Tallowa Dam, N.S.W – My First Bass 19.4.08

Introduction :

The centrepiece of the Shoalhaven scheme is Tallowa Dam, a concrete dam completed in 1976. It is located immediately downstream of the junction of the Kangaroo and Shoalhaven rivers. The Tallowa Dam collects water from a 5,750 square kilometre catchment that extends from Kangaroo Valley in the north-east to the upper Shoalhaven River south-west of Braidwood.

This water is stored in Lake Yarrunga, which is formed by Tallowa Dam. Lake Yarunga is the main water supply for the Shaolhaven and is one of Sydneys major regular drinking water supplies. Tallowa dam holds the water back and this flows into the Shoalhaven River which starts well above the dam wall itself.

This lake is stocked with Australian Bass, stocking records vary but 80,000 fingerlings were released there in late 2006 under a NSW government grant deal. It is a paddle only Lake / Dam and access is from parts of Kangaroo Valley, Bendeela camping grounds and the Tallowa Dam wall.

• Height : 43 metres

• Length : 518 metres

• Capacity : 90,000 megalitres

• Catchment : 5,750 square kilometres

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/area ... ay-tallowa

Getting there :

Tallowa Dam and the Kangaroo Valley district is situated on the Shoalhaven River near Kangaroo Valley, about 200 kilometres south from Sydney, approximately 200km north from Canberra and a leisurely half an hours drive from the coastal township of Nowra.

From Sydney, follow the Hume Highway [F5] south towards Goulburn and take the Mittagong to Bowral turnoff. Take Nowra Road towards Kangaroo Valley. Turn right at Kangaroo Valley Just before Hampden Bridge to Bendeela Picnic Area. For Tallowa Dam, continue across Hampden Bridge and turn right.

Accommodation :

Famous for its camping grounds scattered around at Bendeela, Barrengarry and the Tallowa Dam wall ( Currently closed due to construction ), the Kangaroo Valley offers many styles of accommodation from Bed & Breakfasts, Retreats, Lodges, Farm stays down to the traditional stylings of Glenmack Caravan Park / Kangaroo Valley Tourist Park.

AKFF Fishing Report ( Part 1 ) :

Fishing for Australian Bass has been on my ‘To do list’ for a long time, the interstate waterways that surround my habitual playgrounds do hold general patches of this species in limited abundance but I have only intentionally targeted them once ( Different area mind you, zero result ). This weekend’s trip had been lurking in the back of my mind since I purchased my first kayak around two years ago, a pristine location and an ideal impoundment to chase one of Australia’s true native genus, Macquaria Novemaculeata.

I was invited on this trip by a friend who has fished Tallowa Dam many times over with some grand results to boot. Josh was more than happy to show me the ropes and play fishing guide, also inviting his good friend Rory to visit the dam for the first time. We aimed to set up camp opposite the foreshore at the picnic area, unbeknown to us before arrival, the Tallowa Dam picnic area was closed due to construction of a new fish ladder and access to the area for bushwalkers, canoeists and kayakers was slightly restricted.

Amazing foggy, overcast conditions greeted us on arrival as we pulled into the car park, members of the NSW Sea kayak club along with various Duke of Edinbrough participants occupied many of the parking spaces made available near the new construction site fence. Plastic canoes filled with water tight containers accompanied large fiberglass sea kayaks, my tandem Outfitter looked more like a small boat compared to the rest but it is apply kitted out for fishing lake like structure.

Wheeling the yak to the water brought views unimaginable to city folk like myself, anticipation was high for a great day fishing for Bass.The weather conditions started to break, cold foggy air lifted slowly as we proceeded round the first of many points. Shallow weed lined shores were a stark contrast to the deeper, rock lined faces that greeted us as we pushed on, making for some extremely challenging scenarios.

Choosing what technique would bring on the Bass proved one of the harder tasks of the weekend, surface lures cast into shallow bays, spinnerbaits slung towards the steep faces and slow rolled soft plastics were the mainstay ( Trolling minnow lures the fall back choice ). Applying these tactics moved us gradually away from the dam wall and further up the Shoalhaven arm.

Bass tend to shut down during daylight hours but the occasional burst of energy saw a few fish breach the surface. Bubbles created by a heavy population of carp confused my senses, Rory and I soon found ourselves throwing around as many styles of surface lures as possible, playing and praying on the overcast conditions while hoping to hit a late morning purple patch. Jitterbugs, Crazy Crawlers and small poppers were cast and thrown toward the deviating shore, an exhilarating way to fish but lacking the perfect conditions needed to manufacture any sort of surface strike.

Josh tried the soft plastic approach before trolling his favoured deep diving Poltergeist along the edges, we followed suit and soon found ourselves en route to a section of the lake which featured heavily in sunken timber. Pausing for a break along the way provided a chance to refine previously used techniques, Rory managed a hit as he retrieved his Spinnerbait tight from the bank but unfortunately the Bass suckled at the skirt rather than engulfing the lure. Snag laden structure beckoned the use of Lipless Crankbaits, Plastics and Spinnerbaits without result, the area was bound to hold fish but dejection set in ( Taking its toll physically and mentally ).

This marked the start of Saturdays return journey, since departing Canberra at 4:00 am and launching at around 6:00 am we had managed to cover the best part of five kilometers without lunch or any substantial break. Dreams of quality Bass slowly disappeared with the onset of heavy rain and we were starting to fade fast. A pronouncement was made by or guide to troll back towards the wall and contemplate setting up a disfunctional camp, exchanging sides to troll the vertical formations brought us alongside deep sections and secluded coves.

Downsized lures tempted the first Bass onboard the kayak, a feisty 14cm Bass struck Rory’s small Bumblebee Stumpjumper directly as the barometer dipped due to a passing rain squall.My Bleeding Micro Mullet was troubled shortly after with an aggressive burst, I was warned these fish fought like demons so set the drag accordingly. I was slightly hesitant with this fish and let the pressure off the line to regain my composure.

As Rory dipped the net in the water, waiting for the first sight of the Bass, I felt the hooks pull and the lure regain its tight action. Frustration was obviously evident upon our faces but reality kicked in, were there was one there would be many. Shut down maybe, in fact we had probably trolled past dozens of ripe Bass, endangered Grayling and miserable Carp that all got a good glance at our presentation.

That Bass was ancient history, the downpour continued and the shivering began to quell our thirst for warm, dry clothing and the dehydrated safety of our vehicles. Preoccupied with talking about the nights activities I almost skipped a heart beat when my Heartland / Tierra 1500 outfit bled braid at frightening speeds. This is was what I had been waiting for, with plenty of excited assistance from Rory the pressure stayed tight as he boated the 41cm Bass. The purpose of Journeying to Tallowa Dam was complete, shaking and nervous I removed the hooks quite easily and gauged up its size before a soaking release ( In more ways than one ).

Rounding the last weedy point before birthing saw Rory catch another small specimen on a trolled Rebel Crawdad. We were the only fishermen at the Dam who ventured out on a Canoe or Kayak so ultimately drew some absurd stares, packing up our water craft after a quick feed and change we disembarked on foot to visit the Shoalhaven River system below the Dam wall. The River was 100% full and flowing nicely but all Josh’s favoured positions were either completely underwater or full of novice anglers.

We tried a multitude of approaches but failed were others using bait succeeded, it was down right embarrassing seeing one group of anglers knocking hefty sized Bass on the head... These wild, pure fish deserved to be released. A dusky epoch greeted us on return to the carpark, Josh was irritated at the days results but had one more trick up his sleeve. Leading us along the dams edge we trudged a well worn path to a small depression containing a considerable drop off. Second cast with a a Storm Hopper Popper, worked super slow, caused the first boil followed by another in quick succession. I hoped a long pause would create a hook up but alas the fish missed on its final attempt and disappeared.

Rory had a small take so we kept at it for an hour before light completely faded, with a series of well chorused yawns dinner and setting up camp became our number one priority. Cooking snags and bacon in the carpark signaled the end of an exhausting day. The others decided to roll out their swags in between cars while I rearranged the Forester to sleep one comfterbly. Setting our alarms to 5:00am we synchronized our Sunday plan of attack, this involved heading up The Shoalhaven stretch and trolling todays more productive locations.

We were pretty sure persistence would crack the code, colour, size, action and barometer played a big part in this mornings effort that could easily be reproduced, with patience a major virtue.

To Be Continued...

MALLACOOTA - AUSTRALIA DAY LONG WEEKEND 2008

A Victorian coastal town surrounded by water with superb views to boot, Mallacoota is at the forefront of Australia’s most loved fishing destinations. ‘Coota was established way back in 1830 when Ben Boyd and the Imlay brethren built a major Whaling station south of Two Fold Bay, Eden. The lighthouse on Gabo Island was erected in 1862 after a major shipwreck resulting in the loss of 33 lives, it is a well known reference point for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race as well as providing weather information for the area.

The Township and surrounding district provide visitors and locals alike with plenty of angling opportunities. From far upstream below Genoa in the Wallagaraugh River, to the Top and Bottom Lakes of Mallacoota, many species of fish and urban animal abound. Large southern Black Bream and enormous Dusky Flathead have made ‘Coota an iconic epicentre of bustling waterway commotion, remarkable goals easily achieved fishing in one of the many infamous, trusted locations.

Getting there :

Mallacoota is a modest four hour drive, 400km journey from Canberra down the Monaro Highway. Although you can take a few scenic routes ( Particularly down through Eden ), I was advised that the quickest after work travel option is a pleasant downhill trip through Bombala and into the Cann River district. Turning left at Cann River onto the Princess Highway reveals a 71km trip to Genoa which includes turning right and winding your way down to Mallacoota Inlet, passing the Gypsy Point turnoff on the way.

Mallacoota can be reached by either road or one of the cities coastal Train / Bus services. The train leaves Melbourne and after you transfer to a coach at Bairnsdale a bus service will take you onto Genoa. A Genoa to Mallacoota ( And return ) bus route is available but only operates three days a week. Canberra offers a NSW Country Link service to Bega then a V/Line Bus service to Genoa and onto the local bus service to Mallacoota. Alternatively you can come from Bateman's Bay / Narooma by V/Line coach to Genoa then catch the bus service to Mallacoota.

Accommodation :

Accommodation is easily found at Mallacoota with options of caravan parks, luxury apartments or quaint bed and breakfasts. There are also many private flats and holiday homes available for rent in the area. Bookings several months in advance are required to secure these premises for your stay. With a general population of 1200, this has been known to swell in advance of 10,000 during school holiday periods and long weekends.

We chose to stay at A’Wangralea Caravan Park ( *** ½ ) which featured en suite cabins, large grassed shady sites, free BBQ area and full camp kitchen, boat parking and pet facilities. Karen and Ian Lewis have run the park for many years and were more than helpful on numerous occasions, the park is close to the shops, beaches and boat ramps.

Gypsy Point - Saturday Morning 26th January :

Having watched and read every single fishing DVD / Magazine featuring articles on Mallacoota and the Gippsland lakes, I planned my fishing trips carefully and precisely. Armed with several items of background information together with the revised AFN Mallacoota fishing map, I ventured out Saturday morning to the famous Gypsy Point. An ideal looking location complete with stubborn, token ducks that refused to move to let me park my car… I wonder how many reports these birds have made it into before?.

Launching around 6am just below the Boutique resort, I was pleasantly surprised to see an angler soaking baits off one of the many jetties, not only was the waterway dead still, I spooked a couple of large Bream mooching just off shore as I paddled towards a very vacant Wallagaraugh River. I decided to troll up towards were the Genoa River and Wallagaraugh join and look for some exposed snags to cast lightly weighted soft plastics while bottom bashing hard bodied Bream lures ( Jackal Deep Chubby ) along the way.

Today was reserved for targeting big southern Black Bream but sure, a by catch of Flathead, Estuary Perch or even Bass would be welcomed with open arms. With the first initial fish of the trip being caught within 20 seconds of throwing out my Ghost Ayu coloured Jackal Deep Chubby, I had high hopes of exceeding realistic expectations. I soon found out Black Bream fight harder than their silver brethren, my conclusions are based and drawn mainly due to the deeper body shape they seem to possess ( Take it with a grain of salt ).

A nice Bream with a total length of 33cm was released unharmed after posing for my amateur photography sitting. These fish were in large numbers, holding formation around and in the sandy flats diagonally opposite the Coleman track. The Suji Shrimp patterned Chubby was cast and retrieved straight off a sand bank through a weed bed and was immediately clobbered hard. This time a traditionally coloured Bream around 30cm was sent back to his mob, complete with attached stringy weed and a soiled attitude.

Leaving my wading pole in the car ( Still never used it ) forced me to traipse through very shallow sections and often found myself run aground. Fortunate for me this is where the bulk of the action was, King George Whiting, Mullet, Flathead, Luderick and Bream frolicked with there backs well out of the water. I tied on my Jackal SK Pop and blooped among the surface commotion, foul hooked a small Shrimp so after five minutes switched to Gulp Alive 2” Shrimp in natural colour accompanied with a small Squidgy resin head.

Passing through the river junctions I trolled my Chubby’s slowly upstream while casting the lightly weighted scented plastic towards the banks of the Wallagaraugh. The wind had picked up to around 12 knots, as I was now in under one meter of water and snagging lures on weed often, I started to get a little uneasy. Spotting the nearest fishy looking submerged tree, I paddled over and was greeted with an audible, pleasing revelation.

Bream were feeding in the shallows and all along the structured banks, hordes of them boofing the surface with great gusto. Now I was told the Bream would be here thick and fast, Mallacoota Bait and Tackle told me, the Squidgy DVD’s told me, AKFF member Y-knot told me, my Father told me, AFN Fishing Map told me etc etc. Witnessing the loud feeding frenzy and spotting some XOS Black Bream / Luderick brought me back to the main motive of why I was here in the first place, to experience fishing this dream like destination and fulfill some untouched goals I had set myself earlier the previous year.

Drifting as close as I dared I aimed my cast at first tight into the bank, twitching ever so slightly and slowly. Some Bream fled, some formed packs trailing the smelly Shrimp inquisitively and some downright belted the artificial bait for all its worth. Lost a few fish early on due to my inability to strike whilst in awe. After a quick technique override, I learned from previous inexperience and mistakes and procured my first Black Bream from the snag… A healthy 36cm model ( And at the time, a new Bream PB ) that was released after a spirited fight in shallow water and some quick photos to boot.

Twitching and hopping the Shrimp imitation proved very patient work, I have never been a fan of fishing with soft plastics ( Always choosing to use a hard bodied lure instead ) but I knew this was the correct way to fish for Bream round these parts. Two hours and around seven Bream later, the wind and my rumbling stomach forced me to turn around and head downstream 2km back to the wharf. I had planned on fishing Double Creek Arm ( Including Captain Creek ) after lunch and Gypsy Point again late afternoon so preserving any spare energy became a priority… Hard to avoid the dreaded Nanna nap!

On the way back I trolled the Chubby’s through the same flats and weeds were hours earlier I caught a 30cm Bream. Rear rod with the Suji pattern started swimming back towards whence It came, picked it to be a decent sized Flathead due to constant headshaking but turned out to be my second ever legal Tailor throwing his Whitebait breakfast all over the shop. A 35cm Chopper would have easily added to a substantial meal ( If I had kept all the legal Bream ) but all fish caught were returned to the water.

Double Creek Arm ( Captains Creek ) – Saturday Afternoon 26th January :

Cant keep a good man down ( Or a super keen kayak fisherman mind you ), only bothered moving back to base camp for enough time to grab a bite to eat, kiss the missus on the cheek and tell Claire’s sisters two year old daughter that ‘Uncle go catch big fish!’. I passed over Double Creek arm on the way into ‘Coota the night before and as I went to Gypsy Point this morning. Consulted the AFN Fishing map and decided to launch out Captain Creek and continue into the Double Creek Arm via a short stint at Top Shot.

The Captain Creek car trail has been well worn and traverses along the edge of the bed until it reaches a formidable swamp marsh. Unless negotiating a tricky launch near the bridge the only option is to follow the road to the marsh and launch just before it. Many cars have come to grief here lately with deep boggy sections and sticks and various wood placed meticulously on and around the dirty earth wounds. If driven carefully in dry conditions a 2WD would easily suffice, my Subaru Forester relished in the conditions.

Gawking around before pushing off I noticed large Bream frolicking in the many snags towards the skinny creeks water and huge bully Mullet as long as my arm sunning themselves ( Before breaching for the sky I might add ). The wind had picked up to around 15 knots, while it was quite sheltered in the arm I was pushed for time ( Had to go fishing tonight with future family, the things we do eh? ) so quickly headed into Double Creek Arm in search of Bream and some sort of magical by catch ( Flathead hopefully ).

The Arm looks quite large but the vast majority of Double Creek is very shallow, while it looks like a major river section the depth encountered is probably how it was originally named ( Also having two creeks running into it would have helped ). Watching rogue large Stingrays, superior Bream and micro baitfish flee across the subsurface proved way too enticing. I made my way out into the middle of the system, clipped on my Lively Lure Mad Mullet and Micro Mullet ( Yes, both Bleeding Mullet patterns ) and commenced a slow troll against the wind.

Trolling proved to be the only option as drifting with the wind casting plastics moved me at a rate even the GPS struggled to keep up with. Didn’t take too long before my Mad Mullet was taken by an aggressive Flathead. With no time to manipulate the other deployed rig I was quickly pushed over both lines and mutually entangled braid, one way or another the Flathead had engulfed the lure through his cavernous mouth and out his raspy gill plate ( Panic quickly set in at first sighting ). Somehow I managed to land the 61cm Lizard and secure my new species PB, complete with almost fully severed leader.

Finding a leeway from the wind proved difficult but not impossible, spent a good 10 minutes fiddling with the new leader after untangling the mother of all braid knots. It was now 4’Oclock and these moments in time were working against me, resolute with confidence it was time to push up as far upstream as I could towards Big Bight and The Narrows, in turn allowing the ensuing drift to steer me back into and down Captains Creek for some quick photography ( And optimistically a fish or two along the way ).

From the moment I turned back for the creek I hit a Purple patch, once the lures were placed in trolling position behind the yak a fish would hit one in under a minute. At these sorts of speeds ( 5kmph average drift without paddle blade stabilization ) one would expect only a school of ravenous Tailor to be interested in my offerings. Luckily for me ( And my shockingly retied leader and lures ), Bream wasted no time in sprinting across the flats and beating any other competitive fish for a hard and sharp artificial meal.

One fish of note was foul hooked through the tail, this 31cm Bream went like the clappers but quickly grew tired fighting the current and drag setting. Released about seven Bream in little more than 1m of water, five minutes before entering the Captains Creek mouth I realized my time was well and truly up and departure was immanent. Took a few shots ( Which didn’t do the snag city enough justice to be honest ), packed up the car in haste and carefully took off back down the beaten track towards town.

Gypsy Point – Saturday Night 26th January :

Our departing newly found acquaintances in the nearest cabin donated some mixed smelly bait for the boys to use off the Outfitter. Both had not been fishing for many years but looked forward to navigating the pedal based tandem kayak around Gypsy Point, after all, they had put up with my excessive ranting and raving for the last two years about fishing from a kayak and particularly the Hobie brand and the hands free fishing concept.

Arriving around 6:30 pm at Gypsy Point Wharf, the stubborn Ducks finally decided to move for my car when Jay tempted them away with pieces of apple. After a quick run down on the do’s and don’ts of using my Outfitter ( Gentle with the Twist n Stow, Mirage Drive and shallow water don’t mix ) we headed off down the Genoa River towards Colemans Inlet and Cape Horn . On the way I hooked up big time, swinging the yak and towing me before the hooks pulled ( Big fish + small trebles don’t mix ). Really didn’t matter if it was a Stingray, Flathead, Chopper or Jewie… I was a crestfallen man.

Couldn’t find any further action on bait or lure around the Inlet or Cape Horn so suggested we move back to the sand flats near Gypsy Point to get the guys onto an upcoming hot bite ( Or so I hoped ). Whilst heading back trolling the Chubby duo I caught a nice Bream, undersized Flathead and a small Chopper. Wasn’t long after the sun had slowly dipped when I heard some hollering in the background, Jay and Ollie had moved over to the shallowest part, initiating some kind of Genoa Bream feeding frenzy.

Now I know I shouldn’t say this but by this stage I was over bloody Bream, previous nightmares of immense 3m Mallacoota Flathead kept me sharp enough to give the Mad Mullet lure a swim, stirring up the sandy bottom as I moved towards the ever giggling girls ( Sorry guys, ‘Two little girls from school are we’ ). Finally the TD Advantage combo bounced back a few times, closely followed by the TD SOL combo, a nice 57cm keeper Flathead and 34cm released Bream were boated quickly one after the other.

Plenty of fish were caught before we realised how late it was getting ( Mainly thanks to the timely Mosquito plague ). With Claire organising dinner whilst Ollie’s fiancé Penny and Jay’s wife Jillian were in cooperation nursing their respective siblings, we packed up both the yaks and drove the 11km to our temporary home. Studied the AFN map for Sunday mornings trip sighting a dirt track into the South West Arm that headed down to Sandy Point in the Top Lake region… Three trips in one day without so much as a Nanna nap!

South West Arm – Sunday 27th January :

Its funny organizing a fishing expedition including someone who has a child, just when I turned my alarm off and made time for my morning ritual ( Nescafe Blend 43, Peter Jackson Gold ) Jay was running across the camping ground at full speed exclaiming that Oliver wanted a sleep in and ‘Could we just go in the Outfitter?’. The car had been packed the night before so all we had to do was lift the Quest from the cars roof racks and go for a bush excursion down to Sandy Point and find a picture perfect launching spot.

We had to ferry the gear and the yak a short distance before instigating direction, an express bearing towards Palmer Bank sand flats. A few small boats were drifting the 5m drop off, working over the edges before they moved into the shallower section set out by the channel marker. More Swans than I would hazard to have a guess at loitered on Palmer Bank, singing loudly and otherwise spoiling what looked like Flathead heaven.

Top Lake is made mostly of a weedy bottom ( Making drifting frustrating ), we soon learned that casting our lines out close to the yak and short leashing the sinker depth brought on bites a lot quicker in the shallower water. Jay landed a nice 34cm Bream on a Whitebait and Prawn cocktail, we decided to keep any Bream under 40cm just in case we could not locate some Flathead for tonight’s BBQ feast… Considering the cabins fridge only contained four Flathead fillets ( “Not enough!” I was told ) and our group numbered nine people, the pressure was on well and truley on to obtain a feed of fish.

We both managed plenty of small Bream but nothing that would suffice, a change of tactics were required so we moved into the deeper channel and commenced drifting. This time we found the further our bait was from the Kayak, the more bites we seemed to induce ( Productive ground covered quickly ). I had just cast out a Prawn and flicked the bail arm when I felt a tug, setting the hook on a very cranky 37.5cm ‘Coota Black Bream. To say I was stoked is an understatement, 37.5cm is a new kayak Bream personal best, eclipsing the previous days achievements ( And the preceding two year effort involved ).

You couldn’t wipe the smile of either of our faces, “Does Mallacoota get any better than this?” I chuckled. Bait started running low and the fish started to shutdown as the sun rose higher, I persuaded a doubtful Jay that trolling lures was a fun thing to do and a great way to return to the launch site. Camp Shot and Pipe Clay Point are located on the western side of Top Lake and looked to be varied in water depth, both sizes of the Lively Lure Bleeding Mullets were flicked behind before we crossed the shallows one last time.

Weeded trebles remained an issue, perhaps the Chubby’s would have been a better throw ( After a quick inspection, both had brutally damaged rear trebles ). On one weed check retrieve my rod almost flew out of my hands, another great Bream climbed on board for the ‘Paf and Jay show’ basically jumping into the net. Once at Camp Shot Point the lures no longer hit the bottom, 4m of tannin stained goodness lined our trail of farewell but not without a strange noise. At first I dismissed it as nothing, but it grew louder and louder to the point of me incessantly scanning the horizon for what I assumed was a large Whale.

At first, Jay couldn’t understand why I was in a near panic, once we both came across a school of small Tailor ( Resulting in a double hook up ) I screamed at him indicating to wind as fast as he possibly could. While trying to release both the tailor , steer the Outfitter and keep a lookout for this noise laden object, the Lake exploded in a burst of white wash about 20m behind us… The biggest Seal I have ever seen was swimming upside down towards us, scoffing baitfish and causing a large disturbance in the water.

Once it came along side, it took a few brief looks at us to decide if we were a danger or not ( Well at least that’s what I hoped it was doing ) before it took off steadily upstream. We managed to keep it in our sight and gain some ground when it doubled back a little. Tried to get some photos but gave up after steering over the top of it and getting an exact size and girth of the mammal. This Seal’s measurement was ¾’s of the Outfitters size, almost as fat and definitely more graceful than either of my Hobies could ever be.

Jay reminded me that my cameras features included video capture and it had an underwater housing ( Didn’t have to tell me twice! ). Followed the fascinating Seal along past Pipe Clay Point and onto Sandy Point were we lost sight of it, Had a quick view of the footage and realised our encounter was as long as seven minutes. Five minutes of video spoilt only by my inability to point the camera correctly the whole time and the fact the cameras housing muffled Jay’s squeals and my AKFF inspired running commentary ( Video has been edited to 2 minutes total run time )..

Betka River – Sunday Afternoon 27th January :

One last chance to go fishing but I had a bad case of the zonings, sculled a few glasses of coke to pep the system and decided to drive down to the Betka River for a quick glance. Estuary Perch are reported to be in large numbers but you could never tell with all the people catching Poddy Mullet at the entrance. Fisheries Inspectors dished out fines to people fishing from the bridge, my fishing licence expired at 5am Monday morning and was keen to show it off but alas was left alone. Most of us went to Betka Beach but a few diehards ( Myself, Claire and Oliver ) launched into the classic looking river system.

This was SX 40 territory, shallow and concentrated the only problem I faced was what pattern / colour to use. I was undecided so tried something I don’t adopt to often, removed the net from the left rear holder and placed on the front hatch while I trolled three lures at once. Now as long as I wasn’t turning or branching off I held my own, but when I hooked my first Tailor I had a crossed line due to losing momentum and using slightly suspending lures… Pushing my luck never pays off, or so I kept telling myself.

Gave up on that idea eventually and broke out the Gulp Alive 2” Shrimp on a resin head, couldn’t find a bump or a hit but found a serious snag which deprived my plastic a safe trip home. Tied a new leader which was promptly bitten through by an unknown fish, still dragging the other lures out the back I got over the plastic revolution and concentrated my efforts on belting the river floor. Was finding the going tuff watching Claire and Ollie in the distance hooking small Bream on Prawns, where the hell had my fish mojo gone?.

An hour passed from launch without a single fish ( Excluding the annoying tailor and bust off ), cue Double hook up time. One after the other both Ecogear lures were snaffled by different species, one a small Flathead, the other a very legal dark Bream. Released the Flathead and headed towards the mouth into really shallow water, at some stages I could hear the rudder scraping the bottom. The Fish Finder refused to return a clear enough signal but who needs a visual indicator like this when your rod tip action stops in haste before bending in half ( A sure sign of a legal Flathead and dinner time ).

Hard fought battle resulting in plenty of missed netting opportunities, first set of trebles pulled before I caught sight of the fish. 48cm of Flathead power snaking the shallow water below the yak in search of its freedom, these long 7’ Daiwa rods have really given me an advantage ( No pun intended ) on the yak. Our dinner was complete, while I probaby wouldnt keep one for the table, the next time I fish this area the upper reaches of the Betka River and its Estuary Perch will be my first port of call…

Summary :

Most of my wildest dreams came true in Mallacoota but I was sorely missing a few things on my check list, notably industrious EP and true monster Flathead. For me the key factor of enjoying this trip so much is that it was only a 4hr drive from my house in Canberra and a short 110km burst south of my parents house in Merimubula. A wonderfull family retreat that had me checking the local papers for prices of permanent van sites and holiday homes, I hope this report can be refered to in the future and other members of KFA can enjoy this waterway as much as my extended family and I did...

Canberra - Secret Solo Session 12/1/08

Just a quick one, trip and report that is...

Took a quick trip out to the secret Northside stocked location ( 'Spot X' - So secret now ) around 6:00am after snoozing the alarm way too many times. Trolled a few Jackal Deep Chubby's during the rise of daylight, obviously missed some early action as no hits recorded until about 7:30am. Then a nice 45.5cm Yellowbelly took my new Shrimp pattern Chubby on a 'Check for weed retrieve'. I was very close to the far bank in 2m of water so decided to grab a quick photo on the AKFF brag mat.

Trolled for another hour in hope of an upgrade, catching another Yellowbelly but this time on the Ghost Ayu Chubby near the rock wall ( 'Spot X' - So secret now ). Interesting capture due to burying me thick in the local weed, at the moment the visibility here is around 3m and crystal clear, so not only could I see the fish in said weed... I could see the fishes partner swimming around franticly.

No additional photo opportunities presented themselves...

Canberra - Northside 'Spot X' 30/12/07

I have promised myself keep this short and sweet, mainly due to lack of sleep and the fact a huge report from my Christmas exploits will be added later today ( Been trying to muster the strength since I got back on Friday, so much time and so little to do! )... Wait, strike that.

Set the alarm for 3:30 am and missed the snooze button ( Dang, shoot, all that jazz ) so drove to the Northside secret location for a tussle with the devil. After about an hour of trolling the hotspots I had achieved a few hits and was smoked by a Cod in the weed, 3 of the 5 hits were on the Jackal Deep Chubby while the remainder ( Including the first smoking ) were on the little Baby Extractor.

Proceeded to the general vicinity of my Birthday bash at about 4:15 am and traded blows with the first Golden Perch of the day, quite difficult to handle on the yak in the dark ( Even though I had more lights onboard than a Christmas tree ). Released said fish and moved on for more, two more hits registered and another smoking run by a Cod into the weeds ended in tears.

Starting to recognise the power of these fabled fish, almost locked drags on a mega slow drift pretty much stitched me up everytime. Goldens pause for a moment during there run to shake there heads, Murray Cod in this location tend to just steam roll out of there ASAP. Did a few more laps for not much before retracing my footsteps. Close to 6:30, in my new favourite area, by the now sunlight bridge, the Sol screamed in pain as a Golden tried to steal my loot ( Came home and serviced it, much better ).

Small fight and a photo later ( While guestimating size around 47 - 50cm, same as previous fish ) I wanted to go home, trying to be a hardcore Native fisherman ( Like many Canberra members before me ) takes a lot out of you, considering it amounts to gym like struggles with obese fish... All whilst paddling in circles clocking endless kilometers on bugger all sleep, day dreaming ( or in this case, night / early morning ) of a caffiene and nicotine slumber party.

Merimbula - Christmas Vacation 2007

22nd December
Saturday Morning – Top Lake, Merimbula :

Weather was looking poor with squall lines moving across as far as the eye could see, decided to go out anyway considering I came down a few days early for my yearly fishing and kayaking extravaganza ( Bloody hybrid sports ). Launched at Top Lake Boat Hire around 6:30 and commenced a lazy troll towards the Millingandi Creek area, picked up a few tiny Squire on the infamous Chubby ( Is there anything this lure cant catch? ) before nailing a 50 cm + Flathead as I came to the weeds in front of the Oyster leases.

Went down and into the area of the creek mouth entrance to find very shallow and drift able sections, along with a mountain of fish activity. Bream and Mullet were scattering on every paddle stroke, tried poppers and walked some stick baits for no follows / action. As I exited this arm the heavens opened up, the wind dropped to around 5 knots and it bucketed down for an hour constantly ( As expected, was donning waterproof gear ).

The Ecogear CK40 ( No less than 3 weeks old ) on the other rod appeared to snag up until I felt some weird reoccurring weight issue. The mother of all Puffer Fish swam next to the yak, complete with my lure in one side of the mouth and spilt ring and treble in the other. Confused as to what had happened I decided to remove someone else’s solo treble first before attempting to remove my lure, it was during this period I noticed my lure had been completely destroyed and that was my solo rear treble… You owe me $20 fish!

Saw some bird action in the vicinity and moved over, trolling my other prized CK 40 and the faithful Chubby in tow. Caught some sort of banded gold Trumpeter / grunting thing that was very pretty and also foul hooked some Whitebait retrieving through a school on the surface, Tailor and birds churned the water to bits while the rain continued to pour. My journey had brought me round to the Oyster factory’s behind Acacia Ponds with more fabulous racks to troll and cast along, I have seen guides and fisherman such as Stuart Hindson, Steve Starling and Chris ‘Slick’ Wright fishing here for Bream before.

With that in mind I placed a fair bit of expectation on my little, wiggling, counterparts so slowed the troll down to around a quarter walking pace. First fish was a feisty 22 cm Tarwhine with beak like features making identification easy, second fish was a small 20 cm Bream and the third was a an undersized Flathead that put up a good account for itself. While releasing the Flathead and parking the other lure to a halt, my Sol combo peeled line towards the racks… Was this the big Breambo I was looking for?

Turns out it was a foul hooked almost legal 28cm Squire, the headshakes I eventually picked for a monster Flathead turned out to be reversed tail beats, made evidently worse due to burying me in the weeds. The rain got heavier and I could just make out the channel markers in the distance through all the droplets, with the tide heading out of the Estuary my arms were looking for a break, perhaps I will just sit in the tidal current and flow towards the bridge via the sand flats and deeper sector.

The tide rips through the shallow sections dangerously fast and caught me off guard, one minute I am trolling past a channel marker, next minute my last Ck 40 has snagged on it. Paddling against the swift current while trying to flick the bail arm over proved difficult, just when I thought I had enough playable room I flicked it back over only to be rubbed off almost instantaneously ( I guess the first resistance caused massive leader damage ). Decided to hug the flats and head back to launch location to end the morning’s effort, saving some energy for an afternoon exploit if the weather gives me an opportunity.


22nd December
Saturday Afternoon – Pambula Lake :

Managed a quick snooze and awoke by 4pm, looked outside and the wind god was still on a mighty warpath with nature. Cruel and unkind are words that spring to mind, nether the less I had a 3-hour window to try and secure more Boxing Day food for the family. Have read some great reports recently of decent Flathead being caught in the main basin, once off the launch site I had to change plans as I was pushed down towards were the Lake and the Yowaka river meet. Tried to fight the wind but with gusts of up to 25 knots and decent headwinds I was at a loss as what to do.

A few small Squires took the Chubby for a ride while I tried to battle the elements and head to the original destination, the SX48 in Whitebait managed a Tailor duo on return under darkened skies and my watchful eye. Paddling hard beyond the channel markers was about all I had left in me before I gave up in despair and quickly drifted back to base. To my surprise a 43 cm Flathead gobbled up the Chubby and gave me some stick before head displacement caused him to buckle on my deck. Packed up and headed back to my parents lay with another keeper for post Christmas, just in time for a yummy feast.


23rd December
Sunday Morning – Yowaka River :

Forecast was for a slightly better day but the wind had other ideas, made the decision to paddle the Yowaka ( Hoping it would be out of the wind ). With the river at high tide it gave me a chance to explore some sections I have not been in and around before, namely the lower section near the previous afternoons outing. First I headed upstream trolling some Sx 40’s for one small touch and not much else, also tried casting at structure with plastics and drifting them on the bottom too but no dice around this higher sector today.

Flowing with the wind under the bridge I snagged up often, most of the time when not paying attention to my rod tips as the scenery was beautiful. Some big ( And I mean super huge ) rogue soundings pinged back to my finder in between the schools of fish sighted by eye and screen, could have been lonely Sharks, Stingrays or monstrous Mullet. Headed halfway to the Lake but was forced back due to the outgoing tidal influence and wind, on the way back to the car ( Paddling in narrow, rocky water ) my Lively Lure Micro Mullet was beleaguered by a new PB blue lipped big river Black Bream of 34 cm.

The Bream I caught was almost the most satisfying fish I have caught off the kayak to date, might not have been a monster but was my target species and put up one hell of a scrap on my super light Redfin gear (4lb Fireline, 6lb Vanish Leader ). Stopped for some photos and a celebratory cigarette before returning to my awkward launch spot ( Now occupied by a family foreign tourists ), they helped me load my yak and ogled my Bream while the kids caught Blackfish and small Bream on Beach Worms, Prawns and Cockles.

Returned once again to my parents abode and found my Sister Sarah had arrived from Canberra, with my Stepbrother Chris and his Wife Carrie enjoying doing zilch for a few weeks ( Before they move to Albury / Wadonga ) I was pleased to have a fishing buddy willing to share an experience on my Hobie Outfitter. Poor Claire was still in Canberra, destined to work on Monday ( Christmas Eve ) but gave me an early coastal leave pass due to 350 days solid work without a day off this year ( Minus 50 weekends ).


23rd December
Sunday Afternoon – Pambula Lake :

The wind had abated enough to try the lake again and virtually stopped upon our arrival, with the twin power of the Outfitter’s double Mirage Drives and a Sister used to hard water work ( Think Outrigger canoe racing, yuck! ) we easily moved to the far reaches of the waters body. Many Oyster leases line the edges of the system and I am pretty sure it is still commercially fished ( Please correct me if I am wrong ). This made some sections slightly devoid of sounder life but Sarah quickly picked up some tiny Squire on the bleeding Micro Mullet lure along with another big Puffer Fish ( Destroying the rear treble, but this time leaving the main part of the lures hard body unharmed ).

We were pressed for time due to my daily Nanna nap so rounded the bay section and headed back to base along the edge. I caught a decent Skippy around a lease as we headed towards the channel, then nailed a 44cm Flathead in the exact location as the previous day ( Marking the sandy lair beyond as a possible Wendesday Flathead drift zone ). With some more keepers ready for the cooler and the fridges Boxing Day limit slowly increasing I knew I needed to enlist more help if we were to summon enough fish for all.


24th December
Monday Morning – Bega River, Tathra :

Dad was keen to get the Quintrex out and finally enticed my Stepbrother ( Minus Wife ) out for a fish, Sarah was also keen but he gave me a choice of 5.4m Quintrex Spirit or 3.8m Hobie Quest Kayak ( Probably to free up space onboard ). It’s like dangling a carrot to me and I jumped at the chance to be shown a new spot. 25 minutes later we arrived just outside of Tathra at Mogareeka boat ramp . Pretty quiet ramp and is not recommended for boats larger than 5m, but the ramps descent allowed deeper water to pool on its foot.

Gearing up quickly I watched them power off around the first bend from the bridge, I was told this is one deep channel but that information proved inconclusive as soon as I set about trolling towards the bend. With two shallow river arms, the main rivers depth could have been no more than 8m in the deepest section ( Close to the cliff faces ) with the shallowest being around 30cm, did I mention before that we were fishing at high tide? Looks like perfect Flathead country ( Dad saw images of 80cm Flathead from here recently ) but we must have been there on a bad day, pity as the weather had finally become perfecto!

Stayed within hollering distance of the boat while trolling the river up and down over 3 hours for nothing until I decided to play hopscotch with my lures over the sandy arm entry points. Had a few hits then managed a small bream, which was a welcoming sign. We were all due back at base camp by 11am and knowing that the Quintrex would chew up the distance quickly I set off back to the ramp trolling the Deep Chubby parallel to the cliff faces. A small Leatherjacket was caught and promptly released, had some more hits over another sandy section before being slammed at the main rivers drop off point.

This fish was giving my drag hotter curry than my favourite Indian restaurants Beef Vindaloo, It sure gave the Sol outfit a run for its money. Took about 2 minutes to spy the colour of a decent 40cm Blurter heading for cover, being in the deepest section gave the fish plenty of room to move and he constantly circled below the yak. I have never managed to catch or fight one in deep water ( All my previous Silver Trevally captures were in the 2 –3m mark ) and now fully appreciate there fighting qualities more than ever.

Landed said fish and beached next to the ramp to pack my gear, the others roared back with a lonesome Flathead Chris caught ( Found in the location I was previously frequenting ) and a nice Bream my Father boated. Sarah caught close to double figures of undersized Bream but had a ball out fishing the families male population, all the fish ( Except mine due to my trolling fetish ) ate freshly pumped nippers while drifting slowly. Loaded the yak and the boat and convoyed back to Merimbula, Tathra is a lovely looking town and coastal area… A picture postcard waterway just screaming ‘Explore me!’.


26th December
Wednesday Morning – Merimbula Bottom Lake :

Needed to work off my Christmas belly rather quickly ( I am such a Piglet / Swine / What have you ) so ventured into the channel towards the mouth, have done well here in the past but never know what to expect due mainly to excessive boat traffic. The Bottom Lake was a bottle Green colour and rather translucent, kind of an immaculate early morning start if I do say so myself. Maritime and Fisheries were out in force checking licenses, bar crossings and alcohol consumption. All I got was a wave, a smile, a hello and some stares in awe at my safety first approach ( Rear raised Scotty light, Tektite all round white light, Stohlquist PFD, Uniden UHF, Garmin GPS, Humminbird Sounder ).

The thing about here is on a calm day, like this day, you can actually see the fish you want to target quite easily. Having no bait and no urge to fish Soft Plastics I trolled my Chubby and various Sx 40’s up and down the channel, hugging the edges of the markers as I went. A new species from the yak came aboard after a perfect photo opportunity presented itself, never caught a Blackfish on a lure before. Unfortunately the tide started ripping in through the channel and I decided to call it quits early ( We had already managed enough fish for today’s Boxing Day lunch, I just needed to catch some chips ).


26th December
Wednesday Afternoon – Yowaka River :

How does one get through the day without a Nanna nap? ( Apart from downing 20 litres of Cola and some red Bull ). Boxing day lunch was grand but left me feeling very sleepy, dragged myself off the couch and grabbed Claire by the hand pulling her towards the car. Drove to the local Service Station and spent $5 on some frozen Prawns, took off to the Yowaka River again but this time just wasted an hour fishing off the exposed banks at low tide.

The bite was slow and we both had some serious hits but nothing worth writing home about, Claire managed a few small Bream ( One was extra small and extra hungry ) while I landed a few small ones too. Big Mullet jumped in the background, scaring the hell out of us on numerous occasions. Claire was very impressed because I let her use my Sol outfit, she remarked on how I never let her, or anyone, use any of my good rods ( I was kicking myself hard, I left her $50 Daiwa Shock combo for everyone else to use at home ).

Went for a drive up to the Nethercote region via some dirt tracks, looking for the furthest part of the river ( Having heard there is Bass ) before it reaches the falls. With fading light and grumbling bellies I turned the Forester around and headed back down the river towards which we came. One day I would like to get a topographic map / general map of this area and do some exploring on foot in decent light conditions, perhaps next holidays.


27th December
Thursday Morning – Pambula Lake :

Claire and I went for one last fish on the Outfitter before we had to make the journey back to boring Canberra, I say boring as I really enjoyed having the freedom to visit all these locations at the drop of a hat. I rigged up the rods for bait and we used the remaining frozen Prawns in one of the further channels in deep water. On the way I trolled a new Sx 40 I got for Christmas, scoring my first legal Tailor from the yak ( 39cm and kept for dinner ). Squire after Squire, Bream after Bream ( All undersized mind you ), they just kept coming aboard for the free frozen breakfast that we put on for them.

A few hours ticked by before we attempted the Flathead drift for no result, fearing a plague of Nanna naps and all round tiredness before, during and after our passage home we left for my parents one last time to pack our cars and say farewell. I was looking forward to another lengthy holiday ( Weekend trips down here just go so fast ) next Christmas until I realized we are going to visit Claire’s family in St.Helens, Tasmania.

From one pristine location to another… Life is just so damn hard some times!