Forster Fly Muster
March 15-17 2019
For those that are unaware of the what the Forster Fly Muster is, it is an event that raises money for The Fly Program through bringing together fly fishers from all over the East Coast. Monies are raised through auctions, raffles and donations from those attending.
The Fly Program is a charity that helps Aussie males with PTSD, depression etc. The program takes people out into the Australian bush and teaches them to fly fish, in a non-threatening environment, where support of fellow participants is key. It's a place to discuss what is happening and sharing experiences. But it's more than just helping the individuals - it benefits their families and friends so has quite a broad reach.
That's the introduction to the what and why of the Muster, so now onto this year's event.
2019's muster saw a record number of fly fishers attend, with over 100 people registered. The weather forecast was looking a bit average so it was good to see such a big turnout. The event begins on the Friday for those that arrive early, with a meet and greet on Friday afternoon. The usual introductions and chat as well as the first chance to get the raffle tickets and shirts.
Day 2 starts at 7am with a briefing from Brett Wilson - the man behind the FFM. he gives us all a run down on the why we are there and what the plan is for the weekend. An introduction from Matt Trippet from the Fly Program and what this event means to him and then we move onto some information about the fishing around Forster, Tuncurry.
After the briefing it's up to each person as to what they do for the day. Some people get some casting tuition from the certified casting instructors other go for a fish on the flats and the rest get the boats on the water and away we go.
We chose to get out and go for a fish and so far the rain had held off. We head up towards the lakes and fished some of the leases and then berleyed up for some mullet and bream. 5 minutes in we heard a huge thunder clap off in the distance and in came the rain that had been holding offshore all morning. It came down hard, so hard it felt like needles hitting your body. It was so intense that the boat starting filling with water and the bilge pump was going flat chat. We took shelter under a tree until it eased slightly and then we decided to head back to the ramp. You couldn't see very far in front of you so we followed the trail on the GPS to find our way back.
We go back to the ramp, soaked to the bone and water pouring out the bung once back on dry land. We parked up behind the cabin, threw the cover on and sought shelter inside. That was the fishing done for the morning and we then had a get together at 14:30 where the club had a small stand. We did some fly tying demos, had some flies laid out for people to look at. Calendars for people to flick through to see what the club is about. We got some great attention.
Part of the afternoon was the fly tying comp, which took the form of a people's choice. Each attendee got to give two votes for their favourite flies and there were some great prizes on offer. There were some really good flies on the viewing table and well done to the winners.
More raffle tickets sold and the auction was run. The Auction prize was an 8 weight custom fly rod and a box of flies that were tied and donated by a number of people attending the muster. Brownie and I contributed flies to that box and overall it was an impressive collection of flies. The Auction got up to $760 all of which goes to the Fly Program.
The afternoon finished about 4:30 and we hit the water to fish until dusk. We explored some water close to the caravan park as the wind had come up and was making the main channel more like a washing machine. It was tough going with only one small flathead caught in that time. As the sun dipped we decided to head back to the ramp and get dinner underway.
Sunday was checkout at 10. So we had packed most of our gear the night before so we could get up early and pack the car, launch the boat for a fish before the 12 noon final get together. We headed up the channel and fished a flat that we had some success on the previous year. The tide was running in fast but just about to turn. We used fast sink lines and fished the edge of the flat to see if there were any flathead around. Shayne caught the first one which was a nice fish around 40cm and then I caught a monster that was about 2 cms longer than the fly I was using.
Once the tide changed we moved out into the channel and drifted with the fast sink lines. A few takes but no hookups and we noticed a huge school of mullet actively feeding around one of the racks. I flicked the electric motor into anchor mode and started the berley trail. The fish were onto it straight away and we were on first cast. A good mix of mullet and bream hit the boat and some of them were tanks.Double and triple hookups made life interesting when it came to trying to avoid tangles, but it was a fun morning. We headed back to the ramp about 11:20 - hooked the boat up and got the car and boat ready for the trip home.
At 12 the whole crew got together to hear the total raised over the weekend and also the raffle draw. The total raised for the weekend was over $7000 which is enough to get about 11 people through the program. There were plenty of raffle prizes and Bob Beamish was lucky enough to score a prize.
A weekend like this takes a lot of organising and Brett WIlson, Shannon Kitchener, Brett Clarke and Cherie Forbes did an awesome job. Brett Clarke and Cherie organised some amazing prizes for the event, the value of which exceeded $9500 so there were plenty of prizes to go around. Thanks to Terry, Scott, Trent, Bob B, Steve B, Brownie, Shayne, Tim and Leon for representing the club.
