From the clear waters of the Mersey River
Below Lees Paddocks on the clear waters of the Mersey River, these fish lie in wait in shady pockets and near undercut banks for the occasional grasshopper as they gather condition for the rigors of spawning that are not far away. With light wind conditions out come the four weight fly rods. The fly is a hopper pattern. Image: Gary France, Trout Territory
Grasshoppers on the Leven River
Grasshopper time on the Leven River, bright warm conditions, late season. Extremely good conditions for polaroiding when the sun is directly overhead. Find the fish, figure out an effective presentation, tread very carefully to minimise sound and vibration transfer. Felt soles work really well here. Find the fish? Face upstream with sun coming from behind, scan the water looking for fish movement or rises. You may see a tail or shadow. We know fish are territorial and will station there, so once you see them there's no need to cast all over the place. Image by Gary France
Shallow weedy bottoms
Blue sky days, the best of the best of polaroiding with minimal glare over shallow sandy and weedy bottom lagoons. Ada, in the Nineteen Lagoons of Tasmania. With lots of weed here, we take the approach of being stationary, scanning, and waiting for fish to pass by, rather than the contrast of long sandy flats where we might move rather swiftly. Image by Gary France
Lying in wait
In a northern midlands river, a wild trout lies in wait on a narrow flowing channel. A single bow and arrow cast with a grasshopper landed with a splat resulted in a solid hookup. An 8lb tippet was used to get the fish in quickly and released without harm. When water temperatures are above 20 deg Celsius it's really important to give these fish a good chance of survival, so minimal time out of the water. Image by Gary France
Trout rising over there
From October a major local focus for mayfly hatches is on rivers, for which the Macquarie River is fabled. In the right conditions there are light winds, favourable for enough spinner on the water to get the trout's interest. Here the telltale rings of a rise are evidence of one fish moving rather consistently through the reeds. An adult red spinner mayfly pattern, well presented to consistent feeders, can bring excellent results. Image Credits: Gary France
Why is weed important in the trout’s habitat?
For trout living in still waters, weed is a significant part of their habitat. Just as the clean water and sub-straight - the silt, soils, or whatever makes up the base layer, contribute to the whole environment, weed growth has a lot to do with the exchange of oxygen, and provides cover for macro invertebrates, crustacea, Galaxia, and the foods that they live on. The trout is an apex predator in its environment, so with a really good structure of microscopic and macroscopic members of the food chain living in the weed, and using the weed as a primary shelter [...]
Benefits of an electric outboard motor
There are many advantages to using an electric outboard motor when fishing on a lake. Manipulate your position Stealth Quietness in approach and presence Reduction of impact on the environment Use of clean energy Economics Maneuverability Using a remote to control the electric motor gives Gary the ability to keep his eyes on the fishing action without having to focus on starting the motor. Higher end models have GPS spotlock, which holds your position securely moored, saves putting out an anchor. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yYF6-km7cx8
Gary chats about Four Springs Lake
Gary tells us a little bit about Four Springs Lake, and the triggers for a mayfly hatch. https://youtu.be/T5-m5FJtvss
The right fly can trigger a response
Dennis and guide, Gary discuss the details of a trout fly. Q. Why do trout take a specific fly? A. The design of a fly often triggers a response. Shape, silhouette, movement, how it sits on, or under, or in the film of the water, for example. During our guided fishing tours you will increase your knowledge and understanding around flies, insects, trout food, trout behaviour, etc.
Basic fly cast
Here is the highly valuable lift up and lay down single cast. Note the rod on the back stroke STOP is vertical at 12 o'clock. This throws the line high, setting up for a good forward stroke. When beginners to fly fishing come fishing with us, we teach casting basics on the grass first. The we add water!