I am now living in the small town of Nicholson. Nicholson is a big place with a pub and a store in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, near beautiful coastal lakes and handy to good trout and Australian bass fishing. I was born in 1937 and grew up in Melbourne. I first took an interest in fly tying at about the young age of 13. Before I left school at 15, I was already tying part time professionally, and continue to do so intermittently. My interest in the "Classics" dates back from then, when the manager of a tackle store in Melbourne showed me a salmon fly, the silver doctor, when he saw me gazing at the display counter. I thought I had never seen anything so beautiful!

As there is no salmon fishery down under, I spent my time dressing trout flies and later bass and saltwater flies. I didn't become really serious about dressing the "Classics" until approximately 5 years ago, when I met someone,who is now a good friend and who just happened to be a breeder of pheasants and peacocks and guinea fowl. He supplies the fly tying and millinery trades with his products.

Here in Australia there is no culture of either salmon fishing or fly tying and it was very difficult to get information on tying techniques and materials. However, after a lot of trial and error and bits and pieces gleaned from magazines and books, I finally succeeded.

I sell my flies framed and mounted and I have designed a series of flies named after the local rivers and landmarks of Victoria's high country. If anyone would like to contact me at any time, either to buy or just to chat, I can be found at bobfly@tadaust.org.au.

Thanks,
Bob Frandsen