Northern Flyline! February 2014

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club

Editorial NSFFC Welcome to the first edition of the Northern Flyline for 2014. I hope you managed to wet a line over the Christmas holiday Committee season and in doing so got your fair share of piscatorial pleasure! For many of us, embarking on a fishing trip is also an attempt to Alan Staton, President get away from the ‘maddening crowds’ associated with city living and find a little bit of solitude at our secret spot on our favourite 0418 885 553 river. Unfortunately, however, these days your ‘secret spot’ is John Smith, Vice President likely to be a secret shared by many. 0437713419 With the prevalence of four-wheel drives, satellite navigation Pat Sheridan, Secretary systems and Google Earth you could well spend hours in the car 0419515950 travelling down a dirt track to your hidden destination only to find someone else parked beside ‘your piece of river’. How dare Chris Dabal, Treasurer they! 0447513025 This has led a number of NSFFC members to take a more Alf Chetcuti, New Member adventurous approach and backpack into remote bush in an Contact 0419 339 132 effort to find ‘untouched water’ bristling with hard fighting fish. Rod Humphreys, Fly Tying John Kruska is perhaps the most intrepid club member having Coach 9434 6094 spent weeks on end hiking through the New Zealand wilderness Boyd Wilson, Casting on his own. Cain Polidano is another who is happy to head off the Coach 0425 806 007 beaten track without any companionship. In his younger days Cain once spent a week hiking along the upper Eucumbene River Philip Goslin, Editor with only giant alpine wombats and snakes sitting at eye level on 0409846529 the grass tussocks for company. Frank Esposito, Trip Not so long ago Glen Cox, Peter Cogdon, Trif Tzaros and John Coordinator 0405 406 410 Kruska hiked into Cox’s River in the Blue Mountains for a few Pat Sheridan, Webmaster days of backcountry fishing. And Pat Sheridan often teams up 0419515950 with John Smith for a backpacking escapade into the Victorian high country. Social Secretary (position vacant) If you are planning a backpacking fishing trip have a chat to some of the members who have experience in getting way off the Committee Members: beaten track. They will be more than happy to pass on their Daniel Bowman knowledge and provide you with a few tips. 0409 078 157 And have a read of John Smith’s excellent two-part article on Chris Swadling backpacking in this and the December 2013 edition of the 0429 040 530 Northern Flyline.

Philip

In this edition President’s page 2 Backpacking hints and tips 7-10 Club activities 3 The tying bench 11 AJ shines on the Big River 4-5 2013 Howqua River trip 12 The casting pool 6 Minutes 13-14

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 1 Northern Flyline! February 2014 President’s page To all members and your families may you enjoy a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.!For some the beginning of a new year sees resolutions put in place. Some are achieved, others are forgotten or just put in the too hard basket. I would like to suggest a new year resolution for each member — support the club. This may only be by attending the general meetings or attending club trips, but the support and attendance of members at NSFFC events is what makes our club so great. The committee is committed to making your club the best it possibly can be but along the way we are going to need your help. Some of the priorities for 2014 are better membership services, recruitment and retention of members and the club’s financial viability. All of these priorities are of course interrelated. They are challenging to achieve and require consideration as a group. Remember that communication works both ways. If you have a query, issue, concern or suggestion about the management of the club or any other club related matter speak to one of the committee members or give me a buzz or drop me an email.

February activities We have a guest speaker at the first general meeting of What’s On the year on Thursday 6 February — Jim Baumgurtel from FlyFinz. Jim will be discussing, displaying and February 2014 selling his fly fishing merchandise so please support him Thur! 6 ! General Meeting by purchasing some items from his range. We will also be displaying samples of our new club merchandise. These Thur! 6 ! Guest Speaker will be unbranded items, just to show you what we plan Thur! 13! Club Fly Tying to offer. Order forms will also be available. During Sat! 15 ! Jamieson Trip February we have a club trip to the Jamieson River on Sun! 16 ! Jamieson Trip the 15th and 16th as well as the Northern Lights casting Thu!!20 !! Committee Meeting event on Saturday 22nd. Sat! 22 !!Northern Lights Thur! 27! Club Fly Tying Casting pool Thanks to John Smith for organising the cleaning of the March 2014 casting pool in late January to ensure it was ready for the Thur! 6 ! General Meeting Life Members Cup casting event. It certainly makes it Thur! 13! Club Fly Tying easier having the squeegees to shift the muck from the Sat! 8 ! Kevington Trip bottom, although we do need to look at how we empty the water quicker. Sun! 9 ! Kevington Trip Mon 10! Kevington Trip Thu!!20 !! Committee Meeting A message from the council Thur! 27! Club Fly Tying I had a call from the local council recently saying that they had received feedback from a member of the public that fish gut and fishing line had been found lying around the lake. The council’s concern was public safety (someone being hurt by a hook) and the safety of wildlife. The council certainly wasn’t ‘pointing the finger’ at the club, but just wanted to make us aware that we are in the public eye. Council employee, Rod, suggested (and is going to investigate) placing signage and rubbish bins around the lake. This call was timely as I was at the club setting up for casting last Thursday and found a length of line with a sinker on the end. We also found gut in the casting pool while cleaning it last week. If you happen to see fishing line or other rubbish left around the club rooms please pick it up and dispose of it properly.!

And finally Finally, I want to take this opportunity to again thank our sponsors for their support and participation last year and we look forward to working with you in the year ahead. So that’s a quick heads-up on what lies ahead over the next month. Get involved and enjoy your club — I reckon the more you put in, the more you get out of it. Enjoy 2014 and ensure you continue to achieve satisfaction from being a member of Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club. Alan Staton

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 2 Northern Flyline! February 2014 Club activities

Guest speaker - 6 February minute due to river conditions, but Kevington is back on the agenda for 2014. The first general meeting for the year is on Thursday 6 February and we will have a guest In 2012 more than 20 members stayed at speaker in Jim Baumgurtal from Flyfinz Fishing Skipworth Reserve between Jamieson and Tackle & Books. As the name suggests, Flyfinz Kevington and there were plenty of fish caught specialises in tackle and books for the fly as well as some great nights around the fishing enthusiast. Jim set up his travelling campfire. In fact, the 2012 catch cards show shop at last year’s Fyans Fly-in and it was at that almost 150 fish were caught during the this event that he agreed to talk to the NSFFC official competition hours. members about some of the unique fly fishing The upper reaches of the Goulburn River runs gear he has to offer. Jim will not only be talking right past Skipworth Reserve, but if fishing the about his products, but will be displaying them Goulburn is not to your liking there is always and they will be for sale on the night. popular Gaffneys Creek or the Jamieson River. Jamieson River trip - 15 & 16 February There has been a late change to the venue of the club’s February trip and we are going to travel up to the Jamieson River and stay at Granny’s Flat. This camping spot is not too far from the township of Jamieson. Take the Jamieson-Licola Road and about 7.5kms out of Jamieson you will see a dirt road running off to your left sign posted Granny’s Flat Camping Reserve. The campsite is just one kilometre down a winding dirt road. Access by two-wheel drive vehicle is fine (unless there has been heavy rain) and there are drop toilets at this well maintained campsite. For more information: www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/ assets/pdf_file/0020/101549/ Grannys_Flat_Camping_Reserve.pdf

Northern Lights - 22 February The Northern Lights Casting Competition to be staged on Saturday 22 February is the first formal event for the Australian Casting Federation (ACF) season. This is an open event and all club members are encouraged to come along and enter. You do not need to be an ACF member to cast in the event. The evening will commence at 6.00pm. Even if you don’t want to cast come down to the club and help out with running the event. There a bunch of tasks that require volunteer helpers including setting up, running the barbecue and refreshments stall, selling raffle tickets, etc. You’ll also get the opportunity to see some of the country’s best fly casters in action under the NSFFC lights.

Kevington trip - 8-10 March Over the years the Kevington trip on the Labour Day long weekend has been one of the most popular events on the club calendar. Last year the location of this trip was changed at the last

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 3 Northern Flyline! February 2014 AJ shines on the Big River by John Smith

Trying to get accommodation on the Australia Day long weekend can be difficult as families take advantage of the holiday before school goes back. Traffic on the major arterials can be a problem too. For these reasons the January club trip venue was moved from the Otways region to the Taponga and Big rivers. Pulling into Jimmy Bullocks camp area confirmed that a lot of people were out for the weekend and the steady procession of motorbikes, cars and four-wheel drives on the Eildon-Jamieson Road vindicated the decision to change venues. Seven members made the journey — Noel Angwin, Bob Walsh, Sheldon Lipschitz, Greg Roberts, Daniel Bowman and I fished the Taponga and lower reaches of the Big River, while AJ Balachandra opted for a late start and headed to the upper Big River area. Pairing-up, we quickly assembled gear and spread ourselves along the Taponga. Access is good at the bridges and a few points where the road runs close to the river. Daniel and I headed for the first bridge choosing to go upstream while the rest of the crew concentrated on the lower reaches. The section we fished is open making casting pretty easy. The river is a series of pools and runs and the water is crystal clear at the moment. Depth is between ankle and thigh high. Daniel had success from the first pool with small brown hammering his Royal Wulff. A couple of pools later the scene was repeated and we both decided to take the nymphs off as it was fairly obvious the fish were looking up. Continuing upstream we hooked and missed a few fish — all browns with most of them holding in the faster water at the head of the pool, where the water was about knee deep. Although eager to continue exploring this upper section of the Taponga, we headed back to the camp to compare notes and try the Big River before Greg, Sheldon and Daniel had to go back to Melbourne. The story from the other guys back at camp was similar to ours, small fish hitting the dry but difficult to hook. After a quick bite to eat we headed out to the Big River. The lower section of the Big River upstream from the campsite is a totally different piece of water to the Taponga. The river here has steep boulder-strewn banks with very deep holes. Wading is almost out of the question but it is possible to make your way along the bank and get a cast into the runs and chutes until you find the odd shallower run. Dropped and missed fish were the story of the afternoon. Often fish would drift back with the fly but not take it, classic refusal behaviour! However we did manage to hook a couple so all wasn't lost. The fish on the Big River were looking up too and the Royal Wulffs were doing a reasonable job of fooling wary fish. AJ’s strategy of having a sleep-in and trying the upper section of the river paid off. Again there were plenty of small fish that were keen on the dry but the upper section seemed to have the odd bigger one as well. AJ managed a 27cm brown and a 21cm rainbow among the seven fish that he brought to hand. A delightful section of the Taponga River.

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 4 Northern Flyline! February 2014

After tea, a short session until dark on the piece of river behind the camp resulted in one lost fish and one small trout landed. On this occasion a number 16 sparkle PHD brought the fish to the surface. On Sunday morning Noel and I headed back to the top section of the Taponga. Again small fish couldn’t resist the Royal Wulff and four more ‘bracelet’ browns were caught and released. All up those who made the journey enjoyed what the Taponga and Big rivers had to offer. If you are up for an early start, the Taponga River and lower Big River are certainly day trip options and there are good camp sites in the area should you wish to pitch a tent. Check out the video on the club’s Facebook Group page for some footage of the fish caught on this trip.

NSFFC Champion Angler 2013-14 Leader Board

There have been two club trips since we last updated the NSFFC Champion Angler 2013-14 leader board — the December weekend sojourn on the Howqua River and more recently the Taponga/Big rivers day trip in late January. There were very few fish caught on the Howqua trip with Chris Dabal having the most productive weekend with three fish including one of 25cm. That was enough to take him straight into sixth place (briefly) from his very first club outing for the year. AJ Balachandra made a similar move following the January excursion, picking up 64 points with a 27cm fish included in an excellent bag of seven. Daryl Wallis still holds the lead on 290 ahead of Daniel Bowman on 174 with John Smith moving into third place on 135. At the end of January the leader board looks like this:

Daryl Wallis!! 290 Daniel Bowman!! 174 John Smith!! 135 This brown was the biggest fish of the trip. Peter Cogdon!! 123 AJ Balachandra!! 63 Ian Lowe !! 60 Bob Walsh!! 60 Dave Davies!! 60 Chris Dabal!! 57 Darren Percy!! 42 Merv Landy !! 40 Pat Sheridan!! 40 Anne Hern!! 40 Ray Cresp !! 40 Lachlan Dyer!! 40 Noel Angwin!! 40 John Kruska!! 22 Boyd Wilson!! 21

There are a further 17 members on 20 points. A Big River rainbow.

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 5 Northern Flyline! February 2014 The casting pool The lords of the rings While there have not been any formal Australian Casting Federation (ACF) events staged over the December/January period, the NSFFC has continued to stage some of its annual casting competitions for members. A little more relaxed than official ACF events, these competitions allow members who are not too familiar with competition casting to have a crack at the hoops in a friendly and supportive environment. As has become a tradition, the last official club meeting for 2013 saw the staging of the Cox Connell Trophy, while the 2014 club year was welcomed in with the Life Members Cup — an event featuring both accuracy and distance casting. Cox Connell Trophy The Cox Connell Trophy is a handicap event designed to encourage those new to casting to give it a go. The handicap system is very detailed so we won’t even try and explain it in the Northern FlyLine — suffice to say that those who need to know how it works, know how it works. As a guide, if you have won the Cox Connell before, you can’t win it again and if you are an experienced ACF caster your chances are limited. The 2013 Cox Connell Trophy was taken out by Phil Matthews.

Life Members Cup Phil Matthews with the Cox Connell trophy. On Thursday 30 January the club staged the Life Members Cup casting event and welcomed in the new year with a barbecue for members. The Life Members Cup is a distance and accuracy casting competition with points counting towards the NSFFC Champion Caster trophy. There was a good turn out of members with AJ Balachandra posting the highest score in the opening accuracy event with 39 points out of a possible 50. Brynn Farkas showed he had not lost any form with a 35 and Daryl Wallis finished in third place on 32. However when it came to the distance event Daryl left everybody else in his wake, reaching the target in just nine seconds to add a further 40 points to his tally and take out the Life Members Cup for 2014 with 72 points. AJ finished in second place on 52 with Brynn third on 49 and Phil Matthews not too far away on 40 following a good effort in the distance event. Alan Staton (left) congratulates Daryl Wallis on his casting effort.

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 6 Northern Flyline! February 2014 Backpacking hints and tips by John Smith Backpacking into remote fishing destinations in order to get away from the crowds is becoming more popular. This is Part 2 of Johnʼs article providing some valuable insights into backpacking. Having spent years in the army lugging his house on his back John knows what he is talking about. Part 1 of this article appeared in the December 2013 edition of the Northern Flyline and included information on backpacks. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst When backpacking you need to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. For mine, these are the ‘seven Ps’ to success — Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. There’s also an old army axiom that ‘time spent in reconnaissance is time rarely wasted’. When planning your backpacking trip consult resources such as Google Earth or, if your hiking in Victoria, the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (the old DSE) or Parks Victoria websites to get the most up-to-date information on the tracks or access route you intend to take. You may also be able to check with other club members who have made the trip previously. Get hold of up-to-date topographic maps and make sure you know how to read them. Carry a compass and if you have a GPS (global positioning system) make sure you’ve got spare batteries. If you’re heading into remote destinations you should seriously consider taking an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) or, if your budget extends that far, perhaps a satellite phone. We don’t expect to be put into a survival situation on a fly fishing trip, however if you think it can’t happen have a chat to Glen Cox and find out what happened to some club members on a trip to New Zealand. To say they were lucky to survive is understating the situation they found themselves in! There are three key elements to a comfortable backpacking trip and, if things go pear- shaped, to your survival — safe drinking water, shelter (I include fire with shelter) and food. Depending on the prevailing weather conditions the priority of these three elements may change. You may ask why worry about carrying water when we’re heading to a pristine fishing spot. Hiking with a loaded pack in temperatures around 25ºC and higher is reasonably hard work, and you’d be surprised how quickly dehydration can become a problem. A good quality hydration kit of 1.5-2 litre capacity is A GPS or a sat phone could be a life saver. worth its weight in gold. Once at your

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 7 Northern Flyline! February 2014 destination the water may appear cool, clear and clean, however always treat stream and lake water as contaminated. A club member and I spent a few days on an out of the way river once and got a bit lazy and didn’t adequately treat the water from the river before drinking it — returning home we both didn’t venture too far from the ‘Royal Doulton’ for about a week! There are a few options for making water safe to consume. Firstly boiling — a litre should be boiled for at least two minutes to kill any water borne parasites and disease. Secondly, water treatment tablets are available from camping and outdoor stores or the local chemist. And another product to hit the market recently is the LifeStraw. This lightweight tubular piece of plastic has a patented membrane as part of its construction that is said to filter better than 99.9 per cent of bacteria and water borne The LifeStraw. parasites and 100 per cent of particulates from water. Shelter is a highly personalised thing. It can be as simple as a piece of heavy duty plastic strung between a couple of trees with octopus straps and held down at the corners with river stones to the more elaborate one man ‘coffin style’ hiking tents that cost several hundred dollars or more. You need to weigh-up (pardon the pun) which type of shelter you choose. A thin piece of plastic may be light to carry but can be hopelessly inadequate in the Tasmanian highlands or New Zealand back country if the weather turns nasty. My coffin style pack tent weighs in at less than 2kg, cost less than $200 and fits the bill nicely. There’s nothing more comforting than a campfire. When backpacking into remote areas make sure you check fire restrictions and weather forecasts before you leave. I always pack a fire starter kit in my pack. It consists of waterproof matches, a cigarette lighter and a few ‘tea candles’. The candles are really handy The LifeStraw in action. when trying to light damp kindling. What you choose to carry to eat will be entirely up to you. It’s easy to live hard out of a backpack, but with a little imagination you need not do so. Camping and outdoor stores have a bewildering array of dehydrated ‘gourmet’ meals, but they are on the expensive side. With a little forethought you can make up your own for a fraction of the cost. Take a wander down the isles of Woolies or Coles and you’ll soon find plenty of dehydrated potatoes, peas, corn and other vegies, throw in a tin of spam and you can knock up a pretty good feed for just a few cents, not dollars. I always carry packets of savoury rice and pasta dishes. Grill a fresh trout over the fire and mix it through some rice and pasta and presto a meal you’d be happy to pay $30 bucks for in Chapel Street! Packet soups, flavoured tuna meals, fruit and instant deserts can make a really tasty meal. Don’t forget porridge or muesli with a bit of Tang makes a hearty breakfast. Throw in some tea, coffee, powdered milk or condensed milk in a tube and you can eat as well on the trail as you could at home.

In an emergency Let’s assume for a second everything goes pear-shaped, you injure yourself or become ‘geographically embarrassed’ (lost). Planning for this eventuality must start at home. Ensure you tell someone where you’re going and be as precise as you can. A note on the fridge saying ‘gone to the Big River, be home late’ isn’t quite detailed enough. Once the designated time you nominated

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 8 Northern Flyline! February 2014

Clockwise from top left: tent, self inflating mattress, sleeping bag, hydration pack, first aid kit, fire kit, stove and survival kit, gas canister, selection of dry, long life and tinned food. on the note has come and gone a loved one will raise the alarm with emergency services. They’ve done the right thing, now you need to do the right thing too. First thing to remember is stay calm, don’t rely on your ‘instincts’ to find a way out, it’s probably your crap ‘instinct’ that has gotten you into the situation you find yourself in! If you’re injured, get to an area where you can make yourself as comfortable as the situation allows and get prepared to make yourself as visible as possible. If you’re with a companion, they must render first aid and make sure you’re stable before deciding to walk out and raise the alarm. If you get lost the first thing to do is admit it and stay put. You have probably tried to backtrack down to the river to get your bearings but for some reason you just can’t find it. Alternatively you may still be in the river but can’t find the landmark to make your way out, your GPS has got flat batteries and every river bend looks like the last (and the next). In this scenario try to find an open section of river — a wide bend with a reasonably flat bank is good — and make yourself visible by laying out your tent or space blanket and getting a small smokey fire going. Rescue should only be 12-24 hours away. You should always have a small emergency kit with you. There are commercial ones available, but if you choose to make your own consider adding the following — a survival blanket (one of those shiny metallic plastic ones), whistle,

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 9 Northern Flyline! February 2014 compass, micro torch and battery, plastic mirror, water proof matches, small candle, small bandage, a few band- aids, condom, Panadol, scalpel blade, glucose lollies, a few stock cubes, a couple of teabags and a garbage bag wrapped as small as you can and held with four strong elastic bands. Put all of this in one of those small leak proof containers and seal the lid on with a few runs of gaffa tape to waterproof it. So there you have it, a few tips to consider when getting your gear together for a sojourn into the great outdoors. Remember, when An example of a survival kit. heading into that remote destination take a companion, tell someone exactly where you are going and when you will be back. Check the prevailing weather conditions but always plan for the worst eventuality. If you’re relying on a GPS or similar device check the batteries and take a couple of spares. Don’t forget your camera and enjoy what the outdoors has to offer. Editorʼs note: I really wasnʼt sure why John packs a condom in his backpacking emergency kit. Initially I thought he was just adhering strictly to his ʻseven Psʼ. Then I did a bit of research and discovered that a condom is often included in survival kits. One survival blog went as far as posting an item titled ʻ11 ways a condom can save your lifeʼ. Seriously. Carrying water seems to be a popular use. Apparently colour and style does not matter!

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 10 Northern Flyline! February 2014 The tying bench

13 February – Guest fly tier John Smith — Beanbag Emerger

The beanbag emerger is essentially a variation on an emerging dun pattern with a styrofoam ball tied into the post. Of course there are many ways to create a post, but the beanbag ball has its advantages — it won’t sink. The beanbag emerger can be fished in rivers dead drifted to fish just below the surface. It is a very effective evening rise pattern in the smaller #16 size. It is also an effective lake pattern for midging fish. Sitting just in the surface film the beanbag emerger can be difficult to see, particularly in low light on darker water. In that case it is important to keep a close eye on the end of your flyline or leader and lift at any hint of a take or swirl near the fly.

Beanbag Emerger Hook: Black Magic E16-E12 Thread: 6/0 brown Tail: brown cock or pheasant tail Rib: fine gold wire Flash: strand pearl flashabou (optional) Body: dark brown dubbing (eg antron or awesome possum) Wing case: beanbag or styrofoam ball in stocking (para style)

27 February – Rod’s fly of the month — Stimulator A stimulator pattern is a very versatile fly. It is an excellent Rod’s Stimulator attractor pattern and can be Hook: dry fly 12-14 used throughout the season. It can imitate hoppers and Thread: red works well when there are Tail: natural deer hair caddis and stoneflies around. Body: peacock herl/hackle grizzle Rod’s pattern is particularly good for fishing the Goulburn Wing: natural deer hair and Rubicon rivers. It can be Hackle: grizzle fished on its own or in a hopper/dropper type set-up Head: red with a small nymph underneath it.

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 11 Northern Flyline! February 2014 2013 Howqua River Trip In mid December a small bunch of members ventured to the historic Howqua Hills region and stayed at Fry’s Hut camping area on the beautiful Howqua River. The fishing was slow, but Chris Dabal managed to land three fish for the weekend to claim the Howqua honours.

An unlucky Howqua brown.

Danny Wilson enjoying the Howqua,

An old cattleman’s hut.

The Northern crew — back row (from left): Ray Toohey, Bob Walsh, Chris Dabal, Noel Angwin, Danny Wilson. Front row: Dave Davies, Daryl Wallis, Lachlan Dyer and John Smith.

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 12 Northern Flyline! February 2014

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING 5th December 2013

7:35 pm – 8:00 pm

Apologies: Glen Cox, Cain Polidano, Peter Cogdon, Ted Smith, Ian Lowe

Visitor:

Minutes Minutes from the previous General Meeting were read by the Secretary and seconded by AJ - Carried Business Arising ! Nil Treasurer’s Report ! Approximately $3 889.50. ! Top up of $4 650 to Term Deposit ! Treasurer’s Report read on a motion from Chris Dabal and seconded by Mark Thomas- Carried Business Arising ! Nil. Correspondence As per correspondence register Syllabus ! Toolongo/Big River – 26 Jan 14 – keep not of the web site ! Fishing Reports o John Smith fished the Nariel on the Fri for 2 fish, one a PB at 50 cm. Fished the Thredbo on Sat for one small rainbow and on the Sun caught a small and a 3lber. Mon fishing the Swampy at Brigabong Station saw only 1 fish come to hand. o Chris Dabal caught 7/8 small fish and missed just as many. o Eric Smith said that Tony Ryan reported the Kiewa was fishing well. o Merv Landy fished a very dirty and deep Acheron for nil, however he had some fun with small fish on the Steavo hitting a Royal Wulff. ! General Business o ACF News " Syllabus is out o CVFFC News – General meeting looking at strategies. o General Discussion " Presentation of Cox-Connell Casting trophy to Phillip Matthews ! Meeting Closed

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 13 Northern Flyline! February 2014

MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING 19th Decmber 2013

7:45 pm – 8:45 pm

Present: Alan Staton, John Smith, Chris Dabal, Phil Goslin, Rod Humphries, Frank Esposito, Alf Chetcuti, Pat Sheridan, Chris Swadling. Apologies: Daniel Bowman.

Minutes Minutes of the previous Committee Meeting were read on a motion from the Secretary, seconded by Frank Esposito.

Business Arising ! Nil. Correspondence ! As per correspondence register. Treasurer’s Report Balance of the cheque account is currently $3 800. ! Treasurers analysis of cost of running club per member is ongoing. Business Arising ! Nil

Agenda Items 1. Syllabus a. AER i. Cox-Connell – Poor weather limited the number of attendees. Phillip Mattews was the winner. ii. Howqua Trip 14-15 Dec. Weather was excellent, river was OK.Best fish was a 25cm by Chris Dabal with overall 7 fish being caught.

b. 26 Jan 14 - Big River/Toponga.

c. Life Members Cup 30 Jan 14. Start 6pm free BBQ (sausage sizzle). BBQ confirmed.

d. Feb Guest Speaker Jim Baumgurtel from Fly Finz Fishing Tackle locked in with Jim. 2. Items For Discussion a. Merchandise. President confirmed merchandise will be ready for sale at Feb GM. b. Perceived lack of fish. Secretary liaised with Fisheries and they have admitted that there is a problem. They will be conducting an electro-survey fairly quickly to confirm anecdotal evidence. c. Kids Come an Try Day Grant – President to follow up. d. Survey – President to follow up. 3. Member Reports a. New Member Contact: 1 new contact signed up. b. CVFF Rep: NTR. c. ACF Rep: ACF AGM 20 Feb 14. 4. General Business: a. Vice President has re-worked the membership form b. Secretary to look at keys and key press. c. Beginners Course – Start in Mar to coincide with Dog Hill trip. Secretary to work out dates.

d. Rivers Conference rooms are having a day in March. Pres to continue liaising. 5. Meeting Closed 8.45 pm

Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club, PO Box 54, Yarrambat 3091, www.flyfishing.org.au! 14