Ganguddy Goodoo

Thanks for taking the time to put this up. I learnt a lot. I fish out of a revo 11 mainly in the fresh. Funnily enough I also have a Wicked Weasel but its my medium rod for yellas etc. I'm impressed you can tie an FG knot in a kayak while bobbing around in Sydney Harbour. Thanks again

Quality vids there mate. PM me if you want to go for a flick around the local Canberra Rivers

Got to feel for their family and friends. Got to feel for the guys themselves. Massive thanks to the copper who jumped in to rescue the guy. Brave man or woman. If I was a local at Port Kembla I'd be fighting very hard to keep fishing access to this area. Personally I think being able to self regulate your choice of recreation and adventure is really important to an individual's well being and the richness of society as a whole. Not sure where this quote comes from (motor racing?) "it is a privilege to do a sport that can kill you".

I guess the Uni Rover trail would be a way of accessing the Kowmung between Christy's and Morong Deep. It is reasonable easy to follow from the Kanangra Walls Road side (last there 2012ish). Might be different post fires. I was under the impression that it was pretty much non existent on the Scotts Main Range side of the River.

Oh yea. I probably should have reminded people all the routes in I mentioned above are not on formed tracks. There are rough bushwalking pads on most of them but you need to be competent off track bushwalking. Also remember that post fire regrowth can make walking less pleasant and much slower. Totally worth it though as it is a magic part of the world.

Hi Yoyo Enjoyed reading this. I have fond memories bushwalking out of the Wild Dogs in the 80' and 90s. I'm hoping to get back there with a rod one day.

Kanangra Boyd National Park only reopened very recently ( closed due to 2019/20 fires). This might mean some of the fire trails might now be open. Its likely some specific areas might still be off limits. I struggle with the NPWS website. I'm pretty sure you can still access the lower part of the Kowmung via a bushwalkers corridor. You would access this via either Narrow Neck or Carlons Farm. Maybe call Oberon NP office to confirm exactly where this corridor is. There would be no fishing or camping in the exclusion zone which includes the very lower part of the Kowmung and you would have to stick to the corridor (if it still exists). In decades past I walked in the area regularly (before I started fishing). My recollection is that any access from Scotts main Range involves a very long walk on a fire trail (not even allowed a pushbike). I think there would be relatively easy access via Dingo Dell(?) the campsite near Tuglow Caves. This might still be shut because of the fires though. You can access the middle part of the Kowmung from just about any spur going of the Gingra Range. All will involve a bit of a walk. From memory the least physical routes include Roots, Hughes and Brumby. Walking all the way down Gingra Ridge takes forever but is probably the flattest way in around here. To access the Kowmung around Christy's creek is generally tough going. Walking over Cambidge Spire involves a really steep final descent ... old school bushwalking. The Colyboyd Range is tougher again and may require a handline to get down the steep bits. You could probably go off the Colboyd Range down a spur to the junction of Christy's and Wheengee Whungee creeks relatively easily. Back in the 90s I saw some big fish in this area. I'm not 100% sure you are allowed to fish these side creeks. Maybe Mr Centrepin could confirm. I walked the length of Arabanoo in 2019 (low water level) without a rod and saw a couple of small trout down close to the Christy's junction. If its your first time fishing or walking in this area I suspect the Jenolan River might be a slightly easier undertaking. Walking down Breakfast creek will be way easier than anything off Kanangra Walls Road. Does anyone know how far up the resident trout live up the Jenolan River. I am hoping to walk the full length of this river and wouldn't mind taking a rod. Are there fish above Hellgate gorge?

It is amazing how people equate cultural background with swimming ability. When my kids were about 3 and 5 they went for a swim in a hotel pool in Myanmar. The "lifeguard" approached me (sitting on side of pool) and expressed concern about their age. We got talking and when he found out I was an aussie he smiled and said they must be ok then. Where my kids do swimming lessons about half the students are Indian or Chinese. There are some really strong little swimmers amongst them. I'd argue other factors have just as big an impact as cultural heritage. Swimming lessons aren't free so socio-economic status will effect how long families can stick at it. Also where you live geographically is going to play a massive part. My guys are confident in a pool and have spent heaps of time in inland rivers and creeks. While they love going to the beach during school holidays, when it comes to the ocean they are nowhere near as knowledgeable as the local kids who get to surf everyday after school. If you grew up on the coast and developed a sound understanding of the ocean when you were young consider yourself blessed.

This is so tragic. My heart sank when I read that. So sorry for their family and friends.

Hi Mark Sorry for late reply. I haven't checked in for a while. I've also got a 9 year old and we started fishing from yaks about 2 years ago and have had a heap of fun. Go 2 singles as your son will get confident and competent real quick and will want to do his own thing. 2 singles will also be way more versatile when he is out playing with his mates. At 9 he should be able to handle a small adult boat. My son prefers fishing out of my yak. If you are out Mudgee way you should go for a flick at Dunnes Swamp once it reopens after the fires. Absolutely ideal for kids to fish and paddle.

Hi Geoff Good on you for doing the walk in. So which river did you end up fishing? I've done a reasonable amount of walking in Kanangra NP but never fished it. I recall seeing some enormous trout in some of the side creeks of the Kowmung back in the 90s. Has anyone fished the Kowmung recently (say the last 10 years) Would it be worth taking a rod in once the area is reopened after the fires. I've read reports that carp have taken over the lower part. Also read someone who preferred the Cox and Jenolan was putting chicken wire across the Kowmung to redirect the spawn run (maybe 10+ years ago). Steve

JonD ... Its amazing the type of country you can access with a humble handline. The more I get into fishing the more I think bushwalking and fishing are a win-win. When out looking for fishing spots you end up visiting some really cool places you would never of thought of as a bushwalker. And as a walker you are much more comfortable exploring harder to get to areas which have way less fishing pressure. This has been good for me chasing cod and trout. Waza ... I bet those climbers would have got way more scared if they went down your descent route. It might have seemed a bit weird that they seemed to spend all day on that wall. But you probably need to understand the climbing process; Step 1- pick a climb that is way to hard for you Step 2- spend all day working out and practicing the moves Step 3- somehow climb the whole route from bottom to top without falling off Step 4- go to the pub and tell your mates how easy you found it I still think climbing is about the most fun you can ever have but fishing is way simpler. Dee Why Jim... yea mate the Sydney sea cliffs have a rep for choss. I remember being terrified on a few routes out at North Head.

Hey Joel My kids have caught heaps of fish on cheap combos. My daughter was gutted when I broke her pink rod when I got impatient trying to get a soft plastic off a snag. From my experience the two most important things are; 1) Don't let the reel get immersed in salt water ... it will seize up real quick 2) Replace the line with a reasonable quality mono. The cheap line combos come with will be crap in terms of memory and breaking strain. If you have already had a few tangles and have cut line off you will need to replace it anyway ... your casting distance will be diminishing as there is more friction as the line comes off the reel during a cast. There is heaps off stuff on youtube that shows how to replace line on a reel. Hope that helps and good luck with it.

Hi guys, I've been lurking a while and learnt a fair bit on this site. I've particularly enjoyed reading about the rock fishing adventures of Waza's youth. Back when I lived in Sydney in the 90's I did a bit of climbing on the sea cliffs and remember being horrified at some of the fisherman's descents we used to access some climbs. Fast forward 25 years and I have taken up fishing after my 5 year old got interested. I've never done any rock fishing but have often thought about what nutters those Sydney rock fishos must have been. I've also thought about whether or not people fished some of the other sea cliffs I climbed on ... Point Perp at Jervis Bay, the dolerite in Tassie and the granite of Cornwell and Lundy in the UK. Anyway I came across this on the ABC today https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/west-australian-rock-fishers-extreme-social-distancing/12504816 This got me thinking. How many arborists, rope access workers and recreational climbers use their technical rope skills to access fishing spots? Is this a thing? My son who is now 8 is keen on fishing and climbing. I'm thinking that in a few years when his brain catches up with his stoke I could see us combining the two. I'd love to hear about what other people are doing. For the past 30 years every time I have driven past a piece of rock I've wondered how it climbs. Now every time I drive past any sort of water I wonder how it fishes. I really must learn to keep my eyes on the road. Cheers Steve

Where I come from: Red sky in the morning, Shepherd's warning. Red sky at night ... barn's alight.

Hey Fishlearner, This is my first post here. I started fishing about 3 years ago when my kids got interested (blame Jeremy Wade). We have had a lot of fun since. I'd recommend going out without your kids and having a play around with different rigs and techniques. This will give you confidence in both your skills and fishing spots that will make trips with your children more successful. Being a relative noob I'm a bit apprehensive about giving you technical fishing advice but can give you a few tips on what worked for me. Firstly depending on where you live fishing for carp and reddies can be fairly seasonal. I live in the ACT and find it is much easier to get my kids onto fish between November to April. Over the cooler months if my kids are keen to wet a line I will hit the coast or head up the mountains and target trout. You can still get reddies and carp in winter but the bites are way less frequent which is not what you want for young children. When targeting carp I've found the key is small hooks, burley and patience. I've got way more action once I moved down to size 8 (egg) hooks. I leave the drag right off. The carp will hook themselves. I let them take a run, slowly tighten the drag until I'm breaking even and hand the rod to one of the kids. For bait I use a single corn kernel. For burley creamed corn mixed with oats or bran seems to work. It usually takes 45 minutes to an 1 hour for the burley to bring on the first bite. My kids have lost a fair few fish landing them. The key is to ease the fish onto the bank rather than lift them. A better option is to bring a landing net. You can get another child to net the fish. When targeting redfin have you considered using lures. From about age 5 kids are more than capable of casting. They do snag up and tangle a lot but I think you will find you will catch a lot of small fish this way. You can cover more water and the kids will be constantly engaged. Have a chat to your local tackle shop about what lures to use. My kid's goto are blades and small soft plastics.