The Entrance - February 2016

The Entrance

February 2016

Well another year has passed and The Entrance outing is upon us yet again. We will be fishing Tuggerah Lake, a large waterway which is very popular with locals and visitors alike. This outing is one of the most popular on our calender partly due to accessability, as it is situated 25 minutes north of the Gosford CBD, plus the fact that this lake always produces.

The lake is legendary for prawning. I'm sure many club members have spent a few warm summer nights while on holidays as kids and adults with their Mums, Dads, friends and family chasing a feed of the famous Tuggeragh lake prawns. I know I did - "ahh" freshly cooked prawns, fresh bread rolls, lashings of butter, black pepper and a touch of seafood sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I must say as we all get older these are the things we have the fondest memories of, not the playstation, not the TV, as they say "THATS NOT LIVING".

Now due to the abundance of prawns in the lake fish numbers increase when the prawns run to sea. This correlates with the tide and moon phases which in turn it increases the many types of fish and predators that feed on them .Prawns are the staple diet for many of the fish and birds that frequent this expansive waterway. The most popular target species for Central Coast Fly Rodders are flathead, bream, whiting, tailor, mullet and the odd estuary perch. But thats a bit of a secret, so don't tell Richard. LOL.

Most of the Entrance outings have been sucessful with an impressive list of species being caught over the years. Many of our members have caught their first fish on fly on this outing and as many will testify it has initiated their addiction to fly fishing. Some have come and gone but many are still with us and can boast an impressive list of species under their belts. I must say this speaks volumes for the work the club commitee and members alike do for this club. It continues today as many of the newer members will testify.

We arrived at the ramp to be greated by a stiff southerly breeze. This was not ideal for fishing an open waterway such as Tuggerah Lakes. Many of the boys were already in the water - Kenny, Steve, Ivan and the numerous crews were all keen to go. We slid the Quinnie off the trailer and tied up to the wharf. We discussed tactics with the boys and then proceeded to rig up. Weapons of choice for the lake range from 4 to 7 weights. These will cover most of the fish to be encountered, intermediate lines will cover your subsurface fish, flathead, whiting , EPs, while floating lines should cover the rest, with 9 ft leaders, 8 -12 lb tippet doing the job. Lightly tied clousers and shrimp patterns seem to work well but we all have our favorites, mind you it doesn't hurt to think outside the square. Lighten up your leaders for mullet and bream, and using a spun deer hair floating bread fly with a sinking dropper attached to the hook shank seems to be the most efficient way of landing some nice fish. Also take note, plenty of berley is required for this outing so stock up on the bread, 6 - 8 loaves usually covers each boat.

Although we had a stiff southerly breeze we still headed south through the main channel as there had been reports of good numbers of flathead being caught prior to the outing. But with the wind and the wave action stirring up the weed and mud it made it very difficult to get a clean retrieve. We persevered for a while but the breeze became more intense as did the ribbon weed coming off the flats, so a move was our best option. We decided to head back up the channel towards the bridge as it always manages some good size flathead. The fact that it would give us some extra protection from the wind made our decision easier. We motored passed Stickerman's rig and they had just landed a couple of nice size flathead. We were a little more optimistic now and moved to the ocean side of the bridge managing to land one small flathead and a few tailor. We noticed Ivan was over near the caravan park and he had also landed a flathead but the fish were few and far between. We fished several of the holes and drop offs that had produced on previous outings but things were a bit quiet. A few of the boys were landing the odd fish but we decided moving around might be our best option as the fish did not seem to be schooled up in the regular haunts and they were becoming quite difficult to find.

Dave and I decided we would head up the channel north of the bridge towards the Coastal Patrol. Throwing a few clousers along the edges is a great plan (when it works) but with no success Plan B was to berley up for some mullet and bream. And we didnt have to wait long for that first boil around the bread. Within minutes we had bream, mullet and garfish busting up on the floating bread all around the boat. Although it was late in the day it was still quite hot and a cool drink was needed. It took a while to get the fish to feed freely but with copious amounts of bread we were getting more interest and landing a few good mullet. Berleying with bread tends to attract all types of species, including birds, and as we are all aware the lake is host to pelicans, seagulls and of cause bloody ducks. Now casting bread flies to rising bream and mullet is an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday arvo and we all love to catch fish on the dry fly, its the visual aspect that makes it so special. I know if I drop dead on a remote sand flat casting floating flies to feeding fish I will die happy. I just hope thats a long way off. My theory is fishing is good for the soul and the more you fish the longer you will live. Its only a theory, lets see how that goes over my ensuing years which are many I hope.

We decided to head back toward the north channel several of the guys were anchored and berleying up some nice big schools of mullet . Mick and Muz had fish all around them, along with a couple of icy cold ones (not mullet). I said to Dave this looks like a good spot (talk about dropping in) and as I glanced up the channel I could see a familar sight on the lake. Now normally he would be in one of his many hotspots that I must say he has been more than happy to share with many club members, (hey Richard, hows that been workin for you, ha ha). We all know his legendary status when it comes to fishing the Coast and his passion for fishing is second to none. I know myself and many club members would not of achieved as much as we have in this sport without his influence, tutelage and patience. He has always given me his time and shared his knowledge on anything fishing especially when I was struggling to work out this flyfishing gig. His knowledge of fishing the coast and all its boundaries seems limitless. He is an integral reason why our club is so successful today and he continues to support the club, members and new-comers alike.

Yes you all know who I'm talking about - Bob (Colonel Sanders) Williams. Now I know fishing can be tough but special delivery of hot Kentucky Fried Chicken, chips, gravy (no drive through here boys) on a balmy summer evening while schools of mullet are busting up everywhere. Now thats "Very Cool". Thanks Bob, it is all much appreciated.

Well after a great feed we continued to berley up. Bob anchored beside us and the laughter coming from all the boats in the channel must have had the tourists on the shore wondering what we were on, but as the light started to fade we were having difficulty seeing the fly. As Bob and I discussed something about our eyesight fading and the fact we might be getting old, our comments were all but forgotten as we continued to connect to some really good fish. And as the light faded the fish seemed to lose all their inhibitions and they were now smashing our bread flies the moment they hit the water. We commented that we were landing some of the better mullet that had been caught on previous Entrance outings, and the banter and laughter coming from all the club members really makes this club what it is today.

I must also make a special mention to Stickerman who after many tough years has finally managed to get the "monkey off his back". A milestone has been reached in his illustrious fly fishing career. Yes finally he has done it - an "Estuary Perch on Fly". Well done mate! There is conjecture however, as word is that he didn't tie the fly. Does that still count? (Ha ha) Now all you have to do is catch one on your own fly, but hey remember no pressure.

Well with another successful Entrance outing over and done with. Plenty of fish, great food and above all a lot of happy members. So until our next outing remember - Fish hard because your a long time dead.