30Mar 2019 by Warren Prior No Comments
A Windy Fingal Bay

A Windy Fingal Bay

Fly Fishing, Salt Water
Warren fly fishing the rocks at Fingal Bay During a recent trip to Fingal Bay (Port Stephens) I snuck away for a quick hour on the water. I chose to head to the rocky point at the southern end of the bay, as I believed this had the best possibility of holding good fish. The beach was devoid of wave action, which made me believe it was unlikely to hold any good fish (or at the very least, they would be widely spread out and difficult to find). In theory this proved to be a good choice as I had access to good structure, deep water, and multiple impressive gullies. Sadly, the 40 km/hr winds made fly fishing exceptionally difficult. In fact, at points the wind actually lifted my fly…
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31Dec 2018 by Warren Prior No Comments
Prospecting the Spit West Reserve

Prospecting the Spit West Reserve

Fly Fishing, Salt Water
Sunset at Spit West Reserve Having moved to Sydney just under a year ago, it was truely amazing to realise that I had not flicked a fly into the abundance of water available right at my doorstep. Eager to put a stop to this poor behaviour, I grabbed my fly rod (and the 6 salt water flies I own) and headed down to Spit West Reserve. On a previous visit (to the park) I'd seen a few trevally shoot out from under a yacht to chase some baitfish in the shallows. Unfortunately, fishing this part of the reserve was near impossible due to the many joggers, walkers, kids, dogs, and so on. I was therefore forced to fish the southern end of the reserve, closer to the rowing club. On…
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30Sep 2018 by Warren Prior 1 Comment
My First Session in Australia – Toowoon Bay

My First Session in Australia – Toowoon Bay

Fly Fishing, Salt Water
According to my blog the last time I flicked a fly was at the 2017 Xplorer UHTFC Festival, which was way back on the 24 September 2017. WOW! I'm truly embarrassed. How can it be that for well over a year I never flicked a fly?! Putting the embarrassment aside for a second, I was massively excited to step out onto the beach, fly rod in hand, with the only 6 flies I own in my pocket. My target? Tailor (that's shad for my South African friends)? Luderick? I wasn't really sure to be honest. I just wanted to wet a fly. My family and I were in Toowoon Bay on camping trip, and I'd managed to sneak away for an hour in the early afternoon. The wind was howling,…
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18May 2018 by Warren Prior No Comments
Bonito in the Bay (and Mackerel)

Bonito in the Bay (and Mackerel)

Bait, Salt Water
[caption id="attachment_2969" align="alignright" width="267"] Nick with a mackerel caught on lure[/caption] A family wedding meant that Sharon, the kids, and I boarded a plane and headed to Brisbane. Nick picked us up from the airport and, much to my wife's dismay, immediately started discussing the day's fishing plans. We dropped the family off at Nick's place, had a quick cup of coffee, hitched up the boat, and headed for Moreton Bay. Conditions on the bay were near perfect - well, for us humans. A warm autumn day with sunny, blue skies and not a breath of wind. The water looked like glass as we skimmed across, it heading for some structure between Peel Island and North Stradbroke. We started the day with some bottom fishing, using squid and pilchards as…
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