During the 1950s the dutch biologist Niko Tindbergen came up with the idea of supernormal stimuli. What his work showed was that male sticklebacks would preferentially attack a redder wooden stickleback model over real fish. That herring gull chicks would preferentially beg to a redder, more cartoon like beak over a realistic representation. That male butterflies would preferentially mate with…
Month: February 2014
Graham (and Lee) join the paper
Flick and Fly journal is proud to announce that Graz has gotten himself a gig with the Canberra times (syndicated in the Narooma news and Rob Paxevanos’ blog) writing the Canberra region fishing reports. We are also proud to announce that Lee has gotten himself the gig as the bench writer for the column, filling in for Graz and Anthony…
Big fish in skinny water – NSW south coast fishing report
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Another quick Monaro flyfishing report
I had another session last weekend on my favourite little Monaro stream. The plan was to fish some of the faster water, which I have tended to neglect in the past. After seeing a few fingerlings in the shallow water on a recent trip, in addition to a fun little session on a shallow, fast flowing river near Bombala recently,…
Hobie kayak review: Part 2 – it’s not all beer and skittles
In Part 1 of the fishing kayak review, I focused on the Hobie range, in particular the Revolution model. I discussed the joys of kayak fishing; the serenity, unique access to shallow water, the stealth and the ease of storage and transport. I tried to include some nice scenery shots and a few fish as well. In order to present…
“Melbourne” fly fishing report- pic heavy
Escaping the heat With the weather forecast predicting that Melbourne would go up into the 40s last weekend, Ceri and I decided to escape the heat and head for the mountains. We grabbed the dog after work and drove the 1 hour and 40 minutes to one of our favourite little dog friendly campsites. Brett and Merinda joined us that…
Runoff report – floods and failure
It happens every year. It rains and I can’t help myself. The rivers are still rising, the clouds are angry and the roads are submerged. Most fishos stay at home to avoid the tempest. I just pack a bigger tarp, upsize my bilge pump and accept the inevitable drenching. This year has been no different. I’m up to my third runoff…
Fishing estuaries more effectively: lighten up
Part 1: tides Part 2: structure When fishing an estuary what would you think about 6lb leader? Light? Heavy? All rounder? Well, obviously it depends on what you are fishing for. For average flathead its probably a pretty good choice. Flatheads abrasive little teeth can go through lighter leaders pretty quickly. If you are chasing bigger models you may even…
Fishing estuaries more effectively: structure
Part one of our estuary series, which focusses on tides is here. Rubble flats, weedbeds, sandflats, reef, bommies, dropoffs, pylons and other artificial structures, mored boats, ledges, edges, rockwalls, undercut banks and snags. All estuary structures that will hold and attract fish. As we covered in the last post that touched on tides and tidal movement, water movement will have…
Quick Monaro flyfishing report
I managed to spend a few hours at one of my favourite trout streams last weekend. I arrived at around 11am and the first thing I noticed was the lack of insect life, apart from the ever-present blowflies. The plan was to christen my Poor Man’s Quad with a nice brownie. I would have loved to tie on a nice…
Boat Reveiw – Schmetterling
Our boat is called Schmetterling, that’s German for ‘Butterfly’. She sneaks around the Katherine River putting her passengers onto oversized Catties regularly. Call them Powertails, Silver Cobbler, whatever, these powerful fish inhale deep divers and hit like a log with a tail. Schmetterling knows where to find them and how to avoid Barra. The tinny was a present for my partner, Lena. I found…
Fishing estuaries more effectively: tides
The principle is simple and the same around the globe. On beaches, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Find the bait/food and you will find the fish. In all those environments, structure plays and important role in helping you the angler achieve that. Be it a pinnacle that catches the current and concentrates baitfish, a rock bar, a snag that provides cover…