granpop

Hi All Haven't posted much as the fishing in our local lakes have been average for me, although I got a nice 4lb redfin about a week ago (a PB). Am in a whirl trying to decide what fishing gear I take on a 6 month RV trip from southern California to Alaska and return (its not a 'fishing' trip). Pretty much decided to take a 5 and 9 wt fly rods, a spinning rod (squidgy bass) and a baitcaster (trying to buy a good 2 piece over there). I am even taking a half dozen packs of squidgies to the land of the million plastics!!! Will post an occasional report when I can, and will put photos on a web site and let you drool when I can. Cheers and tight lines Dave

There is water There are fish Silly Question

Well done on the catch and release - those big girls are nowhere near as plentiful as they used to be. Great buzz to bring one to hand then release.

60 years for me, 30 of which was almost purely fly fishing for trout. It is only in the last 10 years that I have returned to general fishing, but still prefer throwing lures over soaking baits. I started with my father in South Oz on the Murray River, then with an Uncle in the salt ( he had a shack at Aldinga Beach). Family holidays were at Robe back when they threw the Cray bodies out and you could get a chaff bag free to boil in the copper.

Forgot to add - used SPs. tried a range, but it was on the brownish GULP grub that I caught them. Had them in the bag for months with no takers. Not sure that I will replace them tho.

Day trip to Moruya River - left Canberra at 5.30 and launched just after 8.00 am. Some fool had abandoned his Jackaroo and trailer ON THE RAMP and gone fishing. Dont buy any cheap Jackaroos - the tide came in while he was away Anyway - report - 4 hours yielded 1 chopper, 2 bream (35cm fork length) and 4 flatties (45 cm) - all in all, a couple of feeds. Sorry no pics, I didn't even think of it until they were fillets. Wind came up about 12.00 making conditions in the small tinny uncomfortable and the 2 dogs were telling me it was time to 'go cock a leg'. Packed up and home by 4.00 with boat clean and set up with the 'leccy again for Canberra's Lakes Cheers Dave

Hi Bob Because Stumpjumpers catch fish for me (and reasonably priced). I have a few very old lures like Burke's Big Dig and some old Daiwa Mudbugs that also work, but you cannot buy those any more. Also have a selection of Bellbrook lures (showing my age). If you ever go north, take the bib off a Stumper and fish it as a surface lure - Saratogas and Barras enjoy them. Cheers David

They move around a bit. I drift around weedbeds in water that is 4 to 5 metres deep until I get a hit, then anchor. Lure is a brown body/green tailed grub from BassPro - outfishes all other SPs on redfin. Costs about $5 a packet of 20, and I can usually catch 10-20 redfin/lure before it is wrecked. 'Expensive' hobby isnt it? If anyone is in Canberra and wants a morning on the lake, pm me and will see if the wind looks like being reasonable. I only have a little leccy motor and if the wind is unkind, I cannot get back to the ramp

Cod - large stumpjumpers & codgers and spinnerbaits, yellowbelly - smaller versions of the same. Lake Hume also has trout and redfin. Ask at local tackle outlet for what is going on in the dam as it varies. Hope you get a few.

Stayed there and thoroughly enjoyed it - Grandma is not an angler, but happily read and sewed sitting on the balcony/verandah watching passing wildlife.

They are EXCELLENT eating - probably the best freshwater eating fish. Related to Jewies - yes - both are fish . Seriously, Redfin are a freshwater perch in the perch family, jewies are saltwater, but not sure if they are in the larger perch family. Cheers

Boat launched at the Black Mountain ramp about 8.00 am. Heaps of rowers cluttering up the lake Spent 2 hours trolling and casting, looking for a cod or Yella, but no luck - not even a redfin. Puttered over to a weedy patch I know that drops into 5 metres water and started casting and drifting, the anchored. In the next 90 minutes I kept 8 reasonable redfin and released a bunch of others. Piccies attached.

If the wind gives me a break, I will put the boat in today at Black Mountain and have another run - has been quiet for the last few weeks. All lakes are stocked with Cod and Yellowbelly and have a good population of redfin. At the moment, some are faily murky from rain runoff, but as the water clears, the lure fishing should pick up. Boats on all lakes are only allowed electric motors (or handraulic propulsion) and for Lake BG a permit must be obtained from NCA for powered motors and from ACT Environment for the other lakes. Popular shore-based spinning around LBG is Hyatt Hotel wall around to Kings Avenue Bridge as well as the steep banks at Blue-Gum Point and Black Mountain. On Ginninderra, there is well developed weed beds over all the shallows, but find gaps in the weed or the clear bank near the wall and you should be able to get a lure in. I use both SPs and hard bodies - redfin will hit just about anything from cod-sized lures down. Yellowbelly are partial to medium spinnerbaits, and Cod can be caught on larger spinnerbaits and deep running lures like the No 1 Stumpjumper or Codger etc. Hope that helps - I 'know nothing' about the Tuggeranong Lakes except they have fish in them . Furrther to my last - there are a number of Fishing Clubs in Canberra, but I won't comment as I am not a member of any. Local identity, Brian Pratt owns Tackle Stores in Belconnen, Philip and Tuggeranong and the Fishing Hole is in Paragon Mall, Fyshwick. All are well supplied with most items. If you cannot find what you want, phone Australian Bass Angler in Penrith and they will mail it to you. If you see an old guy in a plain tinny with one or two yellow dogs on the fore deck - that is me.

Tried to add a photo, but no joy - so here is another post ....

Hi All Arrived in the 'smoke' Thursday PM and after unpacking the little car we came in, I went down to Blues Point as someone suggested. Third cast and I was on - 80 metres of fireline ripped off the bream reel in one run and I decided it was NOT a bream . Recovered some line, lost some line, recovered some line. lost some line etc until I had the beast close in when it dived deep and everything came unstuck. Must be a small kingie. Flogged on until dark for nothing else. Used either the flick bait or the dropshot minnow. Friday - sister is out from England and hadn't see the Hawkesbury for years - joy o joy day out in Akuna Bay . Small bream galore but nothing of any size except a large turtle grazing along the edge. Friday night was back at Blues and almost the same as Thursday night, except I was on the eastern side of Blues not the western side. Again, third cast and line gets peeled off the bream outfit and again fish lost near the edge due to a dive under a rock. Saturday - decided to have a look at Bradley's Head. Seen in a squillion times going past in a ship as I was going to sea or coming back in my years in the Navy, but never from the shore. If you ever want to get ridof soft plastics - that is the place. Hundreds of toads and leatheries queued up to strip softies from jigs. Never get more than one cast out of anything except some 25 year old plastics - they lasted for three casts. Tried Blues again in the evening, but the southerly had rolled in and it was uncomfortable and cold so we settled for a few back at the unit. Cheers

Sounds like a perfect day - private dam, full of water, fish biting, no crowds, 'the old man and the boy' can't get any better. I would have still thrown a lure around mind you - cannot resist a bit of lure chucking. Have fun on your hols

Tried Tassies on second rod - no hits. Fly at sundown if the wind dropped. Rainbows rose on the edge of the ripple well out from the shore, so I was castingwhile the boat was drifting. Tried casting from a drifting boat during the day, but no luck.

I may as well havago too - put my name in hat

Hi All Just back from 10 days at Anglers Reach. Averaged a couple of trout a day, most were small (10-12 inches) and returned, but managed to get half a dozen in the 2-3 lb range (Sorry no pic). Weather not good - SE- NE winds mostly with a real bad southerly one evening (tends to cool thingsdown and fish not rising ). Didn't see a brown the whole time, although I walked the banks a lot with a fly rod. Had a good evening with the fly on one night when rainbows came up to hatching caddis out on the wind ripple. Most fish caught trolling a SX40 (although I do not like trolling - if that is the only way ....) Lake temperature still around 16 degrees, and no sign of daphnia clouds around the 15 foot mark where the 'bows normally feed - fish down very deep on yabby beds. Maybe in Sydney around 9-11 Dec looking for a boat seat or bank bash (will post on that later) Tight Lines all Dave

Chasin' Eucumbene trout - looks to be a good weekend

'K All Have a great day - self and were thinking of having a w/end in Sydney and coming out to visit, but son is visitng from Brisbane, so homebound this weekend.

Warm soapy water- then glide for me

Sounds like you had a rewarding session - keep up the good work

Joe - What are you doing in my neck of the woods? I think my homemades are better constructed and finished than those - and they were made in woodworking 101 many years ago ;-).

The one you are holding looks like a Predatek Boomerang, but I recall a similar design in wood made about 20 years ago. Probably still have it somewhere :-) The Kwikfish looks lie a flatfish design and the bottom one looks like a Halco Scorpion