A few months ago I was in the mountains doing nice things; things unrelated to fishing, like eating at nice cafes and restaurants, sleeping, reading, doing crosswords, looking in shops and so on. It was really lovely, and I also managed a few hours of fishing. When confronted with a limited window of opportunity the decision can be tough –…
Tag: brown trout
A hunch
There is something special about fishing new water. An expectation of what may be to come, the sense of joy, mixed with trepidation that comes with stepping into the unknown. This goes for water that you absolutely know is going to hold fish, where the big challenge will be figuring them out, all the way through to what I like…
Catch and release: a little perspective goes a long way
The catch and release movement has grown considerably over the last few decades. Initiative like #keepemwet and others have done incredibly well at building strong support for catch and release in some parts of the fishing community. Social media has helped spread the message, driving a strong commitment to catch and release amongst many angling communities. Which is great! The fishing…
Fly fishing notes from a Tassie holiday
I was lucky enough to spend 10 days in Tassie over New Years with my partners family (and my folks for the first few days), celebrating my father in laws 70th. The trip was a joy, revolving around tennis, walks, swims, food, hanging out and finska and was a chance for the extended family to spend an extended amount of…
The best lure in the box
The trout were there. I could see them. Every few casts, a fish would follow the lure. Every so often, one would swipe, its white mouth flaring as it tried to kill its prey. I even hooked a few, but kept losing them to their jumping antics. Part of the problem was that the fish were small. This is definitely…
The old man and the fish
The old man was there when we arrived. Crouched down behind a tussock a few rod lengths from the bank. His quarry soon became apparent. Just a few feet from the shore, a dorsal fin and then a tail broke the surface. The old mans attention was totally focussed on the fish. Not once did his gaze wander as we…
The impact of trout on threatened galaxias
The issue of trout impacts on native fish raises its head from time to time in the recreational fishing community. The latest flare up happened a bit over a month ago when the Threatened species commissioner Gregory Andrews posted this facebook post. “Introduced #trout are great fun to catch, but did you know they are having a devastating impact on…
Some tips for fishing streamers in small streams
Its that time of year again. The leaves are turning brown, orange, yellow and every colour in-between, the water is cooling down, the fish are not looking up as regularly and I’m dusting off my streamer box. Autumn isn’t just pretty, it is a great time to throw some meat around. While people generally associate streamer fishing with larger waterways…
Appreciating the little things: A couple of hours fishing in New Zealand
It will come as no surprise to anybody that since the arrival of my son three months ago I’ve been spending far less time on the water. On a positive note, things are not as dire as many predicted, the talk of “you’ll never go fishing again” were a wild exaggeration. So while I am not fishing as much I…
One fish does not a fly fisherman make
I might be many things; a passionate lure fisherman, an aspiring photographer, a lover of the outdoors, a conservationist, but I’m not a fly fisherman. Before the opening of this year’s trout season I can name you exactly 3 times I have been fly fishing. 1) When I strayed into a privately owned trout farm in Tasmania about 10 years…
It’s not all about the fish
Hamish wrote a great little blog about our trout opening weekend here, so I don’t want to repeat anything he said. But the sentimentality might be similar. I had a magic weekend, yet I didn’t catch a fish. In the past, I would have found this somewhat disappointing. I can remember a trip to Nariel and another to Bright for…
New seasons.
We arrived in dribs and drabs from all over the south east of Australia. Canberra, Woolongong, Melbourne. Myself, Nick and Brett arrived first. Lee arrived not long after and we set up camp. Soon we were sipping on mid strength beers, soaking in the anticipation of what was to come. As dark arrived we set in by the campfire, revelling…