Ganguddy Goodoo

Kiwi customs guys certainly like looking at tent pegs

Onya Dave. That is superb. Beautiful fish and very nice river.

Cheers MM I haven't got a boat yet but will start being more careful washing my kayak. I use a pair of canyoning boots for wading chasing freshwater species. They also get used for general bushwalking along creeks and rivers and canyoning up in the Wollemi etc. Given I'm going into a whole bunch of different environments I think I'll put a bit more effort in the post trip cleanup. I've always been wary of using hot water on shoes and other kit. I'm not sure how it impacts synthetic materials and any glue used in construction. Any material scientists out there?

Great story Scratchie. I'm going to get my kids to read it (age 10 and 12). Brandon certainly showed a lot of character dealing with those disappointments. That reflects well on you as a parent. I suspect unjust selection in junior sport rep teams is a universal problem. A lot of the time it is about what club side you play for, which school you attend and how well the coach knows you. This is really hard for a child who has worked hard and who knows deep down they deserve to be there.

Feel for you Mike and LF I try and discipline myself and only use expensive lures when I'm in my kayak and have a tackle back. Being a tightarse I also do a fair bit of swimming in the name of lure retrieval (mainly fish fresh)

Great topic LF I'm a bit the other way. I kind of expected to fail 1st up. I did however start fishing with a 5 year old who was keen at the time. I felt I'd failed if he didn't get a few. Didn't worry me if I went out by myself. I was focussed on learning and having a nice walk on the river and enjoyed every session. With a few years under my belt I tend to give myself an uppercut if I lose a fish I shouldn't. Failing due to carelessness seems worse than failing through ignorance (especially if you know you are a numpty). Still enjoy a walk on the river regardless.

Hi MM Boots and anything neoprene i clean with a warm mild solution of water and pure soap flakes (PH neutral i think). Dry out of the sun. Water proof fabrics like goretex I use "Techwash". Theory is it maintains waterproofing longer and extends the life of your kit. Could be big companies like GORE taking more of my money. Never thought of cleaning reels etc from a biosecurity point of view. Probably should. I've only just considered getting rid of salt and grime, then drying and lubrication. Would be keen to hear what others think. Might be worthwhile reading up on what kiwi trampers do. The are battling to control the spread of certain algae and weeds. Different pest but solutions could be the same. Regards GG

Nice. Wish my young bloke was that keen. A good way to spend the summer.

It has been quite on the fishing front Neil. Trying to get my kids outside doing something active so lots of mountain biking and some surfing when we have gotten down the coast. Had an afternoon session at Windang after Christmas with about 20 thousand other people. Too crowded to be enjoyable. Also took the yak into the upper Clyde one evening last week and got onto a few small bass. Hopefully the Bidgee will settle down a bit soon so you can fish your local again.

Gotta love the backcountry

Our inland rivers are so under appreciated. Thanks for posting bN.

Young folk who are psyched to fish shouldn't be put off by rain. As others have noted don't go out with lightning about. Also if you are fishing steep banks or break walls be aware that it can be a bit slippery.

Hi Slothparade Any reason your leaders were snapping? Sucks to have a bad session. I find when that happens a good one is just around the corner.

Salt- Sticky Fishy Fishing, Roger Osbourne, Sammy Hitzke - all keep things simple which suits a saltwater novice like me. Fresh- Social Fishing ... podcast is good as lots of top anglers are interviewed who talk about fishing lots of different places so some good ideas for road trips. Also Robbiefishing ... down to earth bloke who loves being in the bush. Very handy with a light spin outfit in overgrown skinny creeks. Other- MylureBox not for the lure porn but I like the skip casting vids. Like to get better at that. Gido is cool too. Love the idea of combining my passion for climbing and fishing. Non Fishing Specific- Scotty's Gone Walkabout- lots of effort put into filming. Visits places I've spent time in. Cool watching someone else's fishing journey from novice to competent.

As in Lake Burley Griffen. Went for a flick targeting reddies and yelllowbelly. Plan A was to slow roll soft plastics over the top of weedbeds. No luck. Plan B was crossing my fingers and covering water in the hope of finding a school of redfin. The wind was up so I tied on a blade to increase casting distance. I find when prospecting like this you get a bit of a rhythm going. Eventually I reached a rockwall dropping into deeper water. The change in rhythm as you pause and wait for the lure to sink comes as a bit shock. 10 seconds feels like about 10 minutes. The mind wonders a bit. Close to the shore there is a lot of rock and a bit of timber so it is a challenge bringing the blade up close to the structure without snagging. I must have been doing something right as I get a hit about 3m from my feet. It is too heavy for a redfin and I immediately realise I'm probably going to loose the fish. Whatever it is it is not the smartest fish in the lake as it keeps running out into deeper water. Maybe a carp. Eventually I play it to my feet and it is a cod and I'm suddenly more interested in landing it. The water is about 1m below my feet and I haven't got a net or glove or fish grips. Lying on my stomach I can just reach the thing. Far from best practice in terms of fish handling but that fish's mouth and hide are in a lot better condition than my thumb.

cat burglar?

My take on it. I suspect it will start warming up in the next week or two. Less likely to get 40 degree plus days though. My local rivers will probably run higher than normal but hopefully still be fishable at least some of the time. If the rivers are out I'll still have a crack floating around in lakes and estuaries in the yak. One thing to be careful of is if you are fishing remote areas the fire trails might be a bit slick at times.

99% sure that area is in a nature reserve so no dramas with access. Depending on which way you come from there is either a walk for a couple of km along the river or a walk down a bit of a hill on a graded walking track past the poo farm. Good on you Khalid for getting out there in this weather and river height. That is a nice looking cod.

Hey Pickles, Metal blade ... zx30 ...black. I suspect one of the most widely used yella lures. Works for me anyway.

I snuck out for a couple of hours with the yak and hit the London Bridge end of Googong. I suspect this area is less productive for natives than the Northern end but it is a winner in terms of scenery and as usual I had this part of the dam to myself. I started off with a natural coloured SP on my light rod and a TN60 on the heavier one. Over the 1st hour I landed a couple of small redfin hopping the lures back through deeper water (guessing 5-8m). Eventually the vibe got snagged and I managed to get my braid, the kayak and my tackle back in one hell of a tangle. Eventually my patience was rewarded and I got the lure back. To change it up I swapped the SP over to a blade and targeted some spindly standing timber in slightly shallower water. Initially there was no action. I tried slowing things right down but it was still not happening. Went the other way and sped the retrieve right up and what do you know instant yellow. 10 minutes later I landed another slightly smaller model using the same technique. This is the first time I've ever got a yellow burning a blade. Just goes to show it is worthwhile mixing things up if things are slow.

100% agree. Way more harm than good.

Hey bN, Redfin ... I have got a few in the Canberra rivers when flicking smaller lures for yellas or sight casting at carp with soft plastics. I suspect that predation and periodic disease keeps the numbers down. Heaps in the lakes though. The reddie population in the Bidgee probably gets replenished when Scrivener Dam spills after heavy rainfall. I have never eaten a redfin out of the local rivers. They would probably be ok. As I'm not targeting them I don't bring a cool bag so it has never occurred to me. If you are after a feed of reddies around here then Googong would be the go. Trout ... the water in the rivers around Canberra is too warm. Apparently some of the feeder creeks coming out of the surrounding hills were ok in decades past. I haven't fished it but the true upper Bidgee coming out of the high country is still recognised as a good trout fishery. Another place I'd like to explore.

I don't think Northern Pike would work out in Australia. If they did handle the warmer water temperatures they would likely outgun the natives. Juvenile cod/yellas/bass would get hammered. Agree they would be a cool sport fish. I'm not even sure they would have much impact on the carp population. Murray the Metery doesn't knock back a carp for breakfast and he/she is having little impact on carp numbers.

Carp- definitely not in balance within Aussie freshwater systems. Outbreed and outcompete the locals. Being a bottom feeder in excess numbers they reduce water quality as well. If it is feral it is in peril. I know carp are not a prestigious target species for fisherman but they do have a lot going for them. Being both easy to catch and hard fighters they are a really good species for novices and kids to hone their skills. I'm not an ecologist but I understand recreational fisherman have little impact on carp populations. I'd be surprised if we caught even 2%. Even if we went crazy and removed 30%, the population will return to what it was after the next breeding event as there is more food available and more young carp would survive. At least in rivers I still euthanise all the carp (and redfin) I catch. I'm probably kidding myself but I like to think that at least a few shrimp/yabbies/worms might survive a bit longer to be eaten by a native. Total 1%er but anything we can do to help native fish in waterways where they naturally reproduce is worthwhile. Might have just outed myself as the 1st greenie on Fishraider.

Hi bN Yep I do a bit of native fishing in the Canberra Bidgee and nearby lakes. Unfortunately the river and Googs are out of my "LGA" so not much happening at the moment. Cod closed season anyway. Might hit Lake Burley Griffin when school holidays start to chase a few yellas. Only problem is it takes me so long to rig my kayak I won't have any time to actually fish given the restrictions on exercise. Also hope to take my son on a road trip to the Riverina once ACT/NSW hits the magic 80%. COVID and the fires have put that one on hold for a while now. For what it is worth I really enjoy reading your freshwater reports. Keep em coming. Steve