The Entrance at Night - April 2006

The Entrance at Night

Date: April 2006

Unusual waether conditions plagued us on this trip - it was clear with only a light breeze! Not your run-of-the-mill conditions going by past outings. Never the less, a total of six boats, 12 fly fishers and 1 dog took to the water at The Entrance to see if we could repeat previous years' successes. John Robertson was my deckie for the trip and was looking forward to breaking a bit of a recent drought on fly. We anchored between Dan and the bridge in one of my favourite positions and proceeded to rig-up. John was obviously hoping for something big as his tipet was 20lb. I opted for something a bit lighter - 6lb tippet on a 7wt, with a chatreuse clouser at point. In the mean time Dan had connected with a patch of tailor and was having a ball trying to land them on his light weight trout leader. He had a fish a cast for a while there, and a mixture of tailor and flathead. We were soon out and I lost my first fly to a tailor on the second cast. Hmmm, maybe I had better make the tippet a bit heavier. John wasn't having any luck however and he soon decided to try a lighter tippet. As the afternoon wore on we managed a healthy number of flathead and tailor. Most of the flatties were undersize and went back, the odd oversize one being kept for the dinner pot. Across the channel we could see Dave and Paul were having similar success with constant bent rods. By dusk the tide had peaked and things started to go quiet. A westerly breeze had picked up and we moved to the eastern side of the bridge to try our luck there. Dan and Browny moved to the north side of the bridge to get out of the wind while Daniel and Terry moored not far from us to try their luck. As the evening progressed we had a trickle of flathead keep us amused. John had gotten into his stride now and was pulling in fish regularly. He was a happy camper. Terry was also feeling pretty pleased with himself having landed two fish, his first fish on fly ever! By 7.30 a few of the guys were calling it a night and headed back to the ramp. John and I persevered, shifting a few times to see if we could find a thick patch of fish, but only succeeding in a few more flathead, a pike and a huge octopus. John knew he had something decent on, but it was making the rod rise and fall like a yoyo. At first we thought it might have been Dave's stingray from last year, but once it surfaced we found it to be an octopus about half a metre long! You wont catch me wading there any more! Meanwhile Dave and Paul had moved back near us and picked up quite a few pike up to almost a metre long. With 9.30 approaching, very little tidal movement and the action going quiet we decided to head back to the ramp, following Dave and Paul. Dan and Browny soon followed, bringing a few nice fish with them. Another successful trip to The Entrance even though on average the fish were smaller. However this may be due to the time of the year as we usually fish earlier. And well done to Terry who now has his first fish on fly.

CFA Interclub - April 2006

New South Wales Council of Freshwater Anglers Fly Fishing Interclub

Date: April 2006

The NSWCFA Fly Fishing Interclub Meet, an annual event, was again held this year at Wallerawang near Lithgow, from Friday to Sunday, 28 to 30 April 2006. Fifty four representatives of fly fishing clubs travelled from the Illawarra, Sydney, Orange, Bathurst, the Central Coast, the Hunter, and the North Coast to take part. Central Coast Fly Rodders were represented by John Humphries, the event co-ordinator, Steve Tizard, Ken Colmer, Paul Jones and Bob Beamish. We hoped to continue our club’s successes at previous meets: in 2002 Bill Sonnenberg caught the largest trout and, last year, Steve successfully took out the fly tying event. The venue was again Rob and Linda Cluff’s Black and Gold Country Cabins at Wallerawang, a quiet coal mining village near Lake Wallace (Wallerawang Dam), on the upper Cox’s River, which supplies water to the Wallerawang Power Station. As well as Lake Wallace, other trout fishing options were nearby Thompson’s Creek Dam and Lake Lyell, and for those willing to travel further, the Fish River and Oberon Dam. Unfortunately, continuation of drought conditions, as in past years, made for tough fishing. With the exception of Lake Wallace, which was close to full, the other dams were around 30 percent capacity and still falling. Although, surprisingly, the Fish River was flowing well in the lower reaches around Tarana. Whilst fishing conditions may have been challenging, weather conditions were perfect for the event: light winds, mild nights and warm autumn sunshine encouraged most of us to fish the lakes or streams and take part in the casting events. And despite the drought conditions and tough fishing, as in previous years, the event again attracted a good turn-out. The enthusiasm and dedication of event co-ordinator, John Humphries, Rob and Linda Cluff’s hospitality, and the generosity of prize sponsors continues to keep most of us coming back year-after-year. This year, the principal sponsor was Ross Salvato, of the World of Tackle. Prizes included: fly fishing rods; fly lines, instructional courses, books and DVDs; fly tying kits; accommodation and NZ car hire. Registration was from midday Friday, with most participant arriving by the time Mat Ryan, of DPI Fisheries, gave a short evening presentation on fishing conditions, and the activities of Fisheries in enforcing the freshwater fishing laws. According to Mat, Lake Wallace was fishing well for the locals (using lures and bait). But, in view of our lack of previous success with fly on that fishery, Steve, Ken, Paul and I, along with most other meet participants, chose instead to fish Saturday at Thompson’s Creek Dam, where the largest fish of the previous year’s meet had been captured. Perfect fly fishing conditions – slightly overcast, with a light breeze riffling the lake surface – did not translate into fish, with most fly fishers unable to get connected. But after hooking, and then pulling the fly out, of a very large rainbow during the late morning, I was finally able to hook, land, measure and then released a 46 cm rainbow about two hours later. This trout proved to be the largest fish landed during the day -- those who fished the Fish River around Tarana enjoyed delightful stream fishing, but only encountered small rainbows. And, to the surprise of most, my trout took out trophies for both largest trout and largest rainbow at the presentation dinner later that evening. As in previous years, the dinner was a great social event and, due to the generosity of sponsors, almost everyone was able to receive a prize. Money from raffles and silent auctions raised valuable funds that NSWCFA is then able to spend to regenerate freshwater fish habitats and improve the quality of fishing for the benefit of all anglers. Casting events were held Sunday morning and, going into the events, Central Coast was well in contention to take out the champion club trophy. Unfortunately, our enthusiasm for fly casting was not matched by our skill level or the final results, and we were well outclassed by the expert casters from the Lakeside Fly Fishing Club, who regularly compete in competition casting events at a high level. The meet concluded with a barbecue lunch and final presentation. It’s a great fly fishing event. I’m sure most participants will be back again, next year.

Paterson River - March 2006

Paterson River

Date: March 2006

The Paterson River can be a mixed bag for bass fishing. Some trips can produce quite well, others so so good. This trip proved to be the latter, we think in part due to the condition of the river, which was poor. With a lack of rain, the river was quite mucky and the reaches below the township whilst deep, had a lot of weed. The only person to have success was Bob, who fished well above the town of Paterson. The rest of us had no luck, even those who resorted to less than respectable means. But they shall remain nameless.

Sydney Harbour - February 2006

Sydney Harbour

Date: February 2006

This month's outing was in Sydney Harbour. Members met at Kariong at 5.30am and after hearing from Bob that he was running late (suprise suprise), headed down the F3 through the North Shore to Roseville where we launched in the upper reaches of Middle Harbour. We all headed down the harbour, Rob Harwood and myself stopping at Bantry Bay to take a look before continuing on. Down near the Spit Bridge Rob spotted some surface action so we stopped to investigate. The action was sporadic but soon our attention was taken by a large fish cruising on the surface about 50 feet from us. At first we thought it was a shark, but the lack of dorsal fin gave it away as a small cobia about 1-1.5m long. We cast some large baitfish patterns at it, eliciting a half-hearted response and chased it down towards the bridge before it disappeared. We continued on, investigating the other bays before heading out towards the heads. A quick call to Bob and Hamsih indicated they had found some slimy mackerel outside and were heading up to Long Reef with Leon who had already caught a frigate. We cruised around in the 3m swell for a while before finding the patch of slimies. The water looked brown they were so thick, but hooking one proved tricky. Finally I managed one on a gummy minnow, but they soon went down and we saw no more of them before we decided to head back inside. From here were crossed over to the Naval Base and fished around there before moving around Middle Head to fish with a bit of berley. Some penguins indicated the presence of baitfish but there were no larger species with them. By late morning Rob and I headed back up to Bantry Bay and tried berleying there for a half an hour without success then headed back to the ramp with the rest of the group to have lunch. Most of the guys reported slim pickings with Dave and Jim hooking some tailor early on, but it was Bob, Hamish and Leon who did the best with some small kings and other pelagics between North Head and Long Reef.

MacMasters Beach - January 2006

MacMasters Beach

Date: January 2006

The early hours of Sunday morning saw club members meet at MacMasters Beach to spend the morning beach fishing. The weather was perfect and the sea not too rough for our purpose, so we spread along the beach, some heading up to the lagoon to try there. A couple of double handed rods were there but most were using nine foot wands, full sink lines and flies ranging from baitfish patterns to clousers. Dan Cleary was the first to hookup on a nice flathead, taken on a clouser pattern. Some of us moved up the beach to a known gutter, but it was occupied by bait fishermen who were occaisionally reeling in salmon. We fished as close as acceptable but without success. Our traditional BBQ lunch was replaced by an egg and bacon breakfast. The smell of freshly fried bacon and eggs wafted down the street and passers by looked longingly at our feast as we enjoyed it. After breakfast we decided to try for some frigates at The Haven. Those who didn't have to work headed up there and we spent the rest of the morning chasing these speedsters as they raced past. Dave and Bob topped the tally with about half a dozen hookups each. Dave managed to get wrapped around some fish trap ropes a few times but Matty came to the rescue, dove in and freed Dave's fly. By late morning most of us had decided to call it a day after catching a fish or two each. Quite an enjoyable morning's fishing and a near-record turnout for the club.

Broken Bay - December 2005

Broken Bay

Date: December 2005

A grey and slightly breezy morning greeted us as we met at Patonga boat ramp. With an excess of boats and me still nursing an injured foot I hitched a ride with Hamish and Bob. We immediately headed out around Box Head and made our way north under the cover of threatening rain clouds. We fished along the rock cliffs and headlands up to Copa looking for schools of salmon or kings but there was little to be seen. We then decided to had south across Broken Bay and down past Palm and Whale beaches. There fishing wasn't sterling here either with only Bob managed a good sized seargent baker. By lunch time we hadn't rakced up any massive talllies so we headed back, looking forward to our Christmas lunch. Back at the ramp and over some excellent Chritmas fare the stories of the morning's fishing were much the same, with only a smattering of caught fish. Not only this, but no sooner were the boats trailered than the clouds cleared and the wind dropped.

Oberon - October 2005

Oberon

Date: October 2005

A regular on the Club's calendar, the Oberon Dam trip has proven popular and successful. With each year our understanding of the dam and it's trout improves and our catches increase. This year was our most successful yet. With five club members booked for the trip I decided to bring my wife and daughter along (as family members) and make it a long weekend, following Bob and Anne up on Friday to make the most of the fishing. And in true Fly Rodders form the weather was looking dubious. Leaving home with heavy showers all the way through Sydney, it wasn't until we descended from the Blue Mountains that the weather began to clear. By the time we booked into our cabin at Oberon there was more blue stuff above us than grey and we sat back to enjoy a coffee and wait for the Williams to arrive. Once Bob and Anne had arrived we prepared ourselves for fishing deciding to fish the western side of the dam just near town. Rain was still threatening when we arrived so we donned wet weather gear and headed off around the lake. The water level was up from our visit last year and had recently covered fresh grass, so the conditions were looking promising. Bob started fishing with a floating line while I tried a deeper tact with an intermediate. This meant fewer suitable places to fish, but hopefully bigger returns. I left Bob to some nice looking water and moved further around the lake to where the water looked deeper. On my second cast a solid weight was felt and I lifted into a nice 1.5lb rainbow. As soon as it was hooked the fish went ballistic and spent more time in the air than the water, but it soon calmed down and I managed to land it without too much effort. A quick photo and it was off to grow bigger. A few more casts in this area provided no further action so I moved a bit further around and tried again. No sooner had I cast into this new area than I was on. This time it was a bigger fish and it stayed down. After several runs to deeper water it revealed itself to be a nice brown of 3lb. Not bad for a couple of hours fishing. By now it was getting dark and I decided to head back to see how Bob had fared. I found him fishing to numerous rises with stories of almost-caught fish, but none landed. We decided to call it quits and head back for some dinner. The next morning we were up early and out on the water by 5.30am. It was already quite light and we saw a few rises. Once again we went to work, Bob with his floater, me trusting in my intermediate line. I headed back to where I had my success yesterday and cast into the same area. Yet again I was on. And yet again another nice 3lber brown. I couldn't believe my luck. But it soon ran out as the sun peeked over the hills and the fishing went dead. Bob also managed a small rainbow before the sun appeared and we persevered for an hour or two more before heading back to the car and back for breakfast by about 8.30. The rest of the group arrived early afternoon and after hearing our reports were keen to get out there. The conditions were a little windier and this time we weren't so lucky with the rain, copping some heavy downpours together with a spectacular sunset. The fishing was still quite encouraging with many rises. Rob Harwood managed a nice fish soon after arriving while the rest of us spread out around the lake edge. I headed off to find new territory but had little luck, seeing no fish for the rest of the afternoon. Bob, Browny and Shayne all had better luck with Bob landing a nice 2lb rainbow, Browny landing it's little brother and Shayne hooking a nice fish but losing it after it jumped and threw the fly. We headed back about 7.30 to have our traditional dinner at the Chinese restaurant at Oberon RSL. An early rise on Sunday saw us on the water before we could see it. A heavy fog had descended and it was noticeably colder this morning but the sound of fish rising could be heard on the water as we approached the lake. Once again we spread out and cast towards the enticing bloops and it was frustrating to hear fish so close but not be able to cast accurately at them. Still, we persevered past sunrise with little success. I spotted some rises and headed towards them, but then I spotted the fish and noted it was the size of an overgrown goldfish. Bob, Shayne and Browny were having some close calls but hookups weren't forthcoming. By 8am the sun was high in the sky, the fog had burnt off, and we could see why we weren't having any joy. The water's edge was awash with spent insects, obviously from hatches throughout the night. It's my guess the fish had gorged themselves on the insects and were no longer hungry (apart from the odd smaller one). In fact the whole bay was covered in a slick of spent insects. It was time to go. A breakfast of bacon and eggs back at the caravan park and we headed off back to the Central Coast. Bob and I stopped at Lake Lyell en route to see if it was worth a fish, but even though the water level was up it didn't look encouraging and we continued our journey home.