Double Handed Fly Rods »

Thursday 8th December 2011

Dec 272011

What a beautiful warm day it is today !

Today I fished with Bill, for what can be only described as one of if not the most frustrating day of fishing ever.

What happened,

Bill found the fish feeding on #18 and #20 midge pupa, and went about catching over 30 fish, one after the other, in fact it was a pure pleasure to see someone so dialed into the Rainbows working. While myself could only grass 2 fish but dropping heaps !

Even when I stood where he was standing, using the same fly and leader combo, I just couldn’t match the number of strikes let alone the hook-ups he was recording.

But overall, a fantastic day was had. And the fishing didn’t start till after 8am and then to finish at 4pm.

A fish from the river taken on this trip with its damaged mouth.

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods

Wednesday 7th December 2011

Dec 272011

Super lazy day today, did nothing except talk to a few friends till late in the afternoon. Why because there is a strong eastly blowing down the Lake. Late in the afternoon, just before darkness decended I went fishing and grassed a 42cm Rainbow.

Another fish from the river is in this photo, again taken on the Talon Trout Spey rod

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods

Tuesday 6th December 2011

Dec 272011

Today the weather has improved, as yesterday was a shocker with the wind ripping through everything and turning the shoreline into a discoloured mess.

I waited till late afternoon and then went fishing, and this trip resulted in only one Rainbow at 41cm coming to grass, in just average condition.

A fish caught before in the river, on the Talon Trout Spey rod

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Monday 5th December 2011

Dec 272011

During the night the wind has increased even further, harder and harder its blowing now with the temperature dropping by the minute it feels like. As the trip must draw to a close, its time to head back to Buckenderra, as we normally do before going home.

As the wind is what is only described as ‘blowing its guts off’, its hard to find anywhere where the shore side water hasn’t been discoloured. I found a suitable location with little discoloured water and fished there, this resulted in 9 Rainbows between 38 and 42cm however most were in shocking condition !

This is one of the couple of fish taken on a single handed fly rod, this trip, All the other fish came in via the Trout Spey rod

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Sunday 4th December 2011

Dec 272011

This morning we elected to take a trip over to Tantangara and have a look at the old Currango Homestead and then the top of the Dam for a fish.

All went well, we arrived at the Homestead and its buildings and then to our horror, out came this dirty creature, who represented National Parks and proceed to give us all, what could be only described as a mouth full !

Well if this is what is representing KNP’s they have a monster problem

Why would anybody even dream of staying there, anywhere near this very rude AND dirty KNP Officer, I will never understand, and the very strange thing is, we almost never said a word to him.

The loss, I was looking at the Homestead to send friends to who are coming from the United States for a long holiday, KNP, you guys just lost a booking for 4, right there with your man. !

We left asap, and moved down to the top end of the Lake, for a fish, score for the morning, not a touch.

By now the wind is getting up and blowing hard, and after a late lunch, David is heading back to Canberra. I have decided to fish the river almost nothing till I reached the back-up waters from the Lake and there, I tricked 3 Rainbows into eating my fly, all the fish are around 35/36 cm in length.

The wind strength is increasing all the time and by night fall, its blowing hard.

The photo, one of the 270plus fish taken on this trip

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Saturday 3rd December 2011

Dec 272011

Friends came around from Cooma, after which we had what could be called, a Christmas lunch kind of meal.

Then in the afternoon after they had left for Cooma David and I travelled back down to Providence Portal again.

When we reached the Portal the water had glassed off, producing a wonderful sight as only the water birds broke the mirror that was the Lakes surface.

No matter how hard David tried, not a touch, he cast over, in front and all around fish but nobody was eating his flies this evening. Myself I scored zero also.

One of the many fish this trip has captured with the aid of the little Talon Trout Spey fly rod at 5/6w and 12 feet, its casting fun like you have never had before

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Friday 2nd December 2011

Dec 272011

This morning we saw that black feral cat wandering about looking for birds and there are numbers of birds all on the grass feeding. Someone should shoot the rotten thing, even if its in KNP, as we have seen the same cat of a couple of years now and I wonder how many birds it has eaten !

Our nephew David has arrived for another weekend of fly fishing hoping to better the results of his other weekend. After a beer we headed down to the Portal once for and sadly no matter how hard he tried David just couldn’t catch a fish, this time. Myself I ended up with 3 fish, 1 x 42cm Brown, 2 Rainbows around 40cm and lost 7 fish, as no matter what I did they, the fish seemed to become disconnected from my fly.

All the fish were taken on my Talon Trout Spey rod,

ps, rather makes the gurus on flylife forum who seemed to think that a Trout Spey rod wasn’t suitable for lake fishing look a bit silly, well maybe if they fished more with a Trout Spey class of fly rod they would think rather differently. And it is strange how the people who don’t use a Double Handed fly rod or have had very little experience with one, are always the people who make the big loud statements of anti Double Handed fly rods. Rather like the people who know all about fly rods and casting on that forum, but when you see them casting/fishing, you wonder who it is, as it couldn’t be the same person who writes so much advice, surely…. laughing here….. and I meet one recently, who knew me but didn’t say who he was, however I knew him by his photos.

December 27, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Tuesday 29th November 2011

Dec 262011

Total score for the trip is now 258 fish, grassed but not eaten/killed of course.

The river, an amazing sight with the flow, lets say its impossible for any river to be running like a wild crazy thing, impossible !

Guess its back to the Portal this afternoon, this trip resulted in the capture of 6 fish all Rainbows around 48cms, beautiful fish in top condition.

At around 6pm, there was a crack of lighting not too far away, time to lower the long rod and then as there was no more thunder or lighting, back to fishing again. till 9pm. This latter session saw 6 fish bite me off, straight through 4 pound tippet, not a break off, as I had the fish/s on for a while, then a clean cut straight through the tippet.

Time to give it away for the evening.

By the time I reached the truck, the lighting was opening the sky and all around then in came the driving rain, its not going to be a nice evening.

Nice fat well conditioned Rainbow taken on a Talon Trout Spey rod of 5/6w and 12feet in length, if you want fun, this is where its at.

December 26, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Links, spey rods

Sunday 27th November 2011

Dec 262011

Heavy rain pelted the van all night and the violent winds never stopped for a moment, as if it was the end of the Earth. We had 56mm of rain during the night and the river is a mess now.

During the day the day changed to a warm’ish and sunny afternoon, funny from one extreme to the other in a couple of hours, as only the mountains can.

As the river was wiped out, next choice has to be the Providence Portal area of the Lake. Starting at 4.30 till 9.30pm saw 4 fish grassed, 3 x Rainbows 41 and 46cm, plus a 53cm Brown, another fatty Brown.

A fatty Brown at 53cm taken on the little Trout Spey rod of 5/6w and 12feet

December 26, 2011 Advertising, Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods, Uncategorized

Saturday 26th November 2011

Dec 262011

Rain, endless heavy rain all night, pelting down in bucket fulls, last night we had 50mm of rain.

This has resulted in the river being flooded, water everywhere, and its, the river is almost breaking its banks, an amazing sight.

As the river was totally out today we headed into Cooma to see friends and have lunch at the Chinese restaurant at the Bowls Club. Let me tell you, if you want a fantastic Chinese meal where there is that much on the plate, you will think how could I eat all this !

Back at camp by late afternoon, and decided a quick trip to the Portal would be a nice way to finish the day. No fish, not a touch no matter how many flies I tried as the edges were somewhat stirred up and dirty.

And on the way back to camp, in came the storm. Screaming blasts of wind connected to even heavier down pours of rain. A shocker of a trip back.

And now something so strange, its impossible or straight out maddness !

While travelling back to camp I travel down a dirt road, and tonight as I rounded a corner there in the middle of the road, YES in the middle was a Toyota Tarago with the driver in a sleeping bag, the cab light was on and this fellow was reading a book. First thought was, stop and ask him to move as its a dumb place to camp for the evening, more so while its raining heavely as it would be too easy for someone to run into him, his car as I almost did.

Then second thought was, just drive by as anybody camped in the middle of a road, must be on drugs or out of his head. Which I did.

December 26, 2011 Double Handed Fly Rods, Fly Casting, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, spey rods, Uncategorized

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