15 02 2018

Noel Jetson

Jet-Fly, as Noel was commonly known by his clients, was Tasmania’s first professional fly fishing guide.

By david woods

If you are going to talk about Flies and Fly tiers you need to talk about this man Noel Jetson, a lot of people out there would know much more about Noel than I do I have only dealt with the man on three occasions.
The first time in his fishing shop “Jetfly” in Cressy I think, on my first visit to Tasmania straight off the ferry I saw a fishing store on the way to the highlands. I popped in and spoke to an elderly gentleman who not only loaded us up with flies but also told us where to camp, Jonah Bay at Arthurs Lake. He also gave us ideas on what lakes to fish on different weather conditions, and the flies we should swim at each.
At the end of the encounter I asked if he had fished up there much (the Central Highlands) “Yeah a fair bit” came the casual reply.
Two Days later I went out with Guide Brett Wolf who worked with Peter Hayes in those days when he looked in our boxes he said, ‘I see you have been to visit Noel at Jetfly”, yes I replied doe’s he know what he’s on about, Brett laughed out ‘Noel no one knows more, he’s a legend.
Anyway you won’t need those I’m going to take you out to the Western Lakes we will use size 14 Red Tags” I asked will we use any other types of flies today and his quick reply came” maybe size 12’s or 16’s”.
Back to Noel my only two other encounters were on the phone in 2006 about 15 years after I had met him. I had started to collect flies by tiers and boxed them up for display.
Noels shop Jetfly had been gone for some time now so I cold called the tying genius on the off chance he would Tie Two sets of 8 flies of his all-time favorites for a complete stranger in Melbourne, (me).
At first Noel didn’t know what I was talking about he asked me to speak up and then told me he was going to get a piece of paper because he had already forgot what I had asked for in a very LOUD voice.
I gave him my address and having already told me he was old and forgetful said he would see what he could do. Noel was mid seventy and had lost his wife I really wasn’t expecting much, but just 4 days later a parcel arrived with the most precious flies I had ever seen, with a note attached, “I knew I would forget so I sat up all night to tie your flies, I hope they are what you are after”.
The third encounter was of coarse the thank you phone call I made immediately and Noel told me to thank his Good mate Ken Orr who had taken them to the post office and posted them for him. Well thank you again everybody.
I promptly Boxed the flies under glass and as with all my boxes I wrote a little something about the Tier, this is what Noels box say’s.

Noel Jetson

Now retired from trout guiding Noel and his wife Lois moved to Swansea in the mid 1990’s where Lois died in 2006.
Over many years their “Jetfly” tackle shop and guiding business in Cressy was synonymous with Tasmanian fly fishing.
Many visitors came to Noel and Lois for flies, local knowledge and guiding.
A protege of the late Dick Wigram, Noel is a master fly tier and has tied flies commercially in both New Zealand and Australia.
Noel was an adult education tying instructor for twenty five years and conducted fly fishing lessons at Bronte Park.
He is a past President and life member of both the Northern Tasmanian Fisheries Association and the Tasmanian Professional trout Guides Association.
He is a past president of the Fly Fishers Club of Tasmania, and was the first qualified Australian casting instructor for the fly fishers Association of America.
Noel famously claimed a Red Tag is all you need but is responsible for developing a great number of outstanding patterns and popularising many others.
The flies Noel sent me were Black Spinner, Noel’s Nobby, Highland Dun, Red Tag, Juno Matuka, Royal Coachman, Red Spinner, Mrs Simpson.
I apologise in advance for any miss information I may have given here it is how I remember it 8 years ago.

For further reading on Noel the is a great book called, “Noel Jetson Life and Flies” by Glenn Eggleton.
Hope you liked the first edition of Fly Collector we will see who is next.