News from RFA NSW.
Applications for the Eucumbene River Vehicle Access Permit for anglers with limited walking ability are now open for the 2018 season.

As the trout spawning season approaches, anglers who have legitimate mobility constraints and require vehicle access to the Eucumbene River can apply for a special Vehicle Access Permit.

For more information email the Angler Access Manager. Please apply for a key and permit at least two weeks prior to your trip. To apply for the gate key download an application here which has more information.

More info by phone at 02 60517769.

Wed 25th Apr – Fly tying cancelled due to ANZAC Day.

Wed 9th May. Usual time 7:30 at Raiders Weston.With the Trout Strategy Workshop coming up in late May, Steve Samuels will speak on the background at our May meeting.

Thu 17th May – Fundraising auction in support of FFA hosted by ACTFF. Deakin Football Club, Grose Street, Deakin 7.30pm. More details soon.

Stefan is hoping to enlist a team from CAA to attend this ‘meet’ which actually is a CFA fundraiser and fun competition.

More info is here.

Contact Stefan or Secretary CAA if you are interested.

Mark this in your diary

ACTFF will host an auction of fly fishing items on behalf of Fly Fish Australia at our May 17, 2018 meeting. The funds from the auction will support the Australian team selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships.
This will be a great opportunity for members to purchase some interesting and good quality fly fishing items. I hear there will be items like a position on the guiding weekend in the Snowy Mountains, items donated by Manic Tackle, flies tied by competition anglers and fly tying material. I will send out more details about items soon.
Where: Deakin Football Club, Grose Street, Deakin
Date: Thursday, 17 May 2018
Time: 7.30pm

NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers have advised more info on the workshops. Our nearest one is on 17 May at Rydges Jindabyne. Registration is required by 27 April (new date?).

http://us4.forward-to-friend.com/forward/preview?u=8ee287affb9dbb289b12fbd77&id=9bd8b0b1b6

1. Trout-Strategy-Meeting-Agenda
2. Trout-Strategy-Framework

I’ve received an email from Steve Samuels promoting attendance:

I encourage as many anglers as possible to attend these workshops. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for anglers to have an influential say in how our trout fishery is revitalized and secured for the future. To attend one of the workshops you must register, so please do it – don’t be complacent and leave it to others. We need good representation from all fishing disciplines – fly, spin, troll and bait – come along and help make our trout fishing future better.

got the following from Steve Samuels (Pres MAS and significant angling representative for this region):

Supporters

By now you will probably know that Snowy Hydro has released the Feasibility Report on the Pumped Hydro 2.0 Project which stipulates the project is feasible and will go ahead. A full copy of the Report can be found at: www.snowyhydro.com.au/our-scheme/snowy20/snowy-2-0-feasibility-study/

The essence of the project is that water will be released from Tantangara Dam into Talbingo Dam via generators. Water will then be returned to Tantangara Dam from Talbingo Dam to repeat the cycle.

We know that there are redfin perch in Talbingo and none in Tantangara. From a fishing perspective we remain concerned that there exists a real risk that redfin perch will be transported through the system from Talbingo Dam into Tantangara Dam.

Included below is the relevant section from the Feasibility Report for you to study – it is a short but important read.

In the new year I will be asking you all to participate with the MAS in contacting Snowy Hydro to impress upon them the importance of keeping redfin out of Tantangara, but in the meantime please have a good festive season.

Regards

Steve Samuels

President

Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc

Feasibility Report extract on redfin

5.4.4 Transport of undesirable aquatic species One of the key environmental risks for the operation of the Facilities (once the Project is completed) is the potential transfer of Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis) through the proposed tunnel from Talbingo Reservoir to Tantangara Reservoir. Redfin are a NSW-listed Class 1 noxious species under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (NSW). Outputs from the NSW Department of Primary Industries ((DPI)) freshwater fisheries database confirm that a large resident Redfin perch population is present in Talbingo Reservoir. The same output has not detected any Redfin in the upper Murrumbidgee catchment upstream of the ACT border, which includes Tantangara Reservoir. Redfin are voracious predators known to prey predominantly on juvenile and adult forms of various fish species. Redfin are also known carriers of the Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis (EHN) Virus. This virus is lethal to Redfin but also to trout and native fish species.The introduction of Redfin to Tantangara could have significant consequences for the Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Brown trout (Salmo trutta) fishery of Tantangara. Members of the fishing community have confirmed this distribution of Redfin and fishing advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the potential for transfer of Redfin as a result of the proposed development and consequent impact on the trout fishery and the impact on the local and regional economy that would arise from that. There are potential options for preventing the entrainment of Redfin into the proposed pipeline. Those with the most promise include physical screens, barrier nets and electrical barriers. The feasibility of © Snowy Hydro Limited 2017 Page 16 of 18 Snowy 2.0 Study Report – Chapter Seventeen – Environment, permits and approvals Commercial-in-Confidence these options will need to be considered in relation to their capability of preventing or minimising the movement of all life stages of Redfin during the EIS stage. Further investigations are planned to confirm the likelihood of Redfin survival through the proposed Project development including experimental studies to test the survival of all age classes of Redfin to the rates of pressure and shear stress that are likely to be generated during operation of the power/pump station. These will commence once the design of the Project has been finalised and the detailed hydraulic modelling of the Project has been completed.