Swansea - January 2009

Swansea

Date: Saturday, 18 January 2009

Forecast: Wind, E @ 8knots; Temp, Air 23, Water 21.5 ; Tide, High, 2.40pm Low 8.59am; Barometer, 1019, steady

The sun rose on calm morning, with clear skies & balmy temperatures. We had a good turn out which included 2 new boat owners. Damian Webber was keen to “christen“ his newly acquired 4.5 Polycraft as was Rob Harwood with the lovely “Dora D“. Mac Lyall, Chris Bannerman, Richard Hassel, Hamish Read, Andrew Waters launched with Bob Williams, Murray Keating, Russell Piper, Peter Frere & John Robinson acting as swabs. We set off around 7 & headed out of the breakwall. Maritime Services were out & checking licences, wearing of life jackets etc, your tax dollars in action. The sea was a bit lumpy, around 2m with a 2m swell. The Bommie off Moon Island was well & truly working so Mac & I anchored up, berlied up, I almost threw up then set to the important task of fly selection. Mac had a small head start & was working a small surf candy with a will but I had a hybrid epoxy headed thingy I tied the night before that I had high hopes for. I also had a new 8/9 wt so I was all set, just feed out a little line, flick it back, first false cast & bang! The rod broke. This was later judged to be a “Golden Duck” in rod breaking & saw yours truly on the side lines as neither of us had a spare rod. Damo & Muz motored south & found themselves in a large patch of rat kings. They tried numerous flies, berly; if they’d had a kitchen sink they would’ve throw that at them as well. Nothing, complete lack of interest. The Maritime guy zoomed up, checked licences, jackets, had a chat then racked off. This also failed to get any reaction out of these fish. Damian reckoned they drifted along with this school for over ½ hr before they pulled the pin & tried their luck closer in. Chris & John had a lovely voyage almost up to Newcastle but didn’t see so much as a scale. Meanwhile after Mac & I had a visit from Richard we decided to fish closer in as well. Here we found Sticker & Russ & more importantly, a spare rod for yours truly. May your beard flourish flea free for a thousand years most noble Stick man. Back in the game but the new rod brought no luck & although we tried off the beach & the inside channels hoping for a flattie we remained fishless. No so Herr Hassel. He managed 5 Pike 35 to 45cm as well as a slimy Mackerel fishing just off the beach. Rob & Steve also saw some action with Rob christening the Dora D on her first club trip. He managed to fool a rat king with a bread fly tied on a 16 hook. He also bagged 3 butterfish to come third behind Richard.Who scored the most fish you ask? Hamish & Bob got stuck into the rats catching 20, 3 or 4 beating the magic 70cm mark. They also accounted for 9 sweep, the majority falling to Bob. Hamish won’t have fill up his fountain pen for while either after a large squid donated a couple of litres of ink, mostly onto Hamish’s shirt. They had gone a touch further south than the rest & had again been rewarded. Things like who caught the most don’t matter much especially when the Barbie’s fired up & stomachs are growling like big bore outboards. Mr Harwood was the celebrity chef this week & managed to shut us up, for a little while at least. He also nearly set fire to Damian’s Polycraft but this was put down to the increasing wind & not fishing rivalry. More good fellowship followed with Bob showing us the much chewed fly that worked so well on the Kingies. Swansea has proved a bit patchy for the club with some doing well while the majority scratch their heads wondering what they’re doing wrong. Maybe a human sacrifice will appease the gods; if you’re still limping at the next meeting Russell, watch out

Patonga - December 2008

Patonga

Date: Sunday, 7 December 2008

Light showers in the early morning deterred all but a few anglers & only 1 family. Murray Keating, Mac Lyall, Damian Webber, Chris Bannerman, Richard Hassel, Rob Harwood & Russell Piper all had a cast but only 1 or 2 fish were caught. So close to Xmas it was no wonder everyone had something to do or somewhere to be so the pin was pulled early with most enjoying a feed of the famous Patonga Fish & chips. Pete Frere turned up around 11am with family in tow only to find it was all over bar the shouting. Such was the end to our fishing year, not with a bang but a whimper. Still, that was 2008 & I’m sure 2009 will be a lot better. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all our members & their families & till next we meet, tight lines.

Williams River - November 2008

Williams River, A.K.A "The Wind in the Willows"

Date: 15 November 2008

Forecast: Sat. Windy [30-50 knots] with showers, 16-23 degrees, barometric pressure: 994 and falling

We sure can pick ‘em. The club outing was supposed to be the weekend before this one but it was moved due to lack of boats, many owners unable to get away then. I don’t think any of the vessels that were brought to the Williams River had sails but it would have saved a lot of fuel if they did. The wind was so strong I reckon a 5min spinnaker run would have landed you in Newcastle, without getting the keel wet! The biggest challenge most of us faced was getting our tents up, even 1 or 2 man jobs proving a handful. So when Russell Piper turned up with a 6 man Taj Mahal it was all hands on deck. Ken Colmer and his Grandson Mitch, Damian Webber, Mac Lyall & Murray Keating, Andrew Waters and Col Breese all pitched in which was handy as the fly was put on back to front & a comical game of Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie was needed to set things straight. Check the trees in the back ground of the photo around here somewhere & you’ll see why Stickerman yelled out “you guys hold onto the tent, I’ll hold onto Mitch”. While canvas capers occupied most of us Chris Bannerman, ably supported by Max Gear, was out flogging the river. Rather than setting up they went fishing. Once sighted near the bridge they ignited the fighting spirit for which our club is so justly famous and soon every thing we had was launched into the teeth of the gale. Unfortunately this sight was so stirring I forgot to take any pictures, so let me paint the scene. Col Breese reversed up the river no doubt believing a backing Breese would reverse the wind. Ken Colmer took Mr Piper as a wind break albeit a skinny one while using his own flesh & blood (Mitch) as a sea anchor thus taking the definition of a double ended canoe to new heights. Next it was “Rub a dub dub 2 men in a tub” as Mac & Muzz roared off racing to beat Stickerman to the bridge. Andy, who had a 1/2hr & a 1 fish landed head start in Ken’s spare Kayak flogged ’em hollow, no so easy in a vessel with no keel, making impromptu wind driven 180s & even 360s . Last but not least was Roy “Browny” Brown with First Mate Jake in Bob’s ex trusty old punt bouncing up the river. As I waved them good-bye I realised“ Err, guys, where’s my ride? My ride was already on the river. Richard Hassel was afloat & trying his heart out. Unfortunately he was also out of sight so I wandered up to the newly installed jetties. Choosing the westerly one (there are two) I started flicking around & I was encouraged to see a fish mouth something on the surface. This experience put me in the top 50% of the club as apart from Col & Sticker (1 each) nobody caught anything. Chris got silver with a couple of flies taken but dropped while my measly “saw something” took bronze. Given the conditions & the abysmal barometer a fair day’s fishing.The wind was not only strong it was also flukey, backing & swinging, pushing boats & canoes around this way then that, making it even harder to cast & retrieve. People started arriving back at camp around 5 where some only then made the decision to stay, such was the power & uncertainty of the weather. Others who had made plans to turn up late or arrive on Sunday proved we’re not all mad by staying at home. Mac & Murray arrived back late, Col & Damian even later although the latter pushed further up stream than most due to Col’s Friday arvo, Sat’dy morning pre-fish. They found calm water but unlike Col’s previous forays (4 healthy Bass) b-all fish were found, just the one “Pan-Sized”* specimen. (* = small) The Barbie was arced up & full bellies, not to mention glasses, inspired good cheer. Mac rescued us all from a dismal & early night by making a dead-set grouse campfire. He produced a drum from an old clothes dryer as well as a heap of dry fire wood & “ Hey Presto” 1 authentic bush tellie! The beauty of this critter was that even in gale force winds it shed no sparks or embers. With this you saved the trip from the depths of mediocrity Mac, & all concerned had a great night swapping yarns (& insults) thanks to you. The next morning the weather was no better, the best that could be said was it didn’t rain. Breakfast and striking camp were all any one was concerned with, at least the tents were easier to manage. As always the tucker was plentiful & delicious, cooked with TLC by Stickerman. All that remained was to help Col retrieve his quinnie & we’d be off like a bride’s nightie. Col was going to use the boat ramp but as that was over a kilometre away & we had a dozen pairs of hands we reckoned we could haul it up the bank no worries. Note the hand in the photo below. Some one about to dash in & help? A step back reveals the true picture, another council job; the only worker the ever ready Ken. Again no fish but the good humour & fellowship shown this trip highlights the true strength of our club; the character of it’s members.

Oberon - October 2008

Oberon

Date: 24 -26 October 2008

Forecast: Friday: Increasing cloud, Temps -1 to 16, Early frost, Winds light to moderate westerlies. Saturday: Mostly sunny, Temps 6 to 21, Light to moderate W,NW winds. Sunday: Sunny then a late shower, Temps 9 to 22, Winds W to NW before change

Friday It looked good for our trip up to Oberon, for once we had the rotten weather before we left. Most of us arrived in the afternoon & around 4pm we headed off to the Dam. Recent rain had made a real difference in water levels, bone dry paddocks turning back into something far more fishy. Some went to the Reef while the rest headed off to Kellys Lane. A few club members had yet to open their account re Mr Trout & so it was with a small undercurrent of tension that we started fishing. While it was windy it still fishable & as the afternoon progressed some rises were spotted. Fish were caught too, with Stickerman well and truly breaking his trout drought with a rainbow & a brown. He was like a dog with 3 tails; he didn’t know which one to wag first. “Windy” Keating bagged a nice little rainbow ‘though he had left a day before the rest & had already caught a 47cm brown in a stream around Tarana. This is our family weekend & with partners & little ones to accommodate stumps were pulled early so we could gather around the Barbie. Over dinner the fish were tallied up with Kellys Lane ahead with 3 fish, while at The Reef Mac Lyall & Col Breese managed to avoid getting bogged down and bagged a rainbow each . Damian “Armstrong” Webber broke a new rod on the 1st cast. President Davo came to his rescue lending him a rod, reel & line, proving this club leaves no man behind. The rest of the evening centred on the “rowdy“ cabin where flies, lines, theory & strategy were discussed before the effects of the day took over & it was time for beddy bies. Saturday Who invented 4:00 in the morning? No relative of mine that’s for sure. After much mumbling & stumbling we were on the bank 3/4hr later. Walking through the field of “diamonds” that herald a frost was some compensation; learning the effect sleep deprivation & darkness have on casting was less inspiring. Half an hour or so later & said casting, which should have improved was actually going backwards. A glance with the trusty headlamp showed guides clogged with ice. No wonder the skinnier club members had mentioned the temperature so often, it really was cold. Those with their feet solidly on the ground took it in their stride. Dawn broke but it wasn’t til 7ish that the first fish was landed where it was promptly “glassed” as Murray the Mugger used an old discarded stubby as a priest. The light revealed some rising fish & also the huge amount of rubbish left behind by a couple of bait soakers from the night before. Sad, they looked like locals. Chris “ Bashful “ Bannerman did good [ rainbow] as well as Herr Hassel [ like-wise ] . Some ”Jimmy come lately” s turned up at the Reef as the early birds were leaving. Messer’s Hyatt, Hollet and Max “ Top” Gear were on the plot and a Jimmy [ don’t ask me which one they all look the same ] scored a well conditioned fish against the run of play as he [ they ? ] landed it at 10am. Rob Harwood also appeared so all the usual suspects were gathered. Time to regroup, otherwise known as breakfast & some preferred a quick bite as the local streams beckoned. 3 likely lads took off as the rest of us sorted out partners, kids or better yet, a real brekkie then a re-match with the pillow. Both the Jenolan caves & the Zig Zag railway are near Oberon & provide an opportunity to entertain the family. Those who are truly brave take them fishing . Like Chris, he took wife Deb & daughter Catherine to the dam & was rewarded with a fish; after he’d snuck away from the girls. While fishing with kids can be a pain in the creel there is an up side. As Chris made his way back he heard his 6 year old advising her mother on casting: You’re doing it all wrong mum! The future is in safe hands. Around 3:30ish we set out again, for more of the same; much effort with no real appreciation or respect shown by those rascally trout. Again our endeavours were cut short due to the traditional Chinese Din-Dins. Club Rowdy ruled after that with less tactics but more hmm, well, mature topics being discussed. Like can fish get so depressed that they’d let them selves get caught by Max; just kidding, he worked “dam” hard. The streams produced some good fish with Murray, Andrew & Richard all doing well, the fish coming from um, being caught at err,,,, I’m told they were all bagged in, ah…..water! Sunday Another gawd awful early start with most members banking on Kellys Lane. Mac, Murray & Pete set off to Mac’s secret spot in a state forest. The lack of shovels & body bags in the back of the Nancy Boy, sorry, Holden Rodeo inspired trust in our guide & it was well placed as he put us on a stream with bags of trout. Unfortunately they all hated real men & only Mac & Murray caught some truly gay fish. Meanwhile, back at the Dam, Richard followed a well beaten path & although he was the 5th or 6th person to cast from this spot that morning he landed the fish of the weekend, a 50cm ‘bow. Back to base & we gathered for a great feed around the Barbie. This had been our best attended Oberon trip yet and all but 3 of our members caught fish. Slowly people drifted away to pack cars & start the trek back to Hillbilly Heaven. The M3 proved a smooth trip for most. Personally I took the Wisemans Ferry route & it took no longer. A bit more bendy but far less traffic. A great weekend & as for those trout who refused my best offers; next time there’ll be no more Mr Nice Guy.

Swansea - September 2008

Swansea MkII

Date: September 2008

The difference weather wise between this trip and our last foray to Swansea was like chalk and cheese. Rain and strong wind gave way to sunshine and generally balmy conditions. That wasn’t the only major change, but more on that later. The roll up was great, with Mac Lyall, Roy Browne, Chris Bannerman, Col Breese, Richard Montgomery, Dan Cleary, Ken Colmer and Hamish Read launching; Damian Webber, Jimmy Hyatt, Paul McGrath, Murray Keating, Russell Piper, Pete Frere, Bob Williams and Gerryn Read acting as crew. Last but by no means least was Dan‘s ever enthusiastic first mate, Jonesy the wonder dog . The boats moved out, some scouting the area where we had success before with the rest heading out to Moon Island. Hamish, Ken and Dan motored down to the “Catho” Pier while the rest mooched around M.I.. Ken and Dan returned after finding nowt while Hamish & co pushed on. Mac and Pete decided to attack the seaward side of Moonie, where they got a couple of touches early on which fuelled optimism. Then Mac unveiled his cunning secret weapon; a sinking line that floats! Imagine, something bought cheap off the internet turning out to be a dud. Who’d have thunk it! Mac and Pete’s persistence turned up results, at least as far as company was concerned. Like bees to a honey pot boats came sniffing around and such was the quiet run of play even vague stories of “touches” was enough and soon 4 boats were flogging the waters. There was a bit of a swell and the water was crystal clear; the bottom visible even without Polaroids in up to 6ms. Conditions were great, but…. Little by little enthusiasm waned and folk made their way back inside after trying the landward side of the Island, to no avail. Back in the channel every feature deemed a fish attracting area, drop off, rock bar, you name it got a flick out of someone or another. No go. A far cry from our last trip which saw fish in abundance. The back channel near the bridge was investigated and Mac was soon hooked up. Unfortunately the Mangrove tree won the argument and it has the fly to prove it, despite Mac’s crotch soaking efforts to retrieve a prized tying effort. More disappointment prompted a tea break. Spirits renewed it was back to Moonie with more of the same; much effort, no result. With 12:30 approaching it was time to motor back to the ramp and compare dance cards. The results? Richard bagged a pigeon pair of salmon [ 61cm ], Hamish, Gerryn and Bob followed a stream of birds south untill they found several huge schools of salmon and spent a few happy hours catching and releasing bags of fish, the lucky f, the lucky f.f, the lucky f.f.f….fly fishermen! However the catch of the day went to Jimmy Hyatt, with the capture of a Gurnard, a first for Jimmy on fly and for the club. As usual Ken’s site-ting and provisioning of the Barbie was impeccable. Chef Roy f*u#%!! Ramsey’s efforts were notable by the pockets of silence they produced as people were too busy munching to share a joke or comment, a rare event when our members meet. A glorious day, only next time we will have to remember to invite the fish!

Swansea - August 2008

Swansea

Date: August 2008

It was the kind of morning you’d rather stay in your warm, cosy bed; cold, wet and windy. The venue had been moved from Pittwater due to adverse weather, to Swansea. The latter offered some protection for the smaller vessels in our fleet. Col Breese, Chris Bannerman, Ken Colmer, Mac Lyall and Richard Hassall launched with Peter Frere, Murray Keating and Steve Tizard acting first mates. Rob Harwood had only recently vacated a hospital bed so his decision, made in driving rain and howling wind, to call discretion the better part of valour was a wise one. Some tactful questioning from Steve elicited that salmon action had been encountered almost directly opposite the ramp. Our club members, rugged individualists to a man, decided to poke their noses out from the breakwall instead and pursue the large flocks of Shearwaters resting peacefully on the slight swell. They must have had a gut-ful of us approaching and waking them up. There were no fish there and eventually the penny dropped and everyone traipsed back to, you guessed it, the very place first indicated. The wind had abated somewhat and a quick peek over the side with polarised goggs had yours truly yelling and trying to tie a new leader in world record time. The salmon were still in place and in abundance. They were zooming about in large schools in only 1- 1.2m of water. There followed a frustrating time as the fish were all around the boat but couldn’t be hooked. No such problems for Ken, whose “long-line” cast proved very effective if somewhat nauseating. After about the 200th lap around Mac’s boat he pleaded with Ken to go the other way as we were getting dizzy! The wind kept blowing with periods that seemed to herald a storm, the dark clouds in the west adding weight to the argument. I finally found the fly to do the job. I had been experiencing trouble in getting to the depth required. In 1m this sounds mad I know but the wind and tide conspired to keep my best offerings too high; and the sambos weren’t looking up that day. An epoxy minnow changed that and an approx. 60cm fish hook up was fun while it lasted. The 8lb tippet popped and that was that. Col dropped 3 similar fish on 6lb while Murray too felt the heart break of a lost fish. All members persevered in at times bloody awful conditions and should be commended for just turning up. In the end it was the smell of Ken’s efforts with the Barbie that called Mac and I in. The others refused to say die untill well after midday, by which time the fish had well and truly buggered off. Ken and his controversial methods won the day with 5 fish boated, the best at 65cm. All agreed the location had huge potential with many different scenarios ; flats, off shore and the hot water out-lets to name a few. The boat ramp was first class. Set in it’s own protected “harbour” it made launching and retrieval a breeze. Swansea hasn’t seen the last of the “ fly boys“, not by a long cast, err.. shot!

The Entrance - July 2008

The Entrance

Date: July 2008

This month the club broke with tradition and members met at the Entrance on Saturday at noon. After a well cooked lunch we set off, we being Dave Witham, Chris Bannerman, Ken Colmer, Richard Hassall, Pete Muddle launching; Paul McGrath, Murray Keating, Damien Webber, Roger Fielden, Peter Frere, Max Gear and Russell Piper provided the crews. There was some trepidation but even more mirth provoked by the report of a 7 metre White Pointer loose in Tuggerah Lake. A quick check revealed no-one had brought their baby seal or King penguin flies so an opportunity was lost there. Unfortunately it was quite windy making the selection of spots that much more difficult. The fleet fanned out some heading north, others west while most concentrated around the bridge area. It was a lovely sunny day except for the wind and water clarity was 100%. Mac reckoned he could see crabs dancing on the bottom but when asked whose he refused to say. Fish were sighted holding around the bridge pillars but proved finicky with no strikes or even follows in this area. As the sun started to sink in the west a couple of boats tried the old boat shed after rumours of large Estuary Perch. No perch were hooked although the boat shed was, several times. However it was released unharmed to fight and rent boats another day. With most of the boats out of sight of each other for most of the day it was hard to know how our fellow members were faring (and if meeting with success, swamp their spot). However Max and Dave bucked the trend and scored bream, tailor and flattie in the channel. Paul also had some success but all in all the pickin’s were slim. Oh well, better luck next time.