One Last Time

Murray Cod, Australian Bass, Golden Perch and more.
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Truedogz
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One Last Time

Post by Truedogz » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:05 pm

Like all of us oldies I am aware that my physical ability is in decline. A few days ago I headed off into the high country to relive some of the experiences of my youth one last time by hiking into remote streams while I am still capable of doing so. In essence I was paying homage to a former mighty empire – that of a fish that was once upon a time in this state was the most important native sportsfish after cod.

After a long drive I set up camp in ‘mountain goat country’. I relaxed knowing that next day was going to be arduous and rested preparing for some serious bush bashing in steep terrain.

Next morning I made my way down to this stream. Doesn’t look like much does it? Shortly after this pick it rained on and off, not good for me, but it meant I could lay the fish I caught on the wet grass for a quick pick before returning them to the water unharmed.
2 the stream.JPG
2 the stream.JPG (367.95 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
The stream runs into pools in which dark shadows lurk …. A quick flick with some vintage tackle, Mitchell 300 reel, Allcocks lightcaster split cane rod and a Mitchell spinner – the best spinner ever made. After a couple of casts, bang, I landed this beautiful Macquarie perch, or ‘white eyes’ as the old blokes used to call them. This photo is of something you might commonly see in the 1950s, not the twenty first century. The distance from the top cork to the rubber button at the base of the rod is about 35 cm, giving you some idea of the size of the fish. I reckon it weighed about 2 pound in the old scale or 800 g. Macquarie perch are a bit of a novelty in the Yarra, being taken mostly by worm fishing and this fish would be considered fairly large by Yarra standards. Most people would not even think about chasing maccas with lures or flies. I hope I’m about to change your perspective.
4 first macca.JPG
4 first macca.JPG (411.57 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
Macquarie perch are like brown trout in some ways. In faster water they will often slam a spinner but in pools will follow it in but not take it, then slide away back into the depths. Time for a change in tactics. Back to a very old lure the ‘Plucky’, made by the same mob that made the ‘Floppy’. It dates back to the 1950’s and was the very first ‘soft plastic’.

First cast I hauled a macca in that would have been about 15 inches long or 38 cm and would weigh a kilo. Down to the next pool, a few more casts and bang another fish, a beauty at about 40 cm still with the Plucky in its mouth.
6 and a ripper.JPG
6 and a ripper.JPG (439.93 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
Headed downstream to a big pool. Looks fishy, doesn’t it!
7 big pool.JPG
7 big pool.JPG (312.91 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
Time for a change in tactics, 6 wt line and a bead head nymph fly. First cast a pair of white rubbery lips emerges from the depths and slams the fly – beautiful fish of a kilo.
9 first on the fly.JPG
9 first on the fly.JPG (472.51 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
A little bit later landed this magnificent fish in superb condition. It would have been over 3 pounds in the old system, probably about 1.3 kg. It gave me one of most memorable fights I have ever had on trout style fly tackle – it was better than the 8 pound brown I caught on a white moth in the Big River 40 years ago that hangs on my wall. Macquarie perch are more powerful than brown trout and a lot more so than golden perch. It was only out of the water for a few seconds for this pic and strongly swam away when I released it. It was the biggest macca I had ever taken on the fly until about an hour later!
10 a beauty.JPG
10 a beauty.JPG (476.71 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
I managed to pick up a few carp along the way on the fly, fish of about 50 cm. I hate them as a pest but do respect them as a very good sporting fish on light tackle.
11 carp.JPG
11 carp.JPG (451.35 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
I worked my way back upstream in the fading light picking up some small trout and an odd macca. When it was completely dark I changed back to Pluckys worked slowly. Picked up this fish and three more that were bigger.
13 night fishing.JPG
13 night fishing.JPG (361.55 KiB) Viewed 2226 times
I then hiked out in the darkness and had trouble sleeping from leg cramps and the euphoria of a great fishing session, one of those I will never forget. The tally for the day was 13 Macquarie perch, 11 trout and 5 carp landed - all on lures or flies.

In my youth I grew up with the stories of the past when large native were caught in numbers in the rivers of the high country. I was privileged to see the last vestiges of these wild fishes in places such as the upper Buffalo and Mitta Mitta Rivers. Nothing quite like those fisheries now exist where you could catch in the same pool on flies and lures trout cod, Murray cod and Macquarie perch.

Maccas are regularly taken in the Yarra but no one targets them really with artificials. When they boomed in Lake Dartmouth in the 1980s most were taken by ‘meat anglers’ who took large bags on worms. Again, very few anglers targeted them with modern sportsfishing methods. I hope I have demonstrated that they can be readily caught on lures and flies, once you understand a few ground rules on what makes them tick.

In posting this I am absolutely heartbroken. Here is great sportfish now reduced to a few scattered populations and almost unloved by the angling community. We are filling former Macquarie perch habits with stocked golden perch yet maccas are a much better fighting and table fish. Of course, golden perch are easily produced in hatcheries but Macquarie perch are not - so we are going for the cheap fix.

Progress was made at Narrandera in captive breeding with a three year project until funding ran out. Unfortunately the angling community doesn’t really want to fund research into Macquarie perch being apparently content with stockings of Murray cod and golden perch. It took a long time to make the breakthroughs in producing bass, which everybody now supports. If we made the same effort with maccas the breakthroughs I am confident would be made.

The big issue is the angling community has been badly burnt over what has happened with trout cod. We were promised that recreational fisheries would be developed in rivers if we supported and financed conservation efforts. Once the conservation objectives were achieved the powers that be reneged on those promises.

With that history the movers and shakers in the angling community don’t want to fund other endangered species like maccas. I had my head nearly bitten off a few weeks ago by someone connected to VRfish when I suggested we needed to invest in Macquarie perch - "Nobody cares about Macquarie perch, they just want cod and yellas". A friend of mine who for years did a lot of lobbying for funding for native fish in NSW and Macquarie perch now does not want to be involved at all now as he ‘doesn’t want to be lied to anymore’.

It seems some people are more focused on rolling out a radical green agenda than achieving real results and Macquarie perch will pay the price for that. I can’t see any way of restoring them to their former glory without anglers financing their recovery. They will become a conservation plaything, a museum piece preserved in a few remaining outposts of their empire. I have reached the conclusion that one of the biggest threats to the environment is, along with population growth and climate change, the fundamentalist green ideology in some government agencies.

This post is a monument to a once great sportsfish. I finish with the biggest macca I have probably taken on a fly.

Truedogz
14 big mac.JPG
14 big mac.JPG (447.53 KiB) Viewed 2226 times

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Fish-cador
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Re: One Last Time

Post by Fish-cador » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:41 pm

NICE! :a_goodjob: :a_goodjob: Good work! :a_goodjob: :a_goodjob:

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Re: One Last Time

Post by Marty.A » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:49 pm

What an awesome post hats off to you mate that was an enjoyable read and great pics. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

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Re: One Last Time

Post by Lightningx » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:51 pm

Top report mate! Really enjoyed the read :thumbsup:

walk the streams
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Re: One Last Time

Post by walk the streams » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:56 pm

I commend you on a brilliant article, that really should be published somewhere
Many thanks

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Re: One Last Time

Post by davek » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:57 pm

Good work Will, a great read and some good fish, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed your trip, :thumbsup: cheers davo
It's an exhilarating feeling catching a fish
But it's an even better feeling releasing them

drew 2
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Re: One Last Time

Post by drew 2 » Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:24 pm

Fantastic report & pic's there will.i'm sure you will get back up there again :a_goodjob: :a_goodjob:

Wonderful heartfelt write up at the end too mate :thumbsup:

Might send an email off to my local & federal polly with a link to this if you don't mind.

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Re: One Last Time

Post by samjas1316 » Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:35 pm

What a great read!

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Re: One Last Time

Post by VooDoo » Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:51 pm

Truedogz wrote:Like all of us oldies I am aware that my physical ability is in decline. A few days ago I headed off into the high country to relive some of the experiences of my youth one last time by hiking into remote streams while I am still capable of doing so. In essence I was paying homage to a former mighty empire – that of a fish that was once upon a time in this state was the most important native sportsfish after cod.

After a long drive I set up camp in ‘mountain goat country’. I relaxed knowing that next day was going to be arduous and rested preparing for some serious bush bashing in steep terrain.

Next morning I made my way down to this stream. Doesn’t look like much does it? Shortly after this pick it rained on and off, not good for me, but it meant I could lay the fish I caught on the wet grass for a quick pick before returning them to the water unharmed.
2 the stream.JPG
The stream runs into pools in which dark shadows lurk …. A quick flick with some vintage tackle, Mitchell 300 reel, Allcocks lightcaster split cane rod and a Mitchell spinner – the best spinner ever made. After a couple of casts, bang, I landed this beautiful Macquarie perch, or ‘white eyes’ as the old blokes used to call them. This photo is of something you might commonly see in the 1950s, not the twenty first century. The distance from the top cork to the rubber button at the base of the rod is about 35 cm, giving you some idea of the size of the fish. I reckon it weighed about 2 pound in the old scale or 800 g. Macquarie perch are a bit of a novelty in the Yarra, being taken mostly by worm fishing and this fish would be considered fairly large by Yarra standards. Most people would not even think about chasing maccas with lures or flies. I hope I’m about to change your perspective.
4 first macca.JPG
Macquarie perch are like brown trout in some ways. In faster water they will often slam a spinner but in pools will follow it in but not take it, then slide away back into the depths. Time for a change in tactics. Back to a very old lure the ‘Plucky’, made by the same mob that made the ‘Floppy’. It dates back to the 1950’s and was the very first ‘soft plastic’.

First cast I hauled a macca in that would have been about 15 inches long or 38 cm and would weigh a kilo. Down to the next pool, a few more casts and bang another fish, a beauty at about 40 cm still with the Plucky in its mouth.
6 and a ripper.JPG
Headed downstream to a big pool. Looks fishy, doesn’t it!
7 big pool.JPG
Time for a change in tactics, 6 wt line and a bead head nymph fly. First cast a pair of white rubbery lips emerges from the depths and slams the fly – beautiful fish of a kilo.
9 first on the fly.JPG
A little bit later landed this magnificent fish in superb condition. It would have been over 3 pounds in the old system, probably about 1.3 kg. It gave me one of most memorable fights I have ever had on trout style fly tackle – it was better than the 8 pound brown I caught on a white moth in the Big River 40 years ago that hangs on my wall. Macquarie perch are more powerful than brown trout and a lot more so than golden perch. It was only out of the water for a few seconds for this pic and strongly swam away when I released it. It was the biggest macca I had ever taken on the fly until about an hour later!
10 a beauty.JPG
I managed to pick up a few carp along the way on the fly, fish of about 50 cm. I hate them as a pest but do respect them as a very good sporting fish on light tackle.
11 carp.JPG
I worked my way back upstream in the fading light picking up some small trout and an odd macca. When it was completely dark I changed back to Pluckys worked slowly. Picked up this fish and three more that were bigger.
13 night fishing.JPG
I then hiked out in the darkness and had trouble sleeping from leg cramps and the euphoria of a great fishing session, one of those I will never forget. The tally for the day was 13 Macquarie perch, 11 trout and 5 carp landed - all on lures or flies.

In my youth I grew up with the stories of the past when large native were caught in numbers in the rivers of the high country. I was privileged to see the last vestiges of these wild fishes in places such as the upper Buffalo and Mitta Mitta Rivers. Nothing quite like those fisheries now exist where you could catch in the same pool on flies and lures trout cod, Murray cod and Macquarie perch.

Maccas are regularly taken in the Yarra but no one targets them really with artificials. When they boomed in Lake Dartmouth in the 1980s most were taken by ‘meat anglers’ who took large bags on worms. Again, very few anglers targeted them with modern sportsfishing methods. I hope I have demonstrated that they can be readily caught on lures and flies, once you understand a few ground rules on what makes them tick.

In posting this I am absolutely heartbroken. Here is great sportfish now reduced to a few scattered populations and almost unloved by the angling community. We are filling former Macquarie perch habits with stocked golden perch yet maccas are a much better fighting and table fish. Of course, golden perch are easily produced in hatcheries but Macquarie perch are not - so we are going for the cheap fix.

Progress was made at Narrandera in captive breeding with a three year project until funding ran out. Unfortunately the angling community doesn’t really want to fund research into Macquarie perch being apparently content with stockings of Murray cod and golden perch. It took a long time to make the breakthroughs in producing bass, which everybody now supports. If we made the same effort with maccas the breakthroughs I am confident would be made.

The big issue is the angling community has been badly burnt over what has happened with trout cod. We were promised that recreational fisheries would be developed in rivers if we supported and financed conservation efforts. Once the conservation objectives were achieved the powers that be reneged on those promises.

With that history the movers and shakers in the angling community don’t want to fund other endangered species like maccas. I had my head nearly bitten off a few weeks ago by someone connected to VRfish when I suggested we needed to invest in Macquarie perch - "Nobody cares about Macquarie perch, they just want cod and yellas". A friend of mine who for years did a lot of lobbying for funding for native fish in NSW and Macquarie perch now does not want to be involved at all now as he ‘doesn’t want to be lied to anymore’.

It seems some people are more focused on rolling out a radical green agenda than achieving real results and Macquarie perch will pay the price for that. I can’t see any way of restoring them to their former glory without anglers financing their recovery. They will become a conservation plaything, a museum piece preserved in a few remaining outposts of their empire. I have reached the conclusion that one of the biggest threats to the environment is, along with population growth and climate change, the fundamentalist green ideology in some government agencies.

This post is a monument to a once great sportsfish. I finish with the biggest macca I have probably taken on a fly.

Truedogz
14 big mac.JPG
That's an awesome report Truedogz!!!!

Keeping half an eye on the fishing scene while holidaying with the family in Bangkok ... we're truly blessed with some amazing places in Oz - both fishing and nature as well!!! You only appreciated it that much more when you're away from Oz.

Thank you for sharing and would love to follow your footsteps up the high country one day soon to experience what you have done for all these years.

Take care of your health and hope you stay strong in 2017 and the years ahead so to be able to enjoy what you're doing.

Cheers,

Tony :)
___________________________

"VooDoo .... WhoDoo .... YouDoo .... VooDoo" The Bug (Bugatti) S.A. [2019]

Basti
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Re: One Last Time

Post by Basti » Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:53 pm

What a great report! I love seeing uncommon species taken on artificials.

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