Managed to put together a quick video from the bass fishing trip we did to the Mid North Coast couple of months ago. Just before things got quiet and bass moved all the way downstream to their spawning grounds. We were still able to get occasional hits off the top but most of the fish were already sitting deep in the water column and much more keen on hitting a bass vampire or a clouser type of fly.
Sydney Harbour – Grand Slam
Had an awesome Saturday morning flyfishing the beautiful Sydney Harbour. Big thanks and a shoutout to a local guide Ben Foster from the Endless Session that took us out on the water despite the poor weather forecast. It got quite windy and rainy at times, but we managed to find couple sheltered bays
Old buddy in town – bit of beach time, bit of fishing
My old mate Dal (Dalius) was in town visiting for a week. So we had a plan to do a trip somewhere outside of the city. Because it being a peak of the summer and the temperatures scorching way into 40s we thought it’s better to spend some time camping somewhere on the coast rather than going
Stimulator Fly
The first fly I would like to share - is the good old Stimulator. It's a well know fly pattern and there's no magic to it. It's super popular in the States probably because of how well it imitates a larger stonefly that they have over there. I guess in Australia this fly would be a better representation of a grasshopper, which meadows along the rivers are full of. The colour spectrum of those things is incredible - varying from deep red to bright yellow.
Mark Knopfler – Tracker album
Mark Knopfler – the former lead guitar player and singer of the Dire Straits. Probably he needs no introduction to the most people who are into 80-90s rock. His solo albums have been on top my to play list when flytying or driving down to my next fishing destination. His 2015 year album called Tracker is one of my favorites so far.. The whole setlist just brings such a cool vibe from the Scottish Country inspired tune “Laughs and Jokes and Drinks And Smokes” , to the more uptempo solo guitar driven song “Beryl”. And the highlight for me – such a sweet mellow song called “River Towns” about a tugboat mate who gets to spend every day at the different river town. How good is that? Have a listen, even if you’re feeling doubtful about it.
Simon Gawesworth – Sydney demo
Had a pleasure to meet and get some tips and advices from one of the biggest legends in fly casting world – Simon Gawesworth. Simon is mostly known for being a Sage, Redington and Rio ambassador. Flyshops all over the world are full of his books and DVDs, Youtube is loaded with his casting videos and demonstrations. But from all the videos that I’ve watched, the one that stood out for me was his Single Handed Spey Casting series. And that’s what I was trying to bother him the most on as seen from the photos. I think Australian and New Zealand rivers are perfect for this kind of casting, but for some reason haven’t got that much of attention as elsewhere in the world. Anyway, an afternoon well spent – some new gear tried and some new people met. Always great when that kind of personality arrives to your local park, 15minutes away from home. Happy days.
Last one for the season
The last week of the season couldn’t have ended any better. Coffee and pie at the Mountain High Pies shop were delicious as usual. The colorful leaves mostly fallen off the trees by now, meant that winter is almost here. Managed to trick couple of browns later that day. Next day started with a bang by landing the biggest rainbow trout of the year. So stoked! Couple of pics and off you go big fella. Now let’s leave fish alone for a few months and pray for a little bit of rain so that the decent spawn run happens this year.
Snowy mornings and cold nights
Had to get out to the mountains desperately. Work has been super busy so needed to clear up my head and take a good breath of the fresh air instead of the usual city smoke. Trout season was coming to an end so this trip was supposed to be my last one for the year to the Snowy Mountains. Packed up my gear, made sure I haven’t left my tent poles (it did happen in the past) and left city in no time. Cruising on the highway, listening to your favourite tunes, staring at the horizon and watching the sun disappear behind the hills…there’s something magic about long drives. It sort of relaxing and healing in a way. Lots of time to think about whats going on with your life, what decisions you have made or any bright ideas you have for the future. And of course then there’s a fishing part at the end of those long drives. Which turns the whole deep thinking sort of meditating state upside down as soon as you set the hook and fight between fisherman and fish starts. You loose all your sense and care for everything else in the world. All your worries and thoughts disappear like being flushed down the drain. It could be the WW3 happening, but you just wouldn’t give a damn. Doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not. You start praying. Praying like there’s no tomorrow. Praying that the knot you tied this morning is solid as a rock.
Beautiful Autumn Weekend
It’s so good when the local creeks are fishing well. Had a really good couple of weekends fishing my usual spots but also getting some nice fish out of the stretches I had never fished before. So that’s always rewarding. This is a strange time of a year, some fish might be in the spawning mood already and couldn’t care about the flies you throwing but others would smash the dry fly off the top as soon as it hits the water. Dry dropper rig using Stimulator as a top fly and a flash back nymph underneath (sometimes with a bright bead head) did the job and seemed to suit those both scenarios for unpredictably behaving fish.
Easter in the Snowy Mountains
Got to spend Easter break down in the Snowy Mountains National Park doing a little bit of fishing and camping. Didn’t get into any big fish but the little ones I caught were angry and in great condition. Some are still taking dry flies, some are already holding in the deeper water and only interested in nymphs. The weather normally cools down to the comfortable level, around Easter time, to be able to camp inland again . And it’s great to light up a fire at night not only just to stare at it but almost out of necessity to warm up.