Bogong Moths

[spod]

I'm a baker and go to work in the wee dark hours of the premorning. Before sparrow fart even! On the last few days I've seen large numbers of Bogong Moths flitting around the street lights and crawling up the inside walls of the bakery I work at. They're big, the bodies up to I 1/2 inches long and fat. They'd make a decent meal for the trout that live in the creek that runs behind the bakery where I work. If it wasn't pouring rain outside, I'd be wading up the Grace Burn to see if I could tempt the trout with a big fly such as a Muddler minnow which might pass well enough as a Bogong moth. If it stops raining today, it has to eventually I guess, I'll see if the Burn trout like Bogong Moths.
Cheers,
Steve

[ofuros]

I've heard/ read about the bogong moth hatch...lets us know how the trout respond to the deluge of moths

[spod]

I waded up the Grace Burn yesterday afternoon but the moth hatch was over. Damn that rain! Maybe next year. Tried my standard small stream Stimulator and nymph rig but no joy. Didn't even spy a fish in the surprisingly clear water. The Burn clears very quickly after rain.
ofuros--where are your favourite or local waters in OZ?
Cheers,
Steve.

[ofuros]

Hi Spod,
The closest trout holding waters to me are around the Armidale area, in NSW.
About a 5.5hr drive from Brisbane, along the New England highway.
It's roughly the northern limit for trout in Australia....before the waters become to warm for them to survive.
I like cool, clear, wilderness headwaters, places where I can meander upstream & not see another's footprints,
where wallabies thump, snakes slither & a koala's call sound like a feral pigs......not the most comforting sound when
your solo, far from base camp & pushing through dense bush.

From Brissy, Tasmania is only a 4hr flight away.
So once a year if I've been a good little hubby, I get to disappear in the Tassie highlands for a week or two,
chasing sunsets, sunrises, cool mountain breezes.......and our wiggly spotted friends.

Just out of curiosity, I googled the South Island, New Zealand, & that's only a 4hr flight away too....mmm..
.. eyes glaze over & mind drifts carelessly away. ;)
Future dreaming......

Ooroo,
ofuros

[spod]

Hi ofuros,
It's a pity you have to travel so far for trout fishing--I almost feel guilty that I can walk to my town stream and catch trout.Do you fish for any other freshwater species up your way? As you head north in OZ, there seems to be more emphasis on saltwater fishing and tropical species like barramundi. mangrove jacks and saratoga. At least if you are a good boy you get to Tassie once a year. I spent my late teens and twenties living in that state. Did a lot of bushwalking and a little fishing. Fanstastic place for both activities. Must go back there with a fly rod sometime.

I had a good chuckle at your "-- koala's call sounds like a feral pigs " comment. I thought the same thing when I first heard that sound out in the bush when I was walking solo. Felt very vulnerable standing there with just the puny pocket knife in my hand. But when I realized that the sound was coming from up in the trees and that pigs dont fly, I located the grunting, eucalypt oil bombed out koala and roared laughing at my fear. Compared to our fishing brothers in the US, the OZ bush is fairly safe--although apparently we have lots of little beasties that can get you. Oh, and there's always Drop Bears isn't there?

New Zealand--that's on my bucket list, along with the US, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and Bhutan. I've read in an old 1960's travel book that Afghanistan has/had great trout fishing but I dont think the M16 comes with a 6wt fly outfit as an add on! No disrespect intended to soldiers who served in that country or the Afghan people.

Cheers,
Steve.

[ofuros]

You shouldn't feel too sorry for me, Spod.
I too lived in Tasmania during my teens & twenties, Bushwalked & chased trout in the tea coloured
highland lakes & streams....Even put down roots long enough to marry a down to earth tassie girl
(1st marriage, with no extra neck scar).
So I could kark-it tomorrow with a smile on my face knowing that I've lived a full, adventurous trout fishers life.

I probably should be targeting the local native or sea species here....but when it comes to a brook, rainbow or brown,
I might have a blinkered, nay obsessive view...

Since my favourite streams have been hit hard by the warm seasonal weather over the past two seasons,
I have been concentrating more on bushwalking, which is working out well for my love handles....
...I'm enjoying the cool mountain breezes & wildlife encounters....although the leeches, ticks & mossies I can do without !

Ooroo
ofuros