Author: Chris Mastwyk

Photographs from the Southern Tasmanian trip has been added to the Gallery tab. Members need to log in to access.

Congratulations to the following winners of the Open Day raffle:

• 1st Prize – Peter Cairns
• 2nd Prize – Norm Griffiths
• 3rd Prize – Peter Golding
• 4th Prize – Grant Mathews
• 5th Prize – Peter Gadd
• 6th Prize – Chris Fazekas

Happy fishing with your new toys!

Members, just a reminder that this Thursday is Auction Night. Buyers, please bring (lots) of small $ notes as change sometimes is a problem. NO CREDIT or EFTPOS facilities, cash only at fall of the hammer.

While I have been on Paternity leave with my child for the last 3 months, I did get to spend a couple hours of an afternoon on the Styx River in Tasmania near Maydena. We had been camping out at Lake Pedder for a few days and where on our way back into Hobart.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Styx, the fish in there can be notoriously spooky as the river is “Gin” clear in parts and access almost requires a jungle machete or lumber jack boots, (the ones with spikes on it) to climb over the fallen logs.
The first time we were there on a club trip, we saw some fish but they were long gone as soon as the fly line shot overhead.

On our way in to Maydena from Pedder, I asked my wife if we could take a look at the Styx we stopped at the first bridge over the Styx. It was a very warm afternoon in late March and much to my surprise there where fish rising all over the river downstream of the bridge.
I quickly grabbed my rod and proceeded to bush bash down the edge of the Styx to quietly enter at the bottom of a long pool. There were fish rising all around me, very unusual from my past experience, they normally would have been gone like a rat up a drain pipe. I stood casting  20 mins with no avail, and the fish didn’t seem to be bothered either. With 5 fly changes later, I notice a some beetles that had been falling into the river. They were Jassid beetles that are endemic to area. they have a orange underbelly and grey tortoise shell wing case. Of course I did not have one exactly like it, but I did have the a brown deer hair beetle that was orange enough.

Then I heard the toot from the horn on the defender, my 13 month old daughter had cracked it and it was time to go.

As we passed through Maydena on the other side, I bumped into Tyenna Dave and he also confirm that small brown flies  on the are the go Tyenna River, big and orange on the Styx. Generally orange Jassid beetles or orange Stonefly Nymphs will do the trick.

Brown Deer Hair Beetle:

Frederique scoping out the “rise”, also future fly fisher:

View from the first bridge over the Styx with water slightly stained with tanins from another river that branches into it slightly upstream:

 

Note: All members can write a post on there recent fishing ventures or anything else. You don’t have to wait for the Newsletter!

Due to some technical difficulties previous versions of the newsletter had been lost.
To access the PDF version of the February and March 2014 Fly Fisher please log in and go to the “Archived Fly Fisher Editions” under the Club Magazine tab.

March Newsletter 2014 Table of Contents:

• The Vice Presidents Report
• Calendar – Coming Events
• Committee – Officers and Delegates 2013 – 2014
• Powlett River Trip Report
• Big River Trip Report
• SFF Fly Tying Activity and Club Maintenance Update
• Tales from Tasmania
• Casting About
• General Meeting Minutes and a Note from the Editor
• Accommodation Offers
• Membership Nomination Form
• Member Contact Details

February Newsletter 2014 Table of Contents:

• The Vice Presidents Report
• Calendar – Coming Events
• Committee – Officers and Delegates 2013 – 2014
• The Christmas Party in Pictures Pages
• Patterson River Trip Report
• Casting About
• General Meeting Minutes and a Note from the Editor
• Accommodation Offers
• Membership Nomination Form
• Member Contact Details

To access the PDF version of the April 2014 Fly Fisher please log in and go to the current Fly Fisher Edition under the Club Magazine tab.

Contents:

• The Presidents Report
• Calendar – Coming Events
• Committee – Officers and Delegates 2013 – 2014
• Steavenson River Trip Report
• Millbrook Lakes Trip Report
• SFF Fly Tying Activity and Club Maintenance Update
• Casting About
• General Meeting Minutes and a Note from the Editor
• Accommodation Offers
• Membership Nomination Form
• Member Contact Details

To access the PDF version of the December 2013 Fly Fisher please log in and go to the current Fly Fisher Edition under the Club Magazine tab.

Contents:

• Presidents Report
• Calendar – Coming Events
• Committee – Officers and Delegates 2013 – 2014
• The Millbrook Trip Report (Part Two)
• Eucumbene Trip in Pictures
• Casting About & The Southern Fly Tying Circle

• VR Fish News

• Marysville Golf and Fishing Day Trip Report

• ‘Tassie 108’ Trip Report

• November General Meeting Minutes

• Accommodation Offers