VOLUME 29, ISSUE 08. March 2023
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Charles Arrand, in the beautiful St Patrick's River, on our Club Trip to Tasmania in February 2023. |
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Featured content
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"Nothing grows faster than a fish from when it bites until it gets away". ~ by Anonymous ~ |
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Next Members Monthly Meeting
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Our next Members Monthly Meeting will be held at The Freeway Hotel in Artarmon, on the corner of Reserve Road and The Gore Hill Freeway. The meeting will kick off at 7:00pm on Monday, 13th March 2023.
Our guest speaker will be Murray Stewart from Aussie Fly Fisher.
Please view further down the Flyrodder for the details. |
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Next Members Monthly Fly Tying
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The Next Monthly Fly Tying Meeting will held on Monday, 20th March 2023 at our usual venue in the Green Room of the Henley Community Centre, kicking off at 7:00pm.
See further details below under the Monthly Fly Tying segment. |
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Denis Hill with a gorgeous Mataura River brown from the February 2023 NZ Trip.
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Dear {Contact_First_Name},
Once again, I would like to take the opportunity to talk about the importance of quick, accurate casting. I have just returned from week’s fishing with Gavin Hurley and his crew in the New Zealand South Island. You may recall pre Covid, Gavin offered the Club a great discount on a week’s guided fishing from his base in Lumsdale. Well finally we got to go in Feb and it was a terrific week, great weather, great guides and the fish were on willow grubs, it doesn’t get any better – well actually it could have been even better if my casting was better. A trip to NZ always makes me realize how many opportunities I miss because my casting isn’t always spot on. I think I probably miss just as many opportunities fishing in Australia, but because we can’t see the fish most of the time we just don’t know. Let me expand on that – In NZ we were casting to fish feeding on willow grubs, which meant that the fish were cruising a regular beat underneath the willows. If you were lucky, there was one or perhaps two spots where you could put a fly in front of the cruising fish. Now if you put the fly about half a meter directly in front of the fish as it cruised into the opening, you had a very good chance of a take. BUT:
- if you landed the fly say a meter/ meter and a half in front of the fish, it had time to have a good look at the fly and would refuse it and would continue to refuse it even with a subsequent good presentation.
- If your fly landed a meter to the near side of the fish it would ignore it or sometimes swim over and have plenty of time to check out the fly and refuse it.
- Cast to the far side of the fish and you have lined it and it’s gone.
- Cast behind the fish and it will either ignore it or turn and follow it downstream having plenty of time to check out the fly and refuse it.
Because we were in NZ in crystal clear water and the fish were big (all 3 lb plus) we could see all of the above happening. I think we miss a lot of fish in Australia for all the above reasons, we just don’t know it as we can’t see them.
In Australia I see a nice soft seam coming off the plunge at the head of the pool. I intend to cast into the middle of the seam, at its bottom end, but my cast lands two meters above where I intended, I cast again and land a meter to the bank side of the seam, I finally land the fly where I first intended, nothing takes it – obviously were are no fish there. I couldn’t see the fact that on my first cast a fish had a long look at my fly, which had landed too far in front of it and refused the fly. Then on my second cast which landed to the side, the fish turned and moved half a meter, but saw it was the fly it had already refused and moved back to its feeding position. Finally, when I landed the fly where I first intended, half a meter directly in front of the fish, it had seen the fly twice already and couldn’t be fooled.
Fishing in New Zealand to highly visible fish makes you very aware of how inadequate your casting is – you don’t need hero length casts, but you do need to be quick and accurate on the first cast. The same applies in Australia, we just aren’t made aware it by the highly visible fish.
Get back to your casting practice, we all need to be able to land our flies on a bucket lid first cast – just back from NZ, my dreams haunted by my wayward casts.
Tight Lines
Denis Hill
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Gavin at Swansea fishing the Salmon Classic in August 2022.
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We have some trip reports from our Club trips to Jindabyne and Tasmania in February. In our April Flyrodder we will have some trip reports from our New Zealand trips and others held during February and March.
In the Snippets of Information section, at the end of this Flyrodder, Ray Tang, Secretary of the Wallerawang Central Acclimatisation Society (WCAS) provides a rosy update on what's happening out west.
The Big River trip is coming up in a few weeks time and there are still spaces available on the Mitta Mitta trip at the end of April. Then before you know it the river season will be closed; so get registered on some of the upcoming trips.
Hope to see you at some of our events that we have planned for the coming season.
Gavin van der Wagen Editor. gavin@vit.com.au |
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Last Monthly Meeting and Guest Speaker Report |
At our February Members Monthly Meeting we had a wonderful presentation by our Member Christopher Williams who shared his experiences on a trip last year to Montana.
Unfortunately I missed the Meeting, as I was fishing in New Zealand (how inconsiderate!!). Therefore we have no photos to show. But you can view Christopher's presentation on our Private Members YouTube Library.
You can view this meeting video and indeed all the previous presentations on our Members Private Video Library on YouTube. To view them please Login to our Sydney Fly Rodders Website; click on Members and select YOUTUBE CHANNEL, as per the picture below.
We have many wonderful videos in our Private Members Video Library, in fact they're all wonderful and informative, plus you can view them at your leisure!
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Next Monthly Meeting and Guest Speaker |
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Murray Stewart with a fine yellowbelly |
Our March Members Monthly Meeting is at our usual venue at The Freeway Hotel in Artarmon, on Monday the 13th February 2023, kicking off at 7:00pm. Our Guest Speaker will be Murray Stewart, the Blue Mountains Head Guide, from Aussie Fly Fisher and he will be presenting on fishing out West, which is doing really well this year with all the precipitation and cool summer that we have being experiencing; long may it last. Murray covers guiding for trout, murray cod, bass, yellow belly and other species that you will find beyond the Great Dividing Range. For those unable to attend the meeting we will be recording the presentation and then uploading it to our Club Members Private Video Library on YouTube.
You will also be able to view all the previous meeting presentations that we have recorded, and view at your leisure.
Many of our attendees arrive a bit earlier and have dinner either before, else the bar staff will deliver your meal order to our meeting room and you can enjoy your meal, and or drink, whilst the meeting is underway. The food is good value for money and the company is priceless!! So come along and have a relaxing and entertaining meeting where you can meet other members and pick up on useful snippets information that is shared amongst the group.
Our Meeting is normally held on the 2nd Monday of each month, unless it is a public holiday; in which case it will be delayed a week.
There is ample parking in the parking garage under the Freeway Hotel, which is accessed from Dickson Avenue (at the back), just off Reserve Road, in Artarmon.
The address is 115 Reserve Road, Artarmon 2064 (for for GPS).
Looking forward to catching up at the meeting.
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We had three new members join the club in February.
We welcome Michael Durkin, Nick Frougas and John Loughran to our Club.
We encourage new members to join in on the many activities that we run as this is a good way to meet other club members and also to improve your fly fishing skills and most importantly to have a great time.
Looking forward to meeting you at our Monthly Members Meetings and at events throughout the coming year. |
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Last Months Casting Practice Report |
SFRC CASTING PRACTICE REPORT - 5th February 2023
Another fine weather event was attended by a dozen keen casting pilgrims. The mystery of how David got the long rope so high up in the tree was never solved. However, its use as a casting ‘track-o-meter” was revealed to those who stayed to the end.
More on tracking next day, 5 March. And more on stripping, slipping and shooting line.
Members worked within their comfort zone length of line to practice the various arts of line management when casting to varying distances. Ie strip it off, slip it out, shoot it on presentation, pick it up, strip it in, re-present it. Not unexpectedly, most anglers like to cast between 35 and 40 feet, as a comfortable length. Ie measured from reel to fly. In the March session, we’ll also look at whether this is really an ideal length of line. Why not shorter, or longer? What difference does the line profile make? How do you know how much line to carry before shooting? What does ‘line carry’ even mean?
We’ll repeat that to various distances next time (ie before you read this, probably), changing lengths and angles as we go. When you are comfortable with using that as a practice drill, we’ll introduce a bit of quicker-paced line length management.
If you can’t lay out a cast in a straight line every time, then you are like almost everybody else who casts a fly line. Find out how to recognize this problem (called a tracking issue); how to distinguish poor tracking from a mere line collapse; why it matters, which of the half-dozen things you might be doing to commit this fault and what to do about it. If the wind is blowing, there’s excuse No. 1, ready-made. If it isn’t blowing, there is work to be done.
When all that’s under the belt, the roll cast will rear its lovely head again.
Fresh from my 2 weeks in NZ finding most of the fish against the banks, under the trees, I’ll recap the cast that matters in such cases. If in doubt, it’s the third cast in the Bronze Casting Skills Development list – the horizontal pick up and lay down. If you think this is an easy cast, why do so many of us still hit the willow branches when presenting low even when we throw a tight loop? It’s because this cast has a hidden trap, called poor tracking. Seeing the trap is easy once pointed out, but it takes concentration to avoid it. Maybe even practice.
See you in the park, next time.
David Caddies Our next Casting Practice will be held on Sunday, the 5th March. See the following section for further information.
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February Casting Practice Photos: |
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Click on this link to view all the February photos in our Google Gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xpXwtsx2tFzAr2NL9 |
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Club Monthly Casting Practice - Details and Event Schedule. |
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SFRC MONTHLY CASTING PRACTICE 9am Sunday 5 March 2023
Reminder: Leave your 9 – 10’ trout leader with the 5X tippet at home. Bring one which is 8’ – 8’6” and terminating in 8 or 10 lb tippet. This session will suit DT or WF floating lines, for the single-handers. Two-handers, bring what you got.
Start time is 9am: HOWEVER: If you wish to have a go at being evaluated for any one or more of the casts in the Bronze Skills Development Program and you would like to come earlier than 9, send me a text message to that effect on 0434 671 085 and I’ll be there to set it up, from 8am. Coaching and demonstrations will be going on after 9, but with not much opportunity for individual evaluations. Early notice would be appreciated, but don’t let that stop you from a late practice on Saturday to see if you’re ready!
All members are welcome to join in the club’s usual monthly practice session. If you want to know everything about the club’s casting practice sessions, read the whole blurb in the Flyrodder magazine.
WHERE: Timbrell Park, Henley Marine Drive, Five Dock. Go to the western end of Henley Marine Drive, past the cricket pitches, baseball nets and just past LIvvi’s coffee kiosk and kids’ playground area. There is an open area opposite where Ingham Avenue intersects with Henley Marine Drive which we usually use. It is not part of the sports fields. If conditions there are not suitable on the day, we will be just opposite, across the canal, or anywhere within sight that I can find.
If you can’t make it this time and want some good practical instruction to guide you, check out this site: https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/Learn/Learning-Center-Resources/Fly-Casting/Casting-Instruction
I don’t know if that link works for you. Google FFI flyfishing and delve around. Most stuff is open to non-members.
David Caddies
So come and give it a try, as there is so much to be gained by attending these sessions. And they are Free!!!
The following are the remaining dates for Casting Practice in 2023: 5th March 9th April 21st May 4th June 2nd July 6th August 10th September 8th October 5th November and 3rd December.
Put these dates in your diary. |
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Last Months Fly Tying Meeting Report |
Our Fly Tying Guru Dave Wilson kicked off 2023 for us with some great bread and butter fly patterns. This is what he had to say of the night.
"On our first fly tying night of 2023 members tied Woolly Buggers and Booby's.
Interesting to note that a Woolly Worm with a tail (in place of the red tag) is a Woolly Bugger. A Woolly Bugger with a jig head is a Dog Nobbler and with foam eyes is a Booby.
The Woolly Worm was once banned on the Tongariro River for being too effective (as a hellgramite / toe biter imitation). The developer of the Dog Nobbler (Trevor Housby) was banned from British competitions for using the Dog Nobbler.
The Rainbow pictured was caught at Lake Lyell on a yellow Dog Nobbler (The water was pea soup green and yellow or orange is a go-to colour for green water).
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Dave Wilson with a Lake Lyell rainbow caught on a Dog Nobbler |
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Next Monthly Fly Tying Meeting |
Our next Monthly Fly Tying Meeting will be held on Monday, 20th March 2023, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The doors will open at 6:30pm to give you time to set up for a 7:00pm start.
Dave Wilson will be running the show once again and showing you how best to tie Crazy Charlie's and Gotcha's in particular for when targeting whiting, which are great sport fish on light gear.
We have experienced tiers to help and look forward to seeing you at Henley on Monday 20 Feb.
For those who don't have a vise, we have ample spare one's available.
We particularly welcome first timers and all levels of fly tiers as you will all learn something from these wonderful sessions.
If you would like to just come and observe, then please do so to see if this is for you. You'll be surprised at how "easily" you can get into tying your own flies.
The venue is the Henley Community Centre in Hunters Hill, and we meet in the Green Room on the right as you enter.
The venue address is: Crown Street, Henley, NSW 2111. As you turn into Crown Street, from Victoria Road, take the first left and drive down a bit of a bumpy road, and it's the last building about a 100 yards down the drag. There's parking off the track and walk through a small road (some do park just outside the building), but it's a short walk to the front door past a bowling green (may be a veggie patch now).
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Crazy Charlie fly patterns |
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Jindabyne Trip Report - February 2023 |
By Dave Robinson This was my first trip visiting and fishing around Kosciuszko and as a first timer I had no real expectations other than enjoying myself, learning a lot and hopefully catching some fish.
Well, the trip was that and more, with a day on the Eucumbene being right up there with my best days fishing in terms of scenery, quantity and quality of fish caught, wow what a spot!
But let’s start from the beginning with the accommodation organised by David Major which was in East Jindabyne and a great base for access to local rivers like the Thredbo and Mowamba (Moonbah) etc. The digs had everything we needed with 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a good size kitchen with all amenities (including the kitchen sink). Also included was a pool table, good size dining area and a couple of lounges to relax in after a hard day’s fishing. From my perspective the accommodation was all and more than we needed and would highly recommend staying there if we manage to gain access to this property again in the future. (Thanks again to David Major for organising)
Day 1 for me was a bit of a failure by arriving a day early and having to scramble to arrange accommodation for the night which was easily done but fishing that arvo was not.
The wind was blowing a gale and the occasional rain shower made for some uncomfortable conditions which combined with trying to fish a fast flowing and very dirty section of Moonbah scattered with plenty of wombat holes made me think more than once “what the hell am I doing here?” ….
Day 2 was quite the opposite with the sun shining and a gentle breeze so headed off to try the Thredbo near Ngarigo campground which I found quite difficult to navigate with fast flows, lots of large boulders to wade around and some deep pools. I gave it a good crack for a couple of hours and then decided to head back to Moonbah and was pleasantly surprised to see that the river level had dropped overnight and whilst still a bit dirty was definitely more “fishy” looking than previous day. I managed to pull a couple of decent rainbows in the arvo by euro nymphing some of the faster sections, the evening was quite spectacular with hundreds if not thousands of little white moths coming out with fish rising and some jumping out of the water to grab the moths as they dipped close to the water, unfortunately I only had my euro set up with me so no chance of having a crack at the rising fish, but was definitely going to return the next evening.
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Day 3 was back to Thredo but this time at Paddy’s Corner (thanks to Don and Peter for the hot tip), this area of the river is easy to navigate and can even be fished from the bank for quite a way upriver but mind the odd wombat hole! A fairly decent day with fish rising pretty much all day but for the life of me could not figure out what they were rising too and only managed to get 2 fish half interested with both refusing once they got close to the fly. Changing tactics to indicator nymphing deeper sections of the river produced 3 rainbows and a nice little brown right at the car park as I was heading back, got to be happy with that! Next stop was back to Moonbah for the evening rise, and it did not disappoint, the white moths were out again and with the previously purchased ‘white moth flies” from High Country Outfitters I managed to land 8 rainbows ranging from 20cm to 30cm, all great fun on the 4 weight.
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Thredbo River at Paddy's Corner |
Day 4 I joined Don and Peter for a trip up to Kiandra to fish the Eucumbene and what a phenomenal experience that was. On the way we stopped for a quick look at Dennison with Don explaining that usually they fish the river here but with all the rain the river is literally just a big lake, hard to believe or imagine for someone like myself who has not been there before. On arrival at the designated fishing spot and with some miscommunication between the 3 of us meant walking a bit more than I needed to, but the quality and quantity of fish hooked (15 all up with 7 landed) and the bonus surprise of a Brook trout, more than made up for the very tiring trek… What made it extra special was being able to fish this stunning section of the Eucumbene exclusively with dry flies (hoppers & stimulator patterns) experiencing some spectacular surface hits with the best fish of day landed being a brown of around 3LB’s plus and multiple bust offs from much bigger fish. The fishing was red hot and as mentioned before right up there with some of the best fishing I have ever experienced. |
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Day 4 was my last fishing day as I needed to head back to Sydney on morning of day 5. It was certainly a very memorable and enjoyable trip and look forward to exploring this area a bit more in future.
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Tasmania Trip Report - February 2023 |
By Jason Hemens
Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
I must confess there were a few occasions during our Tasmanian fishing trip where that quote came to mind. Whether knee deep in the thick, muddy marshes surrounding lakes, waist deep in fast flowing rivers, or ice skating over unforgiving rocks on a wing and prayer, it is fair to say the fishing was tough at times. For all of us.
Which brings me to my second quote, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Billy Ocean may not have the historical significance of Churchill, but I think his sentiment best reflects the trip in its entirety. Yes there were challenges, particularly early on, but we all shared our experiences, learned from our knowledgeable guides, and managed to land a respectable number of trout from the rivers and lakes of Tasmania.
I, for one, would go back in a heartbeat.
A journey back to our convict past
We stayed on Woolmers Estate which is a convenient fifteen minute drive from Launceston. Woolmers is a sprawling acreage and one of eleven Australian convict sites given World Heritage status. A number of preserved convict-era cottages scattered around the grounds can be rented for accommodation. The history of the place was fascinating and added another dimension to our stay. It felt authentic – like you had traveled back in time. It was something I was reminded of every time I hit my head on the low doorways.
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Interestingly, when the convict heritage of Woolmers was mentioned, a third of our party was quick to point out they wouldn’t know anything about that because they were South African, followed by another third who were British. I’ve made a note to bring a rugby ball next time.
Dinner and welcome advice
Our party of intrepid anglers sat down for dinner at the start of our trip, which was followed by a presentation from expert guide Jason Garrett (owner of Rainbow Lodge and the Great Lakes Hotel).
Jason was generous with his time and the information he shared on the rivers and lakes in his back yard. It was a great way to start the fishing trip and we left the pub better informed and excited about the fishing on offer. |
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Guide Jason Garrett with a captive audience at the Blenheim Inn Hotel, Longford |
Fishing Tasmania’s rivers I went on this trip for the chance to chase brown trout on dry flies in rivers. I’m a relative novice to this form of fishing, so my fishing buddy Greg and I booked in Jason Garrett to show us the ropes on the first day. It was worth every cent – what we learned with Jason on the river set the foundation for the rest of our trip. He went above and beyond as our guide – we were picked up in the morning and kept fishing until the evening rise a little after 7pm. The three most important lessons I learned were:
- 1. Look for sections of the river where the bubble trail is moving at walking pace – the trout like this strength of flow. Once you find a stretch of river like this, make soft casts and ensure your dry fly floats at a similar speed to the bubbles.
- 2. Use long leaders with light tippets of no more than four pounds – I tested the theory with six pound tippet and a standard nine foot leader, caught far less fish and learned my lesson.
- 3. Forget long, majestic casts – you’re not auditioning for A River Runs Through It. Use short, accurate roll casts to work the water in front of you with a grid system (eg. cast to 10 o’clock, 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock). When you’ve worked the grid, take three slow steps forward and repeat.
Over the course of the week, I spent most of my time exploring rivers – in particular the North and South Esk. I was happy with the number of brown trout caught, most of which were around a pound, with a few nudging two pounds. Despite their small size, the trout took our dry flies aggressively throughout the day, which made for spectacular visual fishing. |
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Charles Arrand fishing the St Patrick's River |
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Jason Hemens with guide Jason Garrett |
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Stuart Bell with a well-earned South Esk brown |
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James Webber and Rupert Morton having a break on the North Esk |
Across the rest of our fishing party, others took their fair share of browns on the dry in rivers, but also nymphing. Those guided by Martin, a world champion fly fisher with a tackle box full of gold medals, benefited from his expertise and did well on rivers like the Meander.
Nothing worthwhile is easy
Yet it’s important to acknowledge our triumphs were balanced with failures and a fair amount of head shaking over beers in the evening. Hours on the water were often rewarded with piscatorial contempt, particularly for those of us who tried fishing sections of the Mersey and Meander Rivers. But that’s fly fishing. The greater your depths of despair, the greater your joy when you finally catch one. There’s some sort of demented mathematical equation to it. The following contribution from Colin illustrates the challenges faced as well as the rewards on offer for the persistent angler. |
Leaping Browns – By Colin Henderson
Ross and I decided to fish the beef cattle feedlot farm on the South Esk that the guide Jason had mentioned.
We arrived at the property, received permission to fish and drove to the river. First impressions were not very inspiring. Muddy banks covered in long reeds, the river too deep to wade and the surface covered in strap weed longer than a metre. As there was about a kilometre to explore, we went for a drive. Nothing much appeared to improve. We eventually came across a section that held some promise and after hopping out of the car for a closer inspection, a Brown of about a kilo leap out of the water chasing a feed. Decision made, on with the waders! What followed was a difficult but a great day of fishing.
In the main section of the river, it was dry fly only due to the weed, with a Snow Flake Caddis being the fly of choice. Browns continued to leap clear of the water throughout the day, some of them we managed to tempt, but then the real battle began in getting them through the weed to the net. Some we won, some we didn’t.
We came to the conclusion the trout were sitting under the thick blanket of weed and would launch themselves upwards when a likely meal came there way. It was great fun and certainly put paid to the suggestion that only Rainbows take to the air and that Browns are their more sedate brothers. |
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Colin Henderson, previous SFR President, with a colourful South Esk brown |
Tasmania’s lakes
The lakes are where Tasmania’s big fish live – both browns and rainbows. If you want to catch one, you’re well advised to hire a guide with a boat. I say that through hard experience – a group of us ventured out on foot one day to fish Penstock Lagoon. The shoreline was a muddy marsh purpose-built to snare anglers. On more than one occasion, I followed footprints that simply disappeared into the bog. Thankfully I didn’t see any wooden crosses erected in the vicinity. |
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Wading the marshes of Penstock Lagoon |
Perhaps it was the wind that day, or the lack of hatches, or the orbital path of the moons around Jupiter, but none of us caught a fish at Penstock. It was my only visit to a lake during the trip, after which I happily returned to the rivers to chase brown trout.
For many others in our party though, the lure of the lakes and the large fish in them stayed strong. As Hennie said one day, “Catching small fish is fun, but catching big fish is better.”
Those who booked guides for lake fishing were well rewarded. Browns and rainbows were landed in good numbers, with many more being lost.
I heard remarkable stories of the fly fishing out there on the lakes – of anglers watching fish cruise up to dry flies for a closer inspection, sometimes nudging and rejecting them, sometimes taking the offer. All the while, the nervous angler stood there shaking on the boat in anticipation, trying to time the strike while ignoring the heated advice from the other anglers on board. |
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Hennie Smith with a solid lake caught rainbow, with guide Jarrod |
Until next time
This was my first fly fishing trip to Tasmania and I will certainly go back. Despite the fishing being hard at times, a respectable number of memorable fish were caught in the rivers and lakes. Most importantly, I think everyone walked away better anglers and closer friends. That’s the true value in being part of the club.
I’d like to thank James for organising the trip and doing so much work behind the scenes, Jason Garrett from Rainbow Lodge and his wonderful guides for going above and beyond, and all the anglers who came along to make it such an enjoyable adventure – Fred, Dave, Colin, Charles, Peter, Greg, Hennie, Leigh, Paul, Ross, Rupert, Stuart and James.
Until next time – tight lines! |
To view additional photos of this Tassie Trip, then please click on this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/edD2gB8L7YkYQr9c8 |
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CFA Interclub Event 17-19 March 2023 |
Dear Members,
Many fishing clubs like ours, are affiliate members of the Council of Freshwater Anglers and every year, outside of CoVid, a fund raising competition and get together is held. This year, in an effort to expand and better cover all affiliates, the Central Coast Fly Rodders Club is hosting it at Glenbawn Dam. It is both a team and individual event and I hope to put together a SFRC representation. The event is much more about getting together then competition and there are BBQs and Raffles with plenty of prizes.
It’s a great weekend and opportunity to meet other clubs and their members.
For further information please contact Radge Diakiw, who will be co-ordinating the team for Sydney Fly Rodders. Radge will also speak about the event at the February Members Meeting next week, plus will cover the accommodation options available.
Radge. (diakiwv@live.com)
More Information:
The NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Interclub Meet is a social weekend for fishos to share the love of fishing and to engage as teams in friendly competition. After a pause of three years because of Covid the Interclub Meet is back on in 2023 but, in its 20 th year, there are a few changes to venue and format.
The Central Coast Fly Rodders will be hosting the Interclub Fly and Lure Fishing Meet on behalf of the NSWCFA at Lake Glenbawn on, Friday - Sunday 17-19 March 2023. Club Teams will compete in catch and release, lake and stream, fly and lure fishing and fly and lure (plug) casting in the quest for best team and the winner of the NSWCFA Club Teams perpetual trophy.
This is also a fund-raising activity for NSWCFA and critical to support their ongoing work to promote, support and improve freshwater angling in NSW. Entry fees will be minimal only to support event overheads, and will include a Saturday BBQ lunch and Sunday brunch.
Competitors will be responsible for their own accommodation. The Lake Glenbawn campground has plenty of camping/caravan sites but cabins on and around Lake Glenbawn are filling fast. Link: (https://bookings.reflectionsholidayparks.com.au/lakeglenbawn ). See also Lake Glenbawn Holiday Cottages: http://www.lakeglenbawncottages.com.au/. There will be small prizes awarded for individual achievements in the competitions but the main objective for competitors is to gain team points and win the Club Teams trophy.
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Mitta Mitta Trip at End April 2023 |
This will be our tenth annual pilgrimage to Mitta Mitta.
It will be in on the Saturday, 29th April and out on the following Saturday, the 6th May 2023; so 7 nights all up at $385.
We will be staying at the “Pink House” which is just a stone’s throw from the Mitta Mitta Pub and Bistro; and in fact the mighty Snowy Creek; and also on a farm property just 5 minutes away. So just a short trip to quench your thirst or dine at their fabulous and reasonable Bistro.
Every attendee has their own bedroom.
You can take your own food and drinks, or you can eat at the Mitta Mitta Pub or a combination. Many members eat only at the pub.
Further up the road, about 30 K’s, there is also a good pub at Eskdale (which you pass through) and also an IGA and fuel. Mitta Mitta has a very small and limited general store and fuel.
The local dairy farmers allow us to fish on their properties, so we have access to many spots without competition!
There are many river options to fish, including the Mitta Mitta, Snowy Creek (runs right past the pub and caravan park), Lightning Creek, Wills Creek, Little Snowy Creek (near Eskdale) etc.
It’s about a 7 hour drive and 646 kilometres away. I will provide more information to the attendees as required and then prior to the trip. This event is open for booking. Just log onto our website and select the Mitta Mitta event. Gavin van der Wagen.
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A lovely stretch of water on the Mitta Mitta River |
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The pristine Snowy Creek, which is an important spawning river for the area |
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We always meet for dinner on the first night, and most other nights, in the Bistro/Pub |
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Another popular stretch of water on a farmer's property on the Mitta Mitta |
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Sydney Fly Rodders Facebook Pages |
We run two SFRC pages, one is our public page and it posts events and activities of the club. It also shares posts from other pages like CAS, DPI on things relevant to the places and areas that we fish.
I post some fly tying every now and then and share links to events I find that might be of interest to followers. This page is a little like our Web page, it showcases the club to attract members and provides details of club events. It has about 450 people following the page and any post will be seen by between 180 and 240 people.
We added another page. This is reserved for members only and cannot be seen by anyone outside of the group. You will need to send a request to join. Any member can post on this page and it is a great opportunity for members to put up a post or two about anything fly fishing. I would like to encourage members to use this page to post fishing reports or photos of flies that you tied. Being connected to other members you can ask for some casting or gear advice, or organise a short trip when you suddenly have some spare time.
There are also hundreds of other groups; bream on fly, carp on fly, bass, trout....areas like alpine trout, Sydney Kayak Fishing....fly tying groups, buy sell swap fly gear pages and individuals like Aussie Flyfisher, Sydney Flyfishing to check out.
Phil Burton
philipburton@bigpond.com |
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Sydney Flyrodders Instagram Page |
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The Sydney Fly Rodders are now on Instagram. Many thanks to our Member Maddie Chew Lee, who offered to set us up and apply her significant experience with marketing and communications in particular within the social media space.
Please follow the site and add your comments, and lets grow this platform for the club. It will also attract new members to the club.
Below is a snapshot of the site. We aim to sync (in particular look and feel) the Instagram account with our Facebook account and also our new Website, which I talk more about in the preceding section. |
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Sydney Fly Rodders WhatsApp Group |
We have an Exclusive Group on WhatsApp for our Members, which is a great way to communicate informally and to share ideas, seek advice and also to plan and seek interest for impromptu/planned fishing trips.
I can highly recommend this to members. We have arranged a number of trips now from a weekends bass fishing through to a casual and social Sunday morning or afternoons fishing at Narrabeen Lake or Hen & Chickens Bay etc. And there could even be a BBQ thrown in for a social get together afterwards. This will happen on most if not all occasions.
Should you wish to be included in this group, then please email me to request your inclusion, quoting your mobile number which is required to link you into the Group. You will need to download the WhatsApp first if you haven't already done so.
Please contact me for inclusion.
Gavin van der Wagen Editor, Flyrodder gavin@vit.com.au |
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Sydney Sportfishing Tournament - 24 to 26 March 2023.
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This is an annual tournament and has a Fly Fishing Section for competitors. Our SFR Member Paul Cooper is involved with the St George Sportfishing Club who are sponsors of this event. Please see the competition details below, and should you be interested and would like more information then please don't hesitate to contact Paul on his email: paulcooper123@optusnet.com.au
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WCAS (Wallerawang Central Acclimatisation Society) Update Update by Ray Rang, Secretary WCAS A quick update as we kick off this new year.
Our recent hit of warm weather has got the fish looking up and taking big drys off the surface now.
A welcomed cool change has seen temps plummet from 29 Deg C to a chilly 14 Deg C this week, the fish will definitely love that!
Stockings
We kick off the stockings this month with Gaden coming up with around 1200 x 140mm brown trout for Lake Wallace next Monday.
More fish programmed will let you now of dates as we receive them.
This year will mark the 3rd year of the tiger trout releases, this will be the last release for the trial period.
So, this year we need someone to land a tiger trout from either Lyell or Wallace to see if there are any Redfin contents within their stomachs to keep this program viable… (so get fishing )
Fishing in general
With the decent flows in the rivers, it appears all rivers have been fishing great this new year! |
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Phil Burton, our liaison and coordinator with WCAS, and a fine brown |
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Fly fishing super star Phil Burton with a couple of amazing browns!
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All lakes are fishing well! Lake Wallace has been fishing well.
Heaps of trout coming to the surface at Lyell on dusk, I can only imagine the bass fishing will dramatically improve within this next coming month! |
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TCD fishing well both on the surface and below, (mind you I found the beetles were not so prevalent this year, but the year is not over).
We have received several complaints from some of you, of people not only reported fishing off the dam wall, but also people seen swimming, piling up rocks causing trip hazards along the flats as well as leaving rubbish behind.
The TCD access agreement was developed solely for angler access, anything other maybe considered as trespassing.
And seriously, I don’t understand how people can carry stuff in, but incapable of taking the same stuff out…. \?/ (as the old saying goes, “leave only footprints”)
We are working with DPI Fisheries and EA to draft up some new notice signs. |
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Millpond, after several good flushes from rainfall the water is clearing up, the most recent batch of fish stockings have really made the lake come alive with plenty more surface action evident through the days.
This pic is one of the Winburndale dam brown trout from the Luke Pearce Macquarie Perch rehabilitation program released back in back in August 2022 |
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End note
As mentioned earlier this 2023 year will mark the 3rd year of the tiger trout releases.
As beautiful as they are, we really do need to capture a larger one from one of the redfin infested impoundments and check its stomach contents for evidence of redfin to keep this program going.
Anecdotally, I have come to an observation that they have a preference for fast running water, this however contradicts what I have learnt about the tiger trout from the American experiences I had read, where they appear to be predominantly captured in the lakes, this may have something to do with size?? yeah, I haven’t come to a verdict on this yet?
Either way they are a beautiful fish to fight and land, I have seen/spooked a few good-sized ones up to 40cm+ moving about during my fishing outings. |
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