Arthurs and Lake Leake 15/1/2011
My mate Darrel and I have just got home from another enjoyable but tough trip to Arthurs and Lake Leake. Unlike you lucky locals who can pick and choose your days we have to take what we get and make the best of it.Our first evening on Arthurs was a good one with warm weather and a light breeze. We didn’t have to travel far to spot rising fish taking caddis right in front of the camper at Jonah Bay. A quick session saw 9 fish to 2 1/2 pound boated and we thought we were in for a great trip. Alas the weather had other ideas and from then on it blew and got cold for most of the trip. One or two evenings we found a sheltered bank with caddis feeders and caught a couple but the Duns were a non event.
After a tough 5 days with more wind and cold weather on the way we headed for Lake Leake and the warmth and comfort of the Pub. There was very little insect life on Lake Leake so we resorted to flogging wets in the waves with some success including a couple of three pounders.
There was a lot of casting between fish except for one small purple patch where I caught 3 quick ones mid morning in Chock a log bay.
Redfin Perch were a constant hassle except for the last night when Darrel landed a nice one of 2 pound. The Elizabeth River had been fished heavily before we got there and we only managed a couple of small Browns on a day when it was too windy to fish the lake. Between us we managed 28 trout for 10 days but the numbers don’t tell the whole story with 9 of them caught in the first hour and a huge amount of casting between fish from then on. I’m sure things will improve but the Duns on Arthurs remain a mystery when even in ideal conditions there were very few about.
Still looking forward to the next trip and as always hoping for a couple of good days in a row.
Tight lines and wet nets,
President Dave Egan .