It was good to see the old faithful once again – Richie, Jeff, Col and Mick Cessnock. Unfortunately John and Hamish, while attending where only sighted in a picture. As you can see the water had been very low but has risen recently. On set up, it was not long before Col had his van bogged and the experts gathered offering advice. The banter started flowing and it was if we were at the same point as we were last time we were together. After several failed attempts which I captured on camera, I joined the pit crew. With a bit of a count down and the extra person we were all smiles. Both boats were now in the water and the vehicle clear. Jeff had trouble sleeping with Richie and was up at 3.00 in the morning. He claimed it was the geese alarm clock stirring that woke him. Fly rod in hand, he woke Richie up with the good news of 2 fish off the point where camp was located. To Richie’s disappointment, no further fish were caught.
Col was having more problems with his boat starting. I relayed a recent story of Ken’s outing with John and the issues they encountered. The main problem was that the kill switch safety clip had been dislodged. After a day of not being able to start his boat, Col realised it was the same story. After finally braving the heavy rain, strong cold winds & white caps, he was able to have a fish in the boat. Huddled around Sputnick 3, a beer keg that Jeff has modified into a fire pit, we dried off and caught up over a warm meal and a few drinks. I ended up with one nice bass caught on a home made version of a Craig’s Nighttime in the dark, off the bank to the north. I was dismayed to see at least a dozen dead fish in 2 areas. It was reported, however, we were unsure of their demise. We wondered whether it was related to poor release methods, sudden inflow or too much nutrient.
The next morning was slow, where all I managed was to drop one fish. We tried something new, strolling around the park. It was interesting to see a different perspective and how others had fared in the wind. After strong winds all day, Jeff dropped me off on a bank on the other side of the dam out of the wind for the evening rise. Flashing my torch, I was picked up. Their trip towards the wall was not successful as they had trouble holding good position in the strong wind. The bay were I fished was protected. After dropping one fish, I landed 2 smaller bass.
The next morning the wind was so strong it could have blown a dog off a chain. After a slow start, Jeff and Col made excellent egg and bacon muffins. Col tried to butter and toast the muffins at the same time, which was challenging for him as we distracted him. Inevitably he cremated a large number to our amusement. We all pitched in to pack up the campsite, although parasailing became an issue as we tried to dismantle the large tarp in strong winds. We then made our way home. I would like to thank everyone who made the trip memorable.
