Finally, after weeks of will it, wont it, it will, it wont, the river dropped enough for Neil, Rich and me to get the first trip of the season down the mighty Nymboida, but when I say low enough, it was still 1.56m and flowing hard. If you are not an experienced paddler with fast/white water trips under your belt please do not think this is a safe level, it is not. If you want to do this stuff no matter what river then go and get trained, then get the right gear or engage a guide. You can find qualified, vetted fishing guides at www.pfiga.org.au. Anyhow, enough of the lecture and back to my story. Annoyingly, the weather had taken a turn for the worse as a cold snap hit us in the weeks leading up to the trip. As I lay in my hammock shivering the night before we left, I knew we may have a tough trip on our hands. The water was unseasonably cold and that obviously did not bode well for the Bass fishing. It also had a dark green tinge almost like a winter colour and that told me surface fishing was going to be non-existent. However, the cold water did add a little extra jeopardy as far as the paddling and rapids as taking a unplanned swim would not be fun.
We set off, and as we fished through the day, we all managed to pick up the odd Eastern Cod that are always scattered in this stretch. As I have mentioned before in previous posts, these fish are protected but its impossible not to catch them and they are loved by everyone, so take a quick pic and send them home.
There was little to report until Neil hooked into a Bass that took him straight into a snag. After a few minutes of myself trying to push the silvery shape with my paddle that was now wedged deep in the murky water I gave up. Neil was just about to bust off when it finally swam loose and within a few minutes it was on the brag mat measuring 51cm and a bit, brilliant!
That night we sat around the fire, few beers and laughs and O yeah, I had a big leech on my toe… Here is a picture…. Your welcome 🙂
The next day we managed more small Cod, and I found a Bass that would have been in the low 40`s. It seemed like the fishing was getting tougher and as we made camp, we hoped that the lower stretches of river would be more bountiful.
Well in fact it was the opposite, the fishing was almost shut down and Richard was picking up the odd fish on his favourite Kneller lure whilst me and Neil struggled. We did discuss that he had the inside scoop on the fish as he had taken a couple of decent swims in the rapids (sorry Rich I had to mention it). He was rewarded for his underwater adventures later that morning with a beautiful 85cm Eastern Cod that gave him a new PB and a big bloody smile to match.
The rest of the trip was uneventful regarding fishing, but the paddling was bloody brilliant, with some crazy rapids and good laughs we made our way down the swollen river. Throughout the trip Rich looked after us with the food and we dined on Beef cheeks, Lamb shanks and curry to name a few meals. With 50 fish landed and numerous missed opportunities, giant rapids, and good mates it will be a trip I will never forget.
Here are a few snippets from the trip…..
