Hiya, ducked up to the wild river on the other side of the mountains west of Sydney yesterday. Needed to escape as the coast here is just constantly bombarded by 6-8ft swell, 20-30 knot onshore winds and rain, rain and more rain this summer. Every estuary, bay and coastal lagoon and even the Harbour is chocolate brown. Thanks La Nina!
The river was very different to my last visit at the beginning of summer two months ago. Water was low, warm and slimey weed covered the bottom in most places.
The pools which were chocka full of rainbows last visit where dead. Did not spot one trout or get one follow in any pool.
Then I remembered reading to try shallow oxygenated runs and riffles, preferably with some shade, when water is warm.
First fish was this fat and fit 18 inch rainbow:
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It came from the riffle/run up past the overhanging logs and the dead midstream bush in this pic:
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Needed a backhand low cast between the overhanging logs and the dead midstream bush and was blast of a fight trying to keep the muscular fish away from snags and logs in tight water.
The only other rainbow I scored was this 16.5inch fish, but it was a trully thrilling fight:
View attachment 6
The fish hit in a super shallow run then went berko. It charged off down the run in water so shallow its back and top of tail was out of the water. Kicked up spray with its tail like an outboard leg raised to high!!! Was weaving between six inch gaps in the pebbles! How can a fish jump when its in water so shallow it's half dry????
Then it got to a pool and went under a big submerged log and out the other side on the surface. Nasty feeling of line rubbing wood but the 3 pound Crystal Fireline and four pound flouro leader held. Managed to steer the fish back under the log and finally to my feet.
Someone must be drip feeding performance enhancing drugs into this river, as the trout have a big reputation for going hard and long, and they do. Maybe their Californian steelhead origins?
The successful jigs: 1/32nd darter/minnow head and approx 1/36th-1/38th bugeyes:
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Had a bit of a scare, and a lesson at the end of the day. Had walked too far up and it got dark, and I mean pitch black with more than a mile to get back to the track leading to my car. There are no real tracks beside this river, just the odd wombat trail through thick waist high brush which are scattered with leg breaking wombat burrows. The track back to the car is easy to miss, even in daylight. Got a tad worried at one stage; no mobile coverage, no one for miles. Ended up stumbling in the river, nipple deep in some spots, for half a mile in the blackness, rather than risk busting a leg on the land. Tripped a few times, swore to myself a lot. Huge relief when spotted a telltale cliff just before the track.
The river was very different to my last visit at the beginning of summer two months ago. Water was low, warm and slimey weed covered the bottom in most places.
The pools which were chocka full of rainbows last visit where dead. Did not spot one trout or get one follow in any pool.
Then I remembered reading to try shallow oxygenated runs and riffles, preferably with some shade, when water is warm.
First fish was this fat and fit 18 inch rainbow:
View attachment 4
It came from the riffle/run up past the overhanging logs and the dead midstream bush in this pic:
View attachment 5
Needed a backhand low cast between the overhanging logs and the dead midstream bush and was blast of a fight trying to keep the muscular fish away from snags and logs in tight water.
The only other rainbow I scored was this 16.5inch fish, but it was a trully thrilling fight:
View attachment 6
The fish hit in a super shallow run then went berko. It charged off down the run in water so shallow its back and top of tail was out of the water. Kicked up spray with its tail like an outboard leg raised to high!!! Was weaving between six inch gaps in the pebbles! How can a fish jump when its in water so shallow it's half dry????
Then it got to a pool and went under a big submerged log and out the other side on the surface. Nasty feeling of line rubbing wood but the 3 pound Crystal Fireline and four pound flouro leader held. Managed to steer the fish back under the log and finally to my feet.
Someone must be drip feeding performance enhancing drugs into this river, as the trout have a big reputation for going hard and long, and they do. Maybe their Californian steelhead origins?
The successful jigs: 1/32nd darter/minnow head and approx 1/36th-1/38th bugeyes:
View attachment 7
View attachment 8
Had a bit of a scare, and a lesson at the end of the day. Had walked too far up and it got dark, and I mean pitch black with more than a mile to get back to the track leading to my car. There are no real tracks beside this river, just the odd wombat trail through thick waist high brush which are scattered with leg breaking wombat burrows. The track back to the car is easy to miss, even in daylight. Got a tad worried at one stage; no mobile coverage, no one for miles. Ended up stumbling in the river, nipple deep in some spots, for half a mile in the blackness, rather than risk busting a leg on the land. Tripped a few times, swore to myself a lot. Huge relief when spotted a telltale cliff just before the track.
.