NSW is still lagging behind with banning these traps and implementing their exchange project. ACT is enacting the change. CAA Sec emailed this today:
The ACT Government is introducing a new Fisheries (Fishing Gear) instrument which prohibits the use and possession of opera-house nets in all ACT waters (including private waters). This instrument also allows the use of open-top pyramid nets in waters where hoop-nets are allowed – please see the following link to view the instrument https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/di/2020-113/ . This has now been notified and the changes to these fishing gear rules now apply in the ACT.
On 2 July 2020, MAS Secretary Rod Whiteway and I met with NSW Fisheries to discuss our Concept Plan for the trout grow-out facility which is to be developed as an off-set for Snowy Hydro 2.0. During this meeting we presented our plan and our four priorities. At the end of this meeting NSW Fisheries asked that the MAS enter into “Agreed Principles” with DPI for the project. The MAS Executive is working on this and we will make a decision soon.
On 7 July I met with Snowy Hydro to present our Concept Plan to them. It is my assessment that our Concept Plan was well received.
Under the Final Assessment, Snowy Hydro is required to develop a detailed Recreational Fishing Management Plan, which includes a program involving the spending of $5 million over 5 years during construction (of Snowy Hydro 2.0) to develop the capability to restock, and to restock, the Tantangara Reservoir and Lake Eucumbene with salmonid fish. The anglers of the region have provided substantial support for the MAS proposal that the facility must produce fish of such a size that can withstand redfin predation. The MAS has identified 200 to 250mm as the preferred size and this has subsequently been confirmed by DPI researchers.
To get trout to this size it is imperative that the Gaden Trout Hatchery is capable of operating year-round with minimal impact from reduced water flow or high-water temperatures. Over the last two hatchery seasons we have seen Gaden production impacted by Thredbo River hot water events. It is likely that these hot water events will continue ad hoc into the future. Because of climate change there is the distinct probability such events will become more frequent. The MAS has formed the view that Water Temperature Security (WTS) is the critical element in any Plan for the facility. To ensure WTS the MAS has developed this Concept Plan to ensure WTS for the grow-out facility and Gaden Hatchery generally.
The MAS has adopted the position that there are four priorities for this project, and they are non-negotiable in concept. They are:
Water Temperature Security must be secured for Gaden Hatchery,
The facility must be capable of growing out a minimum of 150,000 yearling trout per annum for stocking,
A suitable fish transporter must be part of the plan to ensure trout are stocked efficiently and effectively, and
Holding a reserve of funds for the mid-term repair or replacement of the pump and / or pipeline.
If you would like more detail on the Concept Plan you can find it on the MAS Web Site at this link.
I got this from the NSW CFA Jul Newsletter. I’ll highlight the rest in the Aug Burley Line but this item was too urgent.
All the information and see the promotional video here.
Crown land is highly valued and enjoyed by individuals and diverse communities across NSW. It is used for a wide variety of purposes, from farms, parks, reserves, roads and cemeteries, to showgrounds, campgrounds, surf clubs, community halls and industrial sites…. did someone also think angler access!
Under the Crown Land Management Act 2016 (the Act) the NSW Government is required to create a State Strategic Plan for Crown land. The State Strategic Plan will set the vision, priorities and overarching strategy for the management of Crown land and outline timeframes and outcomes.
Many thanks to Rod for his notes. I’m conscious that some people actually work for a living and I appreciate folks such as him spending the time to contribute to Burley Line.
End of season for trout stream fishing and some members report here on their experiences – some interesting reading from Evan, Claude&BJ and Peter. What a beauty from Jaime – and then he backed up with a good string of Cod (the man is a veritable angling machine). Things are relaxing a bit with initial recommencement of CAA angling events with the June Chill at Black Mountain Peninsula – as you’ll see, the President led from the front – but unfortunately our Saltwater event has had to be cancelled, and our meetings will continue to be virtual for the time being. The unique value of Zoom was demonstrated by the June meeting where, all that way from NZ, Declan Wong spoke on ‘What you should do prior to, and what to expect when, fly fishing in NZ – A guides perspective’. An enjoyable question/answer session – Claude has provided a summary here. Finally, another early member of CAA has passed away.
We are getting close to our July meeting … remember, that’s when Lyall closes the ‘little green book’ and the registration of fish for possible trophy consideration closes. If you have fish to register, you best contact Lyall and book in a physical meeting or other arrangement in case our club meeting has to continue with Zoom. My quick glance earlier this month revealed very few entries.
Some good news on the Facebook front – Shaun has volunteered to be the lead Editor. If you are registered on Facebook, you should consider “liking and following” the CAA Facebook page. Shaun has lots of contacts and so, while much will align with stuff you’ll see in the Newsletter or CAA Website News Blog, you may well see it on FB first. I’m adding a column here in Burley Line as a ‘catch up’ for those of you who don’t want to sign up for Facebook.
DPI Fisheries has been criticised for not displaying action in respect to the Trout Strategy that had been developed with much angler input a year or so ago. On 18 June 2020 they conducted an extended Zoom presentation covering these matters, specifically the innovations being implemented at Gaden Hatchery and especially the research activities being conducted across the state. It was a very informative session and well received.
For those who didn’t go, or those who would like a reminder of the slide packs/information, these have been disseminated and available here. The titles are not entirely descriptive of the contents. The first one focusses on research, the second the efforts more broadly.
The handling of the various publicly ‘owned’ land (eg TSRs, Crown Reserves and Crown Roads) has been a continuing issue for anglers within NSW. The loss of access to waters due to the sale of TSRs etc has been considerable. The transparency of Government consideration has reduced over the years and it is only through dedicated monitoring by a few (eg President MAS Steve Samuels) that plans have been identified and, where necessary, objected to. (Steve has had some great wins in the Snowy Monaro).
The ever vigilant NSWCFA (thanks Ray Tang) has spotted this exposure document in respect to Crown Land. I’d encourage all readers here to examine the draft for education and consideration. When the formal public consideration period commences I’d encourage strong individual participation. No doubts NSWCFA Executive will put a consolidated position into the process as well.
You might recall anglers were asked to contribute to the development of a new Native Fish Recovery Strategy.
We’ve been advised today that on Friday 19 June Murray-Darling Basin Ministers endorsed the Strategy, “which provides guidance and practical actions that governments, communities and the private sector can take to strengthen the health of native fish”.
We have been patiently waiting for this. DPI have been quietly doing a lot of research, some in the context of the Trout Strategy. Now we can read about it on this new webpage.
Lyall has certainly outdone himself here. This is more of a story about food than a specific recipe – complete with a haiku. We can all seek to emulate.
Thread: 8/0 black or, **any colour depending on what colour people want their fly to be. And maybe a fluro yellow, orange, pink, red acting as a ‘hotspot’ or cheeks. Keep the thread small as the fly is pretty small. 6/0 is ok, but still pretty thick.
Body: Tinsel – Gold, silver, red, copper, blue, green (med) – Whatever colour people like for a body. Any colour thread even!
Body Rib: Small/ med wire – or stripped peacock quill.
Wing: Marabou or rabbit zonka – colour of people’s choice
Cheeks: Jungle cock or medium sized tinsel for cheeks.. Goose biots are very good too. We can even use fluro thread..
Varnish, nail polish or UV resin.. no preference. And BeesWax for thread
Notes/ Tips from JQ: Below are some notes & tips from my experiences. – You might find them useful 1. We often buy tying gear because a recipe insists on something** but we can easily substitute that ‘something’ with an equivalent or like product. Our gear becomes more consolidated, reducing gear that we may only use a couple of times. Our money will go much further allowing you to spend more elsewhere! I will go through some flies where you will use these materials again and again 2. Buy a hank of Flashabou tinsel (Code: 6998) or, Polarflash (Code: 2015) rather than bobbins of tinsel.. Works out much cheaper and you get heaps of colours in your hank of tinsel.. You can use it for cheeks but it is pretty narrow. Buying hanks of flashabou etc. allows you the opportunity to use it in your wooly buggers, humongous, shreks etc, even collars, nymph cases, ribbing etc 3. SPOTLIGHT or Craft stores have Goose Biots and they have like a pack of 10 with 2x red, 2x blue, 2x yellow, 2x white and 2x green? If not, get on to Troutlore.com.au and checkout Rob’s Hareline range 4. Colours/ variants are endless for this fly. If you haven’t got the exact materials we can substitute it and it’ll still be a fish-catcher. We can go through some variants on the night 5. EP Streamer Brush is also very handy – Orange in particular is very productive in local lakes. Check out Craig Dawson write up in the book Australian Trout Flies ‘revisited’. And then the streamer brush is good for cod flies, salt and many other flies 6. UV resin is great for instant completion to your flies, but has a nice price tag and a UV light is required. Most of the time $5.00 Sally Hansens is more than fine and is as robust. Sally Hansens does smell and so do some UV resins. The choice is yours! 7. Jungle cock is difficult to obtain these days (limited supply), suppliers have plastic printed ones. Or we can use tinsel or biots 8. Fish these anywhere in your team of flies. Swing them, Tweak them
