WANGARATTA FLY FISHING CLUB inc NEWSLETTER PRESIDENT Bryan King VICE PRESIDENT Frank Ramsey SECRETARY Ray Beavis TREASURER Dave Townsend EDITOR Greg Wood LIFE MEMBERS Vern Deprada (dec.) Dig Lazarotto (dec.) Enid McKenzie Ray Beavis CLUB MEETINGS First Wednesday of the Month The Log Cabin, 28 Chisholm St, Wangaratta 7-30pm EMAIL Email the Club [email protected]The club’s website is http://wangflyfishingclub.weebly.com/ Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wangaratta-Fly-Fishing-Club/519396824802778 Instagram is wangflyclub
The fires from Christmas onwards has devastated a lot of watersheds, farms and houses and resulted in the loss of lives this year. The fires have been in Gippsland the North East and the Snowy Mountains and ash has been washed into the rivers from these watersheds. A couple of areas close to home have suffered and the fires made it close to a couple of member’s homes.There has been reported fish kills in some of the rivers including the Murray, Cudgewa and Nariel. Forests, pasture and crops will grow back and the rivers will recover with time. Depending on the ash load washed into the rivers, some will still fish ok and some will take a couple of years to recover. It is not all doom and gloom with some rivers unaffected by the fires and resultant runoff. Late summer rains have the green shoots appearing and the recovery is underway. There is still fish waiting to feel the prick of the fly. The Covid-19 virus has us all in lock down and not only is affecting our fishing but all of our lives. A lot of businesses we buy fishing related items from as well as dine at whilst away fishing will be feeling the loss of trade. This coupled with the bushfires over xmas may see a lot of small businesses closing down. It is important to continue to support Australian fishing retailers as well as traders in the areas we frequent if we want to them to survive this onslaught. With the Aussie dollar nose diving against the green back and the general public holding the purse strings tight due to uncertainty, it will be important to fishing related retail stores that we continue to buy products. Even a couple of spools of tippet and a new line will help them stay trading through the current situation. It is easier to buy local than import basic materials. The club trip to Tassie was well attended and very sociable. The fishing has been hard this season in Tasmania with changeable weather inhibiting the bug life. Fishing pressure has been greater there this year due to the World Fly Fishing Championships held there in December, the resultant publicity drawing overseas anglers and the fires on the mainland limiting fishing destinations. I didn’t attend the trip this year as I was in Tassie two weeks later for ten days fishing. I look forward to reading the trip report below, but as always, what happens away stays away. The March trip was to the Howqua staying at the Benalla Anglers Lodge. See trip report below. A great location but with carp pushing further up the streams and dislodging the trout it was hard fishing. Thanks goes out to the Benalla Anglers for the use of their lodge for the weekend. The club has postponed all meetings and club activities whilst the current stay at home and restricted movement
orders are in place. This is to safe guard members as well as the general community at large. Although it is an
inconvenience for us as anglers, it is our social responsibility to ensure we do not aid in the spread of the Coronavirus.
We are endeavoring to set up Zoom to conduct club meetings for those with smart phones so we can still have some
interaction. Don’t forget we have our WhatsApp group chat so we can keep tabs on who is catching what and the
health of all members. Having an age demographic of club members with the majority over 55 years it is important we
socially isolate at this time. Mental health is just as important so make sure you continue to reach out electronically to
fellow members and continue to communicate.
One good thing to come of the current situation is that the rivers that survived the bushfires are not getting a lot of
pressure at the moment. Only locals are getting on the water and not seeing others around. Social isolation at its best.
Stay safe and well. Look after your families and neighbours. Be socially responsible. Don’t panic.
I hope all members and their families have a safe and enjoyable Easter break. Don’t eat too many hot cross buns or chocolate
eggs. Stay isolated, flick a fly, get a bend in the rod if allowed, and I will see you at the next club event after the Covid -19
pandemic has passed.
Ed.
Kiewa Day Trip
by Gary Scholz
Ray had given me a call one night a week or so ago with a possible chance to go fishing, dependent on the fire
situation. Of course I said yes I am interested , he also intimated that Peter Thackray was wanting to go also. No
problems let me know the details, heard nothing for a while, so I didn't stress too much. Next thing Thursday night
Rays says you okay for tomorrow eight o’clock meet at your place, sure thing. We duly set off in Peters JEEP (travelling
in style, the air conditioning in my Mitsubishi not working, but I don’t fuss too much) arriving at one of Ray's favourite
bakeries, we load up with some grub and a pie on the spot and we were off to the river, the smoke haze was light at
first but started to thicken just after mid-morning, we walked downstream a couple of kilometres and started to fish
back up to the general area of the vehicle. I think Ray saw a couple of good fish, and when I met up with Peter he had
not seen a fish, they were few and far between in this section of the river, we were helping Peter negotiate an electric
fence by holding the two bottom strands of barb wire to let him crawl underneath, unfortunately I touched the live
wire with my arm and poor Ray got the bigger blast of power, we joked about letting Peter get through himself, but he
had the car keys I remembered, so we duly assisted his passage under the fence.
Coming further upstream I had a fish slash at the dry fly I was using and it missed so' Ray, Peter and I continued the
leap frog method of fishing he river. Ray was with me at one particular run and I had been very judiciously working it
and getting to the head of it when a very large brown tried to take the fly in a downstream motion and subsequently
missed, at least this fish restored our faith in the fact that they were there and I still had some reasonable ability to
bring him up, the next cast saw the fish take the nymph dropper, but due to insufficient line control I only just pricked
him, we retired to the vehicle for a salad roll and a beer, after about an hour of relaxing Ray and I returned to this run
where we had enjoyed the sight of a beautiful marked brown, working the pool well and after several minutes with no
joy I said to Ray maybe the fish has moved on, so with another cast right to the head of the pool a beautiful two pound
brown took the dry and was duly netted and released after a quick photo, I still think it was a different fish from the
first encounter, but you will note the beautiful colour and markings from the photo. We ventured further upstream for
the next two or so hours, experiencing beautiful country side and river but no fish. The fly that fooled the fish ( I had
two '”takes”on it) was what I call a Murrumbidgee grasshopper pattern, the more technical and discerning among you
may know of it's correct name but I have always called it that to differentiate it from the snowy mountains hopper
pattern. Thanks to my two great companions for the day, sadly they were fish less but I and all of you have had this
experience at some point.
Just remember when things don't always look so bright in the light of day or dark with the fires,
There is always a river somewhere.
3 Ways to Hone Your Fly Fishing Skills
Become the Angler You Want to Be Written by
Allen with The Catch and The Hatch
I used to hate nymphing. It was hard, bulky to cast, and most days I ended up catching more on dry flies anyway. I knew as much as the average guy, how to rig up, cast and mend and land a fish. Still didn’t produce as well as I wanted and I chose the easier path for my skills. That was three years ago. We estimate fish feed on nymphs 90% of the time and I can say that most times on the water now, I catch 9x more fish nymphing than I do dry fly fishing. How did I make this transition to not only improve my abilities, but subsequently enjoy them more as well? I practiced and committed to getting better every time I was on the water. I wasn’t casting in my back yard (cause that was boring) but every time I nymphed I followed the three steps below and with time and practice, my skills grew significantly. We are going to outline three things you can do every time you’re on the water to improve your fly fishing skills when nymph fishing. I want to say that these skills, though focused around nymphing, apply themselves universally to fly fishing techniques be it dry fly, streamer, wetfly, czech nymphing and so on. Take the time, intention and commitment to improving and you will catch more fish and enjoy your day on the water so much more.
Pick One Skill to Improve Each Day Stop Multi-tasking, it’s just Multi-Failing
Studies have shown that time after time, we are unable to successfully multi-task. You can’t improve your line management, casting, fly selection, high-sticking and hook sets all at the same time. You’ll hopefully get to practice them all a bit in a day, but making a point to focus on one skill will yield faster and better results. Start with practicing your casts, pick one, whether it’s a roll cast or a water load or a tuck cast, just focus on that cast and find water where you can master that skill set for the day. No matter how good you get at it for the day, keep with it until the day is done. They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, so one day is just the tip of the iceberg if you want your nymph skills to become second nature. Once you’ve mastered the cast, perfect your drift. You cast for show but you drift for dough…err fish. Learn to mend, learn to high stick, learn to extend your drift, learn to control your line and learn how to make a good hookset. Pick a skill per day on the water and do everything you can to master it. If you think you have casting and drifts down, it could be your fly selection. Check out our top nymph flies to see if you have the right flies in your box.
Aim for Perfection You Only Need One Cast to Catch a Fish
A wise angler once told me, “You only need one cast to catch a fish”. Often we find ourselves hunkered down in a fishing hole performing cast after cast waiting for our luck to get a fish to eat. The truth is fish are actively feeding and if they aren’t eating your fly, you’re doing something wrong. Could be your presentation, location or fly selection, but you need to change something. If you focus and aim for a perfect cast and drift, you’re more likely to succeed. Don’t get lazy and make a cast that leaves you saying, “Not what I wanted, but I guess I’ll let it hunt.” A bad cast wastes time. Pick up or roll cast again until you get that fly right where you want it. Unless you’re going to spook the fish by
this method, aim for perfection. Once you get that perfect drift, you’ll know it. I’ve found that most times, it takes no more than three really good drifts over a fish to get them to eat, assuming I have the right fly. Some variables are out of your control but most times one good cast will get the eat. Don’t settle for an ok cast or an acceptable drift, make each one perfect. If you’re fatigued or feeling lazy, step back and take a break. Observe what’s around you and enjoy where you are at. You are here to enjoy the adventure after all. When you are feeling recharged, go make that perfect cast and catch your fish. You’ll be impressed how easy it is to catch a fish when you do everything right (harder than it sounds of course, but that’s why you practice for perfection!)
Try a New Technique Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Get in the Strike Zone
I can usually catch twice as many fish tightline nymphing (czech nymphing mainly) than I do with a strike indicator. That’s because I fish high-gradient streams with great pocket water where the water is very fast on the surface and slow underneath. With a strike indicator, I don’t get much time to get my flies down before the waters surface drags my indicator and flies unnaturally down the river . Without one, I only have my leader or tippet causing that drag giving me 2-3x more time in the strike zone. 2x-3x more time in the strike zone for that water means 2x-3x more fish. That means all I did to catch twice as many fish, was try and perfect a new technique for the waters I frequently fish. It doesn’t mean tightlining will do that for everyone, but the right technique for the water will make all the difference and there is no way you will know the right technique unless you try and learn them.Try and learn a new technique that will work for your water. Don’t settle into the same casts and techniques you always do, you’re likely missing fish. You have to adapt to the fishing environment and you can do that best when you have a variety of skill sets in your arsenal. If you want to get in the strike zone, you’ve got to break out of your comfort zone. New techniques can vastly improve your ability to catch fish. Another great benefit of learning new techniques is you get a wider appreciation and enjoyment from the sport and you’ll rarely get bored. Don’t hate me when I say this, but I have had days where the fishing was so good czech nymphing that I got bored of it (I know…what’s wrong with me), but it was so consistent I didn’t feel challenged. So I decided to try dead drifting streamers, something I hadn’t tried before to see if I could pick up any fish. It made me feel challenged and I walked away with a better satisfaction for the day then if I just stayed in my comfort bubble and nymphed.
So there you have it. Practice and apply these three concepts every time you’re on the river and you will catch more fish, find a deeper enjoyment in fly fishing, and become a more versatile and talented angler. It’s simple to read, but harder to apply. Challenge yourself and you will improve.
February Tasmania Trip Report
By Ray Beavis
Day 1 (Thursday) - The trip over on the ferry was a very social affair, with nine club members in three vehicles boarding
on the Thursday night. I’d joined Bryan King and the two Gary’s in Bryan’s V8 Lexus, definitely travelling in style this trip.
Bryan had brought over his canoe and Greg Bayne his new Flycraft inflatable boat, so with John’s boat was already
over in Tassie, the Club definitely had some good fishing options. Greg and Dave Wohlers were in Greg’s FJ Cruiser,
while Frank Ramsey, Chris Beilby and Dave Townsend were travelling in Frank’s Mazda BT-50 Ute.
Enjoying “Bar 7” on the Spirit of Tasmania
Day 2 (Friday) - The trip over was reasonably smooth and we were off by 6.30am and heading to Deloraine for
breakfast and catering supplies. By mid-morning the Lexus was pulling up at Tiger Hut Lodge in Liawenee and with the
gear and supplies dropped off, it was time to hit the water. First stop was The Lagoon and despite a stiff breeze, Gary
Andison scored the first fish of the trip, a nice 3lb rainbow. Despite some concentrated thrashing of the water no other
fish were sighted. We had a look at Brady’s before heading to Bronte Lagoon for the final session of the day. The water
was a bit bleak looking, but Bryan managed a nice brown on a woolly bugger, while the rest of us blanked. A promising
start to the trip with two fish under trying conditions.
Back at the lodge the two fires were stoked and Gary Scholz and Bryan King prepared a great sate chicken dinner. Blair
and Leon arrived after a tough day on the low land rivers, and Bryan Campbell and John Gebauer joined us for dinner
(staying in Miena). The full crew made for another very sociable evening.
Day 3 Saturday) – With an improvement in the weather, it was decided to head up the top to Nineteen Lagoons and as
it turned out, with every other fly fisherman on the plateau! Although we had Double Lagoon to ourselves, with Bryan
launching his canoe and Greg his Flycraft (an engineering marvel in how it goes together). Gary Scholz and myself
walked the shores and while a couple of fish showed, getting a cast to them proved challenging and we nearly sighted
more tiger snakes than fish – a recurring theme for the trip. Dave missed a fish in Greg’s boat, while the rest of us
blanked. We called in at Botsford which was full of fly fisherman, and caught up with Chris and Blair who reported very
slow fishing. Only Leon landed a nice brown and Dave Townsend was broken off by a big fish.
We headed off to Ada Lagoon and had a similar experience to the morning with any sighted fish moving away at a rate
of knots and of course the obligatory tiger snake sighted! We did have a late visit to Botsford on the way back where
some fish were sighted but no casting opportunities. By this time the comforts of the lodge seemed very appealing after
a challenging day on the water!
Day 4 (Sunday) – An offer by John Gebauer and Bryan Campbell to take out other members in their boats (Bryan had
borrowed a boat from a fishing mate) was gratefully accepted. Gary Scholz and myself joined John in his boat and
headed out to the Great Lake to try “Sharking”, while Gary Andison headed out with Bryan Campbell. The conditions
were apparently perfect, with plenty of wind lanes to choose from. A few fish were sighted but were not able to be cast
to, and the morning session ended without denting the Great Lake’s trout population. However I could see how it could
work and look forward to having another crack at it. The beauty of this area is that an hour later we were pulling up at
Penstock Lagoon for an afternoon of drifting in the boat (after calling by the Lodge to pick up my fishing rod and fly vest,
thanks to John for lending me his TFO stick on the Great Lake – a pretty good spare rod).
This was my first time fly fishing from a drifting boat and the attractiveness of it becomes immediately obvious. The main
advantage is the amount of water you can cover while drifting. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of activity on the surface
but the odd fish rose and a few duns came off the water. Eventually a nice fish took my #16 dun pattern and a 2.5lb
brown came to the boat. Not long after that John took a nice rainbow on a nymph but that was it as far as the action
went. Bryan’s boat had a similar experience raising a couple of fish, while Greg’s Flycraft struggled in the windy
conditions without a proper drogue to slow down the drift (a couple of borrowed buckets slowed the drift but maybe
another couple were needed?). Bryan had a similar experience in his canoe, with the wind pushing the light canoe
around the lagoon making the fishing challenging, but then our President does like a challenge!
John’s boat on Penstock The Wangaratta Fishing Armada at Penstock
Day 5 (Monday) – We said goodbye to Blair and Leon who had to head back to the mainland, and Frank, Dave and
Chris headed off to their new digs in Miena, with the rest of us staying on in the lodge. Bryan King and Dave Wohlers
headed out in John’s boat, while Chris went out in the boat with Bryan Campbell. Gary Scholz and myself headed to
Arthurs Lake and fished the Cow Paddock area.
With very little wind a sporadic mayfly hatch occurred and a few fish started to rise, which was great to see. Both Gary
and I dropped nice fish which was disappointing after a couple of slow days. Then the wind got up and the hatch was
over! Knowing there were fish around I threw on a woolly bugger and immediately hooked a 1.5lb brown, no monster but
a fish at last!
In the afternoon we headed to Penstock to try our luck of the bank. A few fish moved in some very challenging weedy
bays and a couple of missed takes was the total action for the afternoon, apart from some quick sidestepping around a
large black tiger snake. The boat crews came across a few fish, with a couple landed, but overall the fishing was slow.
Gary at Arthurs Penstock Lagoon
Day 6 (Tuesday) - An optimistic first session at Botsford proved fruitless with no fish sighted, so it was decided to head
to Arthurs. Thee V8 Lexus was given its head and in no time we were pulling up next to John Gebauer’s Ford Ranger on
the shores of Arthurs Lake. By this time the wind had strengthened and with no hatches we resorted to blind flogging
with wets. John picked up a couple of small fish but for the rest of us it was a blank session. The final session of the day
was at Penstock and finding a few feeding fish resulted in two missed takes. Some days it just doesn’t happen!
Day 7 (Wednesday) – The weather had taken a turn for the worst with strengthening winds and showers forecast, and
with the chance of snow flurries! We headed to the Lagoon as it offered some shelter from the wind, but not the rain
(once again the Simms jacket proved its worth!). This proved to be a good choice with all hooking fish. After a couple of
challenging days this was a welcome change.
That evening we caught up with the others at the Highlands Lodge for a few celebratory ales. Bryan Campbell was
staying on for another week and the crew in Frank’s car were staying on until Saturday, so it was nice to have a last
catch up before returning to the real world.
Day 8 (Thursday) – Time for one last fish on the way back to the ferry (leaving Devonport on Thursday night). With the
weather turning cold we decided to try the lowland rivers. Lake River was a recommended spot but by the time we
arrived the wind was a force 9 gale and thoughts of fishing quickly dissipated. A pie and coffee at the Longford Bakery
beckoned and with plenty of time before boarding the ferry, we headed to the Australian Fly Fishing Museum at
Evandale (see Gary’s article). We caught up with Greg and Dave at the ferry and found that they had a more productive
day’s fishing - actually wetting a line and better still, catching fish in a small tributary of the Meander River. The ferry trip
back was a bit rough but otherwise uneventful.
A special mention to the members involved in the catering for the trip, and especially Gary Scholz and Bryan King for
extra effort they made, the food was sensational – with a different meal every evening. Also thanks to the members who
premade dinners for the last three evenings, it made the food preparation after a hard day’s fishing a bit easier. And
finally, thank you to Bryan for chauffeuring the rest of us around for the week in style.
While the fishing was challenging (as always in Tasmania), it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip.
RB
The Tassie Crew (plus John and Bryan)
Fly Tying
Barry Lodge Emerger
Size: 14
Hook: Daiichi 1180
Thread: Black 6/0
Body: Black Tying Thread
Wing: Black Crow
Tail: Black Cock Hackle
Hackle: Black Cock Hackle
Rib: Copper Wire
Represents an emerging mayfly. Great on lakes during a hatch or rivers in low light.
Killwell
Size: 8
Hook: TMC 5262
Thread: Black 6/0
Body: Red Seals Fur
Tail: Fox Tail
Wing: Three Pairs of Mutant Green Pheasant
Eye: Jungle Cock
A great streamer for around lake edges or timber early in the season
Howqua Trip Report
By Ray Beavis
In what seems like a different world (pre-Coronavirus) but was actually only three weeks ago (as I write this report), six
members headed off on the Club’s March trip to the Benalla Angling Club’s* Howqua Lodge. John Gebauer is a member
of the Benalla Club and booked the lodge for this trip. The lodge proved to be comfortable digs (and good values at
$20/night for a bed) and our catering officer for the trip, Gary Scholz, appreciated the commercial kitchen setup. The
lodge itself is on the banks of the Howqua Arm of Lake Eildon, and with the low water levels, it was the Howqua River
running past the lodge.
View from the Lodge of the Howqua River
We arrived late Friday afternoon but still with time for a fish before dinner. Unfortunately the heavens opened up just as
we were getting out of the car to head to the river. John had the fire going when we got back and only Jess Hazell had
troubled the scorer, fishing the Delatite on the way down for four fish on the dry. Gary had whipped up a terrific spicy
chicken dinner followed by orange crepes. With the Coonara providing the “bush TV”, a relaxing evening followed.
The kitchen Orange Crepes with an extra dollop of cream and the “lounge”
With strong winds overnight, some of the more remote tracks were a no go due to the possibility of fallen trees, so we
headed to the Big River area to fish. Gary and Dave, and John and Jess fished the Big River, while Greg and myself
tried the Taponga River. The Taponga is a small stream and perfectly suited to Greg’s Airflow 4wt Glass rod and my 4wt
6’6” cane twig. This was my first time fishing this stream and the cane rod performed well, even with a small weighted
nymph under the dry to fish the deeper runs. While a pleasant stream to fish, there was a distinct lack of fish. A few
were spotted and eventual an 8” brown took my nymph but after a couple of hours it was time to try another water. The
Big River was just up the road and we were able contact Gary and Dave via the UHF radio (very handy devices!). The
Big River was big after the Taponga but Gary and Dave had managed to find a productive stretch dropping a couple of
nice fish and landing a 12” brown.
We headed a few kilometres upstream to Enoch’s Point – another first – to find quite a settlement in the middle of
nowhere. After the recent bushfire season it was scary to see the number of houses in the bush along the river. Finding
a spot on the river was challenging but eventually we found a nice stretch to fish, resulting in a massive 6” rainbow
coming to hand! Jess and John had a similar fishing experience landing several sprats – last year’s hatchlings? With the
sun sinking below the hill it was time to head back after an interesting day – always good to fish new water. The roast
lamb was great and after dinner the recliner chairs and a generous G‘n’T and everything was pretty good with the world
– little did we know how bad things would get in the ensuing weeks!
A nice stretch on the Delatite
There was no fishing for some of us on the Sunday, heading straight back after cleaning up the lodge, which was a
shame because it was the best day weather wise. However Jess fished the Delatite on the way back (after an
exploratory trip to the Howqua) and put five more on the scoreboard, one on the nymph and the rest on dries. The
Lodge proved to be a great base for the weekend and fish were caught! – thanks to John for organising the lodge and to
Gary for catering the weekend.
See you at the next trip – post Coronavirus.
RB * Of interest the full name of the club is the Benalla Fish Protection Society and Angling Club
The Howqua Crew
Wangaratta Fly Fishing Club Planner 2020
March 4th General Meeting, Log Cabin. Casting @ 6:30pm followed by BBQ
13th to 15th Fishing Trip Howqua
April 1st General Meeting, cancelled
17th to 19th On hold atm.
May 6th General Meeting, Zoom conference call.
15th to 17th Fishing Trip On Hold
June 3rd General Meeting, Log Cabin 7:30pm
July 1st General Meeting, Log Cabin 7:30pm
August 5th General Meeting, Log Cabin 7:30pm
8th & 9th Fishing Trip TBA
September 2nd General Meeting, Log Cabin 7:30pm
5th Trout season opens
October 4th Fly Fishing Course, Log Cabin
7th General Meeting, Log Cabin. Casting @ 6:30pm followed by BBQ
16th to 18th Fishing Trip TBA
30th Annual Dinner
November 4th General Meeting, Log Cabin. Casting @ 6:30pm followed by BBQ
13th to 15th Fishing Trip TBA
December 2nd Christmas Meeting, Log Cabin @ 6:30pm Annual Casting
Competition
Australian Fly Fishing Museum at Clarendon House Tasmania.
By
Gary Scholz
The museum was opened I think in 2003 and has many examples of the evolution of Fly Fishing, this last Tasmanian
sojourn Bryan King, Gary Anderson, Ray Beavis and myself took time out to explore the museum on our way back to
Devonport. We met Alan whom is the current curator under guidance of the National Trust, The museum is housed in
some old out buildings at The Clarence House, the amount of artefacts that have been donated and that are on loan is
quiet staggering. Hundreds of old books from Skues to Chris hole, Les Hawkins and many other English authors, it is a
shame that they do not have a bigger building (this is not a criticism) to better display the current artefacts on display
and to provide further space for the items in storage. I would recommend a visit the next time you are on the Apple Isle,
if you can fit it in. We said our thanks to Alan whom was very knowledgeable and continued on to the ferry. Hopefully
the photos will give a reasonable aspect of the artefacts on display, it may not be to every bodies fancy but to the
amateur collectors like myself it was a at experience, and to know that these artefacts are being preserved for the
foreseeable future.
Wangaratta Fly Fishing Club Annual Dinner Sponsors
