Ben Hall

I just tried to give you an idea of some outfits I use that work and are comfortable to use, I just love casting the light 9 foot rod, like if you wanted to fish smaller plastics it would be nicer then and big heavy rod but if I was going to go for maximum distance I would take my 11 foot Lateo Pirate Daiwa rods in either 7 to 15kg or 10 to 20kg which I run either 20 or 30lb braid with a 4500H Saltiga or 5000H Saltiga. Yeah I love the Shimano Stella, but yeah not the sort of reel you want to get beat up. There's just so many variables, it's not often you can spin a Longtail off the beach unless conditions allow and on that day I would of preferred my 11 foot distance rod but the 9 foot rod got the job done, hopefully with your Tailor and Salmon you can find the right bank that you can cast a metal lure the distance to be in the zone something like a 40 gram metal. And yes I have used the 9 foot rod rigged with gang hooks with pilchards to get the job done but would prefer a longer rod. And also put a small Thunnus 8000 on it with 15lb mono which I fished bait in the right conditions which sometimes a long cast is not required to fish a close in bank or gutter. Like Restyles comment above its hard to get a outfit that does both jobs well, and the Sensor Surf rod he mentioned is the rod that took over from the discontinued Heartland I spoke of, I also have a Sensor Surf which is exactly the same as the Heartland only different colours and labels. Hope that helps

I would try to work towards 2 outfits. I'm pretty much just a Daiwa and Shimano fisho so don't know about the Penn outfits that seem very popular. I do alot of spinning and spin with rods between 8 foot and 12 foot for varies reasons from the beaches and rocks. So when take a rod to spin the beach while bait fishing aswell I always reach for my Shimano Revolution 9 foot spin rod which is 6 to 10kg which are a good price. The reel I run on this is a Shimano Stella 5000 with 20lb braid on it which is a high end reel but something like a Stradic or Saragosa would go nice on this rod to bring the price down. I've even managed a nice Longtail Tuna off the beach around 12kg on this outfit. Having a spin rod ready to go at all times can really help when fish turn up unexpected. As for bait fishing I lean towards a rod around 11 to 12 foot in that 7 to 15kg or 10 to 20kg range since I'm usually trying to cast large baits out intended for Jewfish. My 7 to 15kg rod is a Daiwa Heartland which has been discontinued the 10 to 20kg is a Shimano Revolution which I pair with a Shimano Thunnus 16000f which have a baitrunner feature so you can have the rod set that allows line to be taken from the reel with near zero tension and with one wind of the handle you can set the hook with the pre set drag pressure you've set. And for my bait fishing off the beach fishing for Tailor and Jewfish I use 20 to 30lb mono. I've caught Jewfish up to 27kg on this outfit on 20lb mono. Hope this helps, this is just my choice for this style of fishing. I'm sure you'll get some different advice. Tight lines

Hey mate, pretty sure it was just white with a white eye, or white with a red eye.

Thanks mate

Wow these guys put up a spectacular fight, this fish jumped out the water about 6 times with the fish well clear of the water, caught on my 8wt on Clouser I tied myself.

Sure can especially since it was hooked in less them a metre of water with 20lb tippet, it's first run was towards 50m but it'd not like there's any structure on the flats so you can just let it do its thing.

Yeah for some it is said to be the Holy Grail of fly fishing, but the Holy Grail is really what ever your goals are.

I was very lucky to get this on my second day on the flats, but it gets better I caught my second Permit the next day and my 3rd Permit the following day.

Sure was after fishing hard to get the hook up, I was pretty nervous during the fight feeling every voilent head shake with that thought of something going wrong like pulling the fly or popping the fish, very relieved to land the fish.

First Permit on fly, fishing Hinchinbrook with Clint Isaac. Caught on a Crab pattern on my 10wt with 20lb tippet. Anak are a very good fighter hooked in less than a meter of water so theres only one way they can run, and thats away from you accross the flat.

Thanks mate, it was back in December 2019 on my 6wt using a 1/0 Clouser white/yellow with red double pupil eye from Saltwater flies Australia

Thanks DerekD, I've just sent something through to Scatchie to see if he can approve the record of my 78cm Flathead.

Thanks Derek, I might just do that but I might put my pb on fly in the records which is 78cm so it hopefully takes a bit more to beat. But here's hoping we all get some solid ones this summer. Cheers Ben

Oh yeah when you know it's a good Flatty you've got all them thought going through your head, hope it's not hooked too deep and rubs me, hope it doesn't shake the fly out boat side, sure is a relief when it's in the net. I've caught a few bigger ones on fly but this is first big one for this season. And fishing fly is so much fun, can be very challenging at times but the more you do it the better you get and I just can't put the fly rod down. Very satisfying catching on a fly I tied aswell

Thanks mate

Here's hoping to some good fishing over the next few months

Thanks mate, big Flatty are pretty special in my opinion. We all dream of that 1m fish, one day I hope

Thanks Little Flatty. Just got to get out there and try.

Nice one landed today on a 7wt fly rod fishing 10lb tippet with a 16lb bite tippet for insurance. Fishing Port Stephens but I'm sure most estuaries would have some Flatty active with this warmer weather

Hey Fishraiders, I've organised to fly casting clinic with Peter Morse for my fly fishing club and I've got 3 spots to fill. This has only been for the club members and I branched out to our Facebook page and now on here to fill remaining spots before advertising elsewhere. All details are in this chat area in a new topic. Happy to answer any questions. Cheers Ben

Thanks Mrsswordie, Yeah if your in the Hunter and into fly fishing everyone is welcome to join the club, if you look up Hunter Valley Fly Fishing Club website you'll find some links on there if your interested in joining, I've only been in the club for about 2 years and felt very welcome. We do have members from as fare as Coffs and some from down Sydney. We have an outing just about every month in different location targeting different species from Trout to Saltwater outings. Thanks again for letting me share this opportunity on Fishraider. Cheers Ben

If your thinking about getting into fly fishing or want to take your fly casting to the next level. Peter Morse is doing a casting clinic at Lake St Clair, Hunter Valley. For those that don't know, Peter Morse is a Master Casting Instructor. 30th October, the day goes from around 8am to 4pm. There's only 8 students in a class, so you'll get plenty of one on one with Morsie. Doesn't matter what level from beginner to advanced. It cost a $150 for the day, once I fill the class I send a group email off to Morsie and you will then be dealing direct with Morsie. There will be a $50 deposit required paid directly to Morsie which he will give details to make payment. This is the second clinic that I've been part of organising, there a great day that will take your fly fishing to the next level. I have only advertised this with in the Huntervalleyflyfishingclub for members and their friends. Just message me if your interested, first in gets the spots, it will fill up. Cheers Ben

Hey Flycamp if you can't get into a casting day with the likes of Peter or Justin, i would happily meet you in a park for some casting practice if your in the Hunter Valley area, might be able to help improve your casting until you get with the professionals. Cheers Ben

No problem casting out of the boat, I do have a casting deck up the front but will fish from anywhere in the boat, the main thing you need is to have a clear deck as fly line seems to tangle around everything and anything. I still go and practise down the park from time to time, and don't just practice in nice conditions do it when it's windy also.