Purrumbete 2006

I've managed four trips to Purrumbete with 4 different boat buddies. Firstly, Michael my son, then Chris M, Brian C and lastly Peter F.  Christened the new boat, she's a real beaut!

First trip was absolutely awesome as we chased smelters all day long. Nice bi 4 pound plus rainbows. Managed a Chinook second cast and a couple of rainbows.  Needed to tweak my flies when I got home and add a touch of lead to improve the action. By February, the action had died down a bit as you had to chase around the lake to find where they were. We pinpointed them near Hosie's rocks. A whole school of Chinook had rounded up smelt and were making a real meal of them. Hard work to catch. They kept us amused all day, suffice to say, Chris and I had breakfast at 4.00 p.m.

Kept tweaking my flies and have come up with short tailed wooly buggers....the takes are obviously short. Most successful colour to date is black. Dead slow retrieve on an intermediate and hang on. Use 8 pound fluoro tippet and make sure that the knots are good. have come up with the closest imitation to the local smelt in olive, holographic tinsel and black over wing. Perfect imitation. Too bad it doesn't work.

Last trip was a shocker. Barometer had bottomed out and the smelt risers were few and far between. The FFA boys were there and successful on a particular fly. Can't tell you what it is though.