Thanks BM, although I think Jim was maybe on about the main post , not mine ? :lol:barra mick wrote:times 2....just a awesome read rixter
bm
Anyway , If you enjoyed that , then I'll finish off the rest anyway ... I'm sure you'll find it funny if you enjoyed that so far.....
...................Continued .........................
All this being over 20 years or so ago, I don't think there was even a DPI/DEPI department ? , there was just rangers wandering around these ways back then, and not much in the way of fishing rules or info on new rules about back then.
So, after the earbashing from the ranger, he calmed down after he realised we were innocent. He then pointed across the road to the river and told us that we could fish 'ANY' part of the river , just no fishing in the main storage dam.
The ranger drove away and we wondered off over the road to the river. We were at the start of the river right next to the main dam wall, the scrub was thick and look like blackberry haven.
While standing at the top of the dam wall , looking over the start of the river ( very shallow ) and at the blackberry path, we noticed that trout were lingering in the light water release from the dam, just enough to create a current in the shallows to keep them happily hovering in one spot.
While looking down over the wall edge , we notice 2 concrete ledges half way down on either side of the main dam wall water release gate (that was just trickling overflow water) , close to where the fish were. We went around one side of the dam wall and found a metal ladder about 40ft long going down set into a concrete wall ( ladder made out of 2cm rio bar set into the wall), this ladder led down to the concrete ledge.
"Perfect" we though, so down we go, we get onto the platform, tackle boxes open, all set up again, cast a rod each then we hear what sounded like a siren from a fire station going off / going off in the distance by the sound of it.
As fast a both of us could look at each other, as if " what's that ? ", were both looking up and see orange sirens going off on top of the main wall. We both look back at each other like :whoh: , knowing this ain't good ! .
Then we realise that this dam not only has a big main release gate in the centre ( the only one we noticed ), but also another 2 mid height outlets, 1 of which was mounted right behind us on the concrete platform.
As soon as we looked at each other like :whoh: , we notice a huge 8ft round metal roller door behind us; rolling sideways opening. The water came out real fast.
There was no time to grab anything, both of us jumped for our lives to the metal ladder / my mate on there first and my head nearly up his ass cheeks hanging off the last few rungs of the ladder , hanging on for our lives while thousands of litres of water gushing out cm's behind us.
We lost the lot , the rods , our tackleboxes , everything , nearly lost our lives too . That roller gate opened fully within a matter of seconds, even with a few seconds there was enough water to wash you off your feet and over the 30ft edge into the river ! .
So after that , we sat on the bank up top wondering how the heck we survived it , it was very close , all happened in seconds.
Took us 2.5 hrs to get there , and the trip all up lasted about 30 minutes , then 2.5hrs back home again and thankfull to still be alive :rofl: Oh what a day ! .
Oh , we later learned that these were service platforms for the mid releases on the dam . :roll:
Cheers , Rick.
