University River

Date: 30 Nov 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None 
Catch: 4 Browns
Report: I'd hit the upstream sections of this river a couple of times on spinner without success. This section is close to the Tangip. Was a hard river to fish. It was quite deep in places, and the river bed was made up of inclined slippery rocks. The water was a bit murky - though it looked like it had rained earlier in day. Managed a few fish.
Rating: 7/10

Cumerbund Creek

Date: 23 Nov 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave, Parko
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Parachute Adams #12, Clink Hammer #14, #16
Berley: None 
Catch: 7 (ish) Browns
Report: First time at this river. Water was low and very clear. Fish were very spooky, trick was to cast with at least 1 pool between the target. Had a lot more takes, but late strikes resulted in failed hook-ups. Had a platypus surface and have a look at the fly line - was crazy! Will hit again.
Rating: 8/10

 

Tangip

Date: 9 Nov 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12 with a Copper John #12,
Berley: None 
Catch: 3 Rainbow
Report: I always get really excited about fishing this river, yet I always find the fishing a bit disappointing. After sighting a little brown at my first look at the river, I thought this was going to be a good session. I had a keen look on fifth cast, and a take (no hook-up) about 20 mins later. Then nothing....for three hours. Managed 3 beautifully coloured rainbows all on the same bend within 10 mins of each other. Such a lovely stream...I'm looking forward to hitting it again!
Rating: 8/10

Ronny's Creek

 

Date: 2 Nov 2014 
Weather: Raining
Crew: Dave, with guest appearances from Toon, Lisa and Jax
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12 with a Copper John #12
Berley: None 
Catch: 9 Browns, 1 Rainbow
Report: I didn't think I could top the previous weekend, but this river was incredible. It wasn't looking good early on - there is a lot of debris in the water. It can take you half an hour to move 20 m. I think this deters a lot of anglers, and provides the fish lots of protection against predators. I pulled a fish out of almost every 'should be a fish there' stretch.  Fish that took the dry were in no hurry. They would cruise up to the surface, have a look then take it. The rainbow was one of the trout I've ever caught.
Rating: 10/10

Bongo River

Date: 26 Oct 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None 
Catch: 4 Browns
Report: It's been a while since I tried a new river. It's an adventure and a gamble, it can be very rewarding or very disappointing. This time - everything worked. Sunny day, easy access to a beautiful river that was fishing well. Arrived at about 1230 and things were looking good from the start. All fish took the adams. Dropped another couple from bad hook sets. Left my camera at home - photos are from my shitty mobile.
Rating: 10/10

 

Royal Bird

 Date: 11 Oct 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Parachute Adams #12, Elk Hair Caddis #14
Berley: None 
Catch: 1 Rainbow, 2 Browns
Report: Arrived at about 2PM, action was pretty consistent. Got busted off after a perfect cast right against the bank. Lost another (poor hook set) in the same spot as last time. All fish caught were sighted feeding. Had a lot of looks, and 3 landings - one being an absolute pearler. Time to get a net.
Rating: 8/10

 

Creek Near Dave's House

Date: 8 Oct 2014
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave, Mischke
Target Fish: Carp
Bait: Corn
Berley: None
Catch: 1 Carp - 2.5 kg 
Report: Was taking the dog for a walk down by the creek and saw some carp feeding hard. Raced home and grabbed a rod and tin of corn, raced back, baited, cast...30 seconds...BANG. Dog started barking at all the commotion in the water, must have thought I chucked something in cos she jumped in the water and started chasing the fish! I had to steer this monster fish away from all the vegetation and my dog! Very chaotic but good fun!
Rating: 7/10

Young Buck

Date: 4 Oct 2014 
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Copper John Nymph, Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None 
Catch: Zilch
Report: Camping weekend, managed to get out for a flick on Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning. Saw one fish Saturday afternoon and that was it. Tried a bunch of combos - didn't even get a look. Lots of spent spinners on the surface - and no feeding. This is my third go at this river and the fishing has always been disappointing. Saw a platypus swimming down stream.
Rating: 5/10

Royal Bird

Date: 28 Sep 2014 
Weather: Sunny - windy as hell
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Copper John Nymph, Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None 
Catch: 1 Brown Trout
Report: No action at the start, then then hatch started and fish were rising everywhere. Nervously tied on a parachute adams and cast straight to rising fish. He took it, but I mustn't have tied the hook right and it pulled out - was absolutely gutted. Lesson for next time - be patient! Had a few more takes on the parachute adams without hooking up, then tied on a stimulator and had a hookup.
The hatch were snowflake caddis - need to get a some of these patterns in the fly box.
I wasn't too impressed with this stream early on - that certainly changed.
Rating: 7/10

Bitwenjopit

Date: 20 Sep 2014 
Weather: Sunny/Overcast at times
Crew: Dave, Easty 
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Copper John Nymph, Spinners - 7g Celta, Rapala CD5 Brown Trout 
Berley: None 
Catch: 7 Rainbows 
Report: Action was consistent, though fish had no interest in spinners. Easty wasn't getting much love with the fly rig early on, but finally managed to land one and hook another - his first wild rainbow on fly. Landed an absolute beauty just upstream of the bridge, right where a massive tree branch had fallen into the water about 20 mins earlier. Would have killed us! All except one fish took the nymph. The one that took the dry absolutely smashed it. Thanks to Easty's car for getting us up there and back, despite being in a world of pain. All fish released 
Rating: 7/10

Bitwenjopit

Date: 14 Sep 2014  
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Copper John Nymph
Berley: None 
Catch: 7ish (lost count) Rainbows, 1 Brown
Report: Action was pretty slow early on. Had a good sized rainbow pull the line into an overhanging blackberry bush - something to keep an eye out for. Fished the same stretch of water twice, second time around was a lot more productive. All but one fish caught on nymph - possibly too early in the season for dries. All fish released
Rating: 7/10

Mary and Steve's

 

Date: 6-Sep-2014

Weather: Sunny - sensational
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: Fly - Royal Stimulator #12 with Copper John Nymph #14, Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None
Catch: 1 x Brown Trout, 6 x Rainbow, 11 x Golf Balls
Report: First session of the season! Started at about 830 with no action til about 12. All but one fish were caught on the nymph. Absolute cracking day.
Rating: 8/10

 

Stringbo and Youcanbean

Date: 8-9-June-2014
Weather: Sunny, Overcast, Cold
Crew: Dave, Parko, AB, GIO
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: Fly - Glow Bug - weighted with splitshot
Berley: None
Catch: 4 x Brown Trout, 1 Rainbow.
Report: A great experience, chasing monster trout. Was hard fishing, in very cold conditions. We had a guide for the first day at Stringbo, then solo at Youcanbean. Only managed 1 fish out of Youcanbean. Next time need to consider using heavier weights. Water in the Stringbo was crystal clear.
Rating: 8/10

 

 

 

Mary and Steve's

 

 

Date: 21-May-2014
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: Fly - Royal Stimulator #12 with Copper John Nymph #14, Parachute Adams #12
Berley: None
Catch: 1 x Brown Trout on Royal Stim, 3 Rainbow on Para.
Report: Session was looking very promising early on, managed 2 rainbows in the first half hour. Then things slowed right down. Foul hooked and landed a good sized brown. Landed a nice sized rainbow in a 'definitely contains a fish' pool, gave a really good fight and almost had me running down stream after it jumped into a rapid. All fish released. Really nice day to be out fishing.
Rating: 7/10

Little Tagger

Date: 14 May 2014  
Weather: Overcast
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Parachute Adams
Berley: None 
Catch: 3 Rainbows
Report: Action was pretty slow, was expecting better. Walked quite far upstream until the bank growth became too much. Will probably give this place a rest for a while.
Rating: 7/10

Bitwenjopit

 

 Date: 27 April 2014  
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Parachute Adams #12, Copper John Nymph
Berley: None 
Catch: 12 Rainbows, 1 Brown
Report: Action was consistent all day. Pulled in a few fish early on with the Adams, then rigged up the Nymph under the Royal. Most fish took the Nymph. I pulled 5 fish out of one pool. Headed up stream to another spot, managed another 3 rainbows. Fish were generally a bit bigger than the usual you get here - with one exception. All fish released
Rating: 10/10

Little Tagger

Date: 19 April 2014  
Weather: Overcast with showers
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12
Berley: None 
Catch: 2 Rainbows
Report: Action was pretty good. I had a lot of takes, but lost the hook-ups. One fish caught was so small he went flying in the air when I struck. The fish in the photo had really nice colour, the photo doesn't do it justice. Glare made it hard to see the fly. Time to get some polaroids.
Rating: 7/10

 

Bitwenjopit

Date: 04 April 2014  
Weather:
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator #12, Elk Hair Caddis #14, Nymph - Copper John #14
Berley: None 
Catch: 12-15 Rainbows - Small. Lost another 6 or so.
Report: Action was mental. I started a couple of hundred meters downstream of the usual spot. Started off with the Stimulator, onto the Caddis, then when action slowed down put on the nymph (with the stimulator). Two fish rising upstream of the bridge, managed to get a take on one but no hook up. Would have been the icing on the cake, and made the session a 10/10. All fish released.

Rating: 9/10

Bitwenjopit

Date: 16 Mar 2014  
Weather:
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Trout  
Bait: - Fly - Royal Stimulator
Berley: None 
Catch:6 Rainbows (small)
Report: Action was very consistent. I was curious to see how active the fish were given the rain the night before. Hit the usual spot first, then drove up-stream for a crack at another spot. All fish taken at the first spot. All fish released. An incident occurred during the day that would prove a worthy rival to the 'King of the Road'.

Rating: 8/10

 

Mary and Steve's

Date: 9-Mar-2013
Weather: Sunny
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Trout
Bait: Fly - Royal Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis
Berley: None
Catch: 2 x Brown Trout, 1 Rainbow
Report: Pretty slow session early on. Had about a two hour stretch from 3:30 to 6:00 where I was getting lots of takes and looks, all on the Royal Stimulator. Managed to land three, and lost another four or so from slack line. Need eliminate slack line!! Not much of a rise on dusk. Great to catch some fish with my new fly outfit! All fish released.
Rating: */10

Creek Near Dave's House

Date: 26 Feb 2013
Weather: Overcast
Crew: Dave
Target Fish: Carp
Bait: Corn
Berley: None
Catch: 1 Carp - 2.5 kg 
Report: I hit this spot the night before and got busted off. Landed the dirty little bugger this time. Put up a good fight. The water is very clear, and they don't seem to want to eat until it gets dark. Only a 5 minute walk from my house, will definitely hit again.
Rating: 6/10

90 Mile Beach - Woodside

Date: 15 & 16 Feb 2014
Weather: Sunny, but wind picked up at about 11pm on the night of the 15th
Crew: Dave, Toon, Willo
Target Fish: Gummy Shark, Tailor, Salmon, Mullet, + anything toothy
Rigs: Paternoster rig, running sinker rigs. Salmon on 3/0 hooks, gummy on 6/0 - 8/0
Bait: Lures - Metal Slugs (halco twisties, gillies), surf poppers, Pilchard, Eel, Squid Heads
Berley: 20kg of chook pellets mixed with tuna oil and black and gold pilchard cat food
Catch: 1x salmon, 50x yellow eye mullet, 500x crabs
Report: Hit the road at 6am stopped at delicious McDonalds at 8:30. Scored a free strawberry thickshake amongst a plethora of hash cookies. Got to woodside spot at about 9am. Unpacked car, hit the surf straight away. A school of mullet in the surf right at the start hoped for a solid day's fishing, however we didnt catch any of them. Spent a good few hours casting out metal lures in chase of salmon and tailor. Dave got hit a few times but didnt manage to hook them. He did catch a lip though. Skull dragged him a little too hard upon strike!!
We then looked to set up some baited rods and bunker in for a while. As Dave and Willo went off to "pitch up a tent" a good sized salmon hit one of the rods that had pilchard tail on it. The rig he hit it on was running sinker and caught him about noon (about 2 hours after high tide). He jumped out of the water and gave a solid fight right up to the surf edge. Took a few snaps and put him in the eski for the night gummies. Hot dogs for lunch were a treat!
Spent the rest of the afternoon casting out lures and catching the small yellow eye mullet in the surf edge. These were fun to catch. Would have been far more successful had we 1/0 hooks, or even some small long shanked stuff.
As the night came, we cooked snags on the beach and started chasing gummies. Not much luck on this front. We had three rods out, one with fresh salmon, one with fresh squid heads, and the other with fresh cured eel. Fished the high tide at 10pm and a full moon. It was at about 9pm that the crabs decided to show face. Within 10 seconds of casting, a dirty crab will have latched onto your bait, and started nibbling away. As the wind picked up at about 11pm we had to pack up shop.
The morning involved bacon and eggs sandwiches and the wind was still high so we decided to clean up and move along. The drive home was a highlight. The discussion about how to become the "king of the road" made this trip all the more worthwhile. Tears from laughter discussing the challenges this involved was priceless. The first to complete wins an Amore Meal at McDonalds.
Rating: 7/10

Young Buck

Date: 9 Feb 2013
Weather: Sunny 
Crew: Dave, Kellie, Mischke

Target Fish: Trout

Bait: Lures - Spinners 5g Celtas

Berley: None

Catch: 0

Report: More of a camping trip than a fishing trip, managed to throw the lure around for a couple of hours though. Lots of fish but no hookups. A couple of stretches I fished, little browns were trailing and tapping the lure, cast after cast. I tried all techniques, but they didn't want to hit it. The spots I fished were pretty close to the camp ground, and I suspect these guys have seen a lot of traffic. Mischke handled the trip like a little trooper.

Rating: 7/10

Santas Pond

 Date: 3 Feb 2014   
Weather: Hot and sunny    
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Redfin, Golden perch 
Bait: Lures 
Berley: None  
Catch: 2 Redfin 
Report: Headed over late in the arvo to throw some lures around. Water level is quite low, and very snaggy. Went for a couple of lure retrieval swims, which didn't bother me at all given the heat. Managed 2 fish, one gave me a little run. This place doesn't work in the cooler months, save it for summer only.
Rating: 8/10

Blacksands Creek

Date: 27 Jan 2014  
Weather: Sunny   
Crew: Dave 
Target Fish: Spiny Back Crays
Bait: Rump Steak 
Berley: None 
Catch:1 Eel, 1 Spiny Cray
Report: Fun afternoon. Only managed the one cray, and netted an eel out of boredom. Boiled the cray for about 4 minutes  - tasty little bugger! Note for next time, bring some colored ribbon to tie to lines - I had a bastard of a time trying to find them. Also, bring split shot sinkers.

Rating: 7/10