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Andrew Reed7 viewsJoined February 2015
I met Malcolm Crosse in 1985 when he taught me to fly fish at Penstock Lagoon. We spent time at Arthurs and Sorell. He would often ask me to join the club and I attended club events including an opening weekend at Sorell and a spit roast and port bottling in Bothwell.
30 years later when my children had grown up, I decided to jump in. I still fish Penstock with Malcolm and spend time in the Central Highlands and southern rivers. I enjoy the club events, both fishing and non-fishing. I like fishing with different people on the field weekends, especially the Farm Dams, and more recently on the Bream Day.
I get inspiration from the Zoom and physical tying days. I love the free flow of information and fly-tying materials between members. I think this is a great activity to be involved in.
I like fishing to rising fish in either lake or river. I also enjoy wet fly when nothing is moving. My favourite flies are pretty much whatever is working. I do like rabbit fur Zonker flies and have tied one for the Zoom sessions. I fish sparce Spiders on ghost tip and sinking lines and will also chase the occasional bream.
I have also been involved with the WFFC 2019 on the Organising Committee as Controller Coordinator. The high point of my time in the Club so far is being involved in the successful nomination of Malcolm for the Tasmanian Anglers Hall of Fame. I am very happy the club is currently fully subscribed and we have people on our waiting list!

Anna Bellette79 viewsJoined the club 17/8/2015
My reason for joining is to learn to tie patterns and gain knowledge in all aspects of fly tying. Why we tie certain patterns, when to fish them and learn about appropriate materials to use. I think learning about the materials is important as well.
I have probably been tying for a year and a half. I was having a chat to someone who has been fishing for a long time and voicing my concerns about not really understanding the etymology side of things and what flies to use, he quickly suggested tying my own flies and then I will start to understand the etymology side and understand fly tying. And this is how I began to tie. I started tying from watching YouTube clips and got to a point where I thought I need help.
My favourite pattern would have to be a Cicada. Not sure how to make one yet, but love fishing in NZ rivers with them.
I also like Salmon flies, I would love to learn how to make them and love the artistic side to these patterns.
My favourite type of fly fishing would have to be sight fishing in NZ rivers. I have found this really exciting.
I am very excited and feel very honoured in being accepted into The Tas Fly Tyers Club. I am looking forward to learning about tying and heading out on fishing trips.

Bruce Barker93 viewsJoined 1996
Reasons for joining: I joined the club to mix with a wider circle of like-minded types and to learn more about fly fishing and fly tying. I haven't been disappointed as I've learned plenty, made friends and improved the content of my fly box(es) in quantity and quality.

Favourite Fly Patterns: My favourites change from year to year but in-vogue for me (season just passed) is a lightly dressed Fiery Brown Beetle and a modified Bibio Hopper (has a possum wing to help with flotation and sighting).

Favourite type of fly fishing: I love it all. I enjoy fishing 'down and slow' with a team of nymphs when the going gets tough. But like most, sight fishing is my favourite so fishing the wind lanes on a bright and breezy day is up there and of course being in the midst of a good dun hatch with fish-up rates among the best. In recent years I have become enamoured with fishing rivers as well.

Chris Berndt80 viewsJoined January 2013
Reason for joining: I hope to meet people with similar interests. I have a passion for understanding the Tasmanian environment and find fishing an excellent pastime which leads to a deeper understanding of our surroundings. I have been bait and spin fishing for a number of years but after meeting Doug Miller and seeing the joy he gains from fly fishing I decided it was time to convert.
I have been fly tying for two years
Favourite fly patterns: At this early stage of my fly tying career I have gained great enjoyment from tying Woolly Buggers of various colours and have managed some good quality Red Tags.
Favourite type of fly fishing: Dry fly fishing late in the afternoon on the banks of the Macquarie River has been a highlight with fish rising and insects hatching.
My Goals in the near future are tying a wider variety of fly patterns and spending time fishing the Western Lakes Wilderness fishery.

Chris Hilton48 viewsPlease provide brief answers to the following questions:
1. When did you join the club?
March 2018
2. What is your reason for joining, and what do you hope to gain from the club?
I have been travelling to Tasmania from the UK for holidays for many years and have
at times struggled to catch the wonderful wild fish here after being ‘trained’ on UK
rainbows. However each one I caught [ of the few ] has been a treasure so kept me
coming back. Occasionally I met local anglers who were always kind and helped me to
slowly gain more understanding of the fishery. Then I moved here two yrs ago and met
Malcolm Crosse who kindly invited me to attend as a guest and now I am a member ! I
hope to improve my fishing and flytying and enjoy good company of fellow anglers.
3. How long have you been a fly tyer?
on and off for about forty years
4. What are your favourite fly patterns?
damsel fly nymphs
black and peacock spider
Red Tag
5. What is your favourite type of fly fishing?
After the initial shock of seeing the fish running away at my first visit to the Blue Peaks Lakes
when trying standard UK reservoir tactics, I now enjoy spotting, casting to and occasionally
catching wild brown trout. I also enjoy small stream fishing with grasshopper patterns or red
tags.
6. Any thing else you would like to add?
Thanks for allowing me to join

David Hemmings85 viewsJoined September 2005
Reason for joining: Fellowship! I have always enjoyed sharing my fishing. The banter at a days end. The one that got away. The one that didn't get away. Different techniques and so on.
So when I started fly fishing over 25 years ago it seemed natural to join a fly fishing club to share ideas, to watch, listen and learn and to participate. I started to tie flies at the same time. Unfortunately, my tying expertise does not reflect this vast experience.

Favourite fly patterns: I like impressionistic fly patterns, that look like the real insect, super impressionistic nymphs, realistic hoppers, good dun copies. But if I was to pick one fly as my favourite it would be Hans van Klinkens Klinkhamer. A brilliant emerger style of fly.

Favourite type of fly fishing: I like river fishing, the cross currents, clear water, challenging fishing. However, I find myself on the Tasmanian lakes in summer more and more these days.

Shane Broadby56 viewsI really joined the club for a bit of networking between fly fishers and fly tyers so as I don’t get stuck in a rut so to speak with my tying and fishing. I’ve been thinking about it for a while as I know several members in the Tas Fly Tyers and the club has a great history.
I started fly tying at school when I was in grade nine ,1985 I think. Taking an activity course that was hosted by Max Hardy, I never even owned a fly rod at this stage but I knew that my uncle was a keen fly angler. I learnt to tie flies before I was shown how to cast.
Favorite patterns vary from season to season and from water to water, but the Zulu, Possum Emerger, 007 Nymph, Sticky Caddis , Mk 2 Wooley Bugger and the Iron Blue Dun are at the top of the heap and go to flies for me.
My favourite type of fly fishing? I love it all but fishing to Caenid smutters at Lake Meadowbank is what I did my apprenticeship on , small creeks and a 2 weight are addictive and I’ve been lucky enough to go on 3 trips to Christmas Island chasing Bones which is very special and a fantastic experience
I'm a mad keen fly fisher, fly tyer and hunter and being in a great club with like minded members just adds to the way of life that I love.

Guy Nicholson81 viewsJoined 16 Aug 2010
Reason for joining: I have been a keen fly fisher from the age of 12 years and have dabbled in fly tying on and off over the past 40 years. I'm now starting to redevelop my fly tying skills and have joined in some sessions at Doug Miller's place. I'm recently retired and should have more time for fishing and fly tying. I moved to Hobart from the NW Coast a few months ago and am interested in meeting some southerners who share my passion for fly fishing. I know some people in the Club, including an old friend Pete Murphy and fished with him and John Smith in New Zealand in February 2010.

Favourite Fly Patterns: Woolly bugger as a general purpose wet, also bead headed nymphs and nymph emergers. Dry flies include the royal wulff, parachute royal coachman, olive humpy, black spinner, Adams and iron blue dun.

Favourite type of fly fishing: Dry fly fishing with light gear in clear, rocky bottomed rivers. Polaroiding and dry fly fishing in the highlands and western lakes. I have also become interested in drift fishing from boats over recent years.

James Jones8 viewsJoined February 2010

Reason for joining

The Club is well organised, has a great set of diverse events and the knowledge, skill and generosity of the Club's members, across all facets of fly fishing, is extraordinary.

Favourite fly pattern

I will always be learning the relation between the most appropriate fly pattern, different waters, weather conditions, trout behaviour and where and how to fish - in the moment. Noel Jetson convinced me to take up fly fishing at Cressy 30 years ago. He introduced me to some of the traditional fly patterns and gave me a little box of his flies to get me going - some are included below.

Royal Wulff, Highland Dun, Parachute Dunn, Possum Emerger, Matcham's Rosella on lakes

Black Spinner, Orange Spinner, Royal Coachman, Red Tag, Grasshopper, Small Brown or Black Nymph on streams.

Favourite type of fly fishing:

More recently I have come to appreciate the subtlety and delight of fishing with bamboo, including repairing and recycling vintage split cane rods and building new bamboo fly rods from blanks.

Dry fly fishing on mountain streams, flat rivers and small lakes is the classic, however having boat fished with some of our members, I have great respect for intelligent wet fly fishing on lakes.

John Spencer79 viewsJoined January 2005
Reason for joining: I wanted to improve my fly tying skills by learning from other members and to go fly tying and fishing with other people with similar interests. The club having two shacks was also a consideration for joining.
I started fly tying around 1983/84, only about 12 months after I took up fly fishing. I was initially self taught (reading books) but very quickly realised I needed to improved my skills so I undertook one of Dave Tadd's Adult Ed courses.

Favourite patterns: Possum & CDC Emerger, Iron Blue Dun, Hickory Fly (top secret), & any fly that allows me to out fish Westy.

Favourite type of fly fishing: River fishing to sighted fish and dun fishing from the boat.

Malcolm Crosse78 viewsJoined October 1971
Reason for joining: to become a better fly tyer and meet local Tasmanian anglers.
I started tying in 1968. The fly Tyers� Club has been a great organisation for me to be part of all these years.

Favourite fly patterns: anything using Possum fur.

Favourite type of fly fishing: no preferences just like to have the fly on or in the water.

Norm Cribbin14 viewsJoined the club in 2020

I have interacted with the Fly Tyer's Club over many years' at such events as Liawenee Open Weekend, Great Lake Tie-In and the predecessor event The Bronte Tie-In, Fly Tying sessions at the Lenah Valley RSL and the 2019 WFFC etc. I found the club members to be cordial, helpful and likeminded about fly fishing and fly tying. These were my reasons for joining the club.

I tied first fly when I was aged 15 years. So that makes it 45 years in May 2020.
PS. I still have that first fly and it remains a treasured item.

Favourite fly patterns?
Obviously this has changed over time as the tastes of my quarry (trout) have varied. The list commencing back in Canberra on rivers through to the Lakes of Tasmania's Central highlands is as follows:
• Brown or Black Pot Scrubber Nymph
• Black Yeti (wet)
• Hardy's Favourite (dry)
• March Brown (dry)
• Pine Squirrel (wet)
• Haystack (dry)
• Dun Know (dry)
• Possum Emerger in Natural and Claret (surface film)
• Possum Shaving Brush (surface film)
• Amber Parachute Spinner (dry)
• Stick Caddis (wet).

Favourite type of fly fishing?
• Dry fly fishing to rising fish.
• Wind lane fishing to smutting Rainbows at Lake Burbury.

I have a collection of Step-by-Step instructions for various fly patterns at
http://www.issuu.com/tasflyfisher

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