NSW - BENDEELA WEEKEND (KANGAROO RIVER)

Another trip to Bendeela (Tallowa Dam), another great weekend...

Since the kayak tournaments began in earnest late 2009 I have found little time to enjoy lazing around in a destination without the rigours of competition (Travel, time congestion mainly). When the Canberra Anglers Association put off another trip to Brogo Dam near Bega due to the low water level I made the suggestion to Bill Blair that Tallowa Dam could be an option for members looking to tangle with a Bass or two. The fish ladder at the Dam wall is no complete and the camping/picnick area is open once again but the lure of Wombats, larger camping areas and more relaxing surroundings brought us to Bendeela camping area on the banks of the Kangaroo Arm of Lake Yuranga (Tallowa Dam proper).

Last time I had visited this free campground it was the Easter long weekend and everyman and his dog (Expression only, no pets allowed) were camped along the generous sites breaches. It was quite a refreshing site to see vacant blocks among the designated zones but other campers, schoolies and fishermen had the same idea as we had and the grounds were quite busy. Arriving early I was greeted with a cup of coffee by Ian (President of CAA) and met his good mate Pete. Another member Alan was present too but was still exploring the river arm from his inflatable kayak.

From their accounts the fishing had been hard with no fish caught on Friday or early Saturday morning. We waited for another member Lyall to arrive before unloading my tandem kayak and rigging up both the Outfitter and the tandem Canoe and heading out for my first fish. With Alan on the front the Outfitters capacity load was tested at first but decent freeboard remained. Enough to ensure a drier ride than Alan was used to. With Alan waving the fly rod I was content to just travel between lagoon like bank lines and position the kayak for profound wand work.

Almost immediately Alan hooked up to a little Bass and was happy the pressure was off, neither of us were looking forward to a self proposed nudie run if we failed to secure a catch. Took almost three hours before I hooked my first trolling but by now it was the dead middle of the day and the heat was almost unbearable. We did however see a large moth flailing in the water for a minute or two and just as Alan commented on how he couldn’t believe this insect remained on the surface it was completely smashed by a rather large Bass in a flurry of wings and water.

Returning to the campsite we found CAA member Lyall who had arrived a little late, we also found Ian and Pete returning with a rather mirrored report, two small Bass and not much else. While they went upstream towards the bridge we had ventured downstream towards the pumping station. We all agreed the nightfall would bring on quality sippers of the rise and eagerly awaited cooler conditions and setting suns. I had brought the Quest for Lyall, planned on solo use of the Outfitter, Alan brought his Diveyak for fly rod work and Alan and Pete had hired a two man Canoe.

So there were four, very keen anglers refreshed after a long lunch and a few Nanna naps. Finally the temperature dropped and the surface lures were donned, I was really looking forward to tonight. To be honest I haven’t had much of a chance to fish this area during darkness but with most campers happy to sip alcohol and enjoy dinner we basically had the waterway to ourselves. Throwing an Ecogear PX45 I had three fish within 10 minutes, then it went quiet rather quickly. Just when the last light began to fall I switched to a rather large River 2 Sea Rover 75 and collected four more.

This was quite a result considering I had spent a few minutes before fishing commenting on my lack of confidence with something so large. Might have been the larger profile or slight lack of action (Doesn’t seem to walk the dog as well as other lures). My guess was colour and rattle, dark purple and black hues accompanied with a rather large rattle brought on a hat trick quickly. First cast, fish, second cast, fish, third cast, fish, fourth cast, tree, fifth cast, fish. Darkness had enveloped the system so I caught up with others and was fascinated to hear that nobody had secured any Bass.

Mind you all I was doing is walking the dog with surface lures while others used fly, trolling techniques and cast and retrieve. Spinnerbaits that work so well in areas like Shallow Crossing on the upper Clyde failed miserably all weekend. The water was quite warm and very dirty, before I arrived on Friday some wind and rain swept through the evening and god knows how many days it had done that previous to our arrival. Still, we had another good mornings fishing ahead so early to bed, early to rise before packing up and heading home.

Breaking in my new swag I genuinely Wombat proofed the immediate area before attempting to sleep. Luckily I did as the fence I tied up to shook a few times when Wombats made their way through with one stopping for a toilet stop on the tarp over my feet (Yes, I slept through it). When I got up Alan was already on the water so Lyall and I ferried the two kayaks down to the edge and started prospecting. Lyall paddled upstream while I went looking for Allan downstream, turned out that was my best decision of the weekend and finished the trip with another three Bass.

Once again the PX45 did the damage but even the size 12 trebles failed to hook about six attempts and a surface gobble. When I found Allan I found the fish, when a fish would miss the lure I would wait a minute or two and re-present in the same area. Sometimes it would take multiple attempts but the fish would eventually stick. The only disappointment of the weekend was the size of the Bass, biggest going 25cm and the other 12 barely breaking the 20cm mark. I kind of wished we had gone down to the dam wall and fished the larger Dam but every waterway deserves a scout and only adds to its magical appeal (Fish or no fish).

Unfortunately after I departed the others and hit the highway near Exeter I suffered a broken Thule J bar carrier due to headwind and sail like conditions. Stopping three times to check the load I heard a loud crack upon final departure. The bottom high density moulding snapped right through and left me stranded on the roadside north of Goulburn. No choice but to ring my partner Claire and convince her to make the 1.5hr journey and save the day. Props to Pauly from Sailing Scene in Sydney for stopping on his return trip from Canberra home.

I guess its pretty hard to miss my car on the side of a highway with hazard lights on and two Hobies on the roof.

(More photos up shortly)