29Jan 2022 by Warren Prior No Comments
Kayak Fishing Cowan Creek…Again…

Kayak Fishing Cowan Creek…Again…

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
Somehow December was all about the diving, and I didn't manage to get in any fishing while on leave. Hell-bent on righting this wrong, I loaded my kayak onto the roof and headed down to Cowan Creek. To be honest, my expectations weren't high; I'd visited Bobbin Head the week before to fly my drone and the water looked like a mud-bath. But you can't catch a fish without a line in the water, and a day spent paddling through a nature reserve is never time wasted, so I headed out anyway. When I arrived at Bobbin Head I was pleasantly surprised - the water had cleared up nicely despite the ongoing rain, and so my hopes lifted. I was quick to get onto the water and decided to paddle…
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25Sep 2021 by Warren Prior No Comments
Kayak Fishing Cowan Creek (Bobbin Head)

Kayak Fishing Cowan Creek (Bobbin Head)

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
After far too many weeks in lockdown I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was still allowed out on the kayak. Amazingly, I hadn’t used it since moving into our new house, so I was itching to get out there and explore my new local waterway. I loaded my kayak on the ute’s roof the night before, saving me the effort of doing so in the morning. I then set about kitting up my rods and locating all my fishing gear, some of which was still boxed up from the move. At 6am the next morning I headed for Bobbin Head Picnic Ground, making my way carefully through the Ku-ring-Gai Chase National Park. The roads were packed with cyclists, slowing my trip down to the boat ramp.…
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03Apr 2021 by Warren Prior No Comments
Bonito on Fly in Middle Harbour

Bonito on Fly in Middle Harbour

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
December Brisbane trip...cancelled due to Covid...April Brisbane trip...cancelled due to Covid... And so, on a beautiful April morning, I launched my kayak from the Tunks Park boat ramp, fly rod in hand. The plan for the day was to go after some pelagic species on fly, specifically the Sydney harbour kingfish. I wasn't sure what to expect, as Sydney had experienced mass flooding the prior week. And as a result, the water was murky brown, with a lot of suspended debris, as I paddled out towards the rising sun. Sunrise in Middle Harbour I opted to head towards the harbour mouth, hoping the water would be cleaner closer to the ocean. As it turned out, this proved to be a good strategy. The water colour quickly changed from muddy brown…
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24Dec 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
Tailor on Fly in Middle Harbour (and a Few Squid)

Tailor on Fly in Middle Harbour (and a Few Squid)

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
Sunrise at the Tunks Park boat ramp 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. But whilst all this was true, there were fish to be caught, so I loaded up my kayak, and headed to the port... I launched from my usual, Tunks Park boat ramp, to a glowing orange sky and started paddling towards towards Clontarf. To kick things off I stopped off at my squidding spot, where I quickly landed a few southern calamari for dinner. The nice thing about the squid is that they're either there or they're not...and today they were there. With dinner sorted, I packed away the squid rod and got down to some fly fishing. I fished around the Clontarf area,…
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08Nov 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
Aussie Bass on Poppers

Aussie Bass on Poppers

Bass, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Kayak Fishing
Adulting seems to have taken ahold of my weekends, with the majority of my time being spent either house hunting or attending kid’s sporting events. And while these are both massively exciting activities, I’m always itching to climb onto my kayak to catch a few fish on fly. On Sunday, eager to try something new, I headed for Lane Cove River to target Australian bass. Although I've caught many an Aussie bass before, they’ve all been impoundment fish, and the prospect of targeting wild fish amongst the snags excited me. I arrived at the park just after the gates opened at 9am, and headed straight for the kayak launch site. After putting the yak in the water, I headed downstream, focusing on the structure up against the bank, likely to…
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10Oct 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
A Few Tailor in Middle Harbour

A Few Tailor in Middle Harbour

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
On Saturday morning I decided to try my luck for some early season kings on fly. While they are generally much harder to find this early in the season, it's well worth the effort as the fish are usually larger. I decided to launch from the Tunks Park boat ramp, predominantly because it's close to home, and is a decent venue as it offers access to most of Middle Harbour. There was a beautiful orange glow on the water as I paddled out at 6:30am, brimming with anticipation. Sunrise at Tunks Park Boat Ramp As is the case with many of my trips, I forgot one key item. This time it was my polarised sunglasses which, as all fisherman know, are invaluable both in terms of spotting fish, as well…
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05Oct 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
Flathead in Tilligerry Creek (Port Stephens)

Flathead in Tilligerry Creek (Port Stephens)

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water, Trip Report
Our exploration of NSW continued with a 4 day visit to Koala Shores, which is beautifully located on the shoreline of Tilligerry Creek in Port Stephens. We chose Koala Shores for two main reasons: firstly, it promised good fishing opportunities (specifically around the oyster farms); and secondly, it's known to have a small population of koalas - possibly Katie’s favourite animal. We took a leisurely drive up on Friday morning, and were thankfully allowed to check in a little ahead of schedule. After unpacking the vehicle, we did our usual exploration of the park (and of course spent some time on the jumping pillow). For me this meant checking out the boat ramp, and sussing out potential fishing opportunities. Other than fishing, we had some great fun over the course…
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05Oct 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
A Slow Session at Budgewoi

A Slow Session at Budgewoi

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water
Poor planning meant that most holiday parks were fully booked long before we started planning our 3 nights of camping bliss. Thankfully we found space at Budgewoi Holiday Park, which we’d stayed at before, but was worth another visit. Our previous trip to Budgewoi, earlier in the year, had been with my mom and we’d stayed in the deluxe bungalows. This time however, we decided to “rough it”. I say “rough it” since our camping setup included a coffee machine, fridge, and a large canvas tent, so there was very little roughing it involved. In fact, I'd definitely refer to it more as glamping than camping. Our campsite at Budgewoi Holiday ParkAnother view of our campsiteSunset over Lake Munmorah The campsites at Budgewoi were fairly standard for Australian holiday parks…
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07Jul 2020 by Warren Prior No Comments
Lake Macquarie and Blacksmiths Beach on Fly (and Lure)

Lake Macquarie and Blacksmiths Beach on Fly (and Lure)

Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Lure Fishing, Salt Water, Trip Report
After months in quasi-lockdown, getting used to the new normal imposed on us by Covid-19, we finally managed to get away for 5 days of bliss at Lake Macquarie. We'd never been to the area before, but chose it for a handful of reasons. Firstly, it offered a great selection of both fishing and family friendly activities. Secondly, it's close to home, and wouldn't require hours of driving to get there, eating up valuable fun time. And thirdly, they had availability (yes, the majority of Australians were as eager to get outdoors as we were, post lockdown). We drove up on Friday, taking a quick detour via Hunter Water Sports to pick up a fish finder mount for my kayak. We also stopped off at Woolworths to stock up on…
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