THE
CORK FLY

I FIRST saw this pattern in the north of England when I was a boy. Some of the anglers I met used it as a night lure for sea trout. Years later I found it worked very well after dark in the Tasmanian lakes and rivers when fishing for either browns or rainbows. The lure consists of a piece of cork fixed to a hook with Araldite or other waterproof glue. That's all there is to it.

We make various sizes of Cork Fly, generally large ones on No.6 or 8 long shank hooks or small ones on ordinary round-bend No. 10s.

The larger patterns are mainly used after dark as 'wake' lures on lakes or streams. The smaller Cork Fly is usually reserved for use in the evenings, when trout are taking sedges. As the light fades it is a capital killer when buzzed gently along the surface. The little Cork Fly and the Grey Sedge described earlier are the only two flies we find necessary when fishing to surface sedgers at dusk. This may seem surprising, in view of the numerous sedge patterns described in the fly-fishing literature. Still, we find that our two patterns work, both here and in New Zealand.

Mind you, during the day a small Cork Fly, unpainted, makes a good beetle imitation.

Some years ago I was fishing to a brown trout that was patrolling a lake shore and rising regularly. I was at one end of its beat whilst a lady angler was fishing some yards away at the trout's other turning point. It refused my conventional dry fly and the lady's, too. We each changed flies several times, but the trout refused every offering. Finally I cast out a little chubby Cork Fly on a No.10 hook and the trout wandered over, took it, and was hooked and landed.

The lady was absolutely disgusted. 'To think', she said, 'that I went to all the trouble to learn to tie flies and then you come along and catch trout on a bit of cork! Dreadful!' I didn't feel like telling her that the trout was an opportunistic feeder!

When fishing the larger Cork fly as a 'wake' fly we usually put it on in the late evening when there is barely sufficient light to be able to see to tie the knot.

As a general rule it pays to retrieve the fly fairly slowly and to make short pauses. It also gives results at times when cast out and left floating! Some nights the trout are awkward though, and a brisk retrieve is required before they will have a go. On dark nights or nights with a cloudy moon it can be very productive.

Though trout may not be rising they often take the Cork Fly with gusto. One moment you are quietly retrieving and the next there is a startling slash as the trout takes. If the slash galvanizes you into striking, then you'll lose a lot of fish. It usually pays to wait a moment or two, as with a dry fly, before lifting the rod. When I hear the slash of a trout at the lure I always wait, imagine the fish turning and then tighten up. Very often you will find that the trout is hooked well back in the mouth, so confidently do they take this fly.

When trout are rising in the dark to surface food they may not always slash at the lure, but the noise of a rise to the cork is generally louder than usual - a distinct clop. If you don't strike, the fish will often try to pull the rod out of your hand anyway!

By day a No.8 Cork Fly can serve a turn on stream or lake when drifted and twitched to imitate a grasshopper. It is also useful on those days when trout are hunting dragonflies. Shoot out a big Cork Fly to such a trout and the response is often surprising!

DRESSING
Hook: No.8 or 6 long shank; No.10 normal shank for the small one.
Body: Roughly cylindrical piece of cork as long as the hook. Diameter of cork approximately 7 mm, or 4 to 5 mm for the No.10 hook.
Thread: Yellow polyester sewing thread.

Champagne corks are an excellent source of material for making these flies and they are a pleasure to collect. Any good cork will do, though, provided that it is free of bad flaws. The cork can easily be sliced to size with a razor blade and shaped with sand paper. To cut the slit for the hook I use a piece of hacksaw blade. The slit should not be too deep, or it will have the effect of lessening the hook's gape, which results in poor hooking.

Once the slit is made it should be filled with waterproof glue. The hook, which has been whipped with polyester sewing thread, is jammed into the slit and put aside to dry. The surplus thread can then be wound from back to front in open turns to give a segmented appearance. That completes the Cork Fly.

There is no need to go to great lengths to give the cork a smooth finish, nor is there any need to paint it, or to add legs, wings, whiskers or anything else. There is no need, either, to round off the front or rear. Of course you can add to the cork body if you choose, but we find that the plain article is just fine. Remember, it only has to float and to stay on the surface, making a ream or wake as it is retrieved.

Since this is all the pattern has to do, then buoyant plastic can be used. However, one of the advantages of cork is its durability. It is strong enough to take a lot of wear and tear. In fact, I still have the first one I made many years ago when I first came to Tasmania. It has caught many trout, but now lives in retirement after a hard life!

SUMMARY
* Whip hook down its length and back to the eye with yellow polyester sewing thread.
* Shape cork to size, cut slit for hook.
* Glue whipped hook into slit. (Use a waterproof glue!)
* Wind surplus thread in open turns from front to back to give a segmented appearance, if you wish.
* Varnish with clear varnish, though I rarely bother to do so.

Note: Though much larger cork lures can be tied they tend to be more difficult to cast. Over-large ones can be dangerous - to the angler.

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