attempting their final metamorphosis, the sipping take of the trout produce more subtle rise forms, which will appear as large rings on a mirror like surface, or a circular flattening in a light riffle.

Midges can hatch in short spates, and will stop when the wind strengthens or switches to the south. Then they often start again when the sun comes or the wind drops. Early morning and late afternoon into the evening seem to be the best times, however you can have success all through the day.

Three effective midge fishing tactics

My three most effective midge fishing tactics are:

Dead drift
Slow retrieve
Medium speed retrieve

Dead drift.

If I find a number of fish working consistently, I’ll start with midges dead drift trough the area, as it minimises casting and hence reduces the risk of lining the fish. It does however require a deal of faith and patience. You need to trust that the trout will find your tiny fly (they will eventually I promise). Generally I will fish one or two midge patterns under an indicator. Two patterns allows you to fish at two different depths. Cast to a rise and let the fly sit, slowly gather any slack that might develop as the indicator slowly drifts, so you can set the hook with a brisk lift of the rod, should the indicator sink, twitch or move in any ‘unnatural’ manner.

Close up of midge files in a fly box. — A selection of my midge patterns.

I like to fish one midge just six inches below the surface and another at least 18 inches under that, deeper if I want to use a bloodworm on the point. Generally you need the midges at or above the level the trout are cruising. If the trout are cruising close to the surface, it can be very frustrating as it may seem they are ignoring your fly. Don’t be tempted to recast, or even change flies, you just need to give them time to find your fly. When they are close to the surface, the area visible to them is very small, and they can swim within inches of your fly and just not see it.

Slow retrieve

The slow retrieve is tactic I use if there aren’t many rising fish. If the water and weather conditions are favourable , and location is right, I’ll use it to start searching. Especially if there is the occasional rise.

A fat rainbow caught on a bloodworm.

The bead head blood worm with marabou tail is my most effective pattern.

Again I like to fish two flies: I’ll generally start with a bloodworm on point and a pupae about two feet above that. Sometimes I’ll use a stick caddis instead of the pupae, especially in early April when there a few naturals about. The aim is to let the flies sink close to the bottom and and fish them super slow, and I mean super slow, maybe an inch or two a second. At this speed, detecting the subtle takes can be tricky, and at first you will miss a lot of fish, but the odd fish will wake you up with a solid pull. To detect the takes I watch ‘the bridge’. Watching the bridge is a technique I picked up from from an article written by Phil Weigall in FlyLife magazine.

The bridge is the small curve of line between rod tip and the water. When you retrieve slowly and steadily this has a consistent curve. A trout will often pick up the fly or take it gently and you may not feel it, but you will see the bridge raise or straighten out. When you see it, lift the rod immediately and set the hook. Sometimes this may just be the fly sticking to the bottom or picking up a leaf… but often enough it is a trout. When you can detect a leaf in this way, you will never miss the take of a trout. Here is a little video showing the bridge.

Medium to faster retrieve,

If the fish are surface feeding but you are having no luck on the dead drift you can also try a medium to fast retrieve. Again I prefer to use two different coloured or sized pupae. Sometimes I’ll even use a small #10 woolly bugger and a midge on point. After sunset, in the last of the light, this can be game changer and get you into a few more before darkness shuts down the midge feeders. Generally I prefer to keep the retrieve rate up to keep the flies closer to the surface, as the trout are looking up.

Detecting takes is easy: you will feel the change in tension and often a pull or solid tug. Be sure to lift the rod sharply to ensure a solid hook set. The flies should be 18 inches or more apart, i.e. you want them further apart than the average fish length. This will reduce the chance of the point fly foul hooking a fish, should it take the fly on the dropper. If the trailing fly foul hooks the fish, it will usually end with a pulled hook and a disappointed angler.

Smelt Fishing

In the Autumn months the Smelt school up close to shore attempting to spawn, making them easy prey for the hungry trout. Smelt is another word for a small bait fish, and we have a few species of them in in our lakes. They are usually olive and/or silver, and they range in length from a couple of centimetres (pin fry) to as long as five to six centimetres.

When they are being harassed by trout, the smelt school is pushed close to the surface, and they create what my friend calls nervous water. You see a patch of water that has tiny little wavelets, that shimmers and shifts in the light. The trout push bow waves and leave surface boils as they hunt down the smelt. Sometimes thy crash through the school open mouthed, scattering showers of smelt in every direction. It then all goes quiet until the trout returns to mop up any smelt stunned or injured by the mad rush. It is exciting sight fishing.

Smelt Tactics

Generally the schools of smelt don’t like bright sunshine, and are best targeted at first light, and will soon retreat to the depths when the sun hits the water. For this reason still overcast days are best as the smelting action can continue to mid morning.

My favourite flies for targeting smelters include: Christmas Tree, Tom Jones, Wet’s Zonker, olive zonker, or an olive woolly bugger. There are plenty more options, however, your pattern generally just needs to be the right size, and presented well. I carry flies tied on hook sizes 12 to 6 , but would generally fish a 10 or an 8.

I will have my rod already rigged with a floating line and a suitable smelt pattern on the way to the lake. I don’t want to waste valuable fishing time rigging up, so I can make the most of the ow morning light. I walk the lake shore with the some line out of the rod rings and the fly in hand ready to cast at a moments notice. When a trout gives itself away, chasing smelt, time is of the essence. The sooner you present the fly, the more chance you have of catching it.

I scan with my eyes, looking for the telltales of smelt or smelting trout: nervous water, leaping panicked smelt, bow waves, boils, or swirls. I’ll modify my approach, accordingly.

Signs of Smelt

If I see smelt, but no obvious trout feeding, I’ll try searching in the vicinity by casting my pattern in and around the school and begin a slow retrieve. Trying to move the fly in short jerky movements to mimic a smelt’s movements in case there is a trout are cruising nearby it looking to pick off any stragglers.

Crashing surface action

If the trout are crashing through a school of smelt, it is important to get your fly out as soon as you can. The trout are moving around quickly, so you don’t have long. The aim is to drop the fly in the spreading ripples of the boil or swirl. I prefer to let the fly sink a second or two, before giving it a couple of weak twitches, imitating an injured/stunned smelt. This is how I caught my first active smelter, and I have never forgotten the solid smash-and-grab take.

Your best chance is on the first cast, however if unsuccessful it is worth a few casts in the general vicinity, using a slow retrieve: figure eight or strip pause. Often the trout is cruising nearby trying to catch some of the stragglers. Otherwise, you can wait until the trout moves again.

Bow Wave/Swirls

it is important to present your fly immediately to any movement. For bow waves and swirls, I’ll try a twitchy retrieve. I try to match my retrieve to the speed of the imagined smelt. Sometimes I’ll try a slower retrieve, to keep my fly in the vicinity, sometimes I’ll give the fly a bit more speed to imitate a panicked fleeing smelt.

Some days you may only see one or two signs of a smelter, but it is worth persisting and searching the area with varying retrieves, as the trout often are still within the vicinity, and giving it a good ten or so minutes can pay dividends.

Summary

April and May offer stable weather, with cool relatively windless days, ideal for comfortable and enjoyable lake fishing. With little or no wind, any trout movements are obvious in the flat calm water. I prefer to arrive at first light, overcast days are best for smelt, but sunny days can be good for midge. If the forecast is for warm, still sunny day I will head to the lake mid morning and fish till sunset, as the warmer weather can deliver a strong evening midge hatch.

Note: you need to dress warmly and be prepared for a sudden change of temperature. In the central highlands , where the average elevation is around five or six hundred metres, cold wintry weather can arrive suddenly, so it pays to be prepared. You can never take too many clothes with you. I have been fishing to rising fish under falling snow in May.

Fixing a broken rod tip

Breaking a rod tip, can be upsetting, heartbreaking if it is a favourite rod, and if your rod doesn’t have a lifetime warranty, what can you do ? The good news is, with a tape measure, some epoxy, a craft knife and $10, you can fix it yourself.

How to add a new tip guide

Buy the right size tip top

Firstly work out the size of tip loop to buy or order. If you have access to a rod building supplier, take the broken parts along so you can match the size and purchase the one you need. The loop size should match, and it should fit snugly on the broken part of the rod.

If you have to order online then you will need to measure the old tip loop and the diameter of the rod blank. Tip loops come in different sizes so you need to work out the right one. There are two important measurements: the size of the loop and the diameter of the “sleeve” that fits over the blank. Measure the loop size with a tape measure. It is best to measure the diameter of the end of the blank at the tip and one cm from the tip. You can do this with a micrometer. But if you don’t have one you can use the tape measure and your phone camera.

Photo of broken tip on tape measure, zoomed in

Put the tip on a tape measure, take a photo and zoom in. You can see mine is about 1.4 to 1.8 mm. To be sure I ordered 3 different sizes from the local rod building supplier. It cost me about 25$, but one was perfect.

Three different sized rod tip guides. Note diff diameters.

Remove the obsolete rod guide

Now If i just fitted the tip it would have been too close to the next rod ring and the guide spacing would have been cramped, and the rod would not cast well .So I needed to remove it. Taking a sharp craft knife I started gently shaving the epoxy from the bindings on top of the guide feet. Go easy as you need to protect the blank underneath. Gently scarping will remove the epoxy bit by bit , and the thread binding on the metal foot. The guide will come away easily leaving the old bindings.

Tip too close to the rod ring.

Craft knife with asharp edge

Old guide removed.

Remove the remaining binding and epoxy.

The next part is quite delicate as you need to try to remove the rest of the binding and epoxy so it wont impinge on the line when you cast. Again gently scraping the epoxy will reveal the thread underneath, and eventually you will be able to peel it off. The key is to work small scrapes as small as possible and avoid having the edge of the blade touch the blank underneath.

Once you have removed as much as you can, all that is left to do is glue the new tip guide in place. Mix up some epoxy and apply a little to rod tip and slide the guide on. You can wipe off excess epoxy with a cloth and white spirit.

Old rod guide removed, and most of the old epoxy removed.

Line up the tip guide with the others and then leave it to dry making sure the guide doesn’t slip out of alignment.

And Voila you now have a rod that is slightly shorter than before. I have done 3 of these too date. I am no rod maker, so my repair is not show room perfect, but it is functional. It has a slightly different action, but works a treat!

Fly Fishing Rod all fixed with new tip guide.

So be careful, try not to break the rod tip, but if you do, you can now try to fix it.

Lessons ? Practise ? Why bother?

“Why bother with lessons and practise? I cast well enough to catch fish nearly every time I go out ?”. This was my response some 15 years ago, when a fishing mate suggested we share a lesson. Proud of my skills back then, I couldn’t see the sense in standing in a park making the same cast after cast, endlessly, monotonously. Especially when I spent most of my time fishing streams and rivers. My older wiser self, would now side with my mate on this one, and has a few answers to that question. However I am not sure my younger self would have listened or understood.

I have no idea what his response was, but I remember being sceptical, and it was probably only the promise to go fishing afterwards that finally convinced me to join him. I remember it was a very windy day, the coach was an experienced angler and had me working on getting rid of the tailing loops that annoyingly and reliably appeared every time I strived for distance. I still remember his sage advice (and his Sage advice), “try not to grip and rip, try to feel the cast”. When I asked him how , he suggested I try a rod with a more forgiving action. I tried his Sage SLT 5 weight, I loved it. It did help, but I still didn’t understand how to develop feel. Also, whilst I am certain this was not his intention, I took this to mean a new rod would make me cast better. It didn’t. (Good rod though, glad I bought it, glad I still have it !). Sadly (for me), I didn’t pursue any more lessons with him or anyone else, and forgot about it for a while, enjoying myself nonetheless.

Why I finally took lessons

Five years on, and I was living in London, trying to learn Italian, and on advice from my language teacher, I took to reading websites in Italian, on something that interested me (fly fishing unsurprisingly). In this way, one spring day, whilst on vacation, I found myself fishing on one of the rivers in Umbria in central Italy with some guys from the SIM Italian fishing association. The river was fast and clear, and I had some great success fishing weighted nymphs. One of my hosts suggested I try casting a dry near the far bank, where he claimed there were some big ones hiding under the overhanging shrubs. I probably put at least 50 or more casts over there, landing the dry in the current seam, only to have it whipped away by the current. At this point I declared, that :

Clearly there were no fish there, and
Even if they were there it was impossible to fish the spot, the drag was horrendous.

My host, didn’t seem fazed and made a leisurely cast across the current, his fly landed, and sat… and sat…. for at least a count of 3, before a sizeable hole opened up beneath it. A relaxed lift of the rod, and the hook was set into the biggest fish I’d seen all day. He did it twice more to prove it wasn’t a fluke. He presented that dry-fly with studied precision, and injected just enough slack in the leader to let it hang enticingly in the still water. I begged him to tell me how he did it. Easy , he said, come to a course, and you can learn. Here was an art, and an art worth my learning (sorry for misquoting Mr Walton). I now had an answer to that question of a few years before. Why take some lessons: to learn some skills to catch fish, good fish, that I otherwise couldn’t !

It was through the Italian SIM association I learned there was a whole lot more to fly-casting and fly fishing than laying a line out straight and accurately. Their approach to fly-casting is all about casts that catch fish, controlling the line, leader and fly to present the fly, in and around and under obstacles, combatting swirling currents to maximise the natural drift. Over the next few years I attended 6 or so courses, improving bit by bit, discovering the joy of playing around with rod and line. Even more so on the river, where there is a lot of satisfaction to be had making a difficult cast, even better if a fish cooperates. Another answer to my question : Have more fun!

How to Practise

None of this came without practising between the courses. Not just any practice either, what is needed is focused practice. For example, when I was on a golfing crusade to earn a single figure handicap. I used to hit a bucket of balls at the driving range twice a week thinking this would really help, until a conversation with my golf-pro. He asked me how I practised, “I take my driver twice a week at the range” I said. “Hmm” he replied, “you drive quite well, but what about the rest of your game? Chips, putts ? fades ? draws ? High shots low shots ? Practise the shots you use most on the course. Spend half your time on your short game, half the rest on the short irons, and then rest on long irons and woods.” Good advice , practice the skills you need!

Learn to cast, improve your accuracy.

A curve cast round an object

Close up of the bend .

I advocate applying this approach to fly-casting. In the off-season I practise at least once a week for an hour or two at a time. I make a rough plan for each session , I go with the intention of working on a four or five skills in particular. I break up my practice time and spend no more than 10 – 15 minutes on each skill.

Don’t be afraid to take a few lessons. If you are in Melbourne we have casting lessons available. Click here.

Try it for yourself: you may catch more fish and may have more fun doing so!

Practise Drills for Fly Casting:

Loops and line control:

Loop control : Try making false casts with consistent smooth loops. 3 or 4 casts then rest. Try doing this at different distances.
Loop size: Practice casting tight loops, medium-sized loops, wide loops.
Rod plane: try casting on various rod planes. from vertical, to horizontal and angles between. Concentrate on timing and making clean smooth loops.
Double hauling.

Presentation Casts:

If you have learned how to do these, practice and perfect them, if not consider hitting me up for a lesson or three:

Curved casts
Wiggle casts
Bucket Casts
Aerial Mends

Accuracy:

Simple accuracy I take a few hoops or targets with me, and set them up at various typical fishing distances, and practice a few casts at each , then try the next one, trying always to judge the distance by eye. I move around so the distance is never the same. On the river you don’t know the distance in advance!
Altering the plane: e.g. Side casting to a target, simulating casting low under overhanging foliage , yet still hitting the target.
Presentation cast accuracy (curve, bucket, wiggle) : Using a hoop, I imagine that I need to make a presentation cast to some slack water, the loop is the target.
Reverse cast (over your other shoulder)
Other hand if you know how

On Water:

If you have suitable water nearby, try practising:

Roll casts (and single-handed spey techniques )
Mending
Different presentations ( fly first, gentle)
Different retrieve patterns (etc.)

Here are a couple of videos from my practice sessions

Choosing a Fly Rod for Beginners

The fly rod is probably the most important item of your equipment and is generally the most expensive. But as it can influence your first few years of fly fishing in either a positive or negative way it is important to make a good choice. Whilst most reputable fly shops will give you good advice, it is best to go in well informed.

Firstly know:

What you are fishing for,
Where you will fish
How much money you have to spend

Now all you need to pick is a rod that

matches what, where and how you fish (rod weight and length),
is the best quality within your budget
has an action that suits you,

Rod Weight

You need to choose a rod weight suitable for the type of fishing you will do. Rods are given a number that signifies the line weight the rod manufacturer recommends. Line weights start at 1 weight, and progress incrementally through to 14 weight, the smaller the number the lighter the rod. Your choice should be based on the size, power and weight of fish you intend to target. The bigger the fish, the more powerful the rod (and heavier the line weight) required.

Fish Size/Species	Rod Weights
Small stream trout	#1 – #5
River trout	#4 – #7
Large freshwater fish (Rivers/Lakes e.g. Steelhead, Carp, salmon or Cod or Smaller Saltwater Species – Kawhai/Barramundi/Bonefish	#6 – #10
Larger Saltwater Species – Queenfish/Giant Trevally/Sharks	#9 – #14

Rod Length

Rods come in a range of lengths to suit a range of applications, but a generally the further you need to cast, the longer the rod. A rough guide follows:

Application	Length
Small Streams	7 – 8 ft
Rivers	8 – 9 ft
Lakes/Saltwater	9 – 10 ft

Specialist applications will require specific lengths/weights (e.g. Euro nymphing uses long light rods).

Price and Quality

Rods come in a range of prices and quality. You could spend as little as $60 or as much as $1200 on a fly rod. While price is not a guarantee of quality, you generally will get what you pay for.

The premium rod brands, spend a lot of time and money on research and rod development. Generally their rod blanks have the latest technology, are stronger and lighter. They usually have very good warranties – some are even lifetime warranties – and they will generally repair or replace our rod for a small fee.

There is quality in the the components that are used to make the rod, the cork in the grip, the reel seat, and the line guides. How evenly and evenly and finely the thread that holds the guides is wrapped, is also another indicator of quality. On the cheaper end of the market, you get some poorly designed or made rod blanks. These may cast poorly and often break too easily.You can see the varying quality in the photos below.

Good quality cork grip.

Average quality Cork handle.

Good quality reel seat. Metal well finsihed

Averagereel seat. Roughly finished metal.

Average rod bindings. THick thread and varnish. Average quality runner.

Good quality runner. Finer well finished thread work.

How much should you spend ? You can spend anything up to $1200 AUD to buy a rod, but you do not have to do so to get a quality fishing rod that suits you. Nearly every rod that retails under $100 will be poor quality, if you test a lot of these you may get lucky, but don’t waste your time. On the other hand don’t buy the latest most expensive rod in the shop thinking it will be the best. Buy the best quality rod that fits your budget and try before you buy. Try casting a few different rods side by side if you can. Then pick one you like that also fits your budget.

Rod Action

Rod action is how manufacturers try to explain how a rod much a rod bends and how quickly it unbends during casting and fishing. Rod design is quite complicated, however in general, rods can be classified into 4 groups:

Action	Flex	Description
Fast	Tip	The top 1/4 of the rod bends, and the rod unbends very quickly at the end of the casting stroke. The rod can be hard to feel, but requires a shorter quicker casting stroke, which makes it easier to cast tighter, and faster loops.
Med Fast	Tip/Mid	The top 1/3 of the rod bends, and the rod unbends quickly at the end of the casting stroke. The rod has more feel, requires a slightly longer stroke, but tight fast loops are still possible.
Medium	Mid	The top 1/2 of the rod bends, and the rod unbends slower. The rod has even more feel, requires a longer stroke, loop speed is generally slower. Tight loops require better tracking, and control.
Slow	Tip	Generally the rod bends all the way through its length, and the rod unbends quite slowly. These rods have a lot of feel, but require very good timing and tracking to make good casting loops. It is easy to over power these rods and generate tailing loops.

For a beginner I recommend Medium or Medium Fast action rods, as they generally easier to learn with. Timing the cast is a lot easier, as they can be cast with a slower rhythm and thus provide the beginner with more time to control the cast. They also provide more feel or feedback through the grip. You will feel a more a progressive change in pressure through the grip as the rod bends and un-bends.

Timing and feel are important for control of the line and leader. Mastering these will begin to give mastery over accuracy, distance and presentation. A medium or medium fast action rod, will make this journey easier and quicker. A bonus is that these rods are more relaxing to use.

Some people will recommend fast action rods, this is mainly because it is harder to over-power them , and hence harder to throw a tailing loop. But these rods generally require better timing and lack feel. These rods are best for distance casting or casting on windy days.

Slower action rods are often favoured by people who like gentle slow presentations, in still conditions. Perhaps small still-waters, or slow streams, where a gentle presentation is required. It takes a very experienced caster to cast these rods well in windy conditions or over long distances. Beginners will usually throw tailing loops that end in a tangle.

Conclusion:

You are now a little better informed, so decide for what, where and how you will fly-fish, know your budget, and head to your local fly fishing store. The staff will be able to advise you on some options. Please try a few rods side by side before you make your purchase. Enjoy, smooth casts, and clean tight loops!

Knife making with Adam Parker

One freezing cold Saturday morning a few weeks back found me hammering at a glowing piece of steel on a large old anvil in a shed on a sheep farm near Ballarat. It was the first day of a knife making course with Australian knife-maker Adam Parker, who has been making knives for over 29 years.

One freezing cold Saturday morning a few weeks back found me hammering at a glowing piece of steel on a large old anvil in a shed on a sheep farm near Ballarat. It was the first day of a knife making course with Australian knifemaker Adam Parker, who has been making knives for over 29 years.

My brother and I had chosen the 3 day course making “modern damascus” steel kitchen knives, this is a method of pattern welding that gives a similar patterned steel to the original Damascus steel. Steel smiths in the Persian city of Damascus made their famed blades from the 3rd until the 17th century. They sourced their steel “wootz” from somewhere in Pakistan, brought to Damascus along the old trade routes. Recent German analysis of old damascus steel shows it contains nanowires and carbon nano tubes and micro alloying elements. Some claim to have come close to making a matching steel but sadly the method of manufacture is lost in the mists of time.

Fortunately, Adam explains, we have plenty of great modern steels we can use, and he has chosen a mix of two, which when welded and forged would give us a very strong patterned blade.

Day 1. Steel Making

Before our arrival he had prepared some billets of steel, by alternating the two layers of chosen steel, spot welded on the edge to keep them together. Both types of steel contain sufficient carbon (as well as traces of other metals) to make them suitable for blades. The two types of steel will provide the contrasting colours in the final patterned blade.

Billets heating in the Forge

The billets are heated up in Adam’s home made gas forge until glowing, these are welded together using a hydraulic press. Adam controls the hydraulic press carefully to squeeze the metal together, and then returns it to the forge. He repeats the process, squeezing and lengthening the billet. Once it has reached the right size, Adam grinds all the scale off one side to reveal shiny steel. The bar is cut into two equal lengths and one is laid on-top of the other, newly ground faces together. A quick spot weld to ensure they don’t come apart. He heats it a little in the forge, and we sprinkle borax in the crack, then back in forge. The Borax melts and acts as flux filling the gaps and excluding air to ensure the next weld goes well.

Measuring steel

Welded Steel doubled

Adding flux

Doubling up the bar, doubles the layers of the steel and we spend the rest of the morning heating, welding , shaping and cutting and doubling the steel three more times. By then there are over 100 layers of steel. Adam lets us help, but ensures that their are no cracks, and the layers are welding together. By lunch time we have two grey lumps of steel.

After lunch we heat the billets and begin to forge them roughly into shape. Adam lets us try for ourselves, explaining how to shape the tang, and then make a point. Hammering this steel into a knife shape is harder than it looks, and Adam quickly fixes all our mistakes with a few practiced blows of the hammer. Once the blades are roughly shaped Adam shows us how to make the patterns on the blades. He does this by drilling some shallow holes or cutting some shallow grooves on both sides of the steel. The steel is returned to the forge and heated, he then hammers the blades, flattening them, reducing the depth of the holes as the steel reforms.

The final step of the day is a three step heating process to change the steel’s inner structure so it will be softer for the following days work. The first step is very hot, the blades glowing orange almost yellow, and removed from the forge to cool. Once Cool Adam evenly heats them to a cherry red before letting them cool. The final step is a dull rose colour.

Day 2 – Shaping , Grinding, Hardening

In the work shop. Adam uses the grinder to shape our blades, cutting off the rough edges giving them the final knife shape: removing excess from the back of the knife, cutting and curving the edge and squaring up the tang. We use the file to tidy up around the edges. Adam then ensures the blades are straight, ready for the next step. He uses some die on blade edge, and then scratches a mark in the middle, showing where the edge will be.

Adam sets up my blade on his jig and shows me how to bevel the blade. I need to remove some meat from the knife so it tapers from 3m thick at the back down to about 1 mm at the edge. This where Adam’s 29 years of experience and the jigs he has developed, makes this a a little easier for us. All we need is a steady smooth hand to pass it back and forward on the grinder. Adam regularly adjusts the tilt of the jig, and we progressively bevel the blade. To make sure we don’t mess it up, Adam completes the delicate process. Next is hardening the blade.

Heating them to an exact temperature and quenching in oil evenly is a practiced skill so Adam does this carefully, making sure not to drop the blades. This makes the knifes very hard (too hard) so Adam tempers them for a few hours in the oven to soften them off a couple of Rockwell points.

While this happening we select the wood for our handles. Adam marks them up and then cuts them roughly to shape on the band saw.

Day 3 – Polishing, handles and sharpening

In the morning our fist job is to remove all the scratches left by the grinder, polishing up the blade. Once polished it is into the acid for an etch to bring out the patterns.

While that is happening, Adam prepares the metal guards, routing a slot for the tang. I chose stainless to match blade, my brother chose brass for his. Out of the acid and the blades look good, they get a final treatment in Adams secret ingredient (instant coffee) which helps set the black colours.

We mount the blades into their rough handles, gluing them with epoxy. Letting it dry over lunch. Adam drills the handles and knocks in a small pin. After shaping the handles on the grinder, a final polish with sandpaper, and some oil and a buff. Knives are sharpened till they can slice tissue paper.

The knives are looking great at the end, which is all down to Adam, and his skills, but at least we helped a bit like good apprentices. We had a heap of fun and would like to try again, next time I reckon I’d like to try making a fishing knife!

Adam runs 1, 2 and 3 day courses. Students participate in the knife making as much as they desire and their skills allow. You can find Adam Parker on Instagram @AdamParkerKnives and Facebook.

My Hat

A short piece dedicated to my father, Brian, who we recently laid to rest.

My Hat

“I want to buy you a hat”, he said one day.

“I bought your brother one;

I want to buy you one.”