Our next meeting will be held upstairs in The Loft meeting room at Raiders Weston at 1 Liardet Street in Weston from 7:30.

Our guest speaker will be Fly Fishers International member Freddy von Reibnitz who will give us a presentation on The History of Bamboo Fly Rod Building in Australia. Freddy will also be bringing a couple of Australian-made rods with him for us to look at.

Freddy is the only person Lyall knows of who has passed all levels of the Fly Fishers International Fly Casting Skills Development Program using only bamboo fly rods – a fantastic achievement!!!

The NSW Natural Resources Commission are reviewing the priority risks and impacts of invasive species and the effectiveness of current management strategies.

Your chance to contribute closes 31 Oct.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/nsw-invasive-species-management-review

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.

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’).

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

Seen on Facebook. There’s also a clearance sale.

Details here.

17 and 24 Sep.

Weather was great on Sun 10th. The clash with the Camp Quality charity bash again taking over the entire big carpark nearest our casting area won’t happen on 17 Sep. Hope to see you there.

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

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/

The proposed changes have come about. Admittedly it only effects a small number of rivers and small sections at that, but the changes are significant. The latest Fish and Game Newsletter had a snippet:

A heap of Designated Waters Licences have also been sold.
The Designated Waters system has replaced the Backcountry system and is designed to see Kiwi anglers get a fairer share on some of the waterways that Fish & Game’s research has shown are subject to too much pressure – around two per cent of the country’s rivers.
The new licence category will help us manage angling pressure by spreading angling effort around so that it isn’t concentrated in certain areas, which detracts from the angling experience and also has the potential to negatively impact the fisheries.
Over the past ten years, Fish & Game has received increasing complaints from resident and non-resident anglers regarding overcrowding in a small number of fisheries that will now be managed through the Designated Waters Licence.
Our research and monitoring show that a small percentage of non-resident anglers will intensely fish in a local area, putting pressure on the fishery and displacing other anglers. We’ve implemented this new fisheries management tool to help address that imbalance.
In some fisheries, angler use has gone from a roughly 50:50 resident-to-non-resident split (in the early 2000s) to an 80:20 split favouring non-resident anglers. In most cases, pressure-sensitive fisheries, now managed through the Designated Waters Licence, share common features. The rivers have very clear water, offer excellent sight fishing, hold large average-size trout, have high scenic value, and are often located in a wilderness or backcountry setting.

These Designated Water Licences are only available for those with a Season Licence. I’ve not been able to see the authoritative cost/conditions but this article by South FlyFisher may be correct.

For those who frequent Southland the only Designated Water is the Upper Oreti. More information here.