The report is now due 6 Oct.
More information on our earlier post here.
The report is now due 6 Oct.
More information on our earlier post here.
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.
A shame but my manufacturer doesn’t appear in this article from troutbitten.com, but you might be luckier, or you can get the general gist.
Next Meeting
11 Oct – monthly meeting starting at 7:30 at Raiders Weston. You might like to join some members at 6:30 for dinner. More details via email.
Next Activities
27 Sep Fly tying by Zoom – Newest leader Lachy will take us through the Olive Flash Perdigon Nymph and the Blue Collar Worker. Materials etc via email and in separate post.
29 Oct. Lyle Knowles Trophy competition (trout) – Cotter River between Condor Creek and Bendora Dam. Lyall will send out more via email.
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.
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.
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.
Danny Spelic is a local fishing notable and has given talks at our club in the past. He also runs recreational fishing courses at the CIT. The next four are running soon. Cost per course is $320 (4 x 3 hour sessions over 4 weeks) and is payable to the CIT. Details online at:
https://citsolutions.edu.au/courses/at_home/lifestyle_and_fitness
The four courses are: