Thursday 25 December 2014

Christmas 2014
















Sunday 7 December 2014

Catch and Release Cod Season Opening 2014



Cod season officially opened on December 1st after a three month closure to allow breeding. Murray Cod size limits have been adjusted to be the same in NSW and Victoria with a minimum length of 55cm and maximum 75cm and a possession limit of 1 (2 max for impondments). All others must be released.

I fished at the Nyah Vinifera park and also downstream at Belsar and Yungera Islands. I bagged just two at Nyah with one around 35cm and one at 45cm which I had great pleasure in releasing and seeing them swim off to grow bigger.

There is a great free camping spot behind the old Harness Club at Nyah. Lots of free campers stop at this spot with plenty of trees, toilets, a dump point and drinking water. Just a few hundred metres downstream is the Nyah Vinifera park that is a great camping and fishing destination and where I stayed the first night. See http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/nyah-vinifera-park

Baby Cod 35cm
Bigger Cod 45cm
 Boat
 Good Scrubbies
 River Red Gums
 That cutie again

Further downstream past Boundary Ben is Belsar and Yungera Islands which are formed by anabranches of the Murray River, with Belsar Island to the west and Yungera Island to the east. Great camping and fishing here too. Belsar and Yungera Islands however was where I caught and did not release two wopping carp, one 65cm and one 75cm. While a popular angling species in Europe, in Australia the carp is considered a pest carp and listed as a noxious species. These ones were permanently relocated well away from the river.

Brutus the outlaw fish

Saturday 1 November 2014

New Rear End

I have hung up and dented the rear bumper of my Isuzu D-Max a couple of times while four wheel driving, camping or getting around the bush. So it was time to upgrade the rear of the D-Max.
The rear old bumper and tow bar.
The new ARB step and tow bar.
Fits nicely next to the big 3" Tiapan XP exhaust and Old Man Emu Dakar heavy duty suspension and 2" lift.
With some balancing and precision all bolt holes lined up.
The final product.

Some Action

Sunday 19 October 2014

City Folk Ski Boats and Litter


Confronted by a shocking mess all in the Murray River Reserve above Torrumbarry Weir. This mess and lots like it littered the banks in more and less severity all along the deeper part of the Murray river above Torrumbarry Weir upstream towards Echuca, an area popular with Ski Boat enthusiasts. There was so much it was pointless even trying to clean it up. So I moved downstream to Gunbower National Park and with the warmer weather its becoming very popular with campers and fisherman. Talking to one local who camps in the National Park area often, his advice was "Oh no don't go up there, loud Ski Boats from Melbourne and drunken yahoos only. There is no one policing or cleaning that area up as its not in the National Park" Not sure if this is all their fault but that seems to be the local sentiment.

Anyway I found a spot and managed to catch some Murray Crays but no fish. The river was dropping as most of the river was being diverted through the Gunbower -Cohuna wetlands for environmental flows.



Wednesday 8 October 2014

Blood Moon

I'm sure you seen hundreds of images of the Blood Moon, so here is another one.
Nikon D300 Nikkor 70-200  2.8 @ ISO 1600, 200mm f16, 2 sec
Click on photo for larger image view

Monday 6 October 2014

Real Aussie Men Drive Utes

More than 18,000 went to Deniliquin to enjoy good company, cold beer and great music at the 16th annual ute muster. A bit down on last years record 20,000 but with girls and families out numbering the boys in the feral utes only paddock it was a great weekend. This has to be the biggest and most successful music festival in regional Australia by far and is a must for any true blue Aussie to go to at least once.
18,000 campers
 Kanga walla foxes
Nicole and Keith ? 
 Spiderbait
 The only gays in the village
Food race 
Muster Uniform 
 who cares they look good
Mini Muster Utes 
Mmmm Yum 
OK 
 Cool misty first morning
Helicopter flight 




Warm and dusty evening 
Spiderbait 


The burbs 

Rent a Tent 


20 rows like this as far as you can see of utes in the utes only section, feral city
Trying to get back to camp before the folks work out they are not in the van? 




There was romance for everyone 




Are these yours mate? 


Whip cracking ferals, they went all day and night. 





Our Camp from the chopper 
 Evening stroll in the burbs
Feral watch 





 No idea! but they had blue singlets on.

Mobility scooters charging for the next days circle work 
Front gate 
 Front gate 2
 The site was vast.
Six chicks in a row. The irls outnumbered the boys!