Fly Candy

Another "Marauder" hot of the vice,this time in orange & yellow. Tan & orange bucktail was used to build the body up with.

Bass slammin!

Spent last Saturday with my mate Greame and his son Jordan down the south coast at Ifafa fishing a private dam nestled between rolling hills of sugar cane stocked full to the brim with Bass. I'ts been several years since I last fly fished for them in Africa, so I jumped at the opportunity to spend a day floating around in a float tube chucking poppers and an assortment of multi coloured patterns at them

It didn't take long to feel that thump on the business end of my line, (first of the day) I'd actually forgotten how hard these fish hit your fly. I didn't catch any monsters but did end up with over twenty for the day.

Am loving my new Hardy Proax 9" 6# with Monic 6# floating line which Easyfly sent me before I left Finland last November. More on them at a later date!

My mate spent the day fishing from his ski and eventually ended up also in the twenties and had a couple over the kilo & a half bracket.

Jordan with a medium sized hog! This is a lad that's represented the boys South Africa fly fishing team last year and missed out this years selection due to a broken collar bone. Jordan you rock brotha!

Man I wish we had this species in Finland. By the way, excuse my unorthodox way of holding my bass but I just couldn't bring myself to grab them by the bottom lip,god knows why bass fisherman think its the norn to hold them like that without supporting their bellies.

These are the two flies that did all the damage. A bucktail baitfish pattern with a couple of white microbarb saddles in between the olive & white. length - 110mm

And this saltwater popper length 130mm. Thanks Greame & Jordan for a truly memorable day.

Good reads

Bloodknots 2nd blogger issue and POOL 32 Ezines are out if your in need of some lunchtime reading. click images to visit the sites.

Fly Candy

I've called this surface fly a "Marauder" Its a combination of splayed out schlappen feathers,Bucktail and a tightly packed trimmed spun deerhair head.

I first combined Olive grizzly schlappen with plain yellow and tied three on on either side of the hook shaft splayed outwards. Then addd a couple of thickish clumps of tan bucktail around the hook shaft. The added another four schlappens,two on either side also splayed outwards.

The head is simply olive deerhair tighly packed up to the hook eye. The trick to this fly is to slice the entire bottom away with a razor blade then evenly trim away the sides upwards. It pushes a lot of water and has a real good frog like action as the schlappens spring back after every strip you make. These can be fished either with a floating line or an Intermediated.

Fly Candy

Three new Lazyboys colour schemes to be featured in my shop once I get back in March.
This one has a Chartreuse raccoon zonker tail. The body is a mix of Olive,Cream & white Bucktail with several strands of yellow rubber floss in between. The head is Natural spun deer hair trimmed Dahlberg diver stylie!! Total length 150mm

This one has a brown raccoon zonker tail with an all olive bucktail body & cream rubber floss in between. An elk hair collar with and tan brown tightly packed trimmed spun deer hair head.

This has a yellow raccoon zonker tail. Olive & white bucktail body with yellow rubber floss strands inbetween. Finished off with a two tone brown and cream trimmed spun deer hair head. Total length 150mm

Cracker shrimp

Been fishing down at the harbour on the low tide a lot over the last month on what I call "The Durban Flats". Exposed sandbanks that can be waded out to as the tide receeds. Fish like Springer and Trevally patrol between the deeper drop off channels and the shallower bays chasing the mullet down and so tiny baitfish patters have been the normal fly of choice. However there are a hell of a lot of Sole and flatheads in the harbour as well that love the odd crustacean offered to them so I've tied up a number of feastly delights for them

Cracker shrimp (Alpheus crassimanus) live in small holes all over the sand banks and are gobbled up by Spotted Grunter, Flaties, Snapper, Sole & eels. Around 50mm - 65mm in length they can be a deadly bait on any given day.

I first added a couple of mono filement eyes. Then added the front pincers which are made from elastic bands. I then attached a tiny dumbell eye towards the back of the 1/0 long shanked hook. I then palmered pearl chenille down the length of the hook shaft for the body. Then added several strands of cream floss rubber legs. Then finnished off the flies with a tail under the hook eye.

Male Cracker shrimp are slightly browner in colouration so I used tan bucktail for the legs,Some grizzly saltwater hackels splayed outwards for the pincers & used tan wool dubbing for the main body. Click images for larger view!

Finds around the house

Found this "Birdy chick tail" feather duster the other day wedged between two cupboards at my oldmans place. So being the ultimate tight ass oppertunistic fly tier that I am, I raped four of the best plumes off it.....Result!!,although if the old fella found out am sure he'd have my bollocks on a stake!

What I love about this find is I've never come across natural ostrich hurl in such perfect condition with such long hurls before. I mean this duster was massive and never been used either. Well,Its gone to a good home now!