Author Archives: bill

October 2023 Burley Line (Issue 195)

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Activities dominated by our annual Fly Casting Days instruction to the public.  In addition, our special meeting at Boss Outdoors on 13 Sep went off a treat – many thanks Nathan.

Membership renewals are slowly progressing.  We’ve got maybe 10 ‘regulars’ still outstanding.  Member fees are now due, unchanged from last year – $40 for adult, $50 for family, $15 for individual juniors and $15 for concession (age pension or similar).  Payment of subs via EFT is available BSB 032727, A/C Number 233821. Please ensure your name is included in the transfer comment information.  Alternatively come to a Wednesday meeting and pay with cash or card.  Any contact detail changes can be provided by the webform on our ‘join us’ page or speak to me at a meeting.  Reminder that you need to be financial to be covered by the club’s Public Liability Insurance – particularly important with our outings commencing for the season.

Outing dates for our Feb trip to Jindabyne has been locked in for 23-25 Feb.  Pop it into your diary, I’ll seek registrations later this year.

Lots of interesting stuff hit my in-box this month (in addition to casting photos – many thanks Paul, John and Ryan), check it out towards the end of the newsletter.

Hope everyone goes well with Stream Trout Season opening this weekend.

0195Download

NSW Chief Scientist Report into the Feb/Mar 2023 Mass Fish Kill in the Darling-Baaka River

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In an earlier blog post I said that an independent study was to be undertaken. A recent post on Facebook by NSWCFA (reposted on our Facebook) called our attention to its release.

https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/580658/Menindee-Fish-Deaths-Report_Findings-and-Recommendations.pdf

The link is to a covering letter and the Executive Summary so is a relatively short read (5 pages). It is a clear description of what happened and why, as well as things that need to be done.

Amongst others, the issue of carp is raised. The National Carp Control Plan (still under consideration by Federal and state governments and seemingly reliant on the carp herpes virus) is not mentioned by name, but the Chief Scientist’s report does recommend “an integrated national invasive fish species management strategy be finalised and resourced.”

The delay in decision making on the carp virus, the apparent lack of a ‘Plan B’ alternative to the virus, and the absence of any other/complementary carp control activities being currently undertaken, has been the subject of much correspondence by NSWCFA to NSW and Federal governments.

Fly Casting 24 Sep 2023

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Remember that the final day is on the water – Lake Ginninderra at Nengi Bamir Beach on Diddams Close west. Enter off Ginninderra Drive (near Gundaroo Drive/previously William Slim Drive). At the T Junction turn right and go to the end. Alternatively put -35.225282522740095, 149.06970762152545 into your GPS.

The club is currently planning to provide suitable, barbless, flies (or you can continue to use the ‘fluff’).

Fly Tying 27 Sep 2023 – Olive Flash Perdigon Nymph and Blue Collar Worker

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Lachy is in the lead. Zoom invite sent out via email.

Hook – Hanak 470 size 16 (can use Hanak 450 or 400 and sizes 12-18 as desired). It is a general nymphing jig hook.

Bead – Silver slotted tungsten bead 3.0mm. Also works well in copper and sizes 2.5 – 3.5mm to give you options to match water conditions. 

Thread – Black UTC 70 or Uni Thread 8/0.

Collar – Fluro Orange UTC 70 or Glo-Brite No 7 (fluro orange).

Tail – Coq de Leon in Flora de Escoba (Brown-mottled) colour. You can also use dark or medium pardo.

Body – Hareline Krystal Flash Peacock. Alternate is Hends 233 Krystal Flash Dark Brown (actually has a green shine). Or any green coloured Krystal Flash, Tinsel or even Flashabou (if nothing else).

UV Resin – Solarez Bone-dry or any thin, clear UV resin eg. Loon UV Clear Fly Finish – Flow.

Wing Case Resin – Solarez UV Cure Color Resin (Black) or Loon UV Fly Finish Black. Can be difficult to source locally so black nail polish will also do. Note that I have seen perdigons done with and without a wing case, so this is optional. 

Given the Perdigon Nymph is a very easy and quick pattern to tie, Lachy is happy to do the Blue Collar Worker on the same night

Hook – Dohiku 302 size 14 (can use Hanak 280 and sizes 10-18 as desired).

Bead – Silver countersunk tungsten bead 3.0mm. Plus some thin (0.2-0.3mm) lead wire to wrap behind the bead.

Thread – Brown (or Olive or Tan) 220 Denier 3/0 Uni-Thread to cover lead (optional), Camel (or Brown) Uni-Thread 8/0 for tying the fly, and Glo-Brite No. 14 (fluro blue) for the hot collar.

Tail – Pheasant tail fibres. Natural colour.

Body – Pheasant tail fibres. Natural colour.

Ribbing – Small Tinsel (UTC Pearl Tinsel is ideal) furled with 6X or 7X tippet

Collar – CDC in Dun or mid-dark grey colour. And Fluro blue thread for the hot collar as described above.

Keyword wetfly nymphfly

RFA of NSW Newsletter Sep 2023

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Has arrived and can be read here

Top items:

  • Trout season opening
  • Prospect Dam for recreational fishing
  • Bass in Porter’s Creek Dam
  • Impact of offshore wind farms on fishing
  • Female participation in fishing
  • 10th World Recreational Fishing Conference presentations are all online
  • Annual trout fishing closure no longer applies within the Macquarie River or Lower Turon Rivers
  • 2023-24 Survey of Recreational Fishing
  • Open season has now officially begun for bass and EPs

NSW CFA August 2023 Newsletter – Freshwater Fisher

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The Editor, Peter Gibson, does this to me so often 🙂 publishes the Freshwater Fisher immediately after I publish Burley Line.

A very full edition. Top items:

  • The annual trout fishing closure no longer applies in the Macquarie River or Lower Turon Rivers
  • Advanced size Murray cod stocking
  • Positive signs for native fish in the Murray-Darling Basin
  • Opposition to proposed Yetholme hydro project on Macquarie watershed. A comprehensive letter of concern. (NSWCFA have previously prepared an issues paper for Affiliated Clubs on pumped hydro for local engagement on the issue)
  • Carp functionally eradicated from Tasmania
  • Gone Fishing Day grant applications open. Put 8 October 2023 in your calendar, as Gone Fishing Day is on again.
  • 10th World Recreational Fishing Conference presentations
  • Have your say on freshwater fish stocking
  • River ecologist confident Murray cod ‘will bounce back’ amid fears of another fish kill
  • Draft amendment to the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan – submissions close 11 Sep
  • 2023-24 Survey of Recreational Fishing – you might receive a phone call
  • Fisheries collaboration to crack code on Macquarie perch
  • Website for Australian bamboo (aka ‘cane’) rods looking at their history

available here

At Last, an Entomologist Who Includes a Fly Fishing Dimension

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Our entomologist member Jaime brought this new book to our attention.

“An essential reference on Tasmania’s diverse mayflies, ideal for aquatic biologists and flyfishers.”

Jaime tells me:

A new book about Tasmanian Mayflies with biologist and fly-fishing orientation has been just published. I have been waiting for it for about 2 years. I was one of the reviewers when it was in the process of publication so I can testify that it’s a great book. It has very good biology/ecology/behavioural information. On top of that – because the scientist who wrote it has been a fly fisherman for more than 20 years – it includes a good chunk of fishing suggestions, eg. flies to mimic the natural patterns, when and where they occur, regional colour variations, etc. I haven’t seen a book that combines the 2 approaches (taxonomy/ biology and fly-fishing) together so well. Several of the species in the book occur also in VIC and NSW, so the information can be useful for us here.

$59.99. Order it here.

https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/8073/