Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Tasmania Fishing Reports
User avatar
meppstas
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:32 pm
Location: Sheffield, Tasmania
Has liked: 903 times
Likes received: 444 times

Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by meppstas » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:30 pm

Two days spent in the rivers for very little reward.. 12 & 13 Feb 2018

** Day 1: Meander River 12/2/18....
We had Russell and his partner Lesley over from Victoria (from the fishingvictoria site) for a few days and took Russell for two early morning spin sessions on the Meander & Mersey Rivers in what was really good weather conditions. The first trip on the 12th was to the Meander River mainly because it had fished reasonably well for me last Thursday (5 trout landed here) and I'm hoping it will again today for Russell's sake. It's always nice to take someone to a river and try and help them catch their first Tasmanian wild brown trout. We left home just after 5:45 am and were in the river by 6:50am, the air temp was a crisp 5 degrees and there was a light mist rising from the river surface due to the water temp (16 degrees) being warmer than the air.
Meander River.. 5622 (Medium).JPG
Glorious conditions on the river..
We spotted a few trout on the rise in a few areas on the river so we knew the fish were here, now it was just a matter of getting one to take a lure. My first few casts close to the river bank saw a bow wave appear behind the lure after it drew the interest of a trout, but that's as far as it went. Russell wasn't having much luck either as he slowly worked his way upstream along the left hand side of the river. I finally had a hit and miss then ten minutes later hooked the first brown of the morning which I lost on it's second leap from the river. In the mean time I heard a splash and a bit of cursing going on behind me, that's when I saw Russell had taken a dive in the river. He had gone close to the river bank to retrieve his snagged lure when he stepped on a small flat clay section in the river and his feet went from under him. What he thought was a flat rock wasn't to be.
Meander River.. 5626 (Medium).JPG
Russell giving it 110%...

It wasn't until we had fished on for another couple of hundred meters when I picked up the first brown of the session (8:35 am) on the small Daiwa bleeding tiger lure, not a large trout but one of around 400 grams and in top condition. That first trout also got it's revenge on me too, as I went to pick it up from the net it did a massive head shake which set the top treble hook into my left forefinger. Good thing was the treble went in one side and came out the other so I only had to flatten the barb to remove it. The worst part was getting the trout off the bottom set of trebles while the other set was still in my finger. We fished on until 10:30 am with just having the odd follow from a trout, there weren't any takers here at all.
Meander River.. 5625 (Medium).JPG
Finally a fish in the net..
Meander River.. 5628 (Medium).JPG
No trout taken here, just the odd follow..
It was time to try another stretch of river further downstream in the hope there may be a fish or two to be caught there. I knew there would still be a reasonable amount of shade on the river here because of the heavy foliage along both sides of the river.. I stayed with the same hard body while Russell tried a few different lures every now and then but still couldn't draw a trout's attention and neither could I. It wasn't until we had fished half way up this stretch of river when I hooked the second brown (480 grams) of the morning, two casts later I hooked and lost one more and five minutes after that fish I picked up my third brown (440 grams) for the session.
Meander River.. 5629 (Medium).JPG
Trout number two..
Meander River.. 5633 (Medium).JPG
And number three..
That was the last fish caught, we never had any follows or even spotted another trout after that. We pulled the pin at 12:40 pm & with our day done we headed over to the Meander River Post Office/Cafe for a break and a nice coffee. It is always worth a visit here with great hospitality not to mention the great coffee and the home made burgers, sandwiches etc. It was a shame the trout weren't out and about today as I would loved Russell to have picked up a brown, still there's always tomorrow when we hit the Mersey River.
Meander River.. 5636 (Medium).JPG
Pulled the pin here...
** Day 2: Mersey River 13/2/18....
Warmer weather with wind later in the day was the forecast when we headed off around 7:15 am to Merseylea to fish the Mersey River. It was another calm morning and not a cloud in the sky either which was a bit of a pain, with the river being so low and clear it meant for tough fishing conditions. As soon as we approached the river we spotted several trout on the rise and I quickly flicked the little Mepps gold aglia a meter or so past a rising fish, the first turn of the reel handle I was onto a fish. It took the little spinner in no time at all, after a couple of runs this little rainbow was soon in the net. A great a start to the session, I'm hoping this is the start of something big today.
Russell spin fishing, Mersey River 13-2-18 (Medium).JPG
Russell in the Mersey River.. still dry at this stage..
Mersey River, Kimberley.. Feb. 18th 2018 (Medium).JPG
Hardly a trout sited here either...
Apart from Russell taking another dive in the river that was it for the following three hours, we never had a single hook up from then on. I managed a couple of follows as did Russell and that was it, hardly any fish spotted in all that time. Normally when I fish up through this stretch of river I will often spook a few trout from time to time, not today there wasn't any to be seen. I have no idea what's happened to the lower stretches of the Mersey River lately as the trout seem to have just disappeared for one reason or another. The water temp was sitting on 19 degrees six inches under the surface so that shouldn't have had any effect on them at all.. There have been reports of dead trout in the area and I had also spotted several dead ones on the river bottom a week ago. Why they died is yet to be answered, the Inland Fisheries are looking into it.. Our trip wasn't one that I had hoped for with just one trout caught, but it was one that Russell thoroughly enjoyed & that's what mattered most to me..
Mersey River, Kimberley. 13-2-18 (Medium).JPG
Normally this run would give up a couple of rainbows and browns.. not today..
cheers
Adrian
'' Brand Ambassador for Mepps Lures in Australia '' Tackle Tactics, Okuma, Mepps & Platypus lines Pro Team Member

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk58e ... m8yelCSKCw

Lightningx
Bluefin
Bluefin
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:21 pm
Has liked: 72 times
Likes received: 976 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by Lightningx » Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:46 pm

Great report and pics as usual mate :thumbsup:

barra mick
Rank: Kingfish
Rank: Kingfish
Joined: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:42 pm
Has liked: 26 times
Likes received: 58 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by barra mick » Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:08 pm

At least you had a good crack.

Bm

User avatar
meppstas
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:32 pm
Location: Sheffield, Tasmania
Has liked: 903 times
Likes received: 444 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by meppstas » Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:18 pm

Thanks guys, the trout fishing in the rivers should be on the improve by the time you get down here too BM.. :thumbsup:
'' Brand Ambassador for Mepps Lures in Australia '' Tackle Tactics, Okuma, Mepps & Platypus lines Pro Team Member

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk58e ... m8yelCSKCw

Lightningx
Bluefin
Bluefin
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:21 pm
Has liked: 72 times
Likes received: 976 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by Lightningx » Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:28 pm

While we are on the topic, when is the best time Adrian? :)

barra mick
Rank: Kingfish
Rank: Kingfish
Joined: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:42 pm
Has liked: 26 times
Likes received: 58 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by barra mick » Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:39 pm

meppstas wrote:Thanks guys, the trout fishing in the rivers should be on the improve by the time you get down here too BM.. :thumbsup:
All good ...i learnt many years ago never judge your days fishing on what you catch.

Bm

Brownie
Rank: Australian Salmon
Rank: Australian Salmon
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:05 pm

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by Brownie » Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:46 pm

Seriously beautiful water. What a trout fishing Paradise.

User avatar
meppstas
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:32 pm
Location: Sheffield, Tasmania
Has liked: 903 times
Likes received: 444 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by meppstas » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:01 am

Brownie wrote:Seriously beautiful water. What a trout fishing Paradise.
That it is, very peaceful & scenic in the rivers down here.. never get tired off it at all.. :thumbsup:

cheers
Adrian
'' Brand Ambassador for Mepps Lures in Australia '' Tackle Tactics, Okuma, Mepps & Platypus lines Pro Team Member

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk58e ... m8yelCSKCw

smile0784
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:16 pm
Has liked: 39 times
Likes received: 356 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by smile0784 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:30 am

Water looks good
Good report

User avatar
Truedogz
Rank: King George Whiting
Rank: King George Whiting
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:52 pm
Location: Tabilk
Has liked: 32 times
Likes received: 247 times

Re: Two days with Russlleh in the rivers for little reward..

Post by Truedogz » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:32 am

barra mick wrote:i learnt many years ago never judge your days fishing on what you catch.Bm
Totally agree with you there bm :thumbsup: I've had some days in magic locations where I didn't care about the fish. Other days catching just one fish can be a buzz.
meppstas wrote:very peaceful & scenic in the rivers down here.. never get tired off it at all..
Adrian, Davo and I spent the last two nights chasing cod on the surface on a beautiful river at the foot of the mountains. The first night we did quite well, last night with a change in weather we struggled. It can be frustrating to take a guest out to a fishing spot and the fish not cooperate - I always let them walk ahead, get the first cast in etc and I feel bad if they don't do well. But I agree entirely with your sentiment; I chatted with Davo last night about how much I love to be out on a river on a dark night looking up at all the stars. The fish are the icing on the cake.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

Post Reply

Return to “Tasmania”