I know that the dragonfly is a very territorial insect, but this was a rare chance to capture one actually devouring an intruder.

You can just make out the poor Blue Damsel partly hidden by the light brown reed in the foreground being cleaned up, so to speak.

If this was not unusual enough the other day, another client was fishing a dual rig with a dry hopper pattern on top and a small bead head nymph under when, as he cast up stream about 30 feet or so, a ‘big’ dragonfly attacked the hopper in flight, caught it and flew back past us carrying both about four to five feet off the water.

It was only the eventual drag of the fly line going downstream that pulled it clear of the dragonfly’s clutches.

I had just about focused with the digital when it let go.

I was wondering if any other fly fishers have seen such an action by a dragonfly?

I know of swallows, etc. picking up or swooping on dries, but never an insect do this.

Next up it was husband & wife, Andrew and Jen, who not only shared a lovely stretch of water, but Jen is proudly showing her first up wild brown to Andrew, who not to be out done follows up a few minutes later by proving to Jen what she can do he can match it!

This is one of the delights of guiding and/or teaching couples, they can share the experience, some great fishing and enjoy together the lovely environment which is Tasmania’s wild trout fishery.

So says the Tasmanian Tourism fly fishing ads for this lovely island.

Well that certainly is true for this group of four good friends who had a fly fishing workshop recently with Red Tag.

Donna and Gail, above, and Netti and Sue, below, enjoy the challenge and the cool waters on a warm summer’s day.

All had success with the wild browns and a taste of one or two for their hard work at dinner time.

Sue gets her first wild brown on a Dark Brown Mayfly emerger, above, and Netti, below, breaks her duck with this nice stream fish on a Pink Bum Grasshopper.

image

It is always great to see young enthusiastic fishers getting into fly fishing, so it was a pleasure for me to give Max, 12, a few hours coaching the other day in order to help him get the basics before he was heading up to Arthur’s for a trip with his dad and a mate of his dad’s next day.

Well as luck would have it ,the teaching day was windy with very few fish showing and although Max stuck to it and seemed to get a good handle on things, I was a bit disappointed for him not to have christened his new Pro Angler Wizard outfit.

After a couple of days I got a call from Max to say he not only christened the rod but did it in style with five to hand for the day — the best effort of the group.

Dad reckoned his grin was nearly as big as the fish — well done Max! Here’s to many more tight lines in the future.