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An unexpected adventure...

mangler

By mangler
in Freshwater

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mangler Newbie

mangler

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With work commitments taking me to the other side of the Great Dividing Range for the last week or so, I decided to chuck a rod and some lures in the ute on the off chance that I would have enough time for a fish one arvo.

Well the weekend passed without a fish, as did Monday, and these days were looking to be the most likely chance that I'd get for a fish as things would likely be too busy for the rest of the week... Bugger!

Tuesday morning arrived, as did the cold weather, drizzling rain and a howling gale, "no conditions for working outside" said the boss, and we called it a day, it wasn't even smoko time - you beauty!

Well there's a couple of options in a cold, wet & windy snap. You could sit inside in front of the open fire with a cuppa in hand, or if you are silly you could head out for a fish. Needless to say, I chose the second option, hoping that a little further west the rainclouds would be replaced by sunshine, the wind would be blocked by the steep mountainous terrain, and that walking through the said terrain would ward off any chill...

After driving as far as I could into the area, it was time to set off on foot, rod in hand, snake bandage and camera in pocket and lure bag over shoulder...

After a quick walk through some scrub I was at the edge of a cliff overlooking the river. From my lookout spot a couple of hundred feet above the river I could hear the river running through the rocks in between the gusts of wind - you ripper there is a bit of a flow in the river, time to make my way down the cliff.

After some mountain goat like maneuvering I found myself at the waters edge. A quick cast to catch my breath, then time to head off downstream. Seeing as it was now just on midday, I decided to head a couple of kilometres downstream without fishing, then work my way back up fishing each hole as I went, hopefully arriving back at the ute before dark.

After a couple of hours of solid walking, I sat down for a breather and watched some carp play in the shallows, a quick drink and it was time to fish. The first couple of hours resulted in only one hit, but I was expecting that, as it was a bit early for the cod to be on the bite.

At about 4pm the first Murray Cod was landed, a healthy little fella around the 45cm, quickly unhooked him and he was off. From then until I got back to the base of the cliff at about 6.30pm I pulled in another 5 or so cod, mostly in the 40 - 60cm range, with a decent sized one at about 75cm. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo of the bigger one as I unhooked him in the water. Whilst precariously perched on a rock, holding him in the water in a thumb grip as I got the camera ready with the other hand, he decided to to the famous cod roll and he was off, no problem really as he was destined for release like all the others.

All fish were landed on either 65 or 80 mm Predatek Boomerangs in the shallow versions, or Ausspin Cod-Botherers, naural and dark colours were working on the day.

It was a magnificent day to be out on the river alone except for the odd feral deer or goat...

By the time I had made it back to the ute safely, It was dark and I was absolutely buggered, but I was happy for I had a mild case of "cod-thumb"...

I will let the pictures do the rest.

DSC05464_AFO.jpg

A mild case of "cod-thumb"...

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mangler Newbie

mangler

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Only a bit to go...

DSC05466_AFO.jpg

I would appreciate people to not ask for the location, as half the fun is finding these special spots for themselves. There are plenty of spots like this out there, and Google Maps is a great tool in sussing out likely looking spots. Think of it as an inspiration to get out there and explore, but remember safety first.

Thanks for reading,

Matt.

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mangler Newbie

mangler

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taib, yoyo, dan25, kreel, Rocket75, natang, Dinodadog and ryanyoung - Thanks for the comments fellas.

nadders - they have rows of tiny sharp teeth pointed caudally.

Angus - go for it, gotta be adventurous to find the good spots. Just be mindful of private property, most farmers are pretty good shots...

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ryanyoung Newbie

ryanyoung

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mangler wrote:

Only a bit to go...

DSC05466_AFO.jpg

I would appreciate people to not ask for the location, as half the fun is finding these special spots for themselves. There are plenty of spots like this out there, and Google Maps is a great tool in sussing out likely looking spots. Think of it as an inspiration to get out there and explore, but remember safety first.

Thanks for reading,

Matt.

I agree whole-heartedly with you Matt! We have a saying at work which goes like this: Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted!". There are so many tools out there for us fishos', that make finding these spots a lot easier than in the "olden days". I spend a great deal of my time on google earth, and google maps, as well as running searches on the internet, in order to find some of these fabulous spots. There is no greater satifaction than finding a spot that you haven't heard of before, going there, and landing some quality fish! The sense of achievement is immense, knowing that you have done all this yourself!

Anyway, sorry for getting onto my very high horse there, but this is something I am very passionate about. All it takes is a bit of elbow-grease, to get out there and find a spot that is totally unique to one's-self, knowing that it is not partly due to a information handball you received off someone else!

By the way mate........What's the location (lol)?? Ha ha, good on you mate, and I look forward to more reports of this nature!!!

Well done,

Ryan.

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