Red Tag Fly Fisher Club Legacy
Red Tag was founded in 1932 with a commitment to sharing the art and joy of fly fishing. From our casting pool in Melbourne's eastern suburbs to the banks of Australia’s wildest rivers and international fishing hotspots, we’ve built a tradition of excellence, mentorship,
and inclusivity.

We believe that fly fishing is more than catching fish—it’s a mindful journey of connection, community, and conservation.

Our Mission

• Promote fly fishing and casting through education, practice, and camaraderie.
  
• Advance environmental conservation via catch and release and habitat volunteering.
  
• Maintain a safe, diverse and inclusive culture for all.
  

Fly Fishing – A Journey of Connection, Craft, and Conservation

• More than catching fish – Fly fishing is about finding peace, purpose, and presence in nature.
  
• Mindful and immersive – It combines the rhythmic art of casting with a deep awareness of the environment.
  
• A lifelong craft – From tying flies to reading rivers, fly fishing offers endless opportunities for learning and mastery.
  
• Accessible to all – You don’t need expensive gear to begin. Many clubs, including Red Tag, offer loan equipment for newcomers.
  
• A deeper connection – Wading through rivers and observing wildlife offers unmatched proximity to the natural world.
  

Red Tag Fly Fishers Club – Melbourne’s Inclusive Fly Fishing Community

• Everyone is welcome – A proudly inclusive club for LGBTQIA+ individuals, women, people of colour, beginners, and experienced anglers.
• A safe and uplifting space – Red Tag fosters a culture of respect, encouragement, and community.
• Strong focus on mentorship – Experienced members support newcomers through guided outings and workshops.
• Conservation at its heart – The club prioritises catch-and-release, environmental stewardship, and sustainable fishing practices.
• More than a club – it's a community – Regular social events, group trips, and collaborative learning bring members together both on and off the water.

The Red Tag Club Rooms are now at the Fiona Richardson Netball Pavilion Farlie Rd Fairfield 3078 Victoria. Click here for Casting pool and Club room directions

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​​The Red Tag Story
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Early Beginnings

The Red Tag Club, as it was originally known, was founded in 1932 at Box Hill.  Unfortunately, the original minute book (1932-1948) and copy of the club’s constitution have been lost so an exact date of formation is unclear. However, Box Hill’s Reporter newspaper provides the earliest mention of the club and an invaluable clue to its formation:

“A few months ago, a number of fly-fishing enthusiasts of Box Hill and surroundings decided to form a club for stimulating and disseminating knowledge of the finer points connected with the art of fly-fishing. A club known as The Red Tag Club was formed with Mr W. Crouch as president and Mr W. Ridoutt as [pro tem] secretary.  The membership was limited to 50, but already over 40 have signed up and the success of the move is assured.  This is probably the first fly-fishing club formed in Australia, and lectures and advice will be given under its auspices by the best anglers in the land…”

(Reporter, July 22, 1932)

Based on this, and in the absence of any other corroborating evidence, the club was probably formed in April or May of 1932.
​

The Red Tag Club consisted of thirty founding members:

W. Crouch (President)
F. Park (Secretary)
J. M. Gillies (Vice-President)
D. McGregor (Vice-President)
H. Baker
E. Buttle
C. Carter
R. Cock
P. Crawford
N. Crouch

A. Foote
J. Franz
S. Halliday
J. Hodgson
R. Howlett
P. Jensen
E. Kinsmore
W. Knight
L. Maddison
J. Maisey

K. Meiers
H. Phillips
A. Ridoutt
W. Ridoutt
A. Roche
C. Roche (Dr)
W. Smith
F. Standring
W. Tredinnick
A.N. Williamson

The club’s objectives were straightforward:

• To foster the art of fly-fishing.
• To promote the sport of fly-casting.
• To arrange and conduct fly-casting tournaments as seen fit by the executive and committee.​

It should be noted though, that contrary to the Box Hill’s Reporter newspaper article’s claim that Red Tag was the first fly-fishing club, the Victorian Fly-Fishers’ Association (VFFA) had already existed in various iterations for some time. The original VFFA was founded in 1906 but was then renamed Victorian Trout Fishers’ Association probably in 1912. Then in May 1932 a new body was formed, The Victorian Trout Fishermen’s Association, with at least two of the original 1906 members. Notably, solicitor Les Vail soon became Secretary and his energy, legal acumen and diligent record-keeping have made an invaluable contribution to the history of both clubs. On May 3, 1933, the final name change was made, back to the Victorian Fly-Fishers’ Association, which has remained to this day.

The history of Red Tag and VFFA are inextricably linked, and four men in particular played vital roles, some albeit possibly unwittingly, in the formation of Red Tag:
​

• Mick Martin (1896-1987)
• Reg Lyne (1902-1961)
• Wilfred Crouch (1884-1977)
• J. Malcolm Gillies (1900-1977)

​

Mick Martin Toorrourong

Michael ‘Mick’ Martin began fly fishing in 1912, was a foundation member of the VFFA, serving as President in 1935-36, and becoming a life member in 1982. 

​Martin is thought to have introduced Reg Lyne to fly fishing in the 1920s and, as a result, Lyne became a huge devotee of the sport. He was well placed to do this as in 1932 he started work in the fishing tackle department of Hartleys Sports Stores Pty Ltd, based in Flinders Street. Martin and Lyne were regular fishing companions, and such was their combined passion for fly fishing that they took it upon themselves to spread the word about this relatively new discipline.

In a report published in The Melton Express entitled ‘Lecture on Fly-Fishing, Bait Now Out-of-Date’, Martin and Lyne addressed members of the Bacchus Marsh Angling Club on the merits of fly fishing:

“Beginners should not expect to get results quickly, as at first they generally had poor sport and so gave it up. There was also a belief that Australian waters were not suitable for fly-fishing and that expensive tackle was required. This was quite the wrong idea.”
(The Melton Express, 23 July 1932)

​Lyne was a crack shot, a tournament caster, wrote extensively and contributed fishing reports on radio and documentary films. Along with Martin he was also another founding member of the VFFA in 1933.

So, what is the connection to Red Tag?

In June 1940 an article entitled “The “Red Tag” Fly Fishers Club, Victoria” was published in Angling & Gun Sport.
Written by then Red Tag secretary, Leon Maddison, the importance of this article cannot be overstated as it represents the only account to-date of the circumstances leading to the formation of the Red Tag Club:

“A lone bait fisherman spending his Saturday afternoons at the Toorourrong, that small but attractively situated reservoir at Whittlesea, where the trout are hard to catch, was attracted by the method of a fellow angler who, using a dry fly, cast to and secured a fish at what seemed to our "garden hackle" exponent an incredible distance.  He at once determined to study this very different method of taking trout."

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Reg Lyne Casting Clinic 1948

The "dry-fly" fisherman was Mr Reg. Lyne, of Melbourne; the observer, Mr Wilf Crouch, of Doncaster.  The chance meeting of these two enthusiasts was destined, in later years, to improve the technique of fly-casting beyond belief; for Mr Crouch’s enthusiasm from his new found art resulted in the first purely fly fishers’ club in Victoria.

​To Mr J. M. Gillies, the well-known angler and golfer, and also a devotee of the Toorourrong, who observed Mr Crouch, with first one and then another of his numerous protégés receiving instruction in the art of casting flies, belongs the credit for suggesting that a fly-fishers group be formed for casting practice on a Doncaster orchard dam.

The rapid and permanent conversion of numerous bait anglers followed, and in 1932, some fifty anglers, under the energetic secretaryship of [the first elected secretary] Mr Frank Park of Box Hill, banded themselves together under the appropriate title of "Red Tag" club.”

Wilfred Crouch

Wilfred Crouch was an orchardist based at Doncaster, then a separate town rather than a suburb of Melbourne. His nephew Norman was another founding member and his cousin Jack was best known for producing the popular range of Crouch reels. The Crouch family ran an orchard situated near the present corner of Williamsons Road and Manningham Road. The Crouch estate was sold for development in 1959.

Wilfred was a member of The Box Hill Angling Club, formed in the early 1920s, and his conversion to fly fishing drew a number of fellow members, including Frank Park and Ken Meiers, to the dam at his orchard for casting practice. And as Maddison’s article relates, J. Malcolm Gillies suggested the formation of the club.

John Malcolm Gillies Tasmania 1940

John Malcolm Gillies began a fishing tackle business at his father’s home within the grounds of Ormond College, University of Melbourne. Early publicity was positive.  An article entitled ‘Luring the Trout, fly-tying and rod-building’ published in The Argus (October 10, 1931), waxed lyrical about Gillies and his fledgling business. Hyperbole aside, Gillies addressed many early meetings of Red Tag on the subject of rod building and fly tying.

A small advert in The Argus (August 10, 1932) announced the availability of a “Trout Fishers’ Guide”, billed as ‘the first catalogue devoted entirely to trout-fishing material produced in Australia’ and the mail order side of the business increased as more catalogues followed.

​'Specialist fly-fishing shops were non-existent in the eastern fringes of Melbourne. Red Tag members were catered for at Frank Park’s Hardware & Sports Store and the Colosseum operated by W. A. Ridoutt & Sons in Box Hill (another founding member). Gillies serviced these stores with a wide range of quality fly-fishing equipment and a range of handcrafted flies.  The dry flies on offer as Christmas Specials sold for five pence each or four shillings and sixpence a dozen, wet flies at three pence each or two shillings and sixpence a dozen.

One of Gillies’ early tasks was to develop fly tying expertise. To achieve this, three young women, Lily Myles, Irene Hammill, and Joan Leed, were employed and trained in the art. In an article entitled Bright Flies to Lure the Trout published in the Australasian magazine (October 6, 1945), reporter Isobel Carter wrote:

“One of Mr Gillies’ staff, Mrs. Lily Myles, has been tying flies for 12 years, and can turn out about 60 dry or 80 wet flies a day. Her craftsman’s fingers are quick and skilful, yet she is still learning something about the art, she says.”

Martin, Lyne, Crouch and Gillies: different backgrounds, different professions, different locations. But as their paths crossed, they pursued a common interest with a passion. We continue to benefit from that passion today as Red Tag members.

Great club. Proud history.

This is a revised and edited extract of Early Beginnings (p2-6) from The Red Tag Fly Fishers’ Club A Brief History 1932-2022.