Lake Bullen Merri can be a frustrating place to fish at any time and anybody who fishes the lake regularly knows that when the fish shut down it can be an extremely frustrating place to fish whatever your chosen method, however it is also a place where the fish of your dreams can be captured.  Over the past few years I have had excellent success using glow bug flies presented on threadline gear under indicator puttty and this has provided me with very exciting visual fishing for big trout.

Glo-bugging in lakes

Plenty has been written about using glo bugs in rivers in the past and they can be dynamite during the spawning season period and not just on rainbows.  Brown trout respond reasonably well to them also.  When glo bugs are fished in lakes they are equally as effective and I’d almost go as far as saying that for me they would be the most preferred technique for catching cruising wintertime rainbows and now also to some extent big browns as well.  Glo-bug flies are usually fished on traditional fly gear, but can also be just as effectively fished on light spin gear. 

This winter I used light threadline tackle with 3-4lb braid and a 6-8lb flourocarbon leader with great success. Time of yearSpawning season is usually the best time to find good numbers of fish on the rocky shores as they move trying to attempt to find breeding areas.  Although their attempt to breed is futile they are commonly found along rocky areas of the North Shore, Potters Point and Whurrung Point.  Chinook salmon are usually found cruising in good numbers from late March to early June, brown trout from April to June and rainbow trout from June to August.  Of course you can also expect a fair degree if individual variation. 

Moving or stationary?

I prefer fishing the glo bugs stationary or a still as possible.  When ever the wind is strong and I find it difficult to fish the glo bug stationary under an indicator I usually get less takes and interest from cruising fish.  Strong winds and chop make this technique difficult.  At these times I’ve had success using a floating glo-bug with a split shot or small sinker about a foot up the leader to anchor the glo bug to the bottom. 

Indicators

There are a range of indicators you can use to present the fly.  I prefer to use Biostrike indicator putty which is mouldable and also provides additional casting weight.  To balance all you need to do is simply add or remove the putty to ensure your fly is suspended in the strike zone.  The putty provides nearly no resistance and the fish usually doesn’t even realise it has made a mistakes until you lift the rod.  By itself it is highly visual and when you lose the sun it will indicate a take and you can continue to fish confidently even on those days when you know the fish are cruising but can’t quite see them. Staying in touchWhether you are presenting flies on a fly or threadline outfit you need to maintain contact with your main line and the use of floatant at regular intervals is important.  If a belly forms in your leader by the time you strike you will usually miss the take.  Sometimes it is frustrating reapplying it every 15-20 minutes, but it is essential for efficiency of conversion. 

Hooks

The glo-bug hook selection is important. I prefer the heavier gauge hooks which penetrate the jawbone well.  Once a hook is in the fishes mouth then it shouldn’t bend or fail due to opening up or snapping.  I prefer the larger glo bugs in hook sizes 8-12, particularly for the larger lakes and bigger fish, however I have used size 12-14 with good success.  You can even fish one of each by adding the smaller fly by tying it onto a length of mono from the first fly.  After the hook up when the hook is set back the drag right of and very rarely will you lose the fish as a result of the hooks coming out.  Once those small hooks pierce the bone in the jaw they are usually even hard to pull out without pliers! Colours & SizeColour also plays and important role and at times fish will favour a pale pinky colour than the more traditional bright orange/red combination so it is a good idea to have a range of colour variations and sizes in your tackle box.  I haven’t experimented much over the last few years with the oversized ‘pompoms’ often used in New Zealand, but I have seen them work there and I will definitely be trying these next winter! 

Two fly rig

In its own right the glo-bug acts as an excellent attractor fly which extends its application further than the cooler spawning months of the wintertime.  By adding a second small natural fly like a stick caddis, amphipod (scud) or bloodworm you can create an extremely effective backup and this will usually pull results when the fish are fickle.  The only problems with the two fly rig is the possibility of snagging the second hook when fighting a fish or sometimes the fish takes the glo-bug only to hit the trailing line of the second fly and spits it out.  You just need to weigh up the options in any given situation. 

Patience

Indicator glo bugging can be a painful technique when trying to find and fool fish the most important thing is to persist and when that first big rainbow comes you’ll wonder why you persisted with other techniques. With the lessons learned from the 2008 winter season I’ll be refining my techniques carefully in anticipation of next year in the hope of polaroiding and catching double figure fish in less than 2 feet of crystal clear water on Lake Bullen Merri’s rocky shores and there certainly aren’t many public waters in the Victoria where you can do that! You can check out some of the live glo-bugging action from last season on the latest Adventure Bound DVD Season 5 (Part 2) or check out this video.