Four Springs

Left work at 4, on water at 5, dusk at 6.

One brown, 16", on a redfin wooly bugger.

Four Springs

After work.  One 10" brown.

Four Springs

Raining cats and dogs.  2x 20" Rainbows.

Four Springs

1x 16" Rainbow

Learning Fly Fishing and Platypuss spotting

Took Madison, Patrick, and Alex to the Tyenna to spot platypuss and to learn to fly fish.  Got all three casting, and then went to below the salmon farm.  We tried there with soft plastics, and had a few follows.  Then up to Tyenna Rd to catch some small ones.  No luck.  Finally, back to the weir to spot platypuss.  Fish were rising everywhere, and the kids fished excitedly.  Patrick switched to fly, and then Alex.  Patrick ran off with Madison to try the opposite bank.  Alex tied on a white moth, and after some false casts got a trout -- hooked perfectly in the mouth.  His first trout was on the fly, on a dry, on the first day.  It took me a year!

St Patricks River

At the campground -- 40 mins exactly from the office.

6 on a green woolly bugger.  One was large -- over a pound.  (Large for the St Pats!)

St Patricks River

Headed up for a quick fish after work.  3 on a green woolly bugger.

St Patricks River

Got lost getting there, but finally found a spot to fish with an hour before sunfall.  Got two nice fish on a green Woolly Bugger

3 days, 3 locations, 3 big fish

The family were off in Sydney, so got Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday to Fish.

Friday afternoon I went to Brumbies creek. I started off fly fishing. First fly was a wooly bugger, but I soon lost that on a snag. Looking in the fly box, I chose a fancy yellow and black matuka, on the theory that it would never catch a fish, but since I never catch anything in Brumbies that didnt matter, and if I lost it that wouldnt matter either. 10 minutes later I had two trout and was amazed. It was getting dark, so I went back to the car and got a soft plastic. Fishing in the same location, I got a big trout. It would only have weighed 2lb, though was big enough to be a 3 lb fish. It was all head and a skinny body, obviously recovering from spawning. (Its the fish in the pic)

Next day I went to Brush lagoon and set up the fishcat. I rowed up the lagoon, trailing a fly as I went. It was hard rowing, as while the sky was grey (good), the wind was fierce and blowing back down the lagoon. About 1/2 way up I got a nice 2lb brown on the fly -- a green sculpin imitation. I was amazed at no redfin, even though the lake is full of them. And every man and their dog was there looking for the released Salmon. Left about 4 after a good 6 hours of rowing and fishing. Great exercise. And it was nice to get a reasonable fish on the fly.

The Sunday started at Four Springs. This was only my second visit, and like my first visit it was blowing a gale and you couldnt cast a fly or lure. I drove away, but a mile away decided to turn back and at least give it a try. I waded the shore near the boat ramp. The wind was howling onto the shore, and all I could do was wade out as far as I could and cast back towards the shore. Amazingly, and despite lots of wading warnings, this part of the lake had good wading and a gentle slope, so I could get a fair way from the weedy shoreline. Casting into the weeds I got a savage take from a 3lb fish that fought well above its weight. A spectacular fish! No more touches so I gave up at Lunch and went to Brushy Lagoon. The wind was worse their, and I managed one tiny redfin. I headed back to Four Springs and tried the shoreline again, this time going to the right of the boatramp. Got another trout, but this was a small 1/2 pound fish. Finally, as it was getting late I got another savage take from a large fish that broke me off. Called it a day and went home to pack for Sydney the next day.

Openning Day

Went to the Tyenna. Got there at 7:00 -- there was already a car at the salmon farm. Went up to the weir. Got a nice fish on the first cast, and got 3 more in the next 10 minutes. Someone else arrived, so I went home at 7:30

Elizabeth wanted to go fishing the next day, so I took her. We had a platypuss swim past, and she got a nice trout on soft plastics.