I called Viv at about 10am on a Wednesday morning after seeing an advertisement in the window of the Mallaig tourist bureau. The advertisement for ‘local guided loch fishing’ was similar to Mallaig; quaint and decrepit in places, but seemingly honest and real. At 60 pounds for a half-day trip, I was thinking that I might get to sit in…
Tag: flyfishing
Fishing on Little Pine Lagoon, and observations on observation
I was reading some Gierarch the other day and he was describing his approach to writing. After getting home from a fishing trip, he’ll often wait a few weeks before reflecting on the experience. The story—if there is one at all—should naturally bubble to the surface. It might be a story about the fishing, but it might be something else…
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…
The best fishing spots in and around Canberra
Canberra anglers are blessed with access to a variety of environments, target species and fishing opportunities. When assessing the best fishing spots around Canberra, the most important consideration is the species you want to target and the technique you want to employ. There are some spots in which you can target multiple species, but generally, the species you want to…
Secret creek
It’s great when a hunch, some anecdotal evidence and a bit of research pay off: I recently found a ‘secret creek’. I’m not really sure what makes it secret; perhaps the reason that no one has heard of it, there is no evidence anyone fishes it, and that there is very little evidence that it would contain trout. It’s situated…
‘Fishticipation’: Is fishing better than Christmas?
I’m going fishing today. The plan is to leave my place at a civilised 7.20am to go and pick Graz up before making the 45 minute drive to one of the local trout streams. So why then, am I writing this at 5.10am? Have I gone MAD?! I could have slept for another 2 hours, and still only been 10…
Too much hatch
All of us have ‘our’ streams; the ones that we fish most often, we cherish, we hide from acquaintances, but we share with friends. After reading this post by Hamish, I was keen to get back out to my favourite stream to see if I could emulate at least half the success he and Perrin had on that evidently magic…
Trout streams near Canberra – a rough guide
Writing a post like this is difficult, as it’s sure to attract criticism. This criticism can be two-fold: firstly, anyone who fishes for trout wants to be the only one on the stream or river, and favourite spots are a tightly held secret. Added to this, Canberra has the largest population in the Murray-Darling Basin, and some of our streams…
Trout fishing on the Monaro
Fishing can sometimes bestow insights beyond that which you might expect and experience in day-to-day life. Whether it’s squatting on a pier in South Australia, talking to an 80 year old Chinese man fishing for squid, trading secrets with the local 15 year-old bream-gun or asking a bunch of buffed-up, coke-fuelled criminals ‘whatdyagetemon?’, it truly is a diverse and universal…
Roosters are really annoying
So, I’ve been thinking about ‘helping’ some people with their rooster problem. If you’ve ever had chickens, or received some young ones from unscrupulous sources, you may be familiar with the realisation – at around 4.30am – that what you have bought or been given are not chickens at all, but in fact roosters. It’s a difficult decision: do you…
Admissions, frustrations and revelations of a fly-fishing noob
It is a stunningly glorious day in north-east Victoria. There’s no wind, it’s 20 degrees and sunny, but crisp in the shadows. The autumn leaves are turning and it’s the weekend. What could be better? Hamish and I have decided to fish a small stream near Harrietville, in north-east Victoria. Bursting out of the car with excitement, I am setting…
Fishing on the Tooma huts walk – Jagungal wilderness (Kosciuszko NP)
A month or so ago a good friend of mine started talking about a walk into the wild. ‘How far is it?’, I inquired. ‘Only 45ks…you’ll survive’, was her response. I’ve only done a few overnight walks in the past, and a three night hike with two full days of walking was inevitably going to test the mind and body.…