Fishing with Hoods at Taree

[big Neil]

So after the couple of days fishing with Blackfish in the Hastings River I travelled South to Taree and caught up with Hoods. Conditions continued to be very poor, but we went out for the day on the Manning River. Hoods son (Ben) joined us and we tried numerous spots in the river. Very windy and a big tide meant it was going to be tough, but we managed to get a few fish aboard and a couple of nice Flathead joined me for the trip home the next day. Andrew was good enough to give me some Mahi Mahi which he had cryo vacced in the freezer.

Intermission was spent at the Coopernook Hotel where we took respite with some quiet ales and a nice pub lunch.

It was really nice seeing Hoods again and luckily he was able to take a bit of time off from his busy work schedule. We had a good chat with some of his friends at day's end and a couple of cold ones. Many thanks to you and Ben for taking me out on the river.

The next day I left and spent the night at my daughter's place in Orange. She had been in Sydney all day but we managed to head out for a meal. A 4 hour drive home the next morning and the MNC trip was done and dusted.

The COW performed well and averaged around 8.5l/100km.

Cheers, bn

[Yowie]

Good to see you caught, and took home, some fish with a salty taste. 😋

[Larkin]

A few fish for a feed and a nice getaway! 
Shame the wind was up again!

[Little_Flatty]

Nice little catchup with @Hoods there Neil. Unfortunate the weather didn’t play ball.

[frankS]

Neil. You mentioned 2 of my favorite places, Coopernook pub, and Orange.

Coopernook pub holds dear in my heart as it was a regular stop every time I went to visit my brother and family in Moorland he had a 200 acre property with a small creek running just behind the house, many a day spent exploring that little creek. There is a road up there named after my family which now runs through part of the property. Orange is where my Daughter was born and I still have friends that live on the Ophir road. Been a while since I have been in either area but the memories are still there.

Frank

[Hoods]

Love our work Neil. Great to catch up and a worthy excuse (do we need one!!) to get out of the office and on to the water. Thank you for visiting - you're always welcome. The Coopy Pub is a reliable stand by when challenged by the weather. We really enjoy your pottery and one of the only "official" Fishraider Mugs. You are very skilled.

Based on other reports we did better than most with most fishers going bagless and with a wet backside.

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, Hoods said:

Love our work Neil. Great to catch up and a worthy excuse (do we need one!!) to get out of the office and on to the water. Thank you for visiting - you're always welcome. The Coopy Pub is a reliable stand by when challenged by the weather. We really enjoy your pottery and one of the only "official" Fishraider Mugs. You are very skilled.

Based on other reports we did better than most with most fishers going bagless and with a wet backside.

Great to catch up Andrew and Ben. The Mahi Mahi was absolutely brilliant for tonights dinner. Only you and Blackfish got one of the official mugs.

Keep in touch mate, bn

[Burger]

Sounds like you had a good trip Big N!  
Coopernook has a great little pub, bloody good spot for a feed and a beer.