PROFILE -      Jeff Cassidy        Home

My Dad taught me to fish back in the early 1960's. Hugh Cassidy was great mates with Len Thompson and some of my best memories of beach fishing was riding in the back of Len's old jeep heading up Cabarita beach to catch plenty of big greenback tailor on garfish - blue pilchards were not around in those days. We would also fish the Spit for ocean bream long before Sea World was even thought of. When I look back on those days I really was a very lucky boy to  have two great fisherman to learn from and I still retain their love of the ocean , fishing and mateship.

My interest in Fly Fishing started with a trip to New Zealand in 1995 where I cast my first fly line and thought that this style of fishing must have been invented by an Irishman. My interest in fly fishing was kindled along with many new friendships and adventures over the past sixteen years. I work as a fulltime Secondary School teacher in Brisbane. I have a Masters Degree in Education specializing in Language and Literacy..

 I also teach Art. I have been painting and drawing for 37 years. I enjoy designing and making fresh and saltwater flies.  Fly tying allows for that creative use of fur, feathers and synthetics to design functional, durable flies that catch fish. As a fly tier I am always trying to develop new and innovative designs that catch fish. We are often out there testing new patterns that will be our new fly designs.

There is nothing quite like stalking wild brown trout amongst the tussocks along the Long Shore at Bronte Lagoon or watching a big, Australian bass slam a Firetail on the impoundment to make you think that you are a very lucky man to be able to do this. That magic blend of companionship, landscape, anticipation and fun. That's fly fishing for me.

 I have recently added two new T&T Fly rods to the collection; a Helix 5wt and a Whisperlite 4 wt. I christened the new T&T Helix 5 wt with a 40 cm bass ( pictured) on the weekend, what a beautiful fly rod to cast when matched with a Rio Gold Wt forward floating 5 wt line. The bass put a serious bend in the 5 wt and the rod handled the fish and the fight with finesse and power.

My 5wt Taransky Cane fly rod with a Payne 101 taper is a beautifully crafted fly rod and it is now one of my favourite rods along with the Thomas and Thomas 6wt Horizon 2 and a custom built Thomas and Thomas Apex ultra fast action Saltwater 8wt.

My fly fishing mates and I  fish the local estuaries, freshwater impoundments and Moreton Bay for a huge variety of fish species. They catch them on flies that are tied by me. We often travel up to the New England tablelands to fish for trout ( a five hour road trip) and love every minute of the experience.

I have just returned from a trip to the Snowy Mountains for the Forum Gathering at Falls Creek with a fly fishing mate, Stephen . We fished lots of excellent water and The Thredbo and the Tumut rivers are my two favourite streams at present. We caught a lot of fish on the humble black spinner # 14 and # 16. What a great fly this is to have in your fly box. You can see some recent pictures of the trip on the Photo Gallery. 

Best Regards, Jeff Cassidy - Fresh and Saltwater Fly Designs - Australia.