Thursday, May 6, 2010

Wild Creek Exploration

The search for adventure, wild environments and fishing are happy bed fellows that have taken me to many missed and forgotten corners over the years. A propensity for exploration and discovery sees me 4 wheel driving, hiking, rafting, kayaking etc into some remote areas. I do not seek huge fish or even large numbers of them, I seek the adventure of finding fish and the beauty that one finds in wild places.
I have had my eye on this inconspicuous little creek system for a while, I traveled it on Google earth, poured over it on Topo maps, quizzed my bush walker mates that had been in the area and came to the decision that I needed to explore it. 

The access like all good potential creeks was impossibly complicated and arduous… but kinda doable…albiet only just. A very long initial hike/portage with heavy packs and my awkward sea ski saw us hit the creek a little bruised and tired on Friday. 
 Plan was to explore the creek downstream, then portage out again from lower down on the Sunday arvo.
As is often the case with such trips, the combination of weather and the window of opportunity clashed and a low pressure weather system moved in closing down our chance at landing a bass in the freshwater section of the creek.
We tried the full range fishing techniques but failed to interest any fish in the fresh,  the scenery made up for it and just travelling through such country brings it's own rewards.  By the days end we had traversed the freshwater and over a small waterfall that divided the fresh and saltwater.
We eventually found some fish in the mid estuary section,  went on to land some nice Estuary Perch which at the time was not a common catch for me.

We camped by the lower estuary section, walked the sand flats, fished the beach and adjoining rocks and generally chilled out in this wonderful wild pocket, the difficulty of getting there makes it all the better.
The Australian  Salmon  seemed to be in plentiful numbers on the flats and  off the beach, they had a taste for Clouser flies and  in many instances could be sight cast. Hooking hefty 'Sambos' in the skinny flats water made for excellent sport.
If the story ended there it would be a happy ending, the walk out however, was what could only be termed as a shocker. 
5 kms of steeply undulating rough track lugging a 28 kg sea ski plus my camping and fishing gear.  The 5km's took us 2 hours to walk but it was about the hardest 2 hour walk I had ever done.  By the time I reached my trusty Landrover, I had vowed to get an Alpacka Packraft and never lug the sea ski again.

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