Swoffing Safari around Oz

[chris williams]

Hi Arno, good to hear from you! How're things going, last I heard I think you had moved to a bit north of Melb? The high country fishing is very special. My main closer streams I fished were the Upper Yarra by Warburton, Acheron, Goulburn, Jamieson and Howqua. A kayak sounds great, but watch out for the choppy shallow waters when the weather suddenly changes in the Bay especially towards the Heads and Westernport. A good idea for a bit of good fun is to hire one of the 'tinnies' at any of the bayside creeks for a couple of hours and go ffishing over the shallow reefs and sandbanks for fish like flathead.

PS excellent article/pics again, Jono, thanks, keep them a'coming in!!

[arnoc]

Hi Chris!
Thanks again for the great assistance/advice that you gave us. We have settled in Bundoora (northern suburbs of Melbourne) and that means I am within easy drive of a few nice trout streams, but just far enough from the sea to make it a mission to go down for a quick cast.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but everybody ooohing and aaahing about leaving South Africa, thinking that the grass is greener on the other side...

Our move has had its downs and ups. Immigrating is far, far worse than I ever anticipated. If I knew back then what we would have gone through, I would never have gone through with it. We have had bad luck, after bad luck. 90% job related, 5% crime related & 5% just plain missing home. I arrived a week or so before the world credit crisis came about and being in the automotive industry, I was on the verge of retrenchment within weeks of arriving. Three months into my arrival I was constantly working short time (down to as low as 2 days a week!!!). I changed jobs, over to general engineering industry, but soon that was also down and has been like that until now. Everybody talks about the job scene getting better, but it seems to be civil and railway related (the places where the government is pushing money in to get the economy jumpstarted). It will take some time to work its way to the mechanical side of things... to make it worse, we were burgled a few months ago!!! Yes, these things don’t only happen in South Africa. At least in South Africa we had insurance and a safe (we were burgled 5 times in SA)... we lost an absolute fortune’s worth of stuff and a hard drive full of pictures (not to mention my professional SLR camera and lenses).

Anyway, at least we were not killed as what would probably have been the case in South Africa. All our aussie friend were shocked as most of them don’t even know anybody that have been burgled and say we are the unluckiest people that they know. I am also sure the work thing will change for the better, so it is not all doom and gloom... I hope!!

The up side is that there is soooooo much great things to do and see here. I love Melbourne and still think it was a good choice. We are constantly busy exploring new things and one’s mind gets at total sensory overload at times. The trout fishing for one is much, much better than I thought it would be, but I will write about my trout fishing in the hunting trout section when I get a chance (including my past weekend’s trip to the Murrindindi river in Toolangi). There was a 4x4 and fishing show in Melbourne the other day that would put Autoafrica to shame. Massive hall, after hall of fishing, camping and 4x4ing stuff. The fishing rods looked like bamboo forests and there was even a massive fish tank full of barramundi with to demonstrate different lures. It was almost as long as a tennis court and with the glass sides one could see how the fish reacts to each lure... wow.

Anyway, enough yapping from my side for now. This is an awesome thread Jono and when I get more into the saltwater side of things in Melbourne, I will try to add my 2cent’s worth from time to time.

Cheers Arno

[delboy]

@Arnoc - your short spell in the Automotive industry wasn't at Holden by any chance was it? My old man works for Holden in Melbourne - he's an ex-PE man as well - basically transferred from Delta about nine years back.

As far as the SW fishing in the area goes, you'd do well to go to the Compleat Flyfisherman in Flinders Lane. I was there in March and they put me in touch with a charter running out of a small town just past Geelong - we had a great day smashing late-season salmon. I'd imagine the fishing in peak season must be brilliant!

[chris williams]

Hi Delboy,

My old Holden Jackaroo used to got me all over the place - and not just bush pub crawlings! A wonderful 4WD and great value.

Hope your Dad is doing OK in the recession.

I'm sure Arno will reply but I think he had told me previously he was at Ford in Geelong who also took a huge knock in the recession. The only consolation for those poor guys is their footy team won the Grand Final last Saturday...

Yes, Compleat Flyfisherman is the best ff shop, also Rex Hunt's Fishing World with several branches is probably the best for general sea especially bay fishing info.

Where did you go for your fishing, was it the Apollo Bay/Warnambool/Lorne area? A stunning part of the world. Many years back, suffering from vertigo, I managed to walk over the 'London Bridge' on the 12 Apostles. I kept telling myself it's been there for millions of years nothing will happen. Less than a week later the 'arch' of the bridge collapsed into the sea..luckily no one was on it at the time. My mate Snapey's farm also got burnt down twice in the last few years at Lorne with bush fires. As you'll recall the forests go right down from the mountains to the shore - scary stuff..hope your trip was less traumatic! Those Oz salmon are great sport either chasing the shoals from a boat or ffishing from the surf beaches. Very pretty fish as well.

++

Hi Arno

I arrived in 1988 at the height of the grain/shipping market, to start a new shipping company based on the Auss grain exports. Within weeks the grain market collapsed in a heap so I know something of how you feel! Luckily we had a great support group with my wife's Auss/Irish mafia family in Melbs otherwise things would have been a lot tougher..People also tend to forget when times are tough over there, and your 'support group' is nine hours behind timewise, the days can be pretty lonely and miserable with no shoulder to cry on - if you let it happen! That's the time to go fishing and realise there's more out there!

++

Hi Jono

Yet another apology for hijacking your thread!!

[Jono Shales]

That's ok dudes, it's great to have open discussion re things.

Anyone caught any fish though?

[Rendier]

That's ok dudes, it's great to have open discussion re things.

Anyone caught any fish though?

Sounds as though fishing has slowed down a bit in Oz (from the other forums).

Got my gear setup for some awesome fishing in February! When are you back in Oz(after your visit to SA in Dec)?

[arnoc]

Hi Delboy

Chris was almost correct. I worked for a tier 1 equipment supplier, mostly for Ford (mostly in Campbellfield) and Toyota (Altona). In PE I did a fare amount of work for Delta and may know your old man. My very first job fresh from technikon was with the company that got the contract to re-building the old Ford paint shop for Delta in Struandale in 1994. It would be nice if you can PM me your old man’s name, maybe I know him well and it is always nice to know someone from PE is in town (if he fly-fishes, so much the better). I miss the automotive industry very much and can't wait for it to pick up again (otherwise my 15 odd years of experience will be wasted).

Anyway, I have a few brochures from charter operator around the bay, but trying to keep spending to a minimum for the time been. Just South of Geelong is the Barwon River and this apparently has a reputation for some big cob/kabeljou (malloway or jewfish). When I get a chance I want to head down that way. I did some spinning at a place called warmies close to town. It is the outlet for a powerstation and the warmer water brings the fish in, but both times that I was there, the powerstation was not running, so no hook-ups. Other than that I have not done any saltwater fishing of any kind over here. Maybe now that I am on the forum again and seeing the nice pictures and stories the Jono have been posting, I will get back into things again.

I have been to most of the Compleat Angler shops around Melbourne, but discovered one the other day that is just up the road from me in Greensborough, called Aussie Angler (http://www.aussieangler.com.au/). I had a lekker chat with what I think is the owner and he is going to try and stock some of the South African trout/fly fishing literature, as he was very impressed with my copy of Tom’s Hunting Trout.

Hi Chris
Yes things are tough, but as you said we will endure. As I said before, if it was not for the work issues and one or two other unfortunates, Melbourne is a great place. A perfect balance between everything...

Last weekend was very sad for me, as it was my first trip into the Toolangi forest after the black Saturday fires earlier this year (we where planning to be up there the day of the fires, but changed our minds the Friday evening!!!!). I was helping out to clear some 4x4 tracks running next to the Murrindindi River and it is almost completely sterile along the stretch that we worked... not a trout or any sign of insect life that I could see. Higher up, where the fires did not reach, it is still in pristine condition, so I will be heading up there as soon as I get a chance. I will send you a more detailed letter some other time, as I think I have hijacked this thread enough. I see there is some calling for an ex-pat section on the forum... maybe it is not a bad idea.
By the way, I am a big Cats (Geelong) supporter and is stoked that my team won!!

Sorry Jono, back to the main drift of this thread... any further pictures or stories for us to devour? By the way, I have a short version of your land cruiser (Bundera) and I think it is the best thing since sliced cheese!!! Just keeps on going and going and by far the best 4x4 that I have ever had.

Cheers Arno

[Jono Shales]

Right, let's get things back on track, apologies for the delay in reporting on the continuing progress of my trip, I've been running around the country a bit trying to organise my life off the water.

One of the greatest things about living in a big city like Sydney is that you get to develop a great base of friends who all share the same passion for fly fishing. With a population of more than 4 million people it's not hard to see why Sydney Harbour and Pittwater plays home to a massive playground for the recreational angler to explore. There' s a small army of fly fisherman in Sydney and we all know one another on a first name basis, some with boats, some without - we are like a little angling community, swapping hot fishing spots, exchange ideas and sharing deckie spots on each other's boats. Off the water frequent get together evenings are held for fly tying, chit chat and the odd cold beer.

Enter Peter White, a fellow Sydney swoffer and boat owner. A more humble, polite and genuine person you will struggle to find and it was an absolute pleasure to see Peter's big smile when he arrived at the airport. Peter and I headed to Christmas Island together in 07 and have spent many an hour chasing salmon and kings around the Harbour together and after flying across the continent to meet me, it was only a few hours after arriving that we were out on my boat cruising a flat talking rubbish and looking for fish. Months of anticipation are finally over and the first fish is such a sweet ice-breaker - the smile says it all.



After milling around town for a day or so, we decided to stock up on supplies and head out into the wilderness to explore some new ground in search of hungry fish. With a midday high, things were in our favour and this meant maximum time on the water while the sun was high in the sky. Optimal conditions for fly fishing and sight casting.





Mangrove Jacks have a fiery attitude and spend their time amongst reefs and rocky outcrops, sitting in the shadows of overhanging ledges or in little caves, waiting patiently to ambush any unsuspecting offering that happens to swim past. In the same way that barramundi are targeted by casting the fly amongst the snags, Jack fishing is virtually the same where once they grab it, they put every bit of effort to head back to the protection of their little hole or cave. They also taste extremely good!



Queenies are commonplace in Australia and can be found across the entire Northern half of Australia from SE Queensland on the East Coast, right across the top-end from Cape York, through the Northern territory to Darwin, The Kimberleys, Broome, Exmouth and as far South as Shark Bay on the West Coast. They're a fantastic sport fish and readily take both surface and sub-surface flies. Greg Bethune of Carpentaria Seafaris in Cape York rates them as one of his favourite sport fish to target on fly, so too does American fishing personality Dan Blanton. How could one ever get tired of sight casting to metre long predators that have no hesitation in taking a fly?





In the afternoon once the sun dips to a certain point on the horizon, it becomes more and more difficult to spot fish on the flats. This becomes a perfect time to change tactics and do something different like dredging flies over a reef or chasing tuna in open water as they feed on the surface.

[Jono Shales]

Double hook-up on tuna.



Aah, life is good !



Peter and I decided to check out some new flats one day so while one day we were slowly motoring along, we spotted a large dark shape moving in a straight line across the flat about 50m away. The tide was full and every flat had water on it and the tide had pushed up right into the mangroves that line the shore. After following the shape for about a minute or two we eventually caught up with it just as it reached a clump of dead logs in the water, close to the mangroves. Peter flicked a fly at the shape that had now materialised into a very respectable GT and no sooner after the fly had landed, about 4 queenies appeared out of nowhere from amongst the logs and one immediately ate Peter's fly. The GT bolted away and as he did so, 2 permit came out from under the logs and also disappeared in an instant. Peter remained hooked up for about 30 seconds as the rather large queenfish pulled him amongst the logs and proceeded to wrap him around a submerged log. Fish lost - but what on earth had we stumbled upon here ??







Metre long queenfish had moved in with the tide and were now milling around right up inside the snags along with the odd spooky permit, both species at times seemed to be sitting motionless in the shadows of submerged logs. We tried for the permit but the moment the fly hit the water, the queenies would instantly react by darting around spooking the permit which makes it very hard to get a clean shot at them. We resorted to using surface poppers and cast at the large shaped that were hanging around the logs and this really switched things on. Peter was fishing with an 8wt Sage Xi2 and an Islander reel, I was using my trusty 9wt Orvis T3 with a Mako 9500 reel. We were both using Sci Angler Striped Bass Intermediate lines which are ideal for this type of fishing.

The next 2 days was some of the most spectacular close-range, all-visual, adrenalin-pumping, fly fishing we've both ever done so the flat is now affectionately named after Peter, we're calling it 'flat white'.

[Jono Shales]

Fly fishing all day is tiring work and there's possibly nothing better than coming back to base camp at Wilderness Island and enjoying a feed of fresh mud crab with an ice cold beer.









Apart from the obvious highlight of enjoying some great fishing with a good mate in a fantastic part of the world, there were many other special moments to reflect upon.



My first giant herring that I actually managed to land. The six before this one had other ideas ..



Thanks Peter for the great company and conversations we had and for being a true friend, I look forward to catching up again soon.
Those days on 'flat white' will remain in our memories forever.