The
Standing SW Yabby
By Richard
Carter
The Standing SW Yabbie is a fly
developed after much research and observation, over a period
of a year or so at a tackle store in SE Queensland. I use to
work there as a part-time guide and behind the counter. We had
several display aquariums, in these we had local bread and butter
species - squire, bream, flathead, whiting and trevally. All
the staff enjoyed feeding these fish, with a few of the long
term residents eating right out of our fingers. I would catch
live bait and feed it to them, this to observe the way they ate
and the way the live bait reacted to the presence of the predators.
While watching those predators eat quite a few theories were
hatched for all types of fishing.
Some of the theories were for
saltwater yabbies, these crustaceans would have to be one of
the best south east Queensland estuary baits. So developing a
fly to represent these crustaceans was a priority for my fly
tying efforts. I just couldn't find a pattern out there that
suited my idea of the ideal SW Yabbie fly. I wanted a pattern
that would swim mid water on the retrieve till in the line of
sight of the target species then dive tail first to the bottom.
The fish in those display tanks,
most times, would go for the yabbies with eggs present first
- so I tie all my nipper/yabbie flies with egg cases showing.
The bream, trevally and squire most times would take the yabbies
from behind the head - so I tie most of these flies with the
hook point over the back of the fly so it is the first thing
into the fishes mouth, thus a higher hook up chance.
The yabbies themselves when isolated
on the bottom, and as a last resort, would sort of stand up on
their tails and defend themselves by waving around their feelers
and claws. Which only further exciting the predators in the tanks,
so added a twin weed guard that acts as two points of a tripod
stand, the hook eye being the other.
The natural has only one large
claw, which in times of trouble the yabbie will discard hoping
the fish eats it rather than itself. It can alway grow another
claw if it survives. This claw was something I avoided designing
into the fly as it would cause the fly to be off balance thus
having a tendency to spin on the retrieve. During testing of
these theories the fish did not show a preference to those with
or without a claw.
Along with castability, durability
and ease of tying all these features had to be designed into
a new pattern. The pattern I ended up creating met most of these
criteria, though not totally the 'ease of tying' one but its
not that hard to tie after you have tied a few and get your proportions
right.
I mainly use the O'Shaunessy
long shank stainless hook of Mustad for this pattern, model number
34011, to give me the body length required . Though a straighten
Mustad 92608 Carlisle pattern will do the job just as well, if
a slightly narrower hook gape. Which is best opened a little
to give more space between body materials and hook point.
The materials of the standard
version fly include the main body material of white chenille.
The egg case of Fluoro Orange chenille or Glo Bug Yarn. Feelers
of bucktail, Krystalflash and or marabou, with legs of a palmered
white cock hackle. Then a lead dumbbell for the tail first diving
feature.
The Standing SW Yabbie has proven
itself on saltwater species such as bream, dart, flathead, trevally
and whiting. Tied is sizes ranging from a long shank #10 to a
long shank 2/0. Body materials and colours can be varied by use
of varying coloured chenilles or dubbing materials. I am sure
the Golden Trevally of Hervey Bay would be enticed to partake
of these flies, that's what the depressions in the sand banks
are all about, trevally like yabbies. Those Indo-Pacific Permit
of northern Australian waters, also known as Snub nosed Dart,
Oyster crusher or pumpkin head Trevally, would readily take the
fly too.
Even though saying it myself,
this has been the most realistic version of an Australian SW
yabbie I have yet seen, though this pattern can be improved upon
too. There was a yabbie pattern in an Australian magazine a recently
but I felt it was designed so heavily in the weight criteria
(bead chain, split shot and epoxy plus more all on the one fly).
I think I could of cast it on spinning gear to the other side
of most estuary systems. The right idea but lost track along
the design path somewhere. I have said it many times but will
say it anyway - Australian fly tiers need to put more effort
into their saltwater flies, so that they are more realistic patterns
instead of just attractor and generalist patterns (so I am a
hard case at times with some weird theories, feel sorry for the
guys I supervise during work hours).
Materials List
Thread : 6/0 to 3/0 Uni-Thread - colour to match
main body chenille.
Hook : Mustard 34011 or other long shank hook pattern.
Weight : Medium to small lead dumbbell depending on depth
of sand/mud bank and the pace of sink rate desired. Also natural,
thus fly, thus hook size dependant.
Weed Guard : 40lb mono.
Antennae : Krystalflash (pearl, rainbow or pink - or combination
of ).
Feelers : Bucktail and or marabou.
Eyes : Black Plastic Beads super glued onto 40lb mono stalks
or Silk Flower Stamens or
Burnt mono dipped in black paint.
Legs : White cock hackle.
Body : White medium chenille or pearl ice chenille or palest,
palest pink chenille.
Egg Case : Fluoro Orange/ Salmon egg chenille or Glo Bug
Yarn.
Optional Carapace : Thin layer of thinned silicone, with
a coating or two of nail polish for shine.
Tying Sequence
1) Start off thread at
hook eye. Lay down a bed of thread then return the thread to
the hook eye.
2) Tie in weight right at hook eye, add a drop of super glue
to wraps around dumbbell for durability. Advance thread to halfway
along hook shank.
3) Using a length of 40-60lb mono (2.5 inches, to be trimmed
later). Pinch it in the middle with a pair of longnose pliers.
Tie in this weed guard at the middle point of the hook shank.
Bend into a 'V' shape. Watch curve of mono when it comes off
the spool, use the inside of bend on the inside of the 'V".
Advance thread to hook bend.
4) Take a clump of bucktail, place in a hair stacker, tips first
to align tips before trimming to a length equal to three quarters
of a hook shank and tie in. Optionally you could then take a
smaller clump marabou half the length of the bucktail and tie
it in.
5) Tie in a few strands of pearl Krystalflash for antenna with
it reaching past the bucktail tips by a centimetre or so. Tie
in eyes slightly splayed with a few careful wraps of thread.
6) Tie in a white cock hackle, butt first.
7) Tie in main body chenille, advance thread then body chenille
to weed guard.
8) Palmer the cock hackle to this point, tie off, trim excess.
Also trim top and sides of fly of any cock hackle. Advance thread
to halfway point of weed guard and lead dumbbell.
9) Wrap body chenille one turn past weed guard tie in point.
Tie in a short fluoro orange chenille loop. Wrap body chenille
two turns past fluoro chenille tie in point careful to leave
loop free.
10) Lay Fluoro orange chenille over body chenille tie off, trim
excess. Advance thread to lead dumbbell. Wrap body chenille to
dumbbell, tie off, trim excess.
11) Optional : paint on a layer of thinned silicone (thin with
Mineral Turps). Then once silicone set, coat the silicone with
a couple of layers of nail polish to give it a sheen and the
right crunch as the fish grabs the fly.
12) Trim weed guard ends until the fly sits right. What is 'right'?.
I like the three legs of the tripod to be equal in length, causing
the fly to sit at about 45 - 60 degrees to whatever its resting
on.
Most times the standard pattern
will land on all three points of the tripod on sinking to the
bottom. When tied with hook point under the body, as I do for
flathead, it only lands correctly half the time, but the flathead
don't seem to care as most take it on the strip more than when
standing, maybe due to the mono stalks flicking up sand and mud
while stripped along the bottom. A slight bending of the hook
shaft towards the hook point does help a little. As it does bending
away from the hook point for hook riding up standard version.
Variations to the standard include
tying the pattern with hook point down for when I am specifically
targeting flathead. This because their lower jaw extends past
the top jaw and for a high percentage of hook ups in that lower
longer jaw. If the other way the fish would have to take the
fly further into its mouth before the up turned hook got near
the upper jaw.
Also the use of different styles
and types of chenilles or dubbing material for building the body
are other variations such as ice chenille or sparkle dubbing.
I originally used a clear drinking straw for the carapace but
it was too much hassle to tie in, always coming off after a few
fish and I still caught fish without it. I then tried an epoxy
carapace but it effected diving action and landing stance. Both
styles work, but I thought I could still improve the pattern.
Now if I add a carapace at all, I dilute some clear silicone
with mineral turps (it seems to not work, but you got to mix
it for long time), a few brushes with the silicone then once
dry give the silicone a few coats of nail polish to give it a
sheen that the natural's carapace has. Most times I don't bother
with a carapace at all, but I always have a couple with a carapace
just in case the fish are extra sensitive, touchy, selective
or flighty.
Finished Patterns
Standard version
Hook down version
(lead dumbbell on hoop
point side of hook shank)
Sparkle dubbing
version (80/20 mix of
white and red Sparkle Brite Dubbing version)
Ice chenille version
(trim top and sides of
ice chenille)
Fishing Notes
When sight fishing, cast in front
of and past a travelling school of whiting or trevally, strip
line till in line with school (line of sight). Stop stripping.
Fly will sink butt first like the real thing. Then stand up (using
hook eye and two mono stalks as a tripod stand) and wave its
feelers around in defence - just like the real thing. The pick
up is signalled by a tail up or head down movement of the fish
then strip strike as it starts to return to its travelling position.
When blind fishing, cast up any
tidal current, a few quick strips then lets settle to bottom,
a few subtle twitches, then repeat twitches only or till ready
to cast again. The fly stays on the bottom and the mono stalks
flick the sand and mud like a burrowing nipper.
A Floating line with a long leader
is best for blind casting as it brings your fly up off the bottom
on the strip. Using the longer leader helps it to sink back down
on the pauses between the twitches and strips. Sinking leader
and tippet material also best to assist in fly getting to the
bottom when using a floating line. Allow no slack line to ensure
you know when something takes the fly.
I really like this fly for lots
of reasons - the work and time that went into its creation and
the logical effectiveness of the design and the flies features.
Up riding hook, egg cluster, swimming action and defensive posture
at rest. Best of all it catches fish!
Copyright ©1999
Richard Carter
