2017 08 31 First brown caught todayAnother beautiful day gave me the chance to head off and try a section of a small river, one that I haven't fished for around five years. I thought seeing as we had a good flood back in June 2016 and some reasonable rainfall this Winter it may have a few nice trout back in it. The only problem is getting into it because it is well hidden with heavy foliage and requires a four to five hundred meter bush bash to reach it. Once there I could see the bush was a lot thicker now than it was back when I last fished here. I was in two minds whether or not to venture into the bush, but I did. Nothing better than a challenge that's for sure even it is going to be a tough one. Half way into it I was having second thoughts if I had made the right decision, I did think about turning back. I didn't though, I pushed on then finally heard the sound of the water rushing over the rocks in a shallow section of the stream. Then it was only a matter of finding an entry point and not slip down the steep bank that was covered with blackberry bushes.

These damn blackberry bushes are certainly taking over some of the most beautiful scenic areas around the state and nothing is being done about it either. I have been to a lot of rivers over the years and they're all getting overgrown by them as is much of the countryside across the state. I drove past a hardwood plantation the other day near Paradise and couldn't believe how over run it was by the bushes, Beaulah (another hardwood plantation) wasn't any different, neither is the land along the Bridal Track Road near Kimberley. The same is happening at Liena too.
I did finally find a way into the river and found the river level to be the perfect height for wading and fishing. It was a little tough going in a few places as I worked my way upstream while having to make my way around some solid log jams. The water itself was very cold and a beautiful tannin colour, but there wasn't a sign of a fish at all. I fished around four hundred meters of river without a single touch, not even a follow from a fish. I decided it was time to get out and head back to the car and try another stretch further downstream where I knew it was a little more open and a little easier to access.
That finished up being a good decision because I was lucky enough to catch and released two browns from four hook ups over an hour and a half of fishing. They were the only fish I saw here though, so the river hasn't really improved at all since I last fished it. I will give it another go later in the season when the air and water temperature rise a little more than it is at the moment. Still I wasn't expecting to much today and it was good to pick up a couple of browns, the best one went 570 grams and was taken on a gold F3 Ralala. The other brown was much smaller (310 gms) and was caught on a #00 Mepps gold bladed Aglia... The two that were lost took the Aglia too, both tossed it when they leapt from the river.

Adrian Webb


Finally made it to the river

2017 08 31 Finally made it to the river

 

Beautiful scenic stretch of tannin water

2017 08 31 Beautiful scenic stretch of tannin water

 

Moss covered rocks along the river

2017 08 31 Moss covered rocks along the river

 

First brown caught today

2017 08 31 First brown caught today

 

Lovely 570 gram Minnow River brown

2017 08 31 Lovely 570 gram Minnow River brown

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