Kiewa river - November 2013

Denis, Rod and I decided to spread our wings and try the Kiewa river for a change. We travelled eagerly up the Hume Highway and arrived at the Tawonga Caravan Park around 3.00 in the afternoon. River looked beautiful.  Reasonably low, crystal clear and the weather was on our side. Fished a number of sections of the river but failed to see any fish at all, not even a rise. Very frustrating to say the least. Saturday morning we moved early and fished with the same result. Frustrated, we explored Running Creek, a small tributary of the Kiewa. It also looked promising , but no fish for us. After lunch, we decided to venture up to Mountain Creek. This time we found plenty of co-operative small trout and enjoyed putting a bend in the rods. Lovely piece of water which most anglers would probably walk past.

Watch OUT!

The warmer weather certainly brings out the SNAKES! Yesterday I spent the afternoon fishing at Morses Creek in Bright. I hadn't been on the water long when I watched a very large and deadly brown snake emerge from the left bank, swim across the river just in front of me and then climb up the right bank. I was amazed by three things: 1) just how large the snake was, 2) how easily it climbed up the nearly vertical right bank and 3) how it didn't seem to be phased by me at all, taking its own sweet time to complete it's journey.

(Written by Michele......
Now the picture is blurry. Stephen tells me that is because it was moving as he was trying to take the photo. Secretly I believe that it was because he was shaking so much as he watched it until it was well out of sight. Oh and he did manage to catch one nice fish in his travels.)

Better luck

I spent the morning fishing in the little stretch of the Ovens River just up behind the Harrietville Caravan Park (short 5 minute walk). I had much better luck......thank goodness! (The fishing gear won't be appearing on ebay just yet!!!)I  caught three nice fish but all were released. With stocks so low it is just not right to be killing them, even if we would both enjoy some smoked trout for dinner. I is going to try Morses Creek, Bright after lunch. Stay tuned!!!

Harrietville in Spring

I went out for a quick fish before dinner. However I came home empty handed although I did hook one skinny trout in the tail. 

It appears that the damage caused by the January bushfires which were followed by two catastrophic flood events has severely cut the number of fish in the rivers and streams in the area. It is actually a talking point around the town and a concern for locals who rely on the tourist dollar. 

Season 2013/14 finally begins.

After a bad case of Cabin Fever this Winter, the new season finally arrived. The local rivers had received enough rain to keep them in good condition and the weather had settled leading up to the first weekend.  The KP was at 67cm and was expected to be clear. Rod and I arrived and everything was perfect. No wind, patchy sunshine and plenty of other anglers all out for a fish.  Never seen so many at the KP. I fished with a nymph while Rod used a Humpy. Rod also had his new Orvis wand to christen. The end result was three trout for Rod and none for me. A great way to start the season.

January 2013

I was looking forward to a week in the North East leading up to Australia Day. I had fished this time of the year for the last couple of years and it was magic. Weather was hot, rivers clear and the fishing is often really good. This year was no exception. Picked up Brett from Bright and saw a big storm cut across the valley ahead of us. Weather cleared as we neared Harrietville but we noticed smoke in the nearby hills. I showed Brett how to fish with a Celta and after a short while he started to catch trout. All the while we could hear the helicopter flying in and filling up with water to fight the fire. We completed the Howard's Bridge wade and the tally was 5 trout on a spinner. Brett was rapt. The fire continued to burn and the choppers kept loading up. Next morning I fished early and was keen, after being an observer the previous day. Started to get some trout and bagged a ripper about midday which was about a kg. Mich rang me and told me she could hear the chopper again. I stepped out of the river for a look and was scared stiff. Fire was raging up the mountain. I raced home and we watched it burn all afternoon and into the night. We left Harrietville Wednesday morning and the fire continued to rage for many days. How disappointing.

September 2012 - April 2013 Introducing Rod!

Rod and I fished together 30 years ago. After the Maestro taught me some tricks, I badgered Rod enough to stir the fire which had almost gone out. He's back. Casts like a ripper and now knows enough to catch a trout in the K.P. He's off his duck!

Bon Accord Track

In the afternoon I took him to another favourite strip of the Ovens and we not only caught plenty but also saw a couple of friends along the way.

Fishing Harrietville with Huddo.

Australia Day weekend we took Huddo to Harrietville for a couple of days on the river. Beautiful conditions and we had a ball. Huddo took his first fish on a dry fly and was rapt, hooked forever! 

A new season begins!

A winter of fly-tying finally comes to an end. I have plenty to use and after a number of trips with Denis to our favourite streams the pictures tell the story of a great season of fishing.

Cabin fever - year 2

After a couple of seasons enjoying some success on my two favourite rivers, I faced the realisation that winter time is really long and hard to manage. Cabin fever is a terrible thing when all you want to do is wake up to a great sunny still day and go and catch a fish. I was looking for a distraction and the footy wasn't cutting it for me. I remembered how much I enjoyed tying flies years ago, so I dug out my old vice and found some silk. A trip to the local tackle shop, another into Turville's and yet another to the Compleat Flyfisher and I had enough supplies to begin some basic flies. Royal Wulffs, Humpys and Coachman were the order of the day. Tied some horrible looking flies, but after a lot of practice I began to get it right. Proportions, whip finishes and really clumsy fingers made it difficult enough, but being old and blind made it even harder. Had to buy a magnifier as well to help. Here are some of the better ones for public display.

Denis bagged a monster !

Leading up to the Wangaratta Gift, Denis and Bev had a holiday in Harrrietville. Denis walked a stretch of the Ovens near Freeburgh and caught a large brown trout on a size 14 red Humpy. He said it was as long as his lower leg but didn't really measure it. So we were both given small tape measures to help keep track of the fish we caught. As a momento for Denis I thought I'd make him a net to help him land the next monster he caught. I tried a laminated timber net after following some instructions I found on line.

Closer to home

After enjoying the North East for quite a few trips with Denis, I needed somewhere closer to home for a quick trip. Found the King Parrot again after a long time away and this began a different type of fly fishing. Different because the creek has mostly brown trout in it and they are difficult to catch in the K.P. A range of flies are used and I found I needed to be ready to change flies more often than in the N.E.

The first trips to the river

These yielded about 30 trout between us all taken on dries. Favourite fly was either a Royal Wulff or a Humpy. Red in colour and either a size 14 or sometimes a larger size 12 was used. Most trout were rainbows which fought really well on our three weight rods, with the occasional brown thrown in. I was addicted.

Howard's Bridge, Harrietville

This is where it all started for the second time. When I was young I was very keen. Not that successful, but keen to learn and spent a lot of time wading rivers trying to catch trout on a fly. After I married I put it all away while we managed our family. My Christmas present in 2003 was a couple of days with a guide in the Tasmanian highlands fly fishing. What a sensational present. Didn't do much after that until one day in January 2008, when I met the Maestro. He introduced me to the mighty Ovens River at Harrietville and taught me a few of the finer points of fly fishing. I believe I knew 95% of what he told me, but the other 5% now accounts for a lot of fish.