Givens' Barred & Black Baitfish Saltwater Hook : 3/O Mustad stainless. Thread : Black. Eyes : Large bead chain or small lead eyes. Head : Black thread built up around eyes. Tail : Around a dozen strands of black Flashabou, 6 to 8 black saddle hackles & two barred hackles. Wings : Black bucktail. Collar : Black rabbit fur, black hackle or black marabou.
Tying Instructions Materials: Hook : 3/O Mustad stainless Feathers : 6 to 8 Black saddle hackles, 2 barred saddle hackles Fur : black bucktail, black rabbit fur strip Eyes : large bead chain or small lead eyes Thread : black Flash : up to a dozen strands black Crystal Flash or Flashabou (optional). Instructions: 1) Keep the fly to 3" to 4" long. I try to keep it a bit shorter and more sparsely dressed than the ones I've seen in tackle shops. 2) Tie on the bead chain eyes so they sit on top of the hook and are no more than 1/8" behind the hook eye. 3) Tie in the Flashabou along the hook shank. Flashabou can either end at the end of the hackles or extend about 1/4 inch beyond the hackle feathers as a 'flash' tail. 4) Tie in 3 or 4 black hackles on each side of the hook. I like to tie them in towards the back of the shank, not far before the bend. 5) Tie in one barred hackle on each side. Tie in just in front of the black hackles. 6) Tie in a collar/wing of black bucktail. Tie this in about 1/4 inch behind the eyes. I tie this in in four stages, starting with the underside and finishing with the top. 7) Tie in a collar of black rabbit fur immediately behind the eyes. I do this by cutting a 3/4" strip, tying in one end, then wrapping the strip around a couple of times so the fur is evenly spread. Then tie the collar in so that it blends with the head. (Black marabou or a black hackle is an option for the final collar but I prefer rabbit fur because it gives a better 'dip' to the action). 8) Give the head a coat of clear head cement or clear nail polish.
Fly Notes I tie this fly a little differently from how it's shown in Lefty Kreh's book. I tie it pretty much as a Deceiver behind bead chain eyes and a rabbit fur collar. I also tie it a little more sparsely and a little shorter than is shown in Kreh's book. Have always found that 'under-dressed' flies catch fish and 'over-dressed' flies catch fishermen.
Fishing Notes I've caught barra, jacks, queenfish and GTs on this fly. Leader setups : I just use 5 to 6 ft of 45lb mono as a leader. If I'm feeling really sporting I might tie in a 6kg tippet and a 45lb mono shock tippet. Stripping tips : For barramundi - slow strip, if casting up current, just let it work in the current & strip to keep up with the flow. For down or across current just let it drift and work itself with a bit of a jiggle every now and then. For pelagics (GTs and Queenfish) - If you can see them monstering baitfish get it out there in front of their noses and strip as fast as you can. Presentation tips : For barramundi - I find a nice loud plop as it hits the water helps to get their attention, likewise for pelagics. We're not dealing with very subtle fish here.
Location Notes Typical location details: snags, creek mouths, runoff gutters, shallow rocks and reefs. I fish regularly at Shady Camp Barrage on the Mary River in the Top End. The Givens Barred & Black and a black Silicon Mullet are my two 'must have' flies for this location. I've taken fish up to 12kg on both.
Prey Notes I think it would catch just about anything that eats small mullet-like baitfish.
Tier Peter Wignell

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