Gartside Gurgler Variant

The Gartside Gurgler is a well-known fly pattern for bass and saltwater fish. The materials were my selection but the use of rubber legs came from Brett Clarke. Easy to tie, using the “Seven P’s” it should take about ten…
A family-oriented fly-fishing club covering the Port Macquarie Hastings region, NSW.
A family-oriented fly-fishing club covering the Port Macquarie Hastings region, NSW.

The Gartside Gurgler is a well-known fly pattern for bass and saltwater fish. The materials were my selection but the use of rubber legs came from Brett Clarke. Easy to tie, using the “Seven P’s” it should take about ten…

I first made this fly back around the turn of the century (I like saying that) to replace the small Dahlberg divers that I had begun using to fish for bream. They were too fiddly and time consuming to tie…

The gurgler has been refined little since the original version. Hook Size I have been occasionally using size 6 O’Shaughnessy hooks rather than size 8 to create a bigger commotion in the water when the wind is extreme and to…

As Gogleys Lagoon is saltwater, many of the flies for Lake Cathie also apply. Targeted fish: Flathead, Mullet, Bream, Whiting, Blackfish.

Target Fish: Mullet, Herring and Bass Tucked along the upper Hastings River, west of Wauchope, you will find Harty’s Plains and Kindee. These locations are favourite destinations for Club members. They chase mullet, freshwater herring, and bass. These waters offer…

The Gurgler Fly Pattern is a floating fly that spits and “gurgles” when stripped, and is designed to imitate everything from shrimp to baitfish and a frog for bass.
Invented by the late Jack Gartside, the Gurger is a simple and very effective fly to tie, and the tying technique has even been incorporated into mouse flies for trout.
It can be tied in many different colours and sizes. White, Tan, Shrimp, Chartreuse and Olive are favourites among many fishing guides in both the salt and freshwater.

Peter Glasson's picks for effective flies to use when fishing on the Wilson River, Telegraph Point. Target fish: bass, bream, mullet. Surface flies: Vince’s Loud Mouth Popper and the JOS Gurgler (try some black ones in size 4). Intermediate flies: Vince’s Diving Gurgler and the Polar Fibre Minnow. Deep water: The Bass Vampire and Clouser Deep minnow. I think 2 surface flies, 2 flies for just under the surface or a few feet down and 2 deeper diving flies would be more than adequate. The water in most areas is kinda shallow – around 4 to 10 feet with some pools around 20 to 40 foot. So firing in some flies into structure and in the shadows to around 6 feet seems the go.