Canberra adventure

[Little_Flatty]

Hi Raiders,

Spent the weekend in Canberra for a wedding and I got curious about my fishing options there. Turns out there were plenty!

We were staying in Kingston and I researched up some YouTube videos of locals getting good carp, yellowbelly and Redfin on the waterfront, so I just had to have a go.

Got on the water about six am and got casting with a black strike tiger 1 inch  grub. Plenty of big carp around but I had my mind set on catching something else; anything else I caught would’ve been a first.

Anyhow, having absolutely no clue what I was doing, I only managed a small Redfin:

But it was my first ever Redfin, so I was pretty thrilled with that! I’m guessing this is the freshwater equivalent of catching your first undersized tailor on a lure 🤣.

I was out of time after that, but I did note that @wazatherfisherman’s chip lures might brain carp as well as bream!

Anyhow, I think this is my first freshwater report ever! First time for everything!

I’ll definitely be bringing the gear next time I’m in the capital. Not often you can catch yellowbelly and Redfin, then finish up with a coffee and breakfast!😎

Thanks for reading!

 

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Good stuff! Can't deny they are a good looking fish.

You're not wrong with the similarity to tailor... that's how I think of reddies. Big ones are fun, the little guys are just a nuisance.

[big Neil]

Good to see you having a go in the freshwater. Those Strike Tiger 1-inch grubs are deadly on Redfin. Always worth carrying in the tackle box when saltwater fishing too, in case the Salmon or Tailor are feeding on really small baits. bn

[XD351]

1 hour ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Good stuff! Can't deny they are a good looking fish.

You're not wrong with the similarity to tailor... that's how I think of reddies. Big ones are fun, the little guys are just a nuisance.

And surprisingly good eating as well !

[XD351]

Careful Mike!  The sweet water bug can bite you hard 😂 Next thing you know you will yearning to trudge mile after mile of river or stream flicking lures - completely immersed in your own little world ! It’s the lure ( pun intended)of “what’s around the next bend that gets you and before you know it you have walked quite a few km. You only have to go to parramatta to catch a bass or drop over the mountains to lake Lyel for a trout and iirc redfin are in there too along with stocked bass .

[frankS]

Don't know if it still applies but certain parts of the A C T  require permits to fish so be careful you don't get tempted to fish these locations without the appropriate permit.

Maybe someone might refresh this post and let us know IF permits are still required and where ?.

Frank

[dirvin21]

The reddies are good fun Mike, we caught stacks of them at Googong 

[R E G I C Y C L E]

1 hour ago, XD351 said:

You only have to go to parramatta to catch a bass or drop over the mountains to lake Lyel for a trout and iirc redfin are in there too along with stocked bass .

If you're chasing trout, give lyell a miss and hit the streams. There's a lot less 'throw-a-bait-and-wait' with the streams as you can actually guess where the fish are sitting.

[Little_Flatty]

4 hours ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Good stuff! Can't deny they are a good looking fish.

You're not wrong with the similarity to tailor... that's how I think of reddies. Big ones are fun, the little guys are just a nuisance.

They certainly are good looking fish @R E G I C Y C L E. I had a feeling they weren't high up the ladder of freshwater fish, even though they are good eating! On that analogy, maybe they are the 'leatherjackets of the fresh' 🤣

2 hours ago, big Neil said:

Good to see you having a go in the freshwater. Those Strike Tiger 1-inch grubs are deadly on Redfin. Always worth carrying in the tackle box when saltwater fishing too, in case the Salmon or Tailor are feeding on really small baits. bn

Cheers Neil, I had to have a go, seeing as the opportunity had presented itself. The Strike Tigers are that little bit smaller than your standard grubs, that's what attracted me to them.

2 hours ago, frankS said:

Don't know if it still applies but certain parts of the A C T  require permits to fish so be careful you don't get tempted to fish these locations without the appropriate permit.

Maybe someone might refresh this post and let us know IF permits are still required and where ?.

Frank

Hi Frank, I did check this prior to fishing and as far as my research went, most parts of the ACT urban lakes are open waters as per the link here: Recreational Fishing in the ACT factsheet - English - Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate - Environment. The purple below are open waters, whilst the red are prohibited waters and the blue are trout waters.

Googong dam requires a NSW fishing licence, which I suspect all of us have.

2 hours ago, dirvin21 said:

The reddies are good fun Mike, we caught stacks of them at Googong 

Good to hear Dave! I think I got a lot more hits than just the one, it's just I decided to strike at one of them and hooked up! A bit different to fishing for flathead!

1 hour ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

If you're chasing trout, give lyell a miss and hit the streams. There's a lot less 'throw-a-bait-and-wait' with the streams as you can actually guess where the fish are sitting.

One day I will get round to chasing trout! Till then I'll have to live vicariously through your epic adventures, which I love reading!

2 hours ago, XD351 said:

Careful Mike!  The sweet water bug can bite you hard 😂 Next thing you know you will yearning to trudge mile after mile of river or stream flicking lures - completely immersed in your own little world ! It’s the lure ( pun intended)of “what’s around the next bend that gets you and before you know it you have walked quite a few km. You only have to go to parramatta to catch a bass or drop over the mountains to lake Lyel for a trout and iirc redfin are in there too along with stocked bass .

The Parramatta bass are on my mind, but trout/redfin may be out of reach for me, for some years yet!

[Centrepin]

Mike,

Now you have had a taste of the fresh stuff could be time later to broaden horizons further?

Well done on a new species and experience.

 

Geoff

[Little_Flatty]

3 minutes ago, Centrepin said:

Mike,

Now you have had a taste of the fresh stuff could be time later to broaden horizons further?

Well done on a new species and experience.

 

Geoff

Yes Geoff, I certainly do! And I do need to get back to you! Was trying to convince one of my wife's uncles to join me if he visits Sydney (from QLD), but we can't make his itinerary line up. He is a proper Scottish Spey caster and has been since he was a kid! I never knew! He has zero interest in anything other than trout and salmon, but I'm sure I can learn a heap from him. Will convince him to get out on the water one day so I can pick his brains!

[Pickles]

Great report Mike, thanks for the map - very helpful info. @big Neilgave me a pack of the strike tigers and I’ve since ordered more - a great lure, I’ve used them when the pelagics are feeding on the tiny “eyes” in saltwater.