Australian Bass. Could It Be Species No. 20 On The Fly?

I still remember the first time I ever went bass fishing, It was peak summer Tim and I weren't even really going fishing we had planned to go for a hunt with the bows and the property owner mentioned there was the odd fish in the river we would camp on and to bring a rod just in case. Of course back then we were to young to own a drivers licence so we were dropped off at about 11am, it was stinking hot and cicadas filled the air. We decided instead of going straight out for a hunt we would dip our feet in the river and chuck some spinner baits out (hadn't learnt to fly fish back then). On my first cast I had a good hit which completely spun me out, and second cast in the same spot and I had my first Australian Bass, what stemmed from there was us not going hunting the whole time we camped there but rather just fishing the river, we ended up with 28 bass and yellow belly between us and 2 of the bass coming off surface! Also my first fish on surface techniques. Bass consumed my weekends from then on and made me long forget trout for awhile, pound for pound bass kick ass!

The last time I caught a bass was just after my 18th birthday.. Which seems like yesterday but in fact it's coming up close to 4 years ago!!!
So when a trip had been planned for this coming weekend down to Lake Glenbawn "home of the mega bass" I was just a tad keen to accept the offer.

It feels weird to be finally going to chase one of my favourite fish and do it with my fly rod! Something I should have done a long long time ago. But in preparation I have been tying these up:
Frog poppers
Wooley Bugger variants with a cone head and ribbed with lead.

In this impoundment I know it's important to get down deep with the fly!
Less then a week to go. I'm keen. Keen as mustard.

Glass Is Not Dead! A Craftsmans Journey

If I mention the word fibreglass among many Australian anglers (especially spin fisherman) their thoughts instantly flood to visions of that crappy rod they once owned that flopped like a noodle and couldn't give the lure the feel or movement they wanted.
When I heard that glass was the new thing in town I dismissed it as a fad, why would anyone want one of those crappy things when we have graphite? That is lighter and gives more feel and sensitivity? And many more ramblings rolling around in my head.

In my curiosity as to why anyone would want to fish glass rods again I came across the following blog http://thefiberglassmanifesto.com , dismissing it again at first, but something in my mind must have clicked with something on the page, something that festered in my soul.

My curiosity with glass grew as did my desire to make my own fly rod and reel, I read up on why other people like glass the main pro's being:
Soft delicate presentations (perfect for spooky fish in clear shallow water).
That slow action in the casting stroke, you know throw it back eat a snickers bar and then slowly move the glass back forward as the line rolls out in a nice loop.
And the final thing, the noodle it turns into when you hook a fish!

Most people think a rod has to be stiff to stop a fish which is not true, the soft noodle u shape the rod will often turn into acts as shock absorber spreading the weight the entire length of the rod.

So then I bit the bullet, I ordered a book and materials pack on reelsmithing, and a CTS quartz 4 weight 7'6" 3 piece blank from Peter & Tony from HardCoreElement and my glass journey began.

First I made the reel, half my journey with that was buying tools and imperial sized drill bits and taps which were a NIGHTMARE to find in Australia! But once that battle off finding tools and bits was done the rest flowed pretty easily.

Then came the rod, I spent hours on the mud hole website just watching rod building videos over and over again, it all seemed a little daunting but once I broke it down into methodical steps and only took it a step at a time before I knew it I had the epoxy on and the rod in the roller I made from a BBQ rotisserie from buntings warehouse.

And of course the product testing stage came, and I was off to the small creek near my house in search of carp. And boy oh boy it was everything I had hoped for!

Enjoy the pictures
Ben

Forster Trip

Just got back from 1 and half days fishing at Forster/Tuncurry.
Pics say more then my ramblings, enjoy!

Cod Opening

Well as always in NSW the 1st of December kicks off the Murray Cod season.
It was a scorching day (42 C) but Myself and Andrew both managed our first cod of the season, and both on FLY!!!
I got mine on a Red over black Hohnke Hooks Deceiver cast under the same willow tree about 5 times to wake him up and boy did he play up!!
Enjoy

Cod Countdown

As most of us are aware cod season opens this coming weekend!!!! And as the season opens, a New Release in the Hohnke Hooks line follows. I'm not Sure exactly what to call this one yet but its a big ass Gurgler top water fly that will entice the Murray Cod waiting for prey to fall helplessly in the water. Tied on a Gamakatsu 5/0 hook its a big bad fly that dosn't take the strength of the cod lightly, and to top it all off the materials are all locked into place with the undeniable strength of Clear Cure Goo.

Get in before the season opens, Available in a range of colours and combinations for $14.95AUD including free postage in Australia. For more info or to place an order email me benhohnke@yahoo.com.au

Dorrigo And My First Trifecta

A few weekends ago I had the honour of fishing with "The Dorrigo Gentlemen's Club". Upon arriving on Friday after work it was very clear it was going to be a challenging weekend, rain had set in and the creeks and rivers were rising. We still pushed against the elements but didn't come through until Sunday on the way home.  Myself and Josh Biddle fished a few creeks we knew would not be upset to badly from the rainfall which finally broke the fish drought of the weekend, and we landed some nice Brown Trout.

After deciding to make my way home to Tamworth I decided to try one last place, first cast and I landed a fit creek rainbow on a Nymph and second cast was my first ever Brook trout, which meant i had just completed my first trifecta, catching all 3 species of trout in one day... which in the New England area is no easy feat.

Dreams All Start Somewhere

When I first got into fly fishing it was mainly and purely for Trout and Carp... But after reading magazines and talking and sharing stories with lots of people I now realize there is a lot more to the sport then Just 2 species, and to date I have now caught 16 Species of fish with a Flyrod and and estimated 300 different species of flora!
Now at the top of my to do list is a Sailfish on fly!! I know i cant finance this trip at the moment but i can start to tie flies for it!
This is my first Klingon Fly Gamakatsu SL12 Hook With a Gamakatso 4/0 stinger hook connected with 80lb wire trace and topped off with 15mm Clear Cure Eyes!

All Dreams start somewhere.....