Uncle Billy's

[slinkymalinky]

Just got back from my first extended trip away with a crew from SEQ Flyfishers. I joined a FF club to get back into what I grew up doing in Tassie. We went to a place called 'Uncle Billy's' near Ben Lomond in the New England area of NSW. It's not flyfishing like I grew up with but I had a great time with some great fishing and great company (and awful weather!!).

While the trout are stocked into dams on the property, they behave like wild fish so aren't a pushover. The main water is full of the sort of shallows, drop offs, aquatic life and so-on of any 'wild' trout fishery and the Raibows (and Browns and Brook Trout) behave accordingly. I managed to crack a very specific pattern on the first afternoon. The same pattern completely failed on the second day but I managed to suss it out again. And this morning, neither pattern seemed to work and I wasn't good enough to manage to work it out.

Along with some great fishing, I got to see some awesome fly fishers in action. In fact, I was positively intimidated. The crew I'm now hanging with includes a lot of seriously good Casting Instructors, guides, and so on. Throwing a line next to some of these guys can make a person feel very inadequate. Thankfully, they're also like any other fishos... generous, welcoming and ready to hand grief on each other mercilessly all weekend. Needless to say I seemed to fit in and the fishing was complimented with lots of belly laughing, blue language, tasteless jokes, outrageous tales, red wine and great food.

For the weekend I managed some nice rainbows that were in awesome condition. My best went just on 2kg but in any other lake it would have probably been 1.5. But like the others caught on the weekend, it was fat and full of roe. A couple of fish were caught by some of my companions, well over the 3kg mark. The flies that worked for me were an Olive Green BMS on the first day and a big, flashback stonefly nymph on Saturday. It was great to go back to my roots and bend a fly rod on some trout. The 'farmstay style' accommodation was fantastic, comfortable and well set-up. Can't wait to go back next year.

Cheers, Slinky

(this last pic was after a lot of running around photographing my best fish with hats, sunglasses, a knife and a bunch of other stuff when I couldn't get mobile service to check the 'Fish of the Month' item. Thankfully, I finally managed to get on the site but not until after cleaning the fish)

Edited July 15, 2012 by slinkymalinky

[paul.kenny]

Sounds like an excellent trip away Slinky. Well done on getting onto some decent trout in those difficult conditions, looks quite cold and wet.

[Guest]

Nice work Tony and good to see the long wand back in action...nice sized shoe as well

Regards Stewy

[bassboy888]

Awesome work slinky. looks like a miserably good weekend. I guess you dont mind bad weather if the fishing is good

[arpie]

NICE ONE, Tony! What a terrific weekend away with like minded fishos! I can see you having a LOT of fun with these guys in the future!! Then you'll have to start chasing bream on them too!!

That will make a terrific COTM, I reckon!!

cheerio

Roberta