By Jeff Medhurst
I arrived at Lyell mid afternoon on Friday Dave & the Browne boys were out in the boat and Col was chatting to a fellow camper as usual. He advised that he had taken a couple of trout earlier in the day so I set up & headed out for a solo session. The wind was up a bit but not a real problem. Water was 22c on top & fish showing on the sounder. I fished a couple of drifts in the first bay opposite the camp ground & managed a hands free release of a nice rainbow at the side of the boat.
The floating algae blooms became a problem so I moved to the next bay where Col was trying to get out of the wind. I was landing the odd Redfin when I looked up & noticed Col’s rod bent all the way down to the reel. This was worth watching, the master tackling a sizeable quarry. After an epic battle the lie detector came up with 47cm of prime Bass, a fine effort. I managed another Rainbow after the wind & sun had dropped then headed back to camp. Some of the lads rolled up with tales of doughnuts from the river and the Witham/ Browne team reported the odd fish but said the river arm was full of weed/ algae.
Shayne had the fire blazing as we settled down for a feed & sprinkling of tall tales & laughter aided by some ethanol infused nectar.
Saturday morning saw complaints about the overnight temperature which was closer to zero than comfortable. After a bit of brekkie & a coffee everyone set off in different directions. Oberon, The Macquarie, Turon & Fish rivers were mentioned. Col partnered with Trent & Richie filled the void in my boat. A pleasant morning with a light breeze on the lake saw us explore some other areas for no result so back to old haunts where I bagged another trout & a Redfin before the wind “started up”. Back to camp for a bite & cuppa before we started battening down the hatches, the gale had really taken hold. Although we were a bit protected by the hill behind us we could see surfable waves coming around the point. Our neighbour walked up the bank carrying a stretcher tent which had almost blown into the lake. It turned out to belong to Bunney so we thanked the neighbour & tied said tent to a tree.
Several hours went by with the wind not relenting until late in the arvo when it dropped down to a force 3 gale We decided to brave the “lighter conditions” for another session but the effort was futile, the water had dropped to 14.2c. So after the sky opened up & showed us that we are but mere pawns in nature we decided to call it a day.
As all the lads returned from their various destinations, reports of horrid conditions, scrapes & scratches in thick jungle and all zero’s on the score card.
Another great fire courtesy of Shayne saw more mirth & merriment, tales of friends embarrassments & triumphs & tactics for the next day. The night was much milder with all well rested. The club breakfast was done & dusted with a late start for our mornings fishing. The water was still cold but the weather the best for the trip. Some of the guys were heading to Thommo’s but the only report I heard was Trent with doughnuts. Richie & I persisted into the day when he said he thought he saw a fish rise in near the bank. After a pause where no diving birds were spotted we moved to cast at that bank when it rose again. Richie was casting and I was untangling my backing which I had stripped off to rewind tighter on the reel when the call was made, I’m on! The Rainbow tore line off his reel to indicate being a decent fish. Several good runs & retrieves later had it subdued. Just as well as its last run picked up my loose backing on the other side of the boat. Richie had landed his biggest rainbow trout at 44cm & returned it for next year. Time was called & we headed back to camp for lunch & pack up. Col, Dave & the Brownes had all drawn doughnuts. After lunch farewells were bade & I set sail for Lidell for a carp bash on the way home. Unfortunately a tree branch fell & bounced under my boat trailer knocking the axle off the springs & forcing me off the road for repairs. Two hours later, back on the road & headed for home!
Attendee’s – Dave W, Shayne B, Roy B, Sticker, Bunney, Col B, Trent M, Matt K, Richie T & Myself