Ganguddy Goodoo

Enjoyed this. I reckon an under appreciated part of the Australian landscape. Brings all that Australian literature I read as a kid to life. Camping next to an Australian river listening to the sound of the water and the wind in the Casuarinas is just special. And Neil I think you are more technologically savvy than this gen xer.

I wouldn't be surprised is the Capertee was stocked with trout back in the dark ages (legally or illegally as fresh water fishing is popular in Lithgow/Oberon/Mudgee). i've been down the Wolgan and its major tributaries like Annie Rowan and Rocky Creek a bit over the years and can't recall seeing any trout (wasn't looking though and often travelling downstream). Very different to the tributaries of other blue mountains rivers like the side creeks of the Kowmung which hold large resident fish.

Not me but I'd love to hear from anyone who has. Are you after bass or trout? I'm not sure if bass would make it that far upstream.

thanks GH. We actually have a slightly heavier Overthere which is great for chucking 30-40g metals. The Seabass was awesome for 15-20g lures and for walking long distances down the beach looking for gutters. The young bloke wants to get a rod that can handle bigger lures (100g ish) as he just wants to catch big fish. I've told him to just learn as much as he can and fish in as many different places as possible. At least he is getting back into fishing after not showing any interest for a few years.

Ancient thread but I have a bit of an ironic update on the Seabass 9'6. I've landed plenty of salmon, bream and fatties off the beach/rocks with it and really like it. My son managed to break the tip landing a thumper of a salmon off the rocks last weekend. Claimed the brag mat indicated 89cm but also said the fish was moving around making it difficult to measure. I told him to take off 15cm and buy me a new rod.

Hey fishos, Long time between posts for me. I picked up a small tinny about 9 months ago from a friend moving overseas. Due to a lack of priorities it has sat in the garage ever since. I'm under increasing pressure from my wife to move it and also from my son who has suddenly got interested in fishing again. In the future I'm going have to store it in the front yard. Figured I'd get a wheel clamp, coupling lock and chain everything together. Can anyone recommend a brand of wheel clamp that would fit a small boat trailer ... eg Clampit, Nemesis etc. Cheers GG

Feel for you Bn. About 15 years back I remember I crossed (rock hopped) the Bidgee to go climbing. During the morning water came downstream from a dam release making the river too dangerous to cross back resulting in a 12km walk to get back to the car safely. It was a hot day but pretty funny in hindsight. Like you I'm also not a big fan of public land managers excluding people from natural recreational areas through red tape. The way I see it the more people who spend time in the bush the more people will care about the bush. As these people spend more time in the bush the less likely they will behave badly in the bush in terms of fires and rubbish. I reckon for areas within about 3 hours drive of a major city the permits a probably necessary for camping as areas can become so overcrowded they become pretty ordinary places to be. For areas further away from major cities the local parks office is so under resourced they are starting to use permit systems to control numbers to save dollars so they can at least so some of the other land management activities the reserves requires.

Enjoyed the story. Love bass. I've never had the patience and dedication to chase big fish. I just enjoy fishing new water ... so just another type of bushwalking for me. Have you considered changing things up and trying to catch fish in as many different places as possible ... maybe explore all those rivers coming into estuaries and rivers on the south coast. You might be able to keep things interesting and your motivation up and occasionally a big fish will reach the net. I've met a few local Canberra trout fishos who chased big fish in the spawn run when they were younger but as they got older prefer to avoid the crowds and chase smaller fish on dry flys in remoter water.

Hi Neil, I've spent lots of time in Tassie for walking and climbing before I started fishing. Magic place. I was last down there about 2.5 years back and did alright on the trout in random lakes. I also fished the breakwall at Lowhead near Georgetown and got some fatties and salmon (bait and SPs). I think this area is the mouth of the Tamar River. I took the kids mountain biking at St Helens and there is heaps of fishing activity around there (recreational and commercial). I didn't get a chance to wet a line here. I'm looking forward to further replies on this topic for when I next head down there. I think there is a license required for freshwater but from memory you do not need one for salt (but check that). Have a great trip.

I usually take a small "keg" for wallet, car keys, licenses etc. I find it is the only thing guaranteed to keep your stuff dry if you end up in the drink. I reckon you need at least 3 dry bags to be absolutely watertight in situations of prolonged immersion. Gold for kayak fishing.

Oldest trick in the Australian bushwalkers playbook. My kids still fall for it regularly.

I wouldn't chuck a 30g lure on 4lb leader but I reckon the majority of line breaks that happen during casting are due to poorly tied knots. Done that a few times.

Let us know how you go. I have started exploring a few different beaches down there. Apart from the odd ray I haven't caught anything other than salmon off the sand since autumn. Bengello is my local. More variety off the rocks.

Good to see a few cyclists on Fishraider. I'm a long term commuter (bike paths and firetrails only so don't have a go at me) and will get on the roadie once a week for fitness. My wife is heavily into it and rides in a bunch 4 mornings a week. My kids both mountain bike as their second sport. I'm a bit outnumbered in my household as most of our social network is based around cycling (they seriously outnumber fishos and climbers which is a bit of a shame for me). @Derny Driver I'm still a relative novice so am still very much a receiver rather than a giver of wisdom in the fishing department. It is great to learn new things. If you are riding a mountain bike you should hit the South Coast for a fishing/mtb weekend/week. So many good trails around Tathra and heaps going in at Narooma and Mogo.

You might have already listed these; Go Betweens Triffids Nick Cave As you noted Debra Conway is fantastic but String of Pearls is her best album. Also dig a bit deeper with The Church ... try Tantalised.