Just letting you guys know I'm off for a few hours, I'm going to put the boat in and blow out the wasp nests and cobwebs.....and hopefully catch a barra or two

Good luck Bakes, catch a few big ones!

Had a monster follow the lure back to the boat, looked at me then disappeared Hooked up a small one but he threw the lure. Lots of small barra bumping the lures and heaps of fat long tom around, knew I should of bought the fly rod

Bakes,
Wouild you like me to tie you a couple of flies for them pesky Barra?
rob

I won't say no Rob, tell me what you want for them. I must tell you I'm not much of a fly fisher. My rod is an old fibreglass one (heavy trout rod). I've managed a small barra on fly and looking at those longtom today I think a small fly would've been the go. Can you eat longtom? I think so, they look like a big garfish, but with teeth

Obviously a very hard row to hoe but I'm sure you will grit your teeth and persevere.

Bakes,
Long Tom are only for eating in absolute survival scenarios.
Long Toms are harder to hook because it is difficult for the fly to penetrate their hard mouths.
What line weight is your rod (Lord, please tell me Bakes knows about line weights)? I need to know so that I can tie something that will not spend most of its time embedded in the back of your head. I would also suggest that you squash the barb as it has no real effect on catch rates (a barbless hook will offer better penetration as there is no resistance from the barb) but it does make it easier to remove the offending item from the back of your or your fishing buddies neck,ear,etc. Something to consider if you are fishing in remote areas.
I have a few spare fly lines from when I owned a flyfishing shop and I will gladly donate one if I have one to match your rod. The flies are gratis as will be the line. I enjoy tying and it's an excuse to sit down at the vice(somethine I haven't done for a while) .
Please advise of a postal address.
rob

Lucky bastard. The best fish I ever ate was a barramundi caught in a gill net when I was a guest of the SAS for a few weeks in the Kimberlys. I live in Seattle, where people pride themselves on good seafood, and my eyes glaze over when I tell them about it.

They think I'm lying.


Okie John

We cooked that fish in foil on an open fire. Sitting here writing about it now I remember dozens of stories from that trip. Mostly I remember laughing my ass off with some of the craziest people I've ever met.

We went to an island off the Kimberleys for a survival exercise once. The island we were on was a crocodile nesting ground so we were ordered to keep loaded rifles on hand at all times -- the Yanks with the M-16A2 and the Aussies with SLR's. Early one morning the tide was out. We had just gotten up and were walking around scratching our asses when someone yelled, "Shark in the net!" We all ran to the water's edge and sure enough, what looked like a big grey log was rolling through our net. We all threw down on him, then the ranking man fired one shot. The rest of us (maybe 15 guys) emptied our magazines. We started firing at the first shot and everyone ran dry at the same time. One of the older Aussies who had been in Viet Nam said, "That was about the most perfect ambush I've ever seen."

The shark was not recovered, but he left enough fish in the net to feed us for another day or two. The net was a total loss.

I have to go to bed now. If I sit here much longer I'll start wanting a VB.

Okie John

My best Barra eating experience was on the banks of where the Vic and the Wickham meet. Fresh barra wraped in foil buried in the hot sand under the fire...Fantastic

Good to hear of another fly fisher out in the world. I believe it is the only way to fish.
How long are your typical casts? What size flies do you normally use? Can you post photos of flies that work in your area? Have you ever used shooting heads?
An 8wt. is stout enough for most any big fish.
In our area I use 9wts for the majority of our winter fishing for steelhead and Salmon from 8 to 30 lbs. There are larger but I have never hooked a larger salmon with a fly-rod. I do have a 10 wt. with fighting butt for fishing for shark but that was done in warmer waters while chuming them to the top.
Send me your mailing and I'll gladly send you some different flies to try there.
Frank

Bakes,
First of all anyone who gives you a fibreglass flyrod is not a friend, it is someone with a twisted sense of humor.
Make sure that the backing is no monofilament. Fly reels are not designed to withstand the pressure that mono exerts on the reel. Load it up with 20 or 30lb micron or dacron.
Double taper (DT) lines are not easier to cast than weight forward lines (WF). The only advantage they have is that you can reverse the flyline on your reel when the forward section has had it and then use the back half.
Keep your flyline clean (rinse in warm soapy water)and then dress it with Armoral(the stuff people use on their car interiors).Armoral will fill in the cracks in the line and make it easier to cast.
Unless you are trying for world records leader don't need to be all that complicated.When I ship the flies I will also include some sample leaders.
rob

Frank
Calling me a fly fisher is a grave injustice to real flyfishers I've managed to catch one small barra and a flathead and a small trout on fly and only chuck it around for abit of fun. Its something I would like to get into however.

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How long are your typical casts

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I'm in a boat so can get as close as needed to the banks and snags.

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What size flies do you normally use?

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Don't know I just bought some bait fish pattens from a tackle shop

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Can you post photos of flies that work in your area?

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If I can find it...its in the tackle box somewhere Barra go for baitfish pattens and you have to get down in the water coloum sometimes to get at them with normal lures.

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Have you ever used shooting heads?

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Yes I often go for the head shot when I can't go for the heart/lungs

Mate as you see I'm no flyfisher But I willing to learn RobZ is the one to talk to about your questions.Thanks for the offer.

Rob
Dick was laughing when I took the rod I will get a better rod when finances allow. I may even pick one up in Darwin at Amart sports, they have a large selection of tackle.

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Make sure that the backing is no monofilament

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Ahh right I'll take it off right now

Thanks for the tips

I think someone needs to send Bakes a map.

Bakes,
The flies I'll be Tying can also be fished using a threadline outfit.I'll include a sample set up so you get the idea. If you can hit a frisby sized object from about 30' with the fly then that is all that is required. Get yourself a copy of THE ESSENCE OF FLY CASTING by Mel Krieger.
It's available is our video format and is an excellent tape for beginners.