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Fly Fishing With Robert Jarvis
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Flying TunaCopyright © 2002 Robert Jarvis
Neil Griffiths of Jones`s Tackle Shop Brisbane must have been feeling sorry for Nigel and I after our lack of performance chasing Tuna on fly. Out of the blue Neil suggested that the three of us go fishing on his boat in Moreton Bay for Tuna and Spotty Mackerel. This was like a dream come true. Neil is very active in the fly fishing scene - he not only sells fly fishing tackle but also conducts fly tying, fly casting and fly fishing courses. Neil has also been chasing pelagics in and outside of the bay for a long time. Nigel and I accepted his very generous offer in a millisecond and the fishing trip was arranged. Thanks also have to go to some of the pioneers of Tuna fishing in Queensland, people like Darryl Steel and Warren Steptoe for their articles sharing their vast knowledge of pelagic fishing on fly. They were not in the boat but their hints were in my mind. Fly Rod The rod most commonly used for tuna would be a 9wt but 10wt would be more suitable so the fish can be released faster and have a better chance of survival. I have a 9wt Kilwell Presentation fly rod and I find it excellent to cast and has the power in the butt of the blank to land the fish adequately. Fly Reel The fly reel I use is a Scientific Angler System 2 89 which holds about 225 yards of 15kg dacron backing. This reel has a double calliper disc drag system like the disc brakes on your car. The drag is very smooth & has high drag pressure. The reel has a clicker out which is very handy for Tuna fishing because the boat driver can hear when you are hooked up and losing line. Fly Line The fly line recommended to me by Neil is a Scientific Angler Striper1. It is an intermediate sinking line and shoots like a gun and even in windy conditions a reasonable cast can be made. The fly line was rigged forward and back with 35lb braided loops for ease of connecting to the backing and leader. This braided loop eliminated the need for bulky knots and is 100% breaking strain of the fly line. The Leader The leader is made up of 2 sections the first being the butt section and the second being the class tippet. The butt section on my leaders is 15kg mono twisted and tied off with a surgeons knot to create a loop at both ends. The line class for Tuna is 8kg so I rigged my class tippet with Fluorocarbon which is very strong and near invisible but it does have a down side to it (besides its cost) - when you tie your perfection loop knots it is very hard to get the knot to close perfectly. I do a loop to loop connection from fly line to butt section of my leader and the same with my class tippet. Tuna Flies I went back over all the magazine stories I have on the subject of fly fishing for Tuna and picked Neil’s brains so I could tie a secret weapon fly that would not be rejected and the same pattern kept coming up - a Tuna Lolly about 50mm to 60mm long on a size 3/0 hook. My preference for fly tying hooks are Black Magic KS size 2/0, they are a short shank hook and the point of the hook points at the eye of the hook which helps keep your fish hooked. Over the next week the epoxy flowed and countless Surf Candies were tied - some with flash and some without on all sizes of hooks ranging from 1 to 4/0. Spotty Mackerel We were on the water by 9.00am and headed out into to the bay looking for birds hovering over feeding fish. It did not take long for Nigel to spot some birds and we were charging into our first school of Spotty Mackerel. I was the lucky one chosen to have the first cast at them and shortly had a nice 3kg Spotty burning my drag. Fly fisho`s in this country who dream about Bonefish obviously have not caught a Spotty. Set your drag light and they will take out 100 metres of backing very quickly no question and the good thing is that you can eat them if you are so inclined. Nigel and Neil both landed good sized Spotties but the loss of flies totaled 6 and my class tippet had been halved by their razor sharp teeth. Mackerel Tuna After we had all landed a couple of Spotties it was decided to focus on Tuna and again Nigel`s eagle eyes spotted a school of Mack Tuna signing their names on the surface. Mack Tuna in Moreton Bay do not stay on the surface for long so the boat driver’s skills are put to the test. He has to manoeuvre the boat to allow a cast to be made before they sound and Neil’s skills in boat handling allowed me a chance to hook my very first Mack Tuna of 5kg. I did not panic and allowed the fish to run and run he did. 200 metres later I finally got a chance to use the reel’s handle and for the next 5 minutes all I did was wind back line onto the reel. The fight ended 20 minutes later to my relief. Nigel landed a 4kg Mack Tuna and the both of use were back slapping like proud first time fathers. The only thing missing were the “stogies” but my seasickness threw that thought out of my mind. The day after the successful trip I played hookey from work - (gee I have an understanding boss! I just hope he doesn’t read this!) to present Neil with a token of our appreciation. Just as I walked through the door, Neil greeted me with “Hi Bilge Rat 1?” so now Nigel and I are now referred to affectionately as Bilge Rat 1 and 2. I wonder if there is a play on Bananas in Pyjamas here? Copyright © 2002
Robert Jarvis |
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