Central Tablelands Report:
Mudgee Region Report – August 2007

Brought to you by www.fishntrips.com.au

The Redfin Run Continues
The run of reddies in the Mudgee region continues with Mick Honeysett and a mate catching 100 redfin at Twelve Mile last weekend. As soon as their Berkley Frenzies hit the water they were pulling up tight. Not a bad effort and considering the fish were all around 25-30cm they were a good feed.
Redfin are regarded as an introduced pest/feral species in NSW. NSW DPI Fisheries recommend not returning pest fish (this also includes carp) to the water, preferring you to kill them humanely. It is illegal to transfer fish between waterways or use them as live bait.

Another story: “I finally got half a day on the weekend with nothing planned and gave in to 6 weeks of harassment to go fishing with my 13 year old son (Snozza) and his mate.
Now he's not real keen on early starts, so by the time he woke and we hit the water it was around 10am. So i wasn't to optimistic of our chances, Oh well it was still a good opportunity to test some of his home made Celta's and Spinnerbaits (Which he hopes to sell locally).The first big hole we fished saw the boys run ahead with some worms and a yabbie to start their patient wait for the first bite. I on the other hand had a small spinnerbait tied on and within 5 casts had 2 plump 38cm Redfin a little over 1Kg and heavily in roe on the bank. The boys quickly pulled in their baits and tied on a spinnerbait (So much for the patient wait for the first bite on the bait ). At this point it was like downtown Beirut with the constant bombardment of Spinnerbaits splashing down and flying through the air. Had any birds been flying over at this time i am sure we would have brought one down. Anyway i think all this action then sent the fish a little gun-shy and that was all we got. Oh well still not a bad way to spend 2 hrs on a Sunday though.” Ian & Nathan Innes

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Crackers for Cod
Crackers McConnell sent me a photo of a big cod that George caught last week. To start with he wouldn’t tell me much, but after a bit of truth syrup at the rugby he divulged a general location. Although I am sworn to secrecy I can tell you that is it somewhere between Mudgee and Burrendong. Crackers said the fish tasted superb.

Sustainable fishing
Just a reminder to fish sustainably. Taking fish for a feed is fine, that is why we are allowed a certain bag limit each, but only take what you need and remember to follow good C&R Practices when returning surplus fish to the water.

New Fishing Rules
Over the last week I’ve been in contact with fisheries to clarify some of the points on the new freshwater fishing regulations that will be in force as of September 1st.

The first thing to note is that River Blackfish, or ‘Slipperies’ s they are more commonly known around these parts are now totally protected and should be returned to the water when caught.

The cod season is due to close in 2 weeks but when it re-opens in September the legal size will have increased from 50cm to 55cm. In December 2008 this size will increase to 60cm.

A closed season for Bass is sure to improve the wild Bass fisheries as this will give them a chance to spawn without targeting by anglers.

Setlines will now be totally banned. This has already caused a stir among many anglers is will continue to do so. It is now only legal to have 2 attended rods when fishing. An attended rod is an rod that is within 50m (this is an increase from 10m) of an angler and in line of sight.

Any traps set must be checked within 24 hour periods. E.G a yabby trap that is set must be checked every 24 hours or less. A reminder: Mudgee is in classified Platypus waters, therefore no traps are allowed to be placed in streams. In the Mudgee region yabby traps are only permitted in private farm dams.

Gaffs are now totally banned in freshwater.

Bag and possession limits now apply to all freshwater fish (apart from those purchased from a registered fish shop) that are in any individual’s possession. This is a change from fish in possession of an angler adjacent to a fishing location. An existing rule that is important to note is that fish must not have their heads cut off until you immediately intend to cook the fish. If you are out camping and want to store or freeze the fish, don’t cut the heads off or you could be booked.

Although trout and salmon fishing regulations have changed they will not effect the fishing in our area.

All in all I think the new regulations are a step in the right direction and will provide a better sustainable fishery for the future. I would like to see closed season for all native fishes during the respective breeding seasons to allow for a better wild fishery but we are taking one step at a time. If anyone needs any of the new rules clarified, come in and see me at Mudgee Camping World.
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Getting Busted
Just a reminder to check the fishing rules and regulations before you head off fishing. Otherwise you may end up like one Mudgee group who were busted recently on a western fishing expedition. They knew better and paid the price.

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Snakebite
This is an old tale that was told to me: Two fisherman were in eel’n up the Goulburn river one night. Enjoying a good session the boys were having a laugh when one cursed and announced “I’ve just been bitten on the bum by a king brown!”. “I’ll go into town for a doctor,” His good mate promptly said. His mate ran the 5k’s to Wollar flat chat and quickly found the town’s only doctor, who was delivering a baby. “I can’t leave,” the doctor said. “But here’s what to do. Take a knife, cut a little X where the bite is, suck out the poison and spit it on the ground.” Ol mate ran back to his friend, who was in agony…. “What did the doctor say?” the victim said. “He says you’re gonna die.”

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Pub and Club Comp
Just a reminder that the next comp is on the 16th of September at Windamere Dam. Some of the entry sheets may have had the 16th of December printed on them (a bad cut and paste job by the secretary) but the date is defiantly the 16th of SEPTEMBER..
This round should be a challenging competition as we already have 5 teams entered.

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Windy
Rod Wilson went for a fish at Windamere on the weekend for 2 bust off which he thinks were silvers. If we get a bit more warmer weather as we have been I will expect the fishing to pick right up over the next month.

July 07: End of 06 / 07 Trout Season
The end of the NSW general trout fishing streams fishing
season see’s the end of a busy first guiding season
for Fish N Trips, and a very successful one.
Experiencing all the ups and downs, expected and unexpected
of the first year of business, Fish N Trips has
come through with flying colours (Mostly speckled with
a stripe of red).
The following is a short wrap of the season in review
and a preview of where Fish N trips is heading in the
future.
Cheers,
Dave ‘Bluey’ Smith <‘))><
The Launch
Fish N Trips was officially
launched the week prior to
the opening of the 2006/07
NSW general trout
streams fishing season.
The event was attended by
family, friends, business
networks, local tourism and business people, sponsors
and potential customers.
A good time was had by all, a few tall fishing tales
were shared and Fish N Trips was officially
launched.
The Secrets in the Success
In this our first season on the river we guided over 50
trips comprising over 100 anglers. With great results:
100% Success rate of seeing fish
100% Success rate of hooking up to a fish
92% Success in landing and successfully releasing a fish
(including the 1 fish that died before release)
I was lucky enough this season to have Scott Thomas
from fishing World Magazine and his lovely girlfriend
come along and share 2days on the river with me. We
had a great time together and caught some amazing fish.
Sprouting from this trip Scott penned the article ‘Mudgee
Magic!’ which was published in the February 2007 edition
of Fishing World Magazine.
I’d like to thank Scott for the rave review he gave me in
my first magazine appearance and compliment him on
his exceptional photography skills. Thanks mate.
School Holiday Fishing Clinics
We have been
running a series of
half day fishing
clinics for kids
during the school
holidays. The
clinics have so far
involved a visit to
local aquaculture
businesses, talks on fishing and techniques and
the best part of all…. The FISHING! (so the
kids tell me). We focused on educating kids not
only about how to fish but also on fish biology,
ecosystems surrounding our fishing environments,
responsible use of the environment, respect
for other recreational users and proper care
for the fish we catch.
Proudly Sponsored or Supported in 2006/07 By:
Sydney Weekender
I was lucky enough to be contacted by the
good folk at Sydney Weekender who
wanted to come and film a session with me.
Unfortunately they planned to film a week
after the trout fishing season had closed. A
rescheduling should see them visiting some
time in early October.
We plan on inviting several top travel and
fishing shows to fish with use over the next
season. Look out for us!
Fish N Trips In the Media
We continue to have a high profile in the media and wish
to continue to expand our resume of fishing literature in
the future.
See Fish N Trips and Bluey in print, on the net and hear
him on the radio:
The Weekly
“Fish’n With Bluey” has a week by week report of fishing in the
Mudgee Region.
Spooled.com.au
See our monthly reports
Sydney Fish Finder
Our latest reports from across the Central Tablelands.
Shore Fishing Australia
See our monthly reports.
Central West Fishing
See our reports on the website for anglers and anglers heading to
the central west of NSW.
2SM
Hear our monthly reports on Stinkers Fishing Show
2MG
Hear our reports on the Saturday Morning sport shorts.
TV Star
We busted into the world of TV Fishing with
a guest appearance on NBN’s Today Extra
alongside Stinker and Terry Dunphy from
Shimano to explain the gear used for trout
fishing and show off some of our best
catches.
It all went well and I’m waiting by the phone
for Hollywood to call….. Any day now.
Small Farm Field Days Clinics
As I’m writing this article
I’ve just finished packing
gear away from our appearance
at the 30th annual
Mudgee Small Farm Field
Days. We held free 20 minute
talks on fishing opportunities
in the Mudgee Region
and held a Learn to Cast /
Casting competition for the
kids. Thanks to Mudgee Camping World and also to
RFFTEC who donated both prizes and show bags so
all kids walked away with a smile.
Fish N Trips Fishing Pub and Club Challenge
Over the past 6 months we have held 2 rounds in the Fish N Trips Fishing Pub and Club Challenge. With pride on the line we
have organised fishing competitions to see the local pubs and clubs fish off to see who truly does have bragging rights.
The events have been more than just fun though with an educational component
that has seen local fishing clubs and fisherman change attitudes toward fishing. By
introducing a catch and release only tournament we have seen many local anglers
that would usually catch and kill anything caught now fit live wells to boats and
started catching, measuring and releasing fish not only in competition but also in
‘practice’ events.
Next event: 16th September @ Windamere Dam
Proudly Sponsored or Supported in 2006/07 By:
Blueys Secret Fishing Spots
(A Map of Mudgee and Surrounds)
The 2007 edition of Bluey’s Secret Fishing Spots
is coincidently the first. With some advice from
my good friend Stinker from Port Stephens we
have produced a guide for visiting and local anglers
to publicly accessible fishing locations in the
Mudgee Region, and given advice on the species
found, best times and baits to fish, rules, and how
to access the locations.
The maps retail for $5 and are available at outlets
throughout the Mudgee Region as well as at my
website www.fishntrips.com.au .
Fish N Trips / Court House Hotel Carp Bash
The Christmas School Holidays saw the first of hopefully
many Carp Fishing Competitions held by Fish N Trips in
conjunction with the Court House Hotel Fishing Club.
The event saw more than 150 carp removed from local waterways.
Well done to all who participated.
Sponsorships
We have endeavoured to put back into the local
community, fishing community and wider population
as much as possible by donating wherever we can.
This has included donations to environmental groups,
sponsorship of local sporting teams, donation of
prizes to local competitions, donation of a prize to
the CFA meet, and donating our waders and vehicle
to local environmental groups who have been working
on restoration projects.
Tales From Down the Cudgegong
The title for this newsletter has actually been stolen
from a book that I’m in the process of putting
together. It’s a book of fishing yarns, artworks,
history, pictures, poems, testimonials and a collection
of other works relating to fishing in the
Mudgee Region. Although it’s a slow process we
have had some contributions from some high profile
fisherman. It’s going to be a great way of preserving
the fishing history of the local area.
We are currently looking for a publishing sponsor.
Gift Vouchers Available. Gift Vouchers Available. Gift Vouchers Available. Gift Vouchers Available.
Proudly Sponsored or Supported in 2006/07 By:
PFIGA
One of the goals for Fish N Trips over
the coming season is being accepted into
the Professional Fishing Instructors and
Guides Association. We are currently
putting our application together.
Inland Coxswains.
Also in the process of being approves
is our application for an inland coxswains
licence. This is the first step
in getting set-up to do chartered boat
tours on Windamere Dam, Burrendong
Dam, and at Dunn’s Swamp.
The future…………..
Fish N Trips will continue to operate
and expand over the next year. We
have some big plans for the business.
New additions to our list of services
that are currently being investigated
include:
• Overnight kayak fishing trips
down the Macquarie River
• Boat fishing charters on Windamere
Dam, Burrendong Dam
and Dunn’s Swamp.
• Integration of more fly-fishing experiences
into our services.
• A fishing shack for hire.
See you on the water….
Fishcare Volunteer Program
We have also this season been involved in the
fishcare training and volunteer program. This
has been a great way to contribute and put
back into the fishing community.

June 2007
The first frosts of the winter have arrived but the fishing has remained surprisingly good. There are still natives to be had, and the trout are out and feeding throughout the day.

Windamere Dam
I have had a few people speak to me out at Camping World who say the fishing is still good at Windamere. One out of towner reports a day’s catch of 5 yella’s, 3 catties and a cod. Another local chap reported 2 yella’s on worms in 20 minutes.

Dunn’s Swamp
The cod are still on at Dunn’s Swamp. Trolling lures in the late afternoon seems to be producing the best result. Jackalls, Stumpjumpers, Mann’s, Oar-Gees, McGraths and Codzilla’s are all producing good results.
In the last week of the month two anglers from Wellington reported catching 10 cod over two days all caught casting spinnerbaits around the rocky points. ‘Jim from Mudgee’ also reported getting a couple on Oar-Gee lures after reading the were the go last week.

Middle Cudgegong
The trout fishing is really starting to pick up again with the cold snap in weather. Being originally from North America, the rainbow trout is a cold water fish. With less daylight hours, cooler water and outside temps fish actively feed during the day.
Included with the article is a photo of Steve Bennett, the day before his wedding in Mudgee with a superb 5 pound trout caught on a bead head nymph fished under a royal wulf.
If you want to fill your bag full of Cudgegong River Trout you’d better hop to it as there are only 12 days left of the 06/07 trout season. After this time the river between Lawson Park Weir and Windamere Dam Wall will be closed to all fishing! With such a great fishing season this year and the river looking well Matt from DPI Fisheries in Bathurst said there will be regular weekly patrols to catch poachers fishing out of season.

Lower Cudgegong
The Lower Cudgegong produced one real ripper of a catch during May. Jayden Morrow caught a thumping big rainbow trout on the 11th of this month. Using a lure, 5 year old Jayden managed to pull up a 52cm Rainbow Trout from…. Belinfante Bridge! Well done Jayden!

Other Locations
The trout fishing lakes around Lithgow; Thompson Creek Dam, Lake Lyell and Lake Wallace have all been fishing really well with both lures and flies of late and are the best bet for local anglers wishing to fill out a bag. Lake Wallace and TCD are only around an hours drive from town and well worth a look.
Redbank Dam: Went for a walk the other day up in Avisford Nature Reserve around Redbank Dam. Although it has been dry for a long time now, it used to be a good fishing hole close to town. I remember catching redfin, yellowbelly, catties and cod out of there as well as hundreds of yabbies. Let’s hope they get that wall sorted out and fixed. It would be a great project for local anglers to fix up the area around the dam and once the wall is fixed and to re-stock the waterway.
It amazes me that even when Campbell’s Creek is barely even flowing (and in some places bone dry) the notorious Campbell’s Creek trout can be sighted in so many different locations. I mean take last month for example, I heard reports of the fish taking baits at The Meroo Creek junction, stealing a lamb drinking by the waters edge up around the Bocoble Road Bridge and last week it was reported to have taken a dry fly fished upstream near the distillery.

Other News
Not only would it be good for those on the land if we got some more rain, but the fish, rivers and dams are in desperate need of the water. The age old reasoning of less water = more fish isn’t always true. We need the rain to start the food chain again.

Tales from down the Cudgegong: I’m still searching for stories, jokes, artwork, photos, poems, tall tales etc for the book I’m putting together on fishing around Mudgee. I know there are still plenty of stories out there, I’ve been told most of them. So it’s time for those who have a tale to tell to pen them and have them put in print.

Funny Story
Peter Orr stories keep coming in thick and fast. This one was emailed to me from one of his Sydney mates:
“Last weekend Orry invited myself and the family up to Armidale (where Peter is currently at uni) to see the sights for the weekend from Sydney. This was our first mistake. The hospitality was great, it was just the itinerary that almost got us in strife. Sunday arvo'. "Lets go have a barby at the trout hatchery about 50km's about of town, take the rods and have a fish in the river. It'll be great."
So off we trot, three toddlers and an esky full of meat. Oh, mums too. We get there 70km's later at 4pm, having to drive back to Sydney that night mind you. We see a sign, 5.00PM CLOSE. GREAT. We pay our three bucks each and rush around the outback fish zoo. "Ory, lets go we've seen enough and we are all hungry". Out we all go to cook the food on their barbeques, as we are told at 4.40pm, we have to be out at 5.00pm on dot. "Don't worry, under control, Scooter and I will cook the food in a jiffy and you girls take the kids outside the gate there and we'll bring you a feast in no time".
As Orry is firing up the barby next to the creek I ask, "hey mate are you sure we can fish in here, I can see some big trout down there". "No worries". Cool, so I grab his best rod and threw the first cast while he's busy. Second cast S.........t Orry I'm on! He comes running! "Go Scoot it's huuuuge!" I'm onto a three kg trout at least. Out the corner of our eyes we see some one else running. It's the ranger dude, jumping in to the "rangermobile" churning up some serious dust, across the bridge in our direction." Hey Orry, we CAN fish here, can't we?" Ory: "Errr ... You better go talk to him Scoot he looks mad" Great. I walk over to the guy, tail wedged firmly between my legs. "we can't fish here can we mate?" Ranger" Oh .. Well .. you can it'll just cost about $2000 per fish"
Me: "Sorry mate I didn't know, we will throw it back in "
Ranger: "Don't worry it's probably dead anyway just keep it but don't fish anymore".
“Thanks buddy“
I rush to Ory who is unhooking the 3kg fish from the line, "He said we can keep it, lets throw it on the Barby!" Orry
"Sorry mate, already thrown it back in"
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Just another chapter in the big thick book of "Orys Craaazy Tours!"
Scooter

I have received so many Peter Orr stories now we are considering devoting a whole chapter in the book to Peter. Here is another one from last week:
“I’m working at his brother’s shop and Peter is there. “So Bluey, let’s go fishing, come one, take me fishing, before I have to go back to Armidale”. “Yeah no worries Orry when do you wanna go?” ….after much deliberation by Peter: “Let’s go Friday, pick me up in the afternoon”. To which his brother Rob chirps up “Hey Peter, isn’t your wife’s baby due on Friday?”…. Orry: “Oh s#*t yeah… we better go Thursday”.
When you all see him to laugh at him at least congratulate him on his new baby boy….. which came Thursday.

Fishing Maps
The first edition of “Bluey’s Secret Fishing Spots – A Map of Mudgee and Surrounds” has arrived. The maps are double sided and feature a map to locations on one side and a description of each location, access, best baits lures and flies, times to fish and species is on the other as well as a wealth of other information. The maps will be on sale through my website www.fishntrips.com.au , At Mudgee Camping World and through various other local businesses and accommodation providers. If you are an occasional fisherman or a tourist traveling through this map is absolutely essential. Pick one up today.

Bluey
bluey@fishntrips.com.au

Mudgee Region Report – March 2007

Windamere Dam
With cold mornings starting to creep in and a decrease in daily temperatures we are seeing a drop in the consistency and number of trophy Yellowbelly being pulled out of Windamere. However the catches of Silver Perch and BIG Catties are proving a real talking point locally.
The Oschar boys took a trip to Windamere Dam and came home with a thumping 45cm Silver Perch and an even bigger Catfish at 59cm. Dave Café and friends have been pulling up Silvers up to the high 40’s and also a few catties to match.
Other anglers have also reported significant catfish captures. Hotspots have been in the deep water at the Northern end of the dam. Paul Nelson from State Water reports finding them around trees in 20ft of water which is unusual. He reports Catfish up to 74cm!
A good all-round bait and rig for silvers and catties is a size 1 or 1/0 hook baited with worms attached to your main line with a small running sinker. Both species will go for this bait. Another fish producing bait over the last 2 weeks have been shrimp. A harder bait to find but worth the effort.

Middle Cudgegong
Although water levels have been up and down with sporadic water release from Windamere, the middle Cudgegong has fished reasonably well this month. At the beginning of the month the fishing started to pick up after a recent lull for spin anglers. Nathan Miles landed a fish in the 5 pound class. Many juvenile trout are also showing up which is good to see and an indicator that this years stocking is taking effect.
Toward the end of the month the decrease in water levels and increase in aquatic weeds has choked some areas of the river and made it almost impossible for spin and bait anglers. Fly fishers are still experiencing good afternoon and evening hatches and taking fish in the 1 to 2 pound class.

Lower Cudgegong
Jay Thompson also made it onto the board again with a 57cm Eel-Tailed Catfish taken from the Cudgegong River near Gooree. There are a few catties coming out of this area of the river.

Dunn’s Swamp
After catching a nice Yellowbelly at 4 pounds, 7 year old April Marshall was very upset to find a heap of illegal setlines at Dunn’s Swamp, many of them with dead fish attached. After not seeing cod for years at the swamp, with water levels and shrimp levels down it’s pretty poor form to kill large numbers of these hungry cod, especially via illegal methods. Some setlines even had endangered Trout Cod on them. Fisheries were contacted and will be conducted random mid-week and weekend searches at Dunn’s Swamp over the next few months to try and catch the culprits.

For those using legal methods, the fishing is really hot at Dunn’s Swamp at the moment. Make sure you follow the rules and carry your fishing license and you should be into some great fishing.

Lawson Creek
With a little rain in the creek the fishing has been fairly good along Lawson creek. After watching fish swim past for over an hour and not take a bait, Robert Orr sat patiently by a deep waterhole as his younger angling companions chased fish up the river. Rob’s wise old head was rewarded with hot bite and he landed 2 fish in 5 minutes and lost another.

Fisherman’s Watch
Report suspected illegal fishing activity to your local Fisheries office or by telephoning Fisherman's Watch on 1800 043 536.

Bluey
bluey@fishntrips.com.au

Mudgee Region Report – February

Brought to you by www.fishntrips.com.au

Windamere Dam
The silver’s are starting to really come on at Windamere as often happens this time of the year. There are still good yella’s being caught and with the silver’s coming on there should be some hot action. Silver perch are most often caught on worms suspended just off the bottom, although I did catch a really good fish on Monday trolling a lipless crank bait in the rain. Silver Perch are a schooling fish, find a school and you should be able to catch more than 1.

Windamere received a boost to it’s cod numbers with another 2000 cod fingerlings hitting the water this month.

Last month Windamere also played host to Round 1 of the Fish N Trips Pub and Club Challenge. Although only 3 local pubs/clubs took part (Lue Hotel, Paragon Hotel and Court House Hotel) over 50 anglers entered the tournament.

The rules were simple; fish from 9am to 6pm and catch a whopper for your pub. Each pubs longest Yellowbelly, Cod, Cattie and Silver were added together to give their final total. A 10cm bonus was up for grabs for the first team to measure a fish at the measuring station and any fish weighed in dead had 5cm deducted from it’s length.

Team Lue Hotel was well organized, well dressed and rearing to go at 9am on the dot. After a brief conference and revision of the rules they were underway and out fishing. Next followed the Court House only 20 minutes late, and they were followed by the Paragon an hour and a half late. Not only did Paragon turn up almost 2 hours late, their team captain Bec Neil had already made a catch the previous night and did not show up. This earned Bec and her team the toilet seat award for the competition.

The Lue boys were rewarded for their organization and were first to measure in a fish, a respectable yella at 49cm which earned them a 10cm bonus at the end f the day. The fish was released alive to fight another day.

Action slowed around lunchtime and competitors enjoyed a free BBQ under the Mudgee Camping World and 4WD Centre quick shade. This is the only area where the Paragon Boys excelled smashing over 30 sausages and their breakfast meat tray. Soon after the boys disappeared back to fishing… at the Paragon.

Bad weather threatened the afternoon session as an electrical storm passed over the dam drenching most of the field and sending a convoy of boats back to the boat ramp and measuring station. All the Lue boys and all but 1 Curt House Hotel boat called it a day. At the weigh station Bluey was busy measuring the Lue fish. There were some really good captures however they only managed to land yellowbelly. Their biggest came in at 58cm but had 5cm deducted from it’s length for being measured in dead. This 53cm combined with the 10cm bonus set a mark of 63cm to beat by the one remaining team in the field the Court House Hotel.

All hope may have been lost except for their secret weapon Jay Thompson. “He’ll bring in a big one” his mum said from the spectator stand and word soon reached that in the middle of the pouring rain Jay had pulled up a 53cm Yella which was measured in alive. This put team Court House Hotel only 10cm of the lead and they soon changed to fishing for a competition winning Silver Perch. They fought out to the final whistle but unfortunately couldn’t get an elusive silver.

Congratulations to Team Lue who took out Round 1. Round 2 will be held in a couple of months.

Dunn’s Swamp
Although usually traditionally a Golden and Silver Perch fishery, Dunn’s Swamp turned on the cod this past month. One group reportedly got 7 cod in a session with the biggest going 78cm. Not a bad fish in anyone’s language! Hard boiled eggs are the pick of the baits.

Burrendong Dam
Burrendong Dam lent itself to one of the funniest fishing stories told around local pubs for a long while:
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Never Ever Go Fishing With PETER ORR
Never ever go fishing with Peter Orr, unless you’re prepared for an adventure.

“Bluey mate we’re on I’ve hooked us up. Plenty of water we’ll take the boat and catch a heap of fish in the arvo and dog a few pigs on the way out, we’ll be home by 9.30pm” . Although a very tempting offer I had only just sifted over my article from a few weeks back explaining how Peter Orr took his whole family on a fishing trip to Burrendong only to find no water. However this time Pete assured me he had gotten us onto a property with prime Burrendong Dam frontage, jumping fish everywhere and the possibility of a few pigs.
“Trust me mate, trust me”
“Righto, see you in half-a”.

So dogs and boat we loaded up and headed off along the Yarrabin Road, making one stop at Stott’s store to pick up a few snacks (that later we’re to become re-named rations). I new we were pushing it when Pete told me we’d be on the water by 5.00pm and by 5.30pm we still hadn’t reached Cudgegong Waters Park. Worse still when we told the caretaker what we were up to and he almost burst out laughing. Never the less we continued on and as promised Peter’s Key opened the locked gate to the private property and we were growing more excited by the minute.

Topping the highest ridgeline we came into view of the mighty Burrendong Dam, albeit a little low. At this point we stopped our travels for Peter to record a short video message to his brother about how he was the king of finding water and no-one should ever doubt him. We also noted that we both had mobile service on this ridgeline.

Karma may then have come to play into our journey as not 50m down the hill we broke the ratchet strap. Never the less, we could see the water and like a thirsty sheep we headed for it. A few wrong-turns down the farm tracks and we were on the flats. By this stage I’m on the back of the Ute spotting obstacles.

“Pete we should head for those steep ridges where it is rockier.”
“ok” (not changing direction and heading for the bare shallow bays in front of us)

Then 150m from the waters edge, the ground surface cracked and the right-hand side of the car sank to axle height. Even the pig dogs on the back couldn’t believe that Peter could have done hat.

“We’re -------“ was Peter’s Next comment.

Over the next half hour we made a vain attempt at digging and chocking the wheels in an attempt to get the car out, we luckily hadn’t sunk he trailer and moved it off by hand. After the second attempt at driving out and realising how fruitless our efforts were we conceded defeat.
“Oh well, might as well have a beer”

Taking a lighter hearted approach to the drama we sat down and contemplated a few options. Swim to the Wellington kiosk, drag the boat into the water and still go fishing, camp out and wait.

“Didn’t we get reception on that ridge?” – Bluey
“Yeah let’s walk for it and we might get a pig on the way” – Peter

So a few roadies in the pockets and we were off. After what seemed like an eternity of walking and almost in the dark now we managed to get hold of Pete’s brother. Smartly we had both decided that as we had made the effort to get all this way we may as well camp the night and fish in the morning.

“Yeah Rob, can you come get us…… and bring the .222, a BBQ chicken, some bread rolls, a couple swags, more beer and some worms.”

A few dodgy directions, a few teepee’s on the track to mark the way and 2 hours later the recovery crew had arrived (Rob and Hana). Mr ARB (Rob Orr) had the truck out in 2 minutes but wasn’t all impressed with the idea of us trying to launch the boat in the morning. “If you get stuck again, I won’t be coming to get you until at least after work at 6”. Poor bugger was already going to be getting home in the early hours.

This wasn’t quite the end of the dramas however as on our way to showing them the road back out, we got lost.
With them safely on the way home Pete and I spent the rest of the night spotlighting and pigging and finally pulled up for a few beers and get into the swags about 4.30am.

Peter snores.

Up at 7am, camp packed up and we were in search of some more solid ground. 7.15am and the boat’s in the water and we’re fishing.

Well this is where Peter finally redeems himself as we hadn’t trolled for 100m and I pull up a fat 50cm Yellowbelly. Another 50m bang and another. We ended up having a great morning fishing including getting to within net distance of a cod well in excess of 50lb and catching a few fish.

Fishing over around mid-morning, a raw dip and we were on our way home. Thankfully the trip home proved to be less eventful.

All in all we ended up having a great outdoorsman’s trip, albeit a little spontaneous….. and Peter did eventually find his water……. but didn’t manage to catch a fish.
------------------------------------------------------------

Only days after this story started doing the rounds at the saleyards a received a call from one of Orry’s best mate’s: “don’t go fishing with Peter Orr, Go fishing with Peter McDermott!”. After reading of Pete’s efforts ‘Biggin’ passed on the word of his few sessions at Burrendong a few weeks ago. 1st session – 35 yellas in 5 hours, 2nd session – 20 yellas in 3 hours, 3rd session – 12 yella’s and 1 cod in 4 hours. And the best news, not 1 carp caught! That’s some pretty hot fishing!

Other News
There’s this guy I know and the other day he rings his rings his boss, “I can't come to work today”. The boss asks “why?” The Guy says “it's my eyes”. “What's wrong with your eyes?” the boss asks. “I just can't see myself coming to work, so I'm going fishing instead...”….. Smart man.

Mudgee Region Report – January

Brought to you by www.fishntrips.com.au

Windamere Dam
The fishing has slowed down considerably at Windamere over the course of the past month. Expect the bait fishing captures of silver’s o rise over the next month as this is traditionally the better time for silvers when the yella’s drop off.
Whilst the action was slowing is still proved exciting for several local anglers.
Clinton Bartrim nailed a heap of fish including a 55cm Yella on a XXXX gold lure. Jay Thompson has also been showing the rest of his family how it’s done smashing the yella’s. The Cowper boys Gordy and Glen also got onto a few good-uns. Their fish were caught on Frenzy lures. I also took out some clients during the month and we got fish to 58cm on Kokoda G-Vibes and Berkley Frenzies. Keira Rayner also got a few on Berkley Frenzies.
Young Kurt Mackay however stole the show in January. After receiving a new rod of his dad for Christmas young Kurt ventured out to Windamere Dam with his dad Gerard, Pop Don and Mum Jennifer on the 6th of January 2007. So skilled was young Kurt’s angling abilities that he only needed to have his line in the water for 1 minute and he pulled up tight on a 40cm Yellowbelly. Furthermore he was the only angler to get a nibble all day!!
Well done Kurt!

Dunn’s Swamp
Dunn’s has failed to produce quality fish all spring/summer. Usually at its peak over this period the impoundment has failed to produce any notable captures. Persistent fishermen are getting 2 or 3 over a full days fishing. Throw spinnerbaits and slow roll them over the westerly facing rock outcrops for better results.

Burrendong Dam
‘Well be able to get the boat it… trust me’ says Peter Orr. So off the Orr clan goes to Burrendong for a spot of fishing. Long story short, after driving for as far as they could toward to main body of the dam until the mud became too thick, they got out and walked for a couple of kilometers…. But still not enough water to fish in apparently. The only capture of the day was a massive turtle that measured 35cm by 40cm across the shell. Excitement came when one of the boys spotted a good size yella swimming upstream in the shallow water and the stalk was on, however a couple of steps into the water and down to armpits in mud he went. ‘Trust me’.

Middle Cudgegong
The trout are getting harder and harder to catch as the season goes on. The fish are still responding to dries in the late afternoon on the warmer humid days when the insects are hatching. Try Royal Wulfs and Elk Hair Caddis as starter flies and work from there.

Lower Cudgegong
Fishing a secret location, Anthony Dorman from out Dunedoo way and Mark Coggan from Dubbo got onto some of the hottest cod fishing of the season. In a short session they managed 4 cod and 1 big yella and had double as many strikes. In good form all fish were released! AusSpin Twin Spin was the bait of choice, along with Bassmans and the new Shimano lipless cranks.

Other Waterways
I hadn’t been down the Bridle Track in a while so I took an exploratory look out there the other day with a few mates. We were after some cod but all we saw all day were carp, carp and more carp. Not a bad trip though. Given a couple of days and a canoe I reckon I might just be able to hunt out a few of those cod! Blake Papworth knows how to fish the Macquarie River though. Aged only 3 Blake managed to pull in a 4kg 73cm carp over the Christmas Break. Not a bad effort from the little guy! It wasn’t until we stopped off at the Hargraves general store on the way home that we ran into Judy Campbell who let go a few tips on the secret local bait and the bloke in the general store gave up the best location. I’ve got the info stored and will be out there again soon!

Other News
Local hospitals were kept busy over the Christmas period with plenty of fishing related injuries to attend to. Jay Thompson got hooked in the leg by his brother Kurt whilst out fishing and had to have the hook cut out.
Scott Papworth caught a nice sized yella but also managed to get the hook from the lure embedded in his finger. As the fish were biting he wasn’t keen to leave so he cut the hook off, taped his finger up and kept fishing. Next day it was off to hospital to have the hook cut out.

Do I look like Ian Cameron? Because I’m sick of picking up everyone else’s rubbish when I get to a fishing location before I even get a chance to get a line in the water. Some of the more popular fishing spots at Windamere, and a couple I have let on lately are looking an absolute mess. It’s pretty simple, If you take it there you take it out again. Trying to burn aluminium cans and bottles or sinking them to the bottom of the dam don’t count either. And on that note, remember that it is illegal to trespass across private property to fish. Just because there is a road doesn’t mean you can bust the gate open or cut a fence and go where you please. Go knock your own fence down.

Anyone read about the blokes from Dubbo who were fined for fishing the Macquarie with unmarked setlines, unlicensed and keeping undersized cod? Only problem was the 4 of them only got fined $1600 collectively. Should have been more I reckon.

Court House Hotel Fishing Club Carp Bash
The Court House Hotel Fishing Club Carp Bash came to a close on Sunday after a month of competitive fishing with the final weigh in and BBQ.
Over 30 competitors registered for the competition (and are all now members of the Court House Hotel Fishing Club and C.A.S) and weighed in an astonishing 175 fish. That’s an average of over 5 fish per person weighed in! The good thing about this competition is that not only were this many carp removed from the river, but the Court House Hotel Fishing Club puts all their proceeds back into re-stocking. Hopefully we can replace these 175 carp with 175 cod or yellowbelly.
Both Court House Hotel Publican Brett Thompson and Fishing Club President Sonny Andrews were on hand for the awards presentation which was eagerly awaited by some of the younger competitors. The results are below:
U/16 Girls Most Carp – Taylor Crockett (5)
U/16 Girls Biggest Carp – Taylor Crockett (2.65kg)
U/16 Boys Most Carp – Jay Thompson (45)
U/16 Boys Biggest Carp – Angus Usher (3.75kg)
Ladies Most Carp – Rae Crockett (3)
Ladies Biggest Carp – Rae Crockett (3.7kg)
Men’s Most Carp – Morro (56)
Men’s Biggest Carp – Morro (4kg)
Boys Encouragement Award – Harry Crockett
Girls Encouragement Award – Nikki Thompson
Secret Number of Fish – Luke Wakely (3)
Lucky Door Prize – Angus Usher

Big thanks to Sonny and Brett for support, prizes and the BBQ! The club plans to hold another event next school holidays.

Bluey
bluey@fishntrips.com.au
www.fishntrips.com.au

Mudgee Region Report – December

Brought to you by www.fishntrips.com.au

Fish N Trips Update
We have had a couple of good months around Christmas. Nice weather and plenty of fish has kept everyone happy. We are booked up most weekends throughout January and February but there are still spots available.
I have to make mention of one funny experience that happened whilst I had clients out during the month however. Ever tried to explain how to fish to someone who doesn’t speak English? Well it’s an experience where a good grasp on the party game charades is an advantage. I took a Swedish couple trout fishing one Wednesday during the month. After struggling for an hour two to explain the basics of fishing I practically gave up on explanations when a helicopter who was obviously water bombing the fires from the local district hovered over the waterhole we were fishing before taking a bucket load of water away. They just stared at me in disbelief………

Another project off the beaten track we have happening is putting together a book. It’s going to be a book of old stories, funny stories, tall yarns, poems, photos and history of fishing in the Mudgee and surrounding areas. Ever had a good fishing story you told everyone down the pub? Now’s the time to immortalise it in print! Send in stories, photos, artworks, poems, paintings etc. Email photos and stories to bluey@fishntrips.com.au or drop them in to Mudgee Camping World.

Windamere Dam
Windamere has been totally on fire this month, literally with bushfires burning in the surrounding hills! The month started with cod season opening. I was fortunate to capture my first cod on opening morning. No monster but a respectable fish at 50cm and a good sign of things to come. For the record my first was caught on an el-cheapo berkley frenzy lipless crank. Since then mainly lipless Crankbaits and spinnerbaits and trolled stumpjumpers have accounted for the majority of fish.
The Yellowbelly have also been totally on fire this month. In our local region the local pubs had the XXXX goild lure promotions. You know the one’s, drink 4 XXXX Gold and receive a lure. Well at the request of one of the pubs I took out a XXXX Gold lure and low and behold an nice yella in the 50’s is to the shore within minutes. Wlel didn’t this set off a chain reaction when the photo hit the newspaper. Every man and his dog was then down the local drinking XXXX (we love a good excuse for an ale here) and out to Windamere it was, and everyone caught fish! Jay Thompson took his mum out and showed her how to catch 3 in half an hour, Clinton Bartrim snagged a nice fish in the high 50’s and there were many more!
Two American Naval Aviators that were on leave recently also visited Windamere and had a great day out. In atrocious conditions ‘Swab’ and ‘Chubber’ managed to get onto a couple of good sized Golden Perch. This was followed up by a night of fishing at a couple of the local establishments. Wingman!
I had a couple of good outings to Windy this month. It started one Thursday with a trip to Windamere Dam to chase Yellowbelly off the banks. Keira Rayner stepped up and showed she could fish with the best of them and landed 5 Yellowbelly up to 60cm. In only a short 1 hour session 10 quality fish were landed. The pattern that day was working bibles cranks around rock walls and letting the lures sink for 20seconds before commencing a quick retrieve. The fish were still in spawning mode with a few fish hooked in the tale or side of the head where they had been aggressively slapping the lures without trying to eat them, which is a characteristic of an angry male false spawning yellowbelly. The milky white substance coming from the fish were also a giveaway.
This trip was followed on Saturday with a trip to the same area this time with Glen, Jay and Chopper. Again the fish were taken on various bibles crankbaits and were in spawning mode. After a couple of quick fish early the bites slowed and we changed the pattern from sinking the lures for 20 seconds followed by a quick retrieve to a 15-20 sink and an ultra slow retrieve. Results showed straight away and again 10 fish were caught in a very short session. The high point of the trip came for Jay Thompson who nailed a 63cm Yellowbelly to take the equal lead in Bluey’s Fishing Competition.
Not wanting to be outdone Keira organised another trip with fellow Woolpack Hotel Barmaid Brooke and after a busy Saturday night and no sleep the girls were buzzing ready for their trip. While only 3 fish were landed (a few got away) on this trip they still had size to them.

Dunn’s Swamp
The Wollemi National Park was closed for much of the month due to bush fires in the area and subsequently there have been no fishing reports available.

Burrendong Dam
Water has all but dried up in the Mudgee end of Burrendong. Only a trickle remains that apparently heads underground at one point. Small carp are still being caught in the remaining waterholes.

Middle Cudgegong
The middle Cudgegong is still producing quality trout but they are becoming hardewr to catch with the continued fishing pressure.
I took my editor Don out for a quiet fish during the month. About 20 minutes into our session Don drifted a small RMG Scorpion lure downstream, commenced a retrieve and BANG. The line when tight, the real screamed and about 3 pounds of Cudgegong River Rainbow Trout leapt from the water. This fish was in control the whole time and unfortunately won its freedom when the 4 pound line rubbed on a submerged log. A moment of silence followed before we commenced the stalk for fish number 2.
A short time later we were again fishing a nice run when this time Don hooked and landed a nice Rainbow of around 1 ½ pound. This was followed by another of the same size on the next cast.

Lower Cudgegong
Although fairly quiet this month on the lower, Jay Thompson and Jack Leckie had a good session down near Gooree the other day pulling up 6 big catties with the best going 53cm. Jay insisted on taking the fish home for a feed although I don’t think his old man Brett was real keen to try them.

Lawson Creek
Due to the effects of the drought, Lawson Creek fishing is limited to the larger waterholes. As many of these are on private property and inaccessible we have no reports this month.

Other News
For anyone visiting the Mudgee Region these school holidays the Court House Hotel in conjunction with Fish N Trips will be holding a carp capture competition. Entry is only $2 for kids and $8 dollars for adults, including membership to the Court House Hotel Fishing Club. The competition will run from the 22/12/06 to 28/1/07. Registration are being taken at the Court House Hotel. Fish will be weighed in at the Court House Hotel on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays between 6 and 7pm in the back car park. There will be age and gender categories including the biggest and most carp, as well as novelty categories including best dressed fisherman weighing in a fish, and a lucky door prize for anyone who enters. Any carp legally captured will count! Drop into the Court House Hotel for further information, rules etc or email bluey@fishntrips.com.au . Keep the kids busy these school holidays and sign them up!

The time of year is just right for fishing for yabbies. If you have a favorite yabby dam I suggest you have a go at getting a feed before they all run dry!

I run a fishing competition through the local paper and I would like to make mention of the efforts of our local junior anglers. Of the 9 species categories we have 5 of them are being led by junior anglers, and with massive fish! 13 year old Chloe Thompson and 9 Year Old Jay Thompson share the lead in the yellowbelly section with 63cm fish, Nathan Innes’s 51cm trout still leads that section, Luke Wakely’s 56cm cattie takes the cake there, T Smith, M Curry & L Wakely’s 35cm reddie holds the dominant position in it’s category and Mitchell Metcraft’s 151cm eel doesn’t look like it can be beat!

Mudgee Region Report – November 2006

Brought to you by www.fishntrips.com.au

Windamere Dam

Windamere continued to fire this month. Amidst the local bushfires the fishing was still good. Boat and bank absed anglers all share din the spoils. I’d almost go so far as to say no one went fishless this month!
The month started with our sleepy towns being invaded by expensive looking bass style boats. Yes, this marked the annual Windamere Golden Classic Invitational. Pat Morris and crew always put on a good comp and this year was no different. Official results haven’t been released yet but there were plenty of fish caught. Most surprising were silver perch captures. One silver was measured at 58cm!

Bait fishing was again popular as always and floating unweighted yabbies and worms around the trees in shallower water was producing up to 20 fish an hour for some anglers. That’s good fishing!

I am the least patient fisherman in the world ever. If I have to sit there with bait in the water for more than 1 minute I’ll be bored. That’s why I like to fly-fish or cast lures or drift baits so I am always active. The exception to the rule is going for a lazy afternoon troll. Sitting in the boat watching the scenery pass you by I find to be really enjoyable. Within 20minutes of hitting the water we had 2 yellowbelly on board and this continued all afternoon. The only scare of the trip was when I almost trod on a 6ft brownie when I climbed off the boat onto the bank to retrieve a lure.
We found fish to be hanging around the normal sorts of structures: tree lines, weedbeds and rocky points.

Dunn’s Swamp

One of the most picturesque areas to fish I the Mudgee Region, Dunn’s Swamp holds a good supply of native fish. Boasting the cleanest water of any impoundment in NSW, this spot is simply irresistible. This time of the year the yella’s really come on. Not huge fish, but a healthy population of fish in the 2 to 3 kilo category make for awesome fishing. The impoundment is full of shrimp and makes awesome baits. Shrimp imitation lures and flies also work well.

Burrendong Dam

At last the results of the Burrendong fishing comp have come in with some very good captures all around. Cudgegong River Park Siteholders Association held their 2nd Junior Fishing competition over the October Long Weekend. Even though the numbers were down on the Easter Competition, all the children were very enthusiastic and the total number of fish caught was equal to that of the Easter total of 103.
Some results are as follows;
Most Fish – D Power – 13
Biggest Fish – T Oscher – 7.13 kilo
Most Catfish – T Williams – 3
Biggest Catfish – T Oscher 4.92 kilo
Most Carp – D Power – 8
Biggest Carp – T Oscher – 7.13 kilo
Biggest Yellow Belly - H Crocket 6.3 kilo
Biggest Silver Perch – N Sharpe- 1.8 kilo

All the children shared in over $2,000 worth of prizes that were donated by our very generous sponsors.

Local peter orr got onto the silvers at the ‘dong this mon tha dn racked up 30 in one session. Back 2 days later and another 20 in the boat. Only 2 were kept each session.

There will be a social fishing competition held at the Wellington end of Burrendong on the 2nd December. The comp will be fished in 2 sessions with a BBQ lunch in between. For more information email centralwestfish@bigpond.com.au

I had the pleasure of guiding Richard and Jaye ‘SNAPper’ from the largely popular www.spooled.com.au website during the week. We had a good afternoon/night session at Burrendong and managed to hook an array of fish up to 6kg and a couple of monsters that ploughed straight into the timber and rubbed the 20lb leaders we were using. At one stage a large fish made a dive for the timber and Jaye loaded the rod up only to have it snap as the fish surged! It was good to take the boys out and a full report can be found at www.spooled.com.au

Middle Cudgegong
At 6am on the first Saturday of the month, a group of very cold angling enthusiasts waited….. and waited….. and waited….. for the New South Wales Fisheries truck coming from the Dutton hatchery at Ebor to pass through Mudgee and drop off our allocation of trout fingerlings from the 2006 spawn. This year we were allocated 10,000 Rainbow and 10,000 Brown by the Central Acclimatization Society.
After the fish were dropped off and locations decided upon the fish were then transported to various sections of the Cudgegong River and released. As trout are not a native fish and the Cudgegong River is not big enough to support a spawning population fish must be released every year to make up the deficiency in the naturally breeding population.
Over the next 12months these fish will grow rapidly and hopefully a good percentage will survive. Predators such as other fish, birds, humans, platypus, water rats etc will make a dint in the numbers as well as environmental factors, but hopefully we should have a few survive.

The trout continue to bite. The fish have become vary wary with fishing pressure however and are becoming harder and harder to catch. I pulled an absolute monster out this month on one of my days off. The fish was well over 5 pounds but was released to again fight another day.

Fish N Trips Update
We are being inundated with gift bookings for Christmas. Contact us to organise a gift certificate. www.fishntrips.com.au

Other

Cod season will re-open on Friday the 1st December for rivers and lakes of the region. Remember the legal minimum size for Murray Cod is 50cm and the bad limit is 2 fish with only 1 over 100cm.

Bluey’s column made it a hat trick for all 3 major forms of media (print, radio and t.v) last week with a guest appearance on NBN’s today show to talk fishing. The studio filmed segment should air next Friday. Unfortunately our region is covered by WIN TV not NBN. So here I am dressed up in my fishing clobber ready to talk fishing and this lady is trying to put make-up on me!?! At least I got the left over’s from the cooking show!

Keep your lines tight!
Bluey
bluey@fishntrips.com.au

Mudgee Region Report – October 2006

Fish N Trips Update

Fish N Trips was officially launched on September 28th 2006, 2 days prior to the opening of the 2006/2007 general trout fishing season. The function was held at the Oriental Tavern in Mudgee and was attended by some fifty local business, tourism industry associates and industry sponsors. The night focused on learning first hand how this new business will fit into the Mudgee Region Tourism Network. Unique to Mudgee, Fish N Trips will cater for all tastes and all budgets with a variety of packages available from fully-serviced day trips spinning for trout to night fishing and river, creek or impoundment guided tours. We have spent a vast amount of time and energy in the past 12 months researching, developing and planning the business from organizing river access to government regulations and associated services and activities for fishing customers and their partners. This preparation has allowed us to launch a service business that will fill a niche in the Mudgee market and following trends in fishing destinations here in Australia and overseas which will no doubt be a success catering to ever growing number of recreational fishing enthusiasts. An important focus in Fish N Trips philosophy is the care of our environment, the fisheries, the rivers, the creeks with a goal of preserving and improving our local fishing sport and its environment. All fishing is catch and release and we focus on teaching and showing customers the great local flora and fauna that is unique in our region and will be an enjoyable part of the Mudgee fishing experience. Visit www.fishntrips.com.au

Ford courier – We have also recently completed work on the Fish N Trips Ford Courier with the completion of the rod rack system. A new Steel rack system has been added to the back of the truck with Berkley Horizontal Rod Racks to hold our longer impoundment bank fishing rods. Also added to the side of the racks have been our unique PVC pipe rod tubes. We have used 150mm Storm Water pipe that has been cut in half, hinged and filled with foam. Our rods now fit snugly in them and the system is completely lockable and permanently affixed to the truck.
The completion of truck signage also has the vehicle looking shmick!

Business has been phenomenal so far, check out the Middle Cudgegong section for the majority of reports.

Windamere Dam
Windamere has really turned it on this month with any angler with a bait in the water a 90% chance of coming up tight. Anglers from all over have been visiting Windy (And apparently several times this month it was that windy they were considering holding Surfing championships off the Limestone Creek Point Break) and getting in on the action.
Matt from Orange managed a nice 60cm yella before the wind came up. Troy Whittington and a mate spent a weekend and caught fish around the 51cm mark on yabbies but couldn’t manage any fish trolling. He reported fishing holding in 18ft deep water but only 6ft from the surface. Renee Walsh caught a 2kg yellowbelly on a pink lure and is therefore obviously a better fisherman than her father Greg.
The terrible duo; Peter ‘Wiffa’ Witheriff and Deza ‘Rex Hunt’ Kearns again came out with not only fish but a good story. They tell it best in their own words “This time we picked a really good day to drop a line into Windamere, now we know why they call it WINDamere. With an early start on Sunday morning after a big Saturday night, Rex was keen as mustard and it wasn’t long before we caught onto a few good size yellowbelly, then all of a sudden it came about midday after we landed 7 fish all between 6 & 9 pound. We decided to call it a day, after firing up the little tinny, we headed back from limestone creek, got out into the middle and got caught in a half meter Windarmere swell, it was rough going and abit loose. We pulled up, cracked another can, and proceeded to fillet the fish and reflect on what the hell we were doing out there…… came to the conclusion that we were dedicated to the sport.” Great stuff again boys.
Yale got 2 large fish for their species, a yellowbelly at 62cm and a silver perch at 45cm. Zach Spradbrow also got a nice yella at 50cm. Nice going guys.
Mike Rowlands and Todd Morley have been having a great time out at Windamere. The other day their first catch was so big that it filled the esky and they could release all fish caught after! Yabbies being bait of choice.
A visiting angler form Nowra visited Windamere for 2 days during the week and landed a total of 31 Yellowbelly and Silver Perch. All fish were caught on the troll with the best locations being around trees ad weed beds at both limestone creek and Goat Gully. The fish ranged from .9kg to 6.9kg which is some quality fishing. He reported a lot of slender fish with only 1 full of eggs, this should suggests that the fish haven’t schooled up to false spawn yet.

An important part in sustaining a good fishery is care of the catchments and the environment that surround our waterways. The ecosystems surrounding our fisheries help in filtering the water, playing host to the food chain, stopping erosion and salinity as well as many other vital roles. Thanks to Mudgee Public school and Mrs. Whittington’s and Mrs. Healey’s Year 3 classes, the Windermere catchments will benefit from their efforts. They managed to plant 175 native trees at the Under Canvas Camping site with more to come!

Dunn’s Swamp
Dunn’s hasn’t really picked up yet, but the shrimp are in abundance and a good place to stop off for a live bait tank full on the way to Windaemere.

Burrendong Dam
Over the long weekend at Burrendong at the Wellington end, the algae in the water gave rods and reels an interesting green tinge but the fishing was still on. Yella’s went to 2.5kgs and silvers up to a kilo and of course a few carp.
I’m eagerly awaiting the results from the Cudgegong River Park Site Holders Association Junior Fishing Comp that was held over the long weekend..
Even after all the lines that hit the water in the long weekend comp, Burrendong still fished well. Matt ‘Smurf’ Ryan made an early trek out one Saturday morning and came up trumps when a massive silver perch of over 2kgs nailed his stumpjumper lure.
Brenton Orr and Tommy Lawson went out in Brenten’s uncle Pete’s boat and got onto a few. Brenten got an 18inch and a 17inch Yellowbelly, both caught on Jackals and Tommy got an 18 incher on a Secret Creek Spinnerbait. Rob Orr (Brenten’s Dad) cleverly managed to forget to pack the camera so it couldn’t be proved that his son is a better fisherman than him.
Jackals are still taking large fish in the main basin. Yella’s over 50cm and large reddies as well as carp are being aught casting toward standing structures. Some cod are also turning up even though it is closed season.
On the troll yella’s to 38cm and undersize caught are also being caught.
The Papworth’s cleaned up there last weekend. They caught a couple of big yella’s, 3 catties and a few silvers on crayfish baits and also cleaned a heap of carp out of the dam using small squidgies!
Unfortunately the boat ramps at the Mudgee end of Burrendong are now closed.

Middle Cudgegong

The trout season started with a blast, over the first 3 days while spinning for trout I was averaging around 30 fish a session with my clients. Whether a change in weather conditions, or the fact that fish had seen a few spinners, they suddenly turned right off and as the month went out were getting increasingly harder to get spinning. The month as it happened:

First Week
The trout season opened on Saturday morning and from all reports everyone has been sharing in the spoils. I have been out everyday either with clients or by myself and the fishing has been absolutely exceptional. There are a really good stock of fish in the ‘platsize’ category which has been the result of some very successful stocking. These are the best fish to take for a feed as they taste better than the bigger fish. The bigger fish in around the 1 ½ and up category don’t taste as good and are the brood stock so are probably better off being released… there are plenty of smaller fish anyway. In saying that it doesn’t take long for a fishing hole of river to become ruined if all the fish are taken, the Cudgee is only a small river so only take what you need and if possible release a few for everyone else. It might be your kid that catches that big one in a few years time!
On a technical note, I’ve been catching fish on Rapalas, RMGs and a variety of spinners. Give ‘em all a go as the fish have been taking different baits at different times of the day.

One funny story happened in the first few days of this year’s trout season. Arriving shortly before another fishing party we were spinning away in a nice pool and getting a few followers. As the other party passed by they must have noticed our excitement and set up in the pool up from us…. bait fisherman. We caught and released a few as the group up from us struggled. As we walked to go further up river they asked how we went and we gave a cagey answer of ‘seeing a few’. They knew what was going on and as we walked on they packed up and went downstream to where we had been fishing. I don’t know how they went but one my clients pulled the biggest fish of the day out of the pool they and just been fishing!

Second Week
The Cudgee has been copping a bit of a flogging since trout opening and not surprisingly fish numbers are dropping and they are going shy. At the moment they are surface feeding on midges and stonefly hatches and are often refusing to take lures, baits or incorrect flies. Prime hatches are coming in the heat of the day around 2.00pm and also on dusk. Try very small midge imitation flies for best results.
What’s disappointing are the large numbers of large carp in the middle Cudgegong. I would have seen around 200 so far. Heading out tomorrow to remove a few.
During the week I was lucky enough to play host to a journalist from Fishing World Magazine who will be running a story in one of the coming issues. Although we got off to an unusually slow start, we managed to see several fish in the 4 pound plus class, land a few 2 pounders and couple of beauties over 3 pound. Watch out for the story.

Third Week
Some very good trout being caught in the river at the moment, with bait fisherman having most success. Remember to try and release the bigger fish (1kg+) so there are spawners left in the river so next year we can continue to have good fishing. Also make sure you have permission to fish before crossing private property to get to the river.

Last Week
With the trout in the river shying away from spinners and lures at the moment (and with me not being a big fan of bait fishing as a sport) I’ve spent a couple of hours before dark every afternoon when I haven’t had clients over the past week walking the riverbanks with my fly rod in hand and casting dry flies upstream to rising fish or fish a spot in the river. I’ve had great success getting fish every time and some spectacular takes. Fly fishing is by no stretch of the imagination the best way to catch a trout (actually probably the hardest), but it is another challenge for the fisherman and good age old tradition. I’ve had best success on Royal Wulf and Royal Hump Patterns in the smaller sizes with a 4x tippet.

Lower Cudgegong
Whilst catching shrimp at Belinfante Bridge one midday a fellow angler pulled up two of the biggest redfin I have seen. They were every bit of two and a half kilos. Both monsters were caught on imitation Jackal lures.

Lawson Creek
One of the funniest experiences I’ve had fishing was during the week when I had to rescue a cow from the river. Fishing on a property on Lawson Creek where the cows had obviously been being hand fed meant they cows were always pretty close to where we were fishing. At one stage one of the younger steers went to investigate the berley bucket down by the edge of the creek. Misjudging the slipperiness of the bank the cow toppled A over T and into the river. Even though it spooked the fish it was funny for a few seconds until I, and my clients realized the bank was too steep for the cow to get out. So stripped down to the bare essentials, I joined the cow in the river. Helping him to the bank and giving him a leg up all I received for my troubles was a kick in the guts as he ran off!

Other Waterways
Anglers down the bridle track near Hill End (Macquarie / Turon Rivers) had success over the long weekend pulling up reddies and carp. Keep you posted.
In other close trout waters around the state Lake Lyell, the Fish and Campbell's River have been fishing extremely well with browns and rainbows being taken up to 3kg. Well worth the trip over to Lithgow!

Mudgee Region Report - September

Fish N Trips Update
Bookings are filling up fast for the start of the 06/07 Trout season. Visit www.fishntrips.com.au for more details. The Fish N Trips Ford Courier has recently been signed and the new racks will be built over the next week. Pictures coming soon!

It’s still to cold to fish the local Mudgee Waterways properly but an increase in average temperature over the past 2 weeks has seen a few fished coaxed out of their dormant trance and on the hunt for a bit of tucker.

Windamere Dam
Early in the month the water temperatures were still down around 12 degrees and the fish were holding deep. Although I had no captures to write home about, we found that sitting out in 100ft of water there was a thermocline at 50ft and the fish were holding slightly higher at 45ft. Soft plastics jigged deep to these fish were getting the strikes.
Around the middle of the month the temperature started to warm up during the day lifting the water temperature by around 1 or 2 degrees on average near the surface. John Osborn located a few yella’s holding at around 25ft and managed to annoy them with Jackalls until he scored a couple. Not bad fish either. A 54cm and a 57cm is some good captures no matter what time of the year it is, and considering these are early season fish it makes the feat even better.
As temps continue to rise it won’t be long before the fish start coming back on the chew. Try fishing the shallower bays as they tend to warm up quicker and this is where you have a good chance of finding active fish. I’d try a mixture of reaction baits (Jackalls, Berkley Frenzies, other bibles cranks, Mann’s rattling lures, and spinnerbaits) to try to entice some of the semi-dormant fish into striking. Let’s hope the warmer weather continues.
Whilst not a favourite sportfish to target, word on the street (river, stream, lake or whatever you might say) is that the Catties are on the chew at Windamere. Often taken on worms, yabbies and shrimp at night, these guys are dogged fighters who are likely to wrap you around a stick…. But great fun.

Dunn’s Swamp
No captures to report but a good showing of shrimp already should have the plump yella’s and silvers of Dunn’s coming on over the next month.

Burrendong Dam
Carp! Carp! Carp!

Upper Cudgegong
There are a few freshwater lobsters starting to get around again in the Upper Cudgegong. Limited to a number of good holes these days after they were heavily fished out, they seem to be making some sort of a comeback, as long as they aren’t fished out. The local lady who talked to me about it showed me a photo of a big ‘un full of eggs, which she promptly released.

Middle Cudgegong
A reminder that the Middle Cudgegong is still closed to all fishing until the October Long Weekend. No fishing of nay kind is permitted.

Lower Cudgegong
The Lower Cudgegong is producing fish…. But it seems the juniors are the ones catching all the fish. Along the Gulgong Road TSR a father who declined to be named took his daughters Chloe and Brittany for a fish. While he caught carp after carp, the girls managed to pull in a 5 pound Yellowbelly each!

Lawson Creek
I went fishing at a ‘secret’ location the other day and was happy to see 2 Platypus frolicking in the waterhole we were supposed to be fishing. I’d rather see a Platypus than catch a fish any day and enjoyed watching the playful little guys go about their business undisturbed.

Other Waterways
In case anyone is wondering, Lake Lyell is definitely closed to all boating. And if you happened to tow a boat all the way over there and beg and plead…. They still won’t let you on there. The fishing from the bank isn’t to bad however, an abundance of freshwater mussels will keep your bait pile stocked up and the fish on the chew. For those who prefer to toss lures around, an angler and his wife from Bathurst found Yo-zuri minnows and celta’s to be taking a few fish.

Trout are still being taken at Lake Wallace at Wallerawang in the early morning and late afternoon by the keen fly fishers. Local word is that fly fisherman are out fishing everybody… even the bait fisho’s! Wooly Buggers are the fly of choice at the moment according to one local who stopped for a chat with me.

After all the hype about the Campbell’s Creek Trout, I had a look for it myself. Although I didn’t get the big fella, my mate Ryan nabbed a reddie and I got an unusually black trout. Jock Rayner Jnr reckons the big fella’s been feeding on small carp like he was picking up when the water levels were down. He’s been keen to get after the big trout but farm chores have kept him like a dog on a chain.

Dave Kurtz and the Mudgee Barwon Fishing Club returned from Walgett with a few fish. Although some of their methods may have been ‘questionable’, Kurtz did return with a photo of a big cod as he promised. I just hope they left some fish in the river.

Other Information
Although some local fishing clubs missed out on an allocation of Native fish for this year, there will be around 10,000 brown and 10,000 rainbow trout stocked into our local Mudgee waterways this year.

Expressions of interest are being sought from individuals, clubs, groups or local councils interested in rehabilitating fish habitats in freshwater and saltwater areas of NSW. Grants of up to $30,000 are available where matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis (cash and/or in-kind support).All money raised by the recreational fishing licence is placed into special trusts to improve recreational fishing in NSW. This year $360,000 has been allocated for the Fish Habitat Grant Program to encourage the community to undertake fish habitat rehabilitation including riparian revegetation, fencing and fish passage projects.
Projects that are of direct benefit to local anglers will be given preference. Applications must show sound technical support and prior consultation with NSW Department of Primary Industries must take place.
Visit: http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreational/general/call-for-applications

A father and son fishing team were just busted out west after being caught selling 900 kg of Murray cod at the Melbourne Fish Markets have been ordered to pay a total of $26,000 in fines and court costs. If people keep taking this many fish and not returning undersize fish to the water there will be no fish left. It’s pure selfishness on their part, and old headed stubbornness.

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Bluey
bluey@fishntrips.com.au

Photo: John Osborn with a 57cm yellowbelly caught at Windamere on a Jackall lure.

Photo: David Kurtz with a 25 pound cod.

August

It’s been a month of mixed feelings around the Mudgee Region this week. The rain has been a godsend to local farmers who have been praying for rain for several years now and don’t want it to stop, whereas the keen fisho’s wouldn’t mind a break for a week or two so they can get out and fish! The cold weather has kept most people rugged up inside and its been the committed and lucky who have braved the conditions to come up trumps this month. With the poor local conditions and shutdown fish most anglers have ventured further a field in search of fish or two.

Blueys new email and website
I’ve just launched my new website which can be found at www.fishntrips.com.au . Bookings are now being taken for the 2006/07 trout season and bookings will need to be made early to avoid disappointment.
I’m still keen to hear reports from anglers who fish the Mudgee and surrounding regions, reports can now be sent to bluey@fishntrips.com.au .
Take a look at the site and tell me what you think.

Burrendong Dam
I took two trips the past month out to my favourite winter hunting ground at Burrendong Dam only to come back with only 1 fish. On the first occasion we fished from a couple of hours before dark to a couple of hours after for only 2 bites all afternoon. This came when both our yabbies were bitten in half. The temps were down and the wind was up making for unpleasant stay. A big campfire was essential. The highlight of the night came in the form of the wood grub feasting session.

On the second trip, Kurtz and I were joined by Cameron ‘Ronald’ McDonald. Again we fished from a few hours before to a few hours after dark with a variety of baits (Worms, Yabbies, Grubs) for only a few bites. This time Ronald managed to pull in a smallish carp but at least it was a fish. Again a nice big warming campfire was essential.

On the second night we ran into Robbie Gilham and his tribe of anglers who had fared a little better and managed 2 carp and a decent sized Yellowbelly.

Upper Cudgegong and Rylstone Weir
Locals have reported a few winter rainbows getting around in Rylstone Weir. These fish were stocked by the Kandos Rylstone Club several years ago and whilst there hasn’t been a huge survival rate, there are a few bumper fish still getting about.

Middle Cudgegong
A reminder to anglers that the section of Cudgegong River between the Lawson Park Weir and Windamere Dam Wall is still closed to all fishing until the October Long Weekend as it’s classified as a general trout stream

Lower Cudgegong
The lower Cudgegong is fishing well for this time of the year and probably the best bet for getting onto a fish or two. Try natural baits such as grubs, worms and yabbies for cod, yellowbelly and carp.
Anglers near the Gulgong section of river are reporting carp captures up to 6 kilo.

Windamere Dam
Windy has been shutdown this month. A native fishery this dam responds to water temps. With the extremely cold weather the fish have been inactive.

Dunn’s Swamp
See above.

Lawson Creek
A few anglers had some success on Lawson Creek during the past month. Worms were accounting for big carp up to 5 and 6 kilo with a few catties thrown in too. Only 5 minutes from Mudgee this river is worth a crack at any of the public access points.

Thompson Creek Dam
Thompson Creek Dam is windy and cold but producing quality trout. Fly fisherman are having success on patterns such as a #10 Bead Head Olive Bugger fished parallel to the wall in the early mornings. Lure tossers are having success on all kinds of minnow lures, Tassie devils and spoons. The wind can pick up at TCD very quickly so remember to wear warm clothes and watch the sinking mud around the edge of the dam!

With local waters either closed or shutdown, Kurtz and I decided to brave the cold and head toward TCD to get into some of the big trout I’d been hearing about. Keen as mustard we leave my house at 4am. After a quick 1 hour trip we drive through the ‘wang look for the turnoff at the cemetery and eventually arrive at Thompson Creek Dam. With rod and tackle in hand we make the walk in at 5.30am in the pre-dawn light, it was freezing cold and had a wind chill factor of around -100 degrees.
As Kurtz and I found out when you can’t feel your fingers and toes, and would rather mess your pants than bare skin to the freezing cold air… a nip of courage from the old hip flask will certainly go a long way to numbing the senses. Unfortunately it did nothing for our fishing ability and after an hour of casting we’d only had several strikes and no fish landed.
You can often tell when a fisherman’s confidence is waning, for us it came around 9.30am when a mob of feral goats seemed more entertaining than the fish and off into the hills we went.
It was then when Kurtzy suggested we commit the worst of all fishing sins…… maybe we should visit the trout farm. He claims he had never seen it before. Now being the true outdoorsman that we are we couldn’t bring ourselves to actually fish for a trout in a pond smaller than a kid’s swimming pool, but we did manage to entertain ourselves for a good 2 hours feeding the trout and touring the farm. If trout will so easily take a chicken pellet at a fish farm, why wouldn’t they eat our lure at the dam?!
After bemusing ourselves enough, and without even a fingerling for the new fish tank, we started the journey back to god’s country.
Stop revive and survive is an important message for travellers. Make sure when you make those early starts that you have enough breaks to account for lack of sl