We’ve received advice on temporary KNP closures to control major feral animals. The easiest way to give all the details is to point you to Steve Whan MP’s website:
https://stevewhan.com.au/news/temporary-park-closures-for-major-feral-animal-control-programs/
The club holds some of the specialty required materials in the Gambrill bequest. ie.
BJ has offered to buy some tan foam if Boss has any. He would then take to the 14 Feb club meeting and dispense samples to those who say they will tie.
Anyone who wants to tie the Commonwealth Hopper, can come to the next meeting and BJ will provide a sample.
Registration of interest in receiving the material would be appreciated.
I uploaded a corrected version but just noticed no alert email.
This post is just to ensure subscribers are aware. The newsletter has been added to substantially.
Hope you enjoy it
Apologies for the mixup. It was pointed out that I had omitted some important material. Updated newsletter now uploaded.
Since our Christmas barbq the club has been understandably quiet. We hope your Christmas and New Year went well.
Our cover shot this month is our little friend from the North – we’ll make a dry fly fisherman out of him in due course. More of this inside.
Many thanks to Greg S for his contribution – the videos he finds are always entertaining. I’ve got a report here on the somewhat controversial stocking of Trout Cod in one of our favourite rivers. Ryan has had some success – if you don’t already do so, consider following him on Instagram. A report on the club carp event is here – was fun for those who participated. Two reports from Tumut, though a little bird tells me that Lake Eucumbene is going off at dusk too – mudeyes seem to be the fly of choice after dark replacing caddis during the day. Finally, an excellent report from Claude, BJ and Travis on Yaouk fishing. Great to see they had success on dry, especially the black spinner that was the subject of a recent fly tying night. So good when these self-tied flies bring home the goods. Roll on the hopper next fly tying.
With my Membership Officer hat on … there’s still a few, what I would call ‘regulars’, who haven’t paid their 2023-24 subs. Note that public liability coverage when on CAA events is contingent on being a financial member.
Ben from Huge Flyfisherman on YouTube provides humour that may be an acquired taste, but every now and then he uploads a tutorial that is particularly useful to those beginning their fly fishing journey.
In this video
https://youtu.be/nU35e4VJXUA?feature=shared
he gives an excellent description of the lifecycle of the mayfly.
Has arrived and available here. Key points:
Latest has arrived here.
Key points:
CAA was approached by a local Canberran Henry Delves, who is the developer of a new fly fishing journal/website.
Henry explained:
I would like to share our free online fly fishing journal, Tale Out with the members of the Canberra Anglers. As a free online fishing resource Tale Out is likely something that your members would be interested in.
The most efficient thing for the club’s members to do is to sign up to the free monthly newsletter. This will keep people in the loop when our articles are published.
Tale Out is taking a different approach to our fly fishing stories, speaking more to the experience rather than the traditional ‘grip and grins’. We hope it resonates.
We’ll be inviting Henry to be a speaker next year.
The following gives you a snapshot of the content.
What can I say about Rod’s mulloway – hmm, I did man the net .
Well done to Ryan for organising an excellent event at Tuross – he even put on some perfect weather and lots of fish. Little did he know that organiser responsibilities extend to assembling the trip report for Burley Line.
The shirt and cap sale was a great success, except for my poor arithmetic. For those who missed out, the club does hold a few for sale – speak to BJ. Claude and I are considering whether to follow it up next year with some fancy dye-sublimate shirts. They are all the rage up North and maybe we could follow suit.
Just a reminder here for the few members who have not paid up their 2023/24 subscriptions. Recall that to be covered by our public liability insurance you have to be financial. All the information on rates and how to pay are here.
We’re coming towards the end of the year and gives me pause to think – 2024 will be my 20th year producing this newsletter. It has been a pleasure, but I will likely need some assistance next year due to family travels. Anyone want to help out?
I probably won’t produce a January edition, but if you have some stories to tell, feel free to email them into me. If there is enough copy I’ll put out a ‘holiday edition’, otherwise, my plan would be to put something out early February.
The December meeting by the lake will be the last until 14 February, but Claude will gather the keener anglers to chase the feisty carp on 14 January. If I don’t see you at the barbeque, all the best for the festive season, take care on the road and don’t forget to slip/slop/slap.
Information from a CRAIG COLTMAN article.
People have expressed concern that the links to Flystream ask for signup/signin. On my phone I go straight in but I’ve discovered that my phone is routinely in “incognito” or “private” mode. Look to see how you can do it with your PC
Great for rivers and lakes.
From mid-December to mid-March, my go-to fly up here the Hi-vis Black Spinner. Spinners are particularly important on lakes as the predominant form of mayfly. Unlike lakes where dun hatches are the feature, on many waters up here, the nymphs crawl out of the water to hatch, so the dun hatch as such, is missing. As a result, the duns are less available to the trout, while the spinners become more important. Have a look for nymph shucks clinging to rocks protruding out of the water. When they are present, a black spinner pattern is always a good bet.
Usually fished in bright sun, which helps in polaroiding the fish. However, the combination of bright sun and clear water can make a standard black spinner very hard to see. To overcome this, tie with a fluorescent orange post. This spinner stands out a lot better on the water, and the trout don’t seem to mind the bright post. In fact, I sometimes think the orange makes the fly a more obvious target for them.
Releasing a black spinner feeder.
Usually fish this fly on its own. A recommendation is to use a 9ft nylon leader with a fast taper, with 1.2 metres of .18mm fluorocarbon tippet. The line loads up quickly and will punch into the wind, which is important to consider when polaroiding if you are fishing the Lakes.
It is equally effective anywhere black spinners are found.
Tying Materials
Hook – Gamakatsu S10-B, size 12
Thread – Black 8/0
Tail – Black Micro Fibets
Body – Fine fur dubbing
Post – Hi-vis orange Antron
Hackle – Black cock hackle
Tying instructions
Keyword dryfly