Author Archives: bill

Fly Tying – 26 Aug 2020 – Zulu Tag

The Zoom session on 26 Aug was run by Claude.

our notes:

Hook: #14-10 Kamasan B170

Thread: Black 8/0

Body hackle: Black

Hackle: Black

Tag: Red Float-Vis

Rib: Silver wire or thin tinsel twist

Like the Possum Emerger, it does it all and will catch fish in many circumstances. It’s a great fly to hang a nymph under, such as a 007 for tailing fish and is easy to see in most different types of light.

Don’t be afraid to vary the pattern either, clip the hackle underneath so it sits low, tie it bushy or sparse. Try a hot orange tag or blue wire rib. If you vary it too much you can’t really call it a Zulu anymore but really the basic pattern is all you need.

keyword wetfly

Snowy 2.0 Work Notification – Geological investigations + ongoing underwater installation of communication cable at Talbingo – from 1 August 2020

Attached is a notification about geological investigations at Talbingo Reservoir and continuing work to install the underwater communication cable. The work will involve intermittent disruptions to the boat ramp at Talbingo Reservoir from 1 August to 31 October 2020.

Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach – Winter 2020 Report

Normally I’d keep this for the next Burley Line (there’s a lot of good stuff here), but there is one item promoting an online session tomorrow 30 Jul.

With contributions from over 100 Indigenous individuals and organisations, these Indigenous-led Guidelines support a step-change in learning, by both Indigenous peoples and their partners, about best practice ways of working with Indigenous knowledge to look after land and sea Country. Supported by NAILSMA and CSIRO, and funded by the Northern Australia Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP), the Our Knowledge Our Way Guidelines are based on 23 case studies that illustrate the critical principle that Indigenous people must decide what is best practice when working with their knowledge.  The launch will be held online between 1-2pm on the 30th July.  It features a short film, followed by a Q&A session with indigenous co-authors and partners.  Register online here.

Tasmania Trippin

Wed 8 Jul 2020 meeting saw Jason speaking about the Bronte Fly Fishing School course he went to in Tasmania – this was part of a recent trip he made to Tassie and JM has provided some insights on travelling to the Apple Isle (if it ever opens up again for business!). 

August 2020 Burley Line (Newsletter Issue 158)

Our angling has slowed down but it was a morale boost to get a number of articles from regular contributors.  Thanks Jason and Claude for submitting some interesting articles – even if the results of your expeditions did not include fish (we are an Angling association after all), the information obtained will stand us all in good stead.  As ever, I’m impressed by how keen young Luke has become – rewarded here with ‘photo of the month’ plus another photo in his article.  Ever vigilant Jaime spotted one item – make sure you click through to the link in respect to the huge cod landed in LBG.  There is hope still for all of us to land a lunker locally.  Lyall has put in two promotions – for our free casting lessons and for Peter Morse’s classes coming up here in Canberra.  Lots of other news from near and far in this edition.

Our new Facebook editor had a reassuring incident this month.  I’d put up in the CAA (website) News Blog a promotion for our annual fly casting lessons.  Someone following the blog (everyone should think about subscribing) was sufficiently enthused that they then announced the event on the CAA Facebook page just ahead of Shaun doing it himself.  We’ve got 47 folk subscribing to the CAA blog for emailed alerts (some are not CAA members).  By contrast we have 424 followers on Facebook (almost none are CAA members) and more every day.  I wonder if CAA should get onto Instagram and Twitter with the way this newfangled social media is being embraced.

CAA’s Big AGM Raffle

Given the AGM is going ‘virtual’ with us meeting on-line via Zoom, the traditional raffle has also gone on-line.

If you haven’t already bought your ticket, best you hurry. Buy your tickets ‘contact-free’ by transferring your money to the Canberra Anglers’ Association bank account at BSB 032727, Account 240159. $10 per ticket. Be sure to include your name in the bank reference. Lucky winners will be announced at the AGM.

$300 of prizes suited to all styles of angling. They include a Snowbee fish smoker, a McLean Angling folding weigh net (kg and lbs) made in New Zealand and a SIMMS wading koozy.

Fly Tying 22 Jul 2020 North Country Spider: Partridge and Orange

North Country Spider: Partridge and OrangeNorth Country Spiders – is the name given to wet flies tied in a particular style in the north of England. The Americans refer to them as “Soft Hackles”. They are at the foundation of all North Country fly fishing and are tied intentionally to be very sparse. They have been used for over a hundred years and are tied using simple, traditional, fly tying materials, to represent the full spectrum of insects available to the trout and grayling. There are many North Country Spiders variants that can represent virtually every insect and they have been successfully employed in lakes and rivers in Australia.
Shaun will be leading the tying session…you may recall the informative Loch Style fishing presentation he provided to the club earlier this year. Shaun has successfully employed these types of flies internationally and locally so his tying session is sure to be informative to all levels of fishers. Even if you don’t want to participate in the tie, join us with a single malt or camomile tea for the informative chat.
Tying List:
Hook: Wet Fly, Size 14-18
Thread: Orange 8/0. Traditionally actual tying silk made by Pearsalls. and waxed before use.
Rib: Fine gold wire (very optional). Substitute: You can use what you have in your tying kit
Hackle: Speckled neck feather from an English Partridge. Substitute: similar from a hen cape (rounded and soft)
Alternate ties: With a peacock herl as a thorax or head – behind or in front of the hackle.
Even more alternate ties: With a touch dubbed body.
Secrets he’ll talk about on the night:
– History, 15th Century Italian, 19th Century Yorkshire
– Finding real tying silk without paying $50 a reel on eBay
– How to fish
– Alternate ties
– Herl headed and Thorax spiders
– The Tenkara Tie
10 Soft-hackle Flies You Need to Know • Outdoor Canada
Method:
1. Lightly wax the thread first. Then tie on just behind the eye.
2. Catch in the fine gold wire and hold in-line with the hook shank as you wrap the thread in touching turns.
3. Stop wrapping the thread just short of the bend.
4. Wrap the thread back up in touching turns to just short of the eye.
5. Take the gold wire in open even turns towards the eye to produce 4-6 ribs. Secure the rib with two wraps of thread.
6. Helicopter the surplus gold rib close to the body.
7. Catch in a prepared partridge feather by the tip using only two or three wraps of thread running away from the eye. I’ll explain how to prep a feather on the night.
8. Cut away the feather tip.
9. Using hackle pliers make between one and two wraps with the feather. Be careful to keep the feather from twisting so the feather barbs take position perpendicular to the body. If you stroke the barbs back as you pass the hackle around the shank you will avoid catching any preceding barbs.
10. Make a careful whip finish with three or four wraps of thread. Avoid letting the whip finish flatten the feather barbs.
11. Touch in the head with a couple of tiny drops of head cement.

keyword wetfly streamerfly

Opera House Yabby Trap Ban

 

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.

Minister Gentleman has announced an opera-house net swap program https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/gentleman/2020/swap-your-old-yabby-trap-for-a-free-wild-life-friendly-net ,this will allow Canberran’s to swap opera-house nets for an open-top pyramid net free of charge at participating retailers. We hope this will see less opera-house nets in the community and result in less deaths of non-target native animals captured in these nets. Flyer:

More News of MAS Concept for a Trout Grow Out Facility as Part of Snowy Hydro 2.0

Got this from Pres MAS

Dear Supporters

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.

http://www.monarofishsociety.org/news.html

The MAS will keep you informed as the project develops.

Steve Samuels

President

Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc.

July 2020