Last year, Millbrook Lakes had very little rain. We had a very dry, albeit cold Winter, and the usual Spring rains never showed up. This resulted in very low water levels. The view of Cabin Lake from the windows of the Cabin was simply one of dry paddocks.
The rain Gods have lifted their game however. We have had 85mm of rain in July so far. We've also had 260mm of rain since the beginning of May. And the trout are loving it! The following photos exhibit the change over 7 days in July.... A great effort by Brian & Pete last Tuesday in very trying conditions. It rained all day and we suspect that, days later, they are yet to dry out!!
Nevertheless they landed 7 nice fish on an assortment of nymphs & larger wet flies. From Brian........ "Thanks again Phil. I had to endure (Pete’s) tales of skill and exploits all the way home, thanks for that! It was tough but still very enjoyable. Just to see that one big fish do what it did is one of the reasons I love this type of fishing." The Sunshine Flyfishers came to Millbrook on the weekend and watched the season change from autumn to winter in the space of a night! Friday afternoon and Saturday were relatively mild, if windy. But on Saturday night a big cold front rolled in, dropping an inch of rain and pushing the temperatures down into single figures. By Sunday morning, the cabin fireplace had gone from ornamental to essential!
Fortunately, the fishing wasn’t quite as topsy-turvy as the weather, with all the boys landing multiple fish and good ones too, with some 6 pounders in the mix. In fact, there were a couple of PBs achieved by Bill and Andrew. It really does look like the seasons have shifted up here with low teen maximums forecast for the coming week, and low single figure minimums. The duns hatching on the weekend are likely to be the last we’ll see til spring. Fortunately though, the cold weather and rain mean tailers and midging fish are on the increase, with lots of big trout being sighted in the extreme shallows. Millbrook regulars Brian and Peter were fortunate to have an autumn day dominated by sight fishing. First up, fish were charging and tailing in the shallows - they were hard to fool but Peter caught two beauties - one on a stick caddis and another on a buzzer. Around lunch time the hazy sky and a moderate breeze brought the duns on and the boys fished a steady hatch for nearly two hours. Brian landed two fish over 5 pounds and dropped another that took him onto the backing. Mid afternoon was quieter, but towards sunset the trout got up again, this time on caddis and then midge. Another 5 trout were landed to finish a good day.
David, John and Toby are regular stream fishers, who came up to Millbrook to brush up on their lake fishing skills. On a bright day with little wind they were put to the test – it was all about quick, accurate casts to large fish while staying low and out of view. After a few missed chances, all three anglers landed multiple trout – all sighted first. The best was Davids 6 pound rainbow which took a Possum Emerger dry, all his fly line plus several metres of backing, and around 10 minutes fight time! Patience and a high rid tip won in the end. Great work David.
The March Madness crew didn't arrive until 1st April this year - thus renaming themselves 'April's Fools'.
One thing that didn't change was the high level of fishing skills on show this year. Along with abundant Culinary and Viticulture skills. The 'Fools' landed over 2 dozen nice fish for the trip. Sunday being the best day. Thanks to Dan Flynn & Patrick Hughes for organising everything! Long-time Millbrook fishers Ning and San brought their 13 year old sons to Millbrook for a learn to fly fish day. This is a great age for budding flyfishers to have a go, with enthusiasm, great reflexes and top eyesight matched by a decent concentration span. Mun and Nathan put in a terrific effort, and had several takes between them; even landing a couple of nice rainbows. Meanwhile the dads held up their end, catching 10 browns and rainbows. Mun had a bit of trouble persuading his dad to leave Bluegum and head back to the favoured Cabin Lake though: it took a few ‘five minute warnings’ before San finally left the tailers and headed back to the car on threat of being grounded! A good day all round.
Millbrook regular, David Wehl, celebrated Easter 2016 by chasing some very large Mayfly feeders. A insanely strong 6lb Rainbow was followed up by this majestic 5lb Brownie. Both caught on #14 Emergers.
The Annual Autumn Girls Weekend at Millbrook Lakes was another great success. 11 Lady Anglers landed about 30 fish for the weekend the biggest being a 6 pound Brown by Janet Graham. The next Girls Weekend is the 1st weekend of November 2016. Well done Girls!!!
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