Round 2

[GregL]

With the weather offshore looking very average on Friday night we changed the plan and off west we went. Early start leaving my house at 3am! bloody hell 3am is a tuffy!

stay up or not to stay up? 1.5hrs of sleep......

Out to Richards, change car and off to TCD for round 2 on the trout.

After the previous week there I just had to go back and try crack a proper pattern.

This time I halved my tackle box but wanted to focus on plastics as I had heaps of follows on it last time.

A quick trip up with no traffic but man the fog was freaky in the low sections! Yes I'm a city slicker and don't see that stuff much!

Arriving at the carpark at some crazy hour we were the first there....in the dark still.

Car temp guage read a big fat zero! Brrrrrr

Oh and I have only seen snow once when I was like 5!

Trecking upto the dam the sun started to glow over the distant easterly horizon. What a beautiful sight it was to witness with kangaroos and rabbits hopping around.

We decide to walk left side of the dam as last week we went right and wanted to explore new ground.

Left has less sun in the morning and yep it was freezing! In half light with cold feet from only wearing runners we slowly made our way round. Didn't really fish till a good kilometer round as we hadn't seen any fish rising and the sun still hadn't hit us yet to warm us up a bit.

We found a decent looking area and set up for a few casts just before the sun hit the lake.

It was just a great feeling being alive!

With the sun starting to break threw the cold of darkness and the fog lifting off the lake I could really start to see properly and even the grass was frozen.

On we fished. Every little spot we flogged ten or so cast and then walked up 10m and started again. Every now and then a lure change rolling threw the selection in the tackle tray. Lures like the Colt MInnow suspender, Taazie Devils, Chubbies, Jades and a selection of plastics. Time seemed to fly by and soon we were a good few kilometers from the start. The ice had disappered and the sun well and truely up. By now both felling a little disappointed of not catching anything but the water looked like it was just about to turn on. There were little bugs flipping on the waters surface and a few distant boils started to happen.

Around 930 I walked into a bay that had a steeper bank than most of the area previous. It had nice longer weed and a few drowned shrubs along the bank and around the mouth. The previous week on the other side we had a similar area over near the corner of the wall and we both scored fish there on Squidgie wrigglers so a quick lure change and I flick it long pasted a tree on a TT hidden weight in 1/20th. The lure sink down as I counted it down till it hit the bottom. 20 seconds. I gave it a few flicks of the rod tip to create a bit of life in the lure and got crunched! To the air it went with a series of jumps, a good 1.5-2kgs of rainbow trout! Trying my best to steer the fish all of a sudden it turns left and wipes me out on one of them shubs just bearly sticking out of the water, darn 3lb leader!

A quick retie as Richard come around the bend to join me and I give him the recap. I move along the bank 10m further into the bay as I didn't want to fish just where all the comotion just took place. Not really consentrating I flick out again, still shaking from the wipe out I do my retrieve back. A few meters from the edge just as my lures coming ito sight as it raises up the drop off I see a small dark shape following. I flick the rod tip to give it a little more action, BAM the little bugger races up and inhales the plastic!

A few jumps later it settles down enough to slide onto my hand for a quick photo before a 9:48am release.

The morning rolled on for me with continuos fish grabbing my plastics with Rich feeling a little left out. Hmm I stopped and watched him for a bit. "Dude speed it up a bit with harder rips" I called out across the little bay we were in. He was on the north side me on the southern shore but only 25m apart. I cast out and on the second rip I was taken. This fish definaly bigger than the rest landed went deep looking for weed beds to wipe me out on. All of a sudden I hear comotion from the other bank.

Yeah baby double hook up!

Richards fish just started tail walking and a good fish it was!

Me still connected with a fish that had found 2 clumps of thick weed 5m out from the bank. Every time he burried his head into one I would flip my bail arm over, let it swim out, take up the slack and get back into it but then it would just swim back to the other weed bed and we'd do it all again. 5 times I did this, heart in mouth stuff with 3lb flouro leaders till I steered the fish onto the bank!

I grabbed my fish and started to run over to Rich who was still fighting his next to the bank. Half way round he finally landed his. Both great fish and to date our biggest for sure. I'd say mine went 1.8kg and Richards a solid 2. We knocked them on the head, happy mothers day mum

In all the excitment bugger we didn't pull the camera out, lost in the moment I think!

We went on with a few more fish and it was time to head home as the kids were meeting me at mine at 4pm.

Made it with 1min to spare back at Drummoyne!

That had to be one of the most jam packed 13hrs I have done specially on 1.5hrs of sleep!

Tally in the end 10 to me and 2 to Richard with Rich getting big fish off that double.

Awesome adventure again Bro, so what's NEXT?

Cheers

Greg

[Catchin Jack]

Bloody brilliant Greg, them photos are nice.

[MartinthePom]

hi greg

so that's where you've got to...chasing spotties...nice story mate and some cool fish

gives us a bell if you fancy a blackfish session and a catch up...I've dug out the float rod this arvo and respooled

Cheers

Martin

[csg]

Got a good idea wats NEXT

Reddog

[bassboy888]

What an awesome report greg! great read and very informative. might have to go to TCD my self and try for some trout!

[Rich P]

I know what's NEXT Gus!

And I'm hanging for it.

Cya on the weekend. Hope the weather holds up.

Greg thanks for another top outing. What are bream again lol

Cheers

Rich

[taloyoak]

Nice one Greg!,

Awesome to see you getting out there....if only I could get you to Kanangra!!!.

Keep up the good work, and when will we see a fly report from you from there?!.

Cheers,

Matt

[GregL]

Thanks guys.

It's great just going out and trying new species and rewarding to crack a pattern without a guide.

The trout have been great and accessable on a solid day trip. To be able to use gear that I already have is a bonus. I just used my bream gear.

Of late I have been taking a photographic coarse as I wanted to learn how to use a DSLR properly and not just on auto. It's a bit of work dragging all the gear around but very enjoyable and rewarding to get a couple of nice shots per session with the camera. I'd recomend this to anyone that has a DSRL already. mose well get the most out of your purchase.

Matt I have even mentioned your offer to Rich the other day but I'm just not built for camping! I'd love to see those places you get to but me in tents.....

Gus that place we stayed up the coast last time was almost like camping! Glad I didn't have the bed with the dirty wet patch in the middle of it!

Rich and Gus Shhhh don't jinx the weather!

So hanging to go tangle with them monster reds!

Bring it on!

[tide'n'knots]

gday greg , that was a great read and it sounds like a very enjoyable but tiring trip! I know what you mean about 3am starts -sleep or not sleep, I usually end up crashing on the floor of the boat at some stage when I do those early starts, I just dont function well on 2hrs sleep.

pete.

[cc118]

Brilliant report Greg. It's not offen you pick up 12 fish in a session at Thompson Creek. Well done.

Regards Caddis

[sadamson]

HI GREG, Stewy and i are heading up this week.Just dragged out the thermal gear ready for an early start. Wife thinks we are crazy she may be wright.Great report and nice pics,will report back after we get back cheers Stephen (REGGIE THE RABBIT)

[kadavu]

Looks like a great place to fish

[bombora]

Hey GregL thanks for the reply to my questions on another take. Only just found this. Your pics are enough to get motivated to go! Beautiful. And I think I better find some thermals and long johns.