Ultra Lites Testimonials
Jacob – Minnesota
Lure: Black Fury Mino Ultra Lites
I had a size 0 that I like, so I bought this 00.
MW – SE PA To Montana, Pennsylvania
Lure: Aglia Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brook - Trout, Brown - Trout, Cutthroat - Trout, Rainbow
The Mepps 00 has caught me more trout than I can remember. As a kid I would catch trout with the 00 in creeks in SE Pennsylvania that no one even knew had trout. I then took my fishing to Montana where I caught trout with the 00 so big I didn’t even know trout got that big in small streams. I got hooked on fly fishing and let all my 00s collect dust and disappear. I recently bought some more after reminiscing about the fun I had with them, and the skill it takes to REALLY fish them. Fished right the 00 is, in my mind, the best trout lure out there. I look forward to getting back to my roots and catching a lot of quality trout with an ultra light outfit and my new 00s. When I was a kid you didn’t call them spinners, you called them a Mepps. Thanks to Mepps for keeping these great lures around!
Gabe Resto – Bell Creek, Wicomico River In Salisbury, Maryland
Lure: Aglia Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Bass, Largemouth - Bluegill (Bream, Brim)
I tied on my ultra lite for the last couple casts to see if anything would bite a lure instead of nightcrawler, and two casts later my personal best bass waked out of the brush and slammed it. The perfect lure!
Ralston Heath – Lake Tohotakaleaka FL., Florida
Lure: Comet Mino Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Bass, Largemouth - Bluegill (Bream, Brim)
I use the 00 Comet Mino as my "unfair" advantage, so I never go home skunked. When nothing else works this lure does. Caught lots of 'gills and bass. Too bad they don't make the gold mino anymore, but mine still works.
Leonard Rex – Private Pond, Johnston County, North Carolina
Lure: Comet Mino Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Bluegill (Bream, Brim)
I caught some nice bream with a Mepps Comet today. It always seems to produce.
Joseph Schroeder – Private Pond, Wisconsin, Wisconsin
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Rainbow
The #0 Black Fury with pink dots, is by far the best spinner for stocked trout I have ever used, one fish after another.
Adrian Webb – Sheffield, Tasmania. Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' My Best Days Trout Fishing This Season.'' 14-9-15
Another nice warm sunny day with a change forecast for later on tonight I was off to the Dasher River again to fish from where I finished yesterday when I finished the day with 10 browns.
I didn't start early, it was 9.45 am when I hit the river and within two casts I had my first brown on the little black bladed #00 Black Fury. A couple more flicks of the spinner into the same stretch of water only resulted in one more hit and miss. The next few runs didn't give up a single fish, yet it was really good looking trout water too. A few casts into a longer and deeper run and I was finally onto another brown which tossed the spinner after two leaps from the river. This was certainly a poorer start to the day than yesterday that's for sure.
The rest of the river I was going to fish was now in full sun and I'm hoping the blade blade will do the trick in these conditions like it did yesterday. I had several follows but they wouldn't take it so I changed to a copper #00 Black Fury. Well this worked because on the first cast I was onto a small brown, two cast later and another brown took the spinner. So the change of spinner seemed to have worked for now which was good to see.
As I worked my way upstream the trout shut down again and started to follow the spinner once again. The wind had picked up from the North as well which may have had an effect on them too. It was back to the black blade once again to see if this would get them back on the attack once more. It did as over the next 100 meters I hooked five browns and caught and released four of them. Long wide shallow water runs in full sun are ahead of me now for at least another 500 meters, I thought I would head back to the car and try another area that has quite a lot of cover along both sides of the river. I was pretty happy how I finished up here with seven browns caught and released.
By the time I had driven a couple of kilometers to the next area plus a 15 minute walk to the river the Northerly wind had really picked up, this was going to have an effect on fishing and casting the little black fury spinner.
Finally I was back in the Dasher River and commenced working my way upstream. The wind wasn't so bad once I was in the river because the it was protected by the trees and shrubs along it. The first section I didn't have see a fish but in the next small run I picked up a nice medium sized brown.
I moved onto the next stretch of water that was some 50 meters in length and around 300mms deep with a nice medium flow running down it. A run this long could be holding any where up to three or four browns at least, well it didn't today as it just gave up the one small brown which was disappointing. That's the thing with trout fishing, you come across runs and stretches of river that you reckon should be holding a few fish and the end result is just the one fish or at worst a big fat zero. On other trips here this stretch of water has given up three trout most times, but not today. Any way I was soon making my way back upstream working every bit of water that I thought would be holding trout. Most of them did too, by the time I had come to where I was ending my session I had caught and released another nine browns from eleven hook ups and several hit and misses.
It was 2.45pm when I finished up today in what turned out to be my best day's trout fishing this season. With 18 well conditioned browns caught and released for the day, it was a great day on the Dasher River with only four or five others being hooked and lost. This takes my season total to 54 since the 9th August when I had my first spin session on a river for the season.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Sheffield, Tasmania. Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' Dasher River Starting To Fire Up.'' 13-9-15
Given that we had a beautiful day here with above average temperatures today I headed on over to the Dasher River just five minutes down the road for a short spin session before the V8 Supercars came on the television. I was in the river by 10.00am after a brief 15 minute walk through the paddocks. I started the session using a small gold Aglia spinner and had the first fish take the lure on the third cast. Two casts later in the same section of river I had my second wild brown trout on the spinner, it was soon on the river bank and then released. This was a good start to the day and just how I like them to start. I moved onto the next section of river and managed two hit and misses and a follow from another brown.
With the sun full on the river for the next couple of hundred meters that I was going to fish I decided to change to a #00 (1.5gm) black bladed Black Fury so it wouldn't reflect too much light in the water. This worked a treat for the next hour as I finished up having eleven more hits for eight browns caught and released before calling it a day just after 11.45am. I had only covered some 400 meters of river for a total of 15 hits for 11 hook ups and 10 browns caught and released in what was a pretty good session, and a short one at that.
They weren't big fish and never are in this great little river, the best one going 410gms. The average weight overall was around 360gms and there's nothing wrong with that either. So tomorrow I'm heading back there to start fishing again from where I finished today, I'm hoping that they will be just as aggressive.
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
GOOD FINISH TO THE TROUT SEASON.'' 3-5-15
After having 22mms of rain yesterday which was something I've been wanting for weeks, it couldn't have come at a better time. With the closure of the brown trout season today it lifted the little Dasher River by a couple of inches and put some much needed flow & life back into it. All I need now is that it brings the trout on the attack which I'm pretty sure it will. The river was a nice dark tannin colour, this meant a gold blade black fury was the lure of choice this afternoon.
The first one hundred meters it was very quiet without a sign of a fish, not even a follow which had me a little worried. This stretch of river that gave up nothing normally gives up a couple of browns. This had me thinking was I at the right area today, should I have started off in one of my other haunts of the Dasher River. Well I continued on and then I spotted a bow wave heading away from me from a brown that I had spooked in the shallows. This immediately lifted the confidence once seeing that bow wave I can tell you. The trout are here.
The next short section of river I noticed a brown sipping from the surface so I flicked the little Mepps upstream past where I spotted the rising fish. Within three winds of the reel I was onto a nice little river brown. Two leaps from the river saw it toss the little Black Fury much to my disgust, but at least I had a take which was a start. That's the one good thing about fishing these small rivers and streams the fish on the rise in them will more often than not take the spinner. Not like when fishing the large rivers when they won't even look at a lure. Onto the next run of water and it was a long shallow run in which I had three hook ups for two browns caught and released.
This went on over the next couple of stretches catching a brown here and there and having several hit and misses on the way upstream. It was looking like I could be in for a top afternoon the way it was going. Then it happened!! I was onto a nice solid brown and then the return spring in the bail arm of the reel gave up the ghost and failed. I couldn't keep any tension on the fish and it tossed the spinner. Not only that I was close on three quarters of a kilometer from the car where I did at least have a spare reel in the boot. So what was looking like a very good afternoon came to a sudden halt and I was on my way back to the car for a change of reels. Up until the reel packed up I had managed 17 hits for 13 hookups and 8 browns caught and released.
Once back at the car and a change of reel I decided to move on to another area a couple of kilometres up the road. This was on another private property that I have access to and has some pretty good runs on it as well. I have at least a two or more kilometres of river I can fish if need be here. This area started off in the same way as the previous area I fished earlier, nothing for the first one hundred meters before I had my first fish in hand. It was a small (290gm) well conditioned river brown with some very bright red spots down each side of it. The browns in these small tannin rivers are certainly beautifully coloured fish. As I worked my way over the next kilometre I did catch another 7 browns from 21 hits and 11 hook ups which finished my season on a good note. It was now 5.00pm and I'd had enough for the afternoon. The best brown for the day went 430gms with several others just reaching the 400 gm mark as well. These were all well conditioned fish too. The 16 browns caught and released today brought my season total to 485 which was an improvement on last season.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
' DASHER RIVER FIRES UP TODAY.'' 27-3-15
Another 17mms of rain yesterday had me heading off to the Dasher River again this afternoon for another spin session. I thought it may be on the rise, but once there it was still the same height as my previous trip. Today I'm fishing another long stretch of river on private property thanks to a land owner that I've known for many years now. The only difference to the river was the water colour. Today it was much darker, just like a strong cup of black tea. In saying that, I could still see the river bottom in most sections.
Today's session was over a one kilometre stretch of river which has a lot of shallow runs coupled with a few deeper (400mms) medium flowing sections. I started the session off using the copper #00 black fury spinner today, it's not a real bright lure but it is one that works well in this little river. The first section I fished was a short 400mms deep run and I had a hit and miss on the first cast and retrieve. The second cast to the top of it resulted in a small (270gm) brown taking the lure. This was a typical Dasher River brown, bright golden colour with bright red spots. The next cast upstream the back fury was taken again, this fish was bigger (340gm) than the last one. Great start to the session with two trout taken in the first stretch of river.
The wind had really picked up now which was making casting a little difficult with the little 1.5gm spinner as it meant I now had to adjust my casting to the wind gusts. Wait for it to drop then quickly get a cast in before it gusts up again. It's not just the wind that becomes a problem, it's the leaves and little twigs etc the come with it as they get blown off the surrounding bush. Often the lure will pick up a small twig or leaf on the retrieve which results in not catching a fish. It's days like this that I don't really mind, it's just another challenge for me to get through, plus it does hone ones fishing skills. The next couple of runs were very shallow and only gave a up a couple of hit and misses. Still, the trout are here and in an aggressive mood and that's the main thing.
Over the next three hundred or so meters I had caught and released ten more browns and lost three others. After catching the first of ten browns I lost three in a row which made for a change of spinner. The one I took of had been used for quite some time now and the trebles were pretty well worn down from continually honing them to keep them sharp. It was replaced with a brand new copper black fury, that spinner caught the next nine browns with the best fish going 440gms. The wind was predicted to get stronger as the day went on, and it did. It had reached gale force just as the BOM forecast. I fished on for another one hundred and fifty meters and caught and released another six nice river browns a lost one other, plus having several hit and misses. With the wind being like it was I called it a day. It wasn't worth fishing on any further, it was now near impossible to cast the little spinner upstream with the wind coming face on at around 40kph. With eighteen browns caught and released it turned out to be a great session in tough conditions. It has helped my tally reach 383 trout for the season. The little Mepps black fury did it's job once again.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Hunter – Pond In Windsor , South Carolina
Lure: Aglia Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Bass, Largemouth
The first cast I threw out I caught a monster bass, so I use it every time I bass fish now.
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' QUITE THE OPPOSITE RESULT TODAY ON THE DASHER RIVER.''
15-10-14
After yesterdays disappointing results in having ten hookups for only the four trout landed I was determined to turn the results around today. So late this afternoon I headed over to the Dasher River and thought I would give it a go and see what happens. Well after a 35 minute walk to the river I was ready to hit the water with a little Mepps #00 copper Black Fury. The river was a tannin colour and just the right height with a reasonable flow of water. I was busy looking to see where I would start fishing that I didn't notice the big Tiger snake that was some five feet away from me until it moved.
Boy, that wasn't something I was ready for today that's for sure, but it that time of year and so from now on I'll definitely be on the lookout for them. This is the first time that I've come across one in all my years of fishing the Dasher River. I'm always on the look out for them on the other rivers that I fish because I've come across several of them on those rivers. So with that out of the way I started my session and completely wiped the snake from my mind. It wasn't until I had fished around one hundred and fifty meters before I had my first Dasher brown on. This was a nice 340gm fish that was beautifully coloured too, a typical red spotted Dasher River brown.
I managed another four medium sized browns over the next two stretches of water before having a couple of quite sections that only gave up one hit and miss. Then it all turned around and over the next four hundred meters of river I had a great run by hooking fifteen browns and caught and released ten of them. These were a real mix of sizes too, from 190gm browns up to 340gms and they were all well conditioned fish. I had turned the tables on yesterdays results and so it was time to call it a day. Fifteen browns caught and released from twenty hookups all taken on the Mepps #00 copper Black Fury, I was much happier with that result for sure.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Kimberley, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Aglia Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Rainbow
'' FIRST RAINBOW FOR THE SEASON.'' 28-9-14
With the weather forecast not looking all that flash today I wasn't going fishing at all, then by 2.00pm this afternoon it wasn't really too bad. So I darted off to Kimberley for a bit of a session in the Mersey River. The river had dropped by a few inches since my trip here last week and it was running clear. I headed to an area downstream from where I was going to start the afternoon stint and on the very first cast I was into a fish. It was a nice solid rainbow that hit the little gold Mepps #00 Aglia hard and fast. Well after a few leaps and runs it was soon in the net, photographed and released. Great start to the session and it was my first Mersey River rainbow for the season too which was good. This fish was in excellent condition and went 340gms and was a beautiful coloured fish as well.
The next run of water I hooked and lost a small brown and had a couple of follows from a few smaller fish that were only half interested in the spinner. I changed to a F-3 Rapala rainbow pattern and used that in the next two long stretches of river, but I could only manage another couple of follows from medium sized browns. So it was on with a Mepps #00 copper Black Fury, this colour has been the most favoured by the trout over most of my trips this season. Well two casts into the next stretch of water and I had another rainbow on and this one was a little smaller than the last 'bow. I soon had it in and quickly released.
There were now a few rain drops falling and it wasn't long before it became a little heavier and I thought it was time to head on back to the car. Then it stopped with a few minutes and so I continued on. Well I should have headed back to the ''Trout Stalker 2'' as all I could mange over the next five hundred minutes was five hookups (all browns) and lost every one of them. Every fish was lost on the second or third jump from the river, still that's trout fishing. It was near 5.00pm when I decided to finish up and head back to the car. In all it wasn't too bad today really as there were signs of a few more fish making an appearance which is good. The one thing that hasn't changed in the Mersey River here is the river bottom. It is still a slippery as ever and it does still knock the body around that's for sure. My Korkers studded felt soled wading boots are just great in these conditions, as they do make a hell of a difference than the old rubber soled waders. With poor weather forecast for the next few days I will be thinking about what river I may hit on the next trip.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' GREAT SPIN SESSION AFTER A 10 DAY BREAK.'' 19-9-14
Well after a ten day break since my last spin session at the Elizabeth River (Lake Leake) it was time to get out of the house and have a spin session once again. It was a fairly windy day here in Sheffield but at least there was no sign of rain about. I headed off to Kimberley to check out the Dasher River next to the Bridle Track Road and is was running at a medium height and a very dark tannin colour. It was a little too high for wading there, so I headed on to a private property that I'm allowed access to the Dasher River. After a short walk through a few paddocks I was finally at the river, and it was the perfect height for wading which was a relief. The dark tea coloured water really looked the goods today and it wasn't long before I was in the river to start off the session.
I was using one of my older Okuma Epixor 15a reels today as I haven't used it so far this season and I thought it needed a bit of a workout. Even though it's around 7 years old and has done a lot of work, it's still a great little reel to use. My choice of spinner to start with was a small #00 gold blade Aglia which has a slightly larger blade than the black fury that I normally use. The first stretch of river that I started to work was a beauty as it gave up three browns in the first 40 meters which was just the start I was hoping for. Now I'm thinking, is it going to stay like this or is it going to turn into a fizzer from here on like it has on the last few trips here.
The next two sections of river gave up another four small browns as well as hooking and losing another two after that. Yes, all is going to plan and I felt that I was right on my game today too. There were no poor casts so far, given the very windy conditions. Every thing was going just great. The only disappointment was losing the last two fish that I had hooked. So it was a change of lure, on with the #00 Copper Black Fury. It wasn't long before this little spinner had a fish on and then another and another. This went on for the next five sections of river, I was on fire.
I had now caught and released 14 browns in one and a half hours of fishing. I decided that I would fish another two sections of river before calling an end to the session. Well the I managed to have four more hook ups and landed three of the four fish hooked.
I now decided to end the session after having 20 hook ups for 17 browns caught and released in what turned out to be a great spin session after a ten day break. I was pretty happy with how the day turned out overall especially given the conditions that weren't that easy to fish in. And I was right on my game too, because I did not have one poor cast for the whole session.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' GREAT FINISH TO THE 2013-14 TROUT SEASON.'' 27-4-14
What a great day it was for the last day of the 2013-14 Trout Season with clear skies and hardly a breath of wind. Certainly glad it was the reverse of yesterdays gale force winds and freezing conditions and 9 degrees. I decided to head on back to the Dasher River for the last day as it fished fairly well two days ago and had a reasonable amount of water flow to it.
I headed to a stretch of the Dasher that I haven't fished for two seasons because of very low water levels and the influx of cormorants on it. By going here I can fish up to three kilometres of river if I wish to do so, plus it has some very good runs along it too. I arrived there around 10.30 am and walked for close on ¾ of a kilometre downstream to where I had to battle through the black berry bushes to reach the river. This area had certainly changed from my last trips here that's for sure. Black berry bushes are really spreading along many of rivers in the bush now days and are really out of control. I can't believe that nothing is being done to try and remove or poison them off by landowners, councils and the state government.
Finally I was in the river and working a nice shallow run and instantly had a hook up on the little Mepps black fury gold. Well it didn't last long as I lost it at the rivers edge as I tried to slide it onto the river bank. I decided not to take the landing net again today being a small river most times it's just as easy to bring the fish to the river bank. Works most of the time especially when they are well hooked. I wasn't too fussed about losing that trout as it was a good having a hook up so early in the session. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come! Well it was, as the next small couple of runs I did manage two more hook ups but they both tossed the spinner. Now that's three losses in a row and this was bringing back memories of the last day of the 2012-13 season when I went hope with a big fat ''Donut'' after a four hour session in the Mersey River at Merseylea.
Now this was a brand new spinner that I had on and so I couldn't blame the lure that's for sure, but I wasn't feeling confident with it. I really hate breaking new spinners in and even more so on the last day of the season. I pulled the lure box out of my vest and went through the other gold black fury's that I had in it and found a well used one. Changed over to that spinner straight away and put the new one back in the box. I will break it in properly at the start of next season . I had now covered a couple of hundred meters of river for just the three hook ups and knowing it's all going to turn around soon as it normally does in this great little river..
Well it did turn around, over the next few hundred meters with a variety of fast and medium flowing stretches of river I had caught and released eight browns from nine hook ups. The majority of these browns were well above the normal size for this little river too with the best fish going 530gms. The change of lure even though it was identical to the new one that I replaced seemed to do the trick. The further I worked my way up the river the better the fishing became as I caught another eleven browns from fourteen hook ups making it a '' Great Finish To The 2013-14 Trout Season.'' After fishing just on a kilometre of river I finished up catching and releasing nineteen solid above average browns from twenty six hook ups. This took my season tally to 397 trout in 65 trips for the 2013-14 season which was 27 more than my previous seasons total in 75 trips.
I will over the next few days go through all of my reports and write up on how each river fared and how many brown and rainbows were taken from those rivers that I fished and put it all together into one full season report. The Mepps Black Fury's, Aglias, & Thunder Bugs excelled once again throughout the trout season as they always do.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' DASHER RIVER BETTER SINCE THE RAIN.'' 25-4-14
I thought I would give the Dasher River a spin session this afternoon before the weather sets in again late this afternoon. I checked it out the other day after we had 25mms of rain and it was running much higher and a little on the dirty side and I decided to give it a couple of days to settle.
Today it was the perfect height and had a nice dark tannin colour making it ideal for spinning.
I intended on fishing around three quarters of a kilometre of the Dasher River today in what was cool and moderately calm conditions.
The first fifty meters was a little quiet with just two hit and misses, but I didn't mind that too much, at least the trout were there and interested in the little Mepps black fury gold once again. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I hooked and landed one, and I was spot on. The next two sections of river gave up two nice browns that were beautifully coloured too. The red spots on the smaller (280gm) brown really stood out on it. The other brown was also a nice solid (420gm) fish that hit hard and fast in a very shallow run of the Dasher.
Then it all went quiet once I had passed under the second bridge as all I could manage was three hits for the one (370gm) brown over the next one hundred and fifty metres. This area that I was now fishing above the bridge is normally better than those runs below it. I was now wondering if I should have started off fishing from further downstream and working my way back up. Too late now I'm staying put and continuing on, plus the Mepps #00 black fury gold was doing a great job as always.
It all worked out reasonably well over the next few hundred meters as I did have another nine hits for eight hookups and five browns caught and released. The best brown tipped the scales at 520gms which is a very good size fish for this little river. The others were all around 360 – 380 gm fish and were all very solid browns too. As I approached the next section just around a bend in the river I noticed the water was starting to get a little dirty and it was then I noticed around a dozen cattle in the river. Well that put an end to the session as it was not worth fishing on now once they have hit the river that's for sure. It didn't matter that much as I was only going to fish on for another hundred meters any way, so I finished a little earlier than expected.
I was happy with catching eight browns (all released) for the time I was in the Dasher River and it was good to see that the Dasher River had picked up since the latest dose of rain we had. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty wild from what I heard on the radio, so maybe I'll give it another go from further downstream on Sunday after the weather has moderated. We'll wait and see??
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Merseylea, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
''A FAIR SPIN SESSION AT MERSEYLEA IN GUSTY CONDITIONS.'' 11-4-14
After doing the grocery shopping this morning and no sign of rain about I thought a trip over to Merseylea may be worth another go seeing my trip was cut short there yesterday. I decided to fish another section further upstream this afternoon and arrived at the Mersey River around 1.25pm to very windy conditions. Something I wasn't expecting, as there was only a light breeze at Sheffield when I left. Still nothing I can do about it, but it's going to make the fishing tough as it will be right in my face a s I work my way upstream. The wind gusts are sometimes strong and then it drops to just a light breeze so it won't be all bad I suppose. I'm only having a short spin session today so I guess I can put up with it for a couple of hours..
I walked close on a 600 metres downstream to where I would start my stint in the river and it seemed okay at the start of the session. I waded out to the middle of a fast water section of the river and started casting the little Mepps gold black fury from one bank and working a 180 deg arc to the other. The wind was doing it's thing too, strong gusts and then easing off to a light breeze then gusting back up again. This section of river was fairly wide and shallow and had a few still pockets along each side of it, and that's where I was casting the Black Fury. The with a slow retrieve and then just letting the flow do the work for me it wasn't long before I had my first (380gm) brown take the Mepps. I didn't bother to bring the net again today either as this area I'm fishing rarely holds any large browns. I did pick up another brown around the same size as the first fish taken in this fast water section.
The next run of river was a little deeper and much slower flowing and I didn't get a single hit or even a follow for the whole length of it which was close on eighty meters I reckon. I really did expect to catch a couple in that stretch of river too. Ahead of me was a very long stretch of fast water, and I just love fishing fast water. This fast water wasn't very wide and so I could work it from the one side and easily cast the little (1.5gm) Black Fury to the opposite bank and the slowly retrieve it back across the flow. It did have a few small deep areas on the opposite bank which I thought may be holding some trout. Those areas didn't give up a single fish at all. I did have a few problems lobbing the spinner into them on several occasions as the wind would gust up just after I had cast it. This carried the spinner further downstream (up to three meters) to where I had already fished with it. The wind gusts were now much stronger than when I arrived and started fishing.
The side of the river that I was casting from had a long section of fairly flat and very shallow (60mms) water along it and I decided to just work that water. Shallow water like this is most times over looked by the inexperienced trout fisher, as they think it's too shallow and there wouldn't be any trout in it. Well, this shallow stretch gave up six nice medium (ave.350gm) browns over some twenty meters of river. I was nearly back to the where I had parked the car and so I called an end (3.50pm) to the session. I had intended to fish on much further but I was happy with how the day had gone, plus I was sick and tired of the wind. Eight hook ups for eight browns landed, pretty good batting average for sure.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' DASHER RIVER GIVES UP A FEW BROWNS.'' 2-4-14
After the weather finally cleared here in Sheffield today I headed on over to the Dasher River (at 3.15pm) some ten minutes from home at Claude Road. After a one kilometre walk through the paddocks I reached my starting point where I would fish my way back upstream to the main road bridge. I was a little surprised to how low the river level was especially after last weeks 57mms of rain here. It was also a very dark tannin colour too, but still looked good enough for a spin. The sky was now clear and there was just a medium South Westerly breeze blowing which was enough to keep those little pesky flies away that hang around the cow paddocks.
On the third cast I was onto my first brown and it took the Mepps #00 gold Black Fury hard and fast. This was a nice well condition little brown that went 350gms which is a fairly good size for this little river.
Then in the next small section of fast water that I fished I had another one take the spinner one the very first cast. Now this is how I like it and I'm hoping this run will continue for the rest of the session. I wasn't really expecting much as this little river had struggled through the summer due to the lack of rain in the area for quite some time. So it was good to see that the browns had made it through those very dry conditions. So I had now picked up two fish in very quick time and the next cast I had another one on, but then lost it just as quick.
Onto the next small run of fast water and the same thing happened once more, fish on and this one stayed one as well. Another cast upstream into the same small run and I was on again. These were only little browns of around 270gms, but they're still fun on light tackle and always fight to the end.
I had now caught and released four browns in the first 60 metres of river and this is how the Dasher used to fish most of the time. Then over the next four hundred meters it was very dead and all I managed was two hits for the one (290gm) brown. I did have a several follows, but the fish had all of a sudden turned off. I did try several different coloured blades to no effect and went back to the Mepps #00 Black Fury gold blade that I started with and that was the one that worked again.
I came across another nice little run of water that had a good cover along the opposite river bank and I picked up another two browns in quick succession which was great. I'm now thinking they're back in an aggressive mood again. I had now fished close on three quarters of a kilometre and picked up seven browns which wasn't as good as I'd hoped for that's for sure, especially how the session had started. I was looking to have caught at least fifteen by now, but it wasn't to be. Over the next couple of hundred metres to the bridge I did catch another two (260gm) browns making it nine for the two and a half hour session. It was good to get back and have a spin in this little river. It's a river that I always enjoy fishing even on a bad day it will give up a few browns like it did today. I sat under the bridge for around ten minutes watching several small browns leaping out of the river occasionally picking off the black spinners that were hovering above the river. This made a good ending to an enjoyable afternoon on the Dasher River.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Merseylea. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' NICE WELL CONDTIONED BROWNS FROM MERSEYLEA.'' 7-4-14
With dull and heavy overcast conditions today I headed on over to Merseylea around 2.45pm for a couple hours of spinning the Mersey River in the hope of catching a few browns. The river was still running at a medium height and was a light tannin colour. The wind was variable and coming mainly from the North East which wasn't from my favourite direction either. The air here was fairly cool too which was a bit of a surprise as it wasn't too bad when I left Sheffield.
Started off with the same Mepps #00 gold Black Fury that I've been using over the last five or so trips now and I'm sticking with it as it's what the trout have had a liking for. The first small section of fast water that I flicked into gave up a small (240 gm) brown that was soon released back into the river.
The next couple of stretches all I managed was two hits for only the one hook up in which I lost any way. The section ahead of me was a mix of fast and medium flowing water and this one hundred meter run gave up five very nice well conditioned browns with the best one going just on 600 gms. I was pretty happy picking up the five browns with out losing any of them which was great. But that was where it ended, as over the last fifty meter stretch I had another three hook ups and lost every one of them. It was now getting close to 6.00pm and time to head back before it got too dark and so that was my day done. One thing that I did notice today was that there were no trout rising or jumping today. Did spot a few Cormorants flying over from further up the river which wasn't good.
I had forgotten that I was now back fishing at normal time than I had been fishing when daylight saving was on, other wise I would have left home at 1.45pm, and I could have fish just a little longer and a little further up the river. Just a matter of putting the brain into gear isn't it!!
cheers
Adrian
Adrian Webb – Dasher River, Sheffield. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' GREAT AFTERNOON SESSION ON THE DASHER RIVER.'' 3-4-14
After a fair afternoon on the Dasher River yesterday I thought it would be worth while to try it once again this afternoon. I have another friendly land owner who lets me fish his property and so I made the decision to try there today. I will have close on two kilometres of river that I can fish and I'm hoping it will fish a little better than where I fished yesterday. The wind was much stronger and gusty today and this was good as it will put a ripple on the surface which is better than being flat calm. Once in the river it wasn't all that bad as the wind was going over the top of the trees and so most sections were reasonably calm. It wasn't long before I had my first brown on and soon had it on the river bank. I didn't have my landing net with me today as most fish here are rarely no bigger than 400 gms. So it looked like the little Mepps #00 gold black fury is going to be the spinner to stay with again today, well at least while they're having a go at it any way. The first five hundred meters of river gave up seven browns from seven hookups which I was pretty happy with. There are several stretches of river over the distance that I am fishing today that are just too shallow to fish when the river is low like is is at the moment. So I will be bypassing around half a kilometre of river all up.
I was now working upstream right into the face of the wind and hell it was making casting difficult. I was having to cast some meter or so to the far right of the river to allow for the spinner to drop into the zone that I wanted to work. This can be a real pain too, because sometimes just as one makes the cast, the wind will drop and then the spinner goes right into a bush on the river bank. But I stuck to it and did pick up another four browns over some three hundred meters from five hookups plus I had several hit and misses along the way. So far so good as that's eleven browns being caught and released from twelve hook ups which was good. Already passed yesterday's total catch of nine.
The next and last five hundred meters of the Dasher that I was going to fish turned at right angles to the wind and also had some cover along the windward side, so this was going to be much better for casting. This stretch of river also had some nice runs of fast water that are around 200mms deep and is a great area to fish as I have always picked up some nice solid browns here on previous trips.
Well, it didn't let me down again today either as over this stretch of river I had had ten hookups and caught and released six browns as well as having many hits and misses. The best brown went 520gms and the average weight was around 480 gms which is well above the average size for trout in this little river. It was now 6.20pm and the sun was now very low, besides I still had a fair walk back to the car so that's when I called it a day as much as I hated too. I would liked to have fished on further but once the sun gets low this time of the year it's not long before darkness sets in. I headed back to the ''Trout Stalker 2'' and I got back to it just on dark, so it was a good decision to leave when I did. Nothing worse than walking through bush and paddocks in darkness.
The good thing about today was the fact that every trout was over the legal size in the Dasher River something that I have never had in all my years of fishing it. So with the onslaught it had from the Cormorants and the very low summer river levels it may have done some good by evening out the population of this little river. There may be fewer fish in it now but the size and quality of them is much better which is great. So this was the best day that I have had on the Dasher River all season, 22 hookups for 17 browns caught and released made for a great session that's for sure and the Mepps #00 ultra lite did a great job once again.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Meander River, Meander. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
MUCH TOUGHER FISHING TODAY IN THE MEANDER RIVER. 11-2-14
Clear skies,warm conditions and a North Easterly breeze wasn't the ideal conditions for fishing today that's for sure. But I went any way. Left home around 1.30 pm and headed off to the Meander River in the hope that the wind may drop by the time I arrived there at 2.20 pm. Well it hadn't, it was still there but not enough to make casting the little Mepps spinners a problem and that's what counted most of all. Nothing worse than trying to cast a light weight lure in gusty conditions. I thought I would try a new area today, one that I have been meaning to try for a couple of seasons now. By the time I walked to the area that I was going to fish the wind had dropped quite a bit but was still from the Nth East which was a pain in the butt.
The first section of river looked pretty good too, it was a nice long stretch of medium flowing water and it really did look fishy even with the sun full on it. I decided to try a different little Mepps spinner today, and so it was on with a black bladed #00 (1.5gm) Aglia Mouche Noire with a red tag attached to the trebles. Within two casts I was straight into a nice solid brown that stayed on for about fifteen seconds before tossing the lure. Still this was a good sign as it was a real aggressive attack from this fish and I was hoping that there may be a lot more like this in the river today. I moved on another ten meters or so and then in three casts I had hooked another two fish, but they too tossed the spinner.
I'm now thinking it's going to be one of those days, aggressive fish that hit hard and fast but are only lipped and don't stay on. Well the same thing happened again in the next section of fast water where I hooked another two browns with the same result. I am now really starting to get a little ticked off by this and so it was time for a change of spinner. It wasn't that there was any thing wrong with the Aglia Noire at all, it was only because the trout weren't taking it right into the mouth and staying hooked. When this keeps happening then one just has to try another spinner and see if it can turn things around in my favour.
On with the ever faithful #00 Black Fury (black blade) that I used on my trip here last Friday. This worked first cast as I was onto a nice medium (620gm) brown, and it stayed on and was soon in the net. Once in the net it tossed the lure too and so I did have a bit of luck on my side this time. I did take a photo of it while I was playing it out, and that's the only one I took as I completely forgot to take one of it in the net before releasing it. Ahead of me now was a very long stretch of rugged rocky fast water that I knew was going to be pretty tough going. This stretch would have to be one of the toughest stretches of any river that I have fished for quite some time, in fact I would say it was going to be the toughest for sure. Tough it was too! Even with the spiked felt soled boots it was still hard keeping my footing here, and to make matters worse I didn't even get a follow or site a fish for close on 500 metres.
I now had approx two hundred meters of this fast water left in the hope I could find a way out further upstream on the right hand side. I couldn't exit the river from either side of it as one side was just full on heavy scrub and the other was a three meter high river bank, so I just had to press on for the next two hundred meters regardless. I was totally buggered and it was as hot as hell as the wind had dropped right off and I was fishing in full sun, which didn't make it any easier.. One good thing that came out of the last thirty meters of this fast water, was it did give up five nice solid browns from six hook ups. These were all good fish of around 500 to 600 gms and these were in great condition.
At last I could see a way out of the river and it was on the right hand side, meaning that I could walk back to the car with out having to cross back over the river. It was now 6.45 pm and I had approx a 40 minute walk back to the car and then head for home. It had been a pretty testing day today, but in saying that it was still a good one as I did catch and released six nice browns and lost just as many too, plus it was an area that I finally got to fish for the first time. Also got to take some photos of a new area I hadn't been too before. It may be a while before I do again too seeing how tough it was on the old body. Still I now know what the area is like and it does hold some good solid browns and so it ill be worth having another spin session later on in the season, around end of March I would think.
cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Meander River, Meander. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
PB BROWN IN A TOP SESSION ON THE MEANDER RIVER. 7-2-13
With a Nth Easterly wind this morning I wasn't even thinking of going fishing today until around 1.00pm when it died off. It was cloudy and now even a little humid and so it was on with the fishing clothes and off to the Meander River. Once there the sun had broken through, but there was also a reasonable amount of cloud around as well still making it pretty good for a spin session. The river was medium to low in height and running clear making me stick with the small Mepps black bladed Black Fury.
Today I was going to be working the fast water and nothing else as that's where the trout will be holding in these conditions for sure. The first section that fished didn't give up a fish, but the next section did. It was only a small (240 gm) brown, but it was a start and that's what counts. The next section was a deep run of fast water that tapered off at the lower end of it before it then ran off much faster. I flicked the little black fury to the opposite bank and on the second turn of the reel the lure what hit hard and fast from a massive brown. Now I wasn't expecting a fish of this size as the majority of trout have been averaging around the 300 gms and smaller this season, but this one looked ten times that size.
This brown then made a run straight into the fast water below once I hooked it, and I thought the 4 lb line will not hold this fish in this run of fast water. Then it turned and started heading back upstream turning the odds in my favour which was a relief for now. Any way after battling this fish for around three minutes (seemed like 30 minutes) and still not knowing if the line was going to hold on until I could slip the net under this beautiful brown, it tired and was soon in the net.
Wow!! what a start to the afternoon session this was. I have seen and had a few hit and misses from from large trout here from time to time, but never this size. After a few quick photos and then it was back in the water with this well conditioned female brown. It took several minutes working her in the water before I was satisfied to let her go on her way. She slowly moved off into the deeper run of this long section of fast water and looked okay. This brown went 2.9 kgs ( probably around 6-1/4 lbs) which is a PB for me in a river here in the Northern rivers of Tassie as my previous PB was 5-1/4 lb Brown taken in the Mersey River around 10 years ago. My best in the Meander was 1.3kgs. I was over the moon now and didn't care if I even caught another fish today, but I wasn't calling it a day as there's a lot more fast water ahead of me still to be worked.
The next couple of sections gave up five more medium sized browns and a very small Redfin Perch, plus hooking and losing three other browns. This is the first Redfin that I have caught in this area since Huntsman Dam was completed. I have caught them in the lower Meander River but not this far up in the fast water. I had now been in the river for close on and hour and a half and was reasonably happy with having caught and released the seven browns. I still had a lot of fast water to go though and was looking forward to increasing my catch a little (or a lot) more. I did just that as over the next three sections of the river I did pick up another six browns with the best one going 560gms and a few others that went 540gms, and also hooking and losing another four fish. So the river was fishing well and the fish were really aggressive to go with it which was great.
On to the next piece of fast water and I flicked the much battered and worse for wear black fury across the river and quack it was smashed by another big brown. Now this fish just screamed off downstream and was peeling of line quicker that I could move with it. With this area being so rocky it was impossible to keep up with this fish and it just kept on going with the flow. All I could do was keep the pressure on, but not to much as I didn't want a break off. I now only had half a spool of line left on this little Okuma reel (it only holds 110mtr x 4lb) and was starting to get a little worried what the out come is going to be. I just could not control this fish at all in this flow and after a couple of minutes of battling this big fish it was gone. It didn't bust me off as I thought it had at first, the spinner had come away from the fish as it must have been lipped. I was a little relieved in one way but also disappointed in another as I would have loved to have battled this one to the end. I reckon this fish was not as big as the other that I had caught and I reckon it would have been close to 2kgs plus.
Over the next two fast water runs I managed another brown (530gms) and a nice solid (620gm) rainbow that gave up a great battle before coming to the net. This fish I had to keep as it had engulfed the Black Fury and the gills were damaged. There was still a lot more fast water ahead of me that I would loved to have kept on working, but the body was starting to get a little too sore and so it was not worth pushing it over the limit and making it any worse for wear. There's always another day to come back and fish the area, plus it was now 6.30pm and it had been a very good session too. Fourteen browns and a nice rainbow was a pretty rewarding afternoons fishing that I was pretty happy with. The best thing was that the trout were in the bigger size range than most trips so far this season which was a good sign.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Weegena, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
'' TOUGH FISHING CONDITIONS PRODUCES A FEW TROUT.'' 30-1-14
Finally after a week or more of bright clear days and warm weather conditions today I woke to overcasts conditions at last. Had a few things to do during the morning and so I didn't head off to the Mersey River at Weegena until just after 1.00pm. When I arrived at Dylan's Bridge there was already two cars parked on both sides of the bridge ruling out my fishing this area much to my disappointment. I stood on the bridge for a while watching fish rising and jumping in most sections of the river above and below the bridge which meant there were a lot of insects at water level.. With the trout rising and jumping I knew it would make for a tough day on the water any way, even more so being a spin fisher. Decided to head back to the car and go to a property further upstream that I am lucky enough to be able to fish thanks to the land owner, and have around two or more kilometres of river all to myself. It does involve quite a tough walk to the river, but once there it's always well worth the effort as it's such a beautiful area. Even if one doesn't pick up a fish it's still a great place to be. The only killer is the tough walk back up the hill to the car after being in a river for three or more hours that it usually takes me to fish this area.
Well after a 1.5km walk to where I was going to start my fishing session the clouds had decided to part letting the sun break through to hit the water, not what I wanted that's for sure. I decided to use a #00 Black Fury with a black blade today given the clear water and the fact that there were a lot of black spinners hovering above the river and that's what the trout were feeding on. There were still quite a few cloud patches covering the river so it wasn't all bad for now. The first few sections of river were all good fast waters that normally produce a few hook ups. Well after working them for close on an hour I had not had a single hit or even a follow. There were a few medium size trout leaping in this area too, so it was going to be touch and go whether I would get a hook up today.
Then the next section that I fished was a nice run of fast water on a bend in the river and this water here has always given up a fish. It didn't let me down this time either as on the forth cast I was onto a nice medium sized (440gm) brown. This was a relief as I wasn't feeling that confident after that first hour of fishing. Quick photo and this fish was on it's way and I was onto the next section of shallow fast water. After a few cast I had a hit and could feel a very light drag on he lure and knew it was a fish, but it felt like a very small one at that. It was small too, actually it was one of the smallest fish that I have ever taken on a spinner. This was a little rainbow that would have been just on 100mm in length. This was a good sign really as it shows that there has been some natural spawning happening in the system.
The cloud had now completely gone and with full sun now on the river the next kilometre of river was pretty tough going both fish wise and wading, the fish were few and far between and the rocky river bottom was like an ice skating rink. I did manage to catch four browns and a solid (510 gm) rainbow all of which were released over that kilometre of river. Round rocks that move under foot are bad enough, but when they're covered in slime it doesn't make it any easier that's for sure. I was now back at the area where I exit the river to start my walk back to the car. I thought I would have a few more casts into one more small section of fast water before I crossed over the river and headed back through the bush and up the hill. Luck was on my side in this piece of water as I hooked into another solid (490gm photo & released) rainbow which was a reasonable end to a pretty tough day on the Mersey River. Even though the conditions and the fishing were tough going today, it was all well worth the effort that I put into it, and yes I'll definitely do it again too no matter how much it hurts me.
Cheers
Adrian
Adrian Webb – Meander River, Meander & Montana, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
FINALLY GOT BACK TO A RIVER FOR A SPIN SESSION.
23-1-14
Well after a thirteen day lay off from working on the house I finally got back to have a spin session in a river today. I must admit I was having a tough time of it not being able to get to the river over that time too. So this afternoon I set off to the Meander River and fished a six hundred meter section of mainly fast water above the bridge. Being a bright sunny day I knew it would be the main area that would be holding a few fish today. When I arrived the sun was full on the river and there was very little shade at 3.30pm and it would stay like this here until around 5.00pm.
The river was much lower than my last trip here and it was running very clear as well, but still had good flow and plenty of fast water to flick and work the little copper #00 Mepps Black Fury into. The first thirty meters didn't fair that well and it wasn't looking good at this stage, plus a Nor- Easterly had sprung up which didn't impress me either. Anyway I wasn't chucking the towel in this early and kept on working the fast water and it wasn't too much longer before I had my hook up. It was only a small (230gm) brown but I had broken the ice which was the most important thing to me. I continued on working the fast water for the next five hundred meters and fished up catching and releasing another six small browns and lost three others. So it wasn't a bad start after nearly two weeks of not being able to have a session.
I would have fished on further but noticed someone fishing a few hundred meters further upstream and so I decided to move to another area some five kilometres downstream. When I arrived there it was all nice and shaded which was great as I this was much better than full on sun and the wind had also gone. It was now 5.20pm and I thought I would fish two separate sections of river in this area which would take at least a couple of hours. The river here was much easier to wade as the river bottom was not covered in large rocks like the last area and it was much nicer in the shade too. Three casts later and I had my first fish on here and this was a solid little (310gm) brown. Twenty meters further and I had another brown (280gm) on the little copper Black Fury. Things were looking good and I'm thinking that this is going to be a better stretch of river than the last one that I had just fished. Well, it didn't turn out that good after all as I could only manage two more small browns over the next three hundred meters before I decided to move on to another spot around a kilometre further upstream.
This section was also well shaded and had a nice long run of medium flow with a small run of fast water at the top end. Well I worked this stretch of river right up to and including the fast water section at the top end and all I could manage was three hook ups but lost ever one of them. This is when I did decide to through in the towel and call it a day. It was now 7.10 pm and I had really had a fair day on the Meander River really, plus I was feeling sore (lower back) and so it was a good decision to stop now as there's another day tomorrow isn't there!! Eleven trout caught and released for the session I was happy with that and it all adds to the season's tally. I'm down on last season at the moment but still have a total of 215 trout so far this season and with another three months to go I should build it up a lot more yet hopefully. Mepps lures have helped me to win the fishing club trophy for the past 7 years in a row and I'm sure they'll get me there again this season to make it 8 in a row.
Cheers
Adrian
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Kimberley, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
'' SHORT SESSION ON THE MERSEY RIVER.'' 10-1-14
I was sitting home today waiting for some cloud cover to move in late this afternoon so I could go and have a spin session in the Mersey River near home. The forecast was for a chance of rain and a thunderstorm. Well by 5.30 pm it still hadn't arrived and so I decided I would shoot down to Kimberley and give the Mersey a couple of hours of spinning. With the sun being much lower now I knew I would be fishing the shaded area of the Mersey River at Kimberley for most of the spin session. The worst part though, was going to be the walk through the long grass to get to the river. Just hate the long grass on warm days especially when it's waist high too.
The area I was heading to is only around ten minutes from Sheffield and so I was in the river by 6.00pm and by 6.05pm I had caught my first fish and this was taken on a brand new Mepps #00 copper Black Fury. Yes I changed the other one as it had done it's job and was starting to show signs of it too as it had caught close on 40 trout. It was a small (280gm) rainbow which I photographed while still on the spinner and then quickly released the little fella. Had another hit and miss in the next section of fast water before I picked up a small (360gm) brown which tossed the lure once it was netted. It too was released for another day hopefully.
As I worked my way on upstream I noticed there were several trout on the rise and others leaping from the river feeding on the Black Spinners that were hovering above the water. This is when it gets tough for the blade spin fisher like me as they are too busy feeding on those insects. Great time for the fly fisher now. So I will just concentrate more on the fast water sections, I do know that the fast water holds trout at most times of the day. It's just a matter of knowing were to cast and how to work the spinner in it.
With the weather now getting much warmer the trout will be holding up in these runs as the water is cooler, plus there's also more oxygen in the fast water caused by the turbulence of it. The long slower stretches get warm and there's less oxygen in them during hot weather. Well, I only fished on for another couple of hundred meters and lost three fish in a row before picking up another small brown and a rainbow before calling it a day at 7.30pm. It wasn't a bad session considering I only fished for around one and a half hours I suppose.
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Merseylea. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
'' FINALLY BETTER CONDITIONS TO BE ON A RIVER.'' 7-1-14
What a great day it was here in Sheffield today with hardly a breath of wind and warmer conditions. After spending another few hours working on the house in the morning I thought I was worthy of a late afternoon session on the Mersey River. Headed off around four o'clock. I hit the river at Merseylea close on 4.30pm and was greeted with a light Nor-Westerly breeze. The river was just the right height and was slightly discoloured from a full days rain last Sunday which made it even better for spinning. The area that I was fishing today has been running a little hot and cold over the past few trips and I reckon it's because of the amount of other trout fisher's that have been here in larger numbers than other seasons. Being the holiday period there seems to be quite a few more fishers on the rivers this season than in previous years. Now with the new Angler's Access areas on many of the rivers across Tasmania it has opened up a lot more sections along the rivers that were rarely fished by most angler's before.
Any way back to starting my stint of spinning and after the first 300 meters I hadn't sighted a fish let alone have a strike. I knew that the next section of river usually gives up a fish or two as it has a nice little run of fast water that flows under the willows and the trout hold up under them. It does take some accurate casting though, as one misdirected cast and your hooked into the willows, and if you have to go and retrieve the lure then you'll also spook the trout. It only took me three casts into a covered section before I had a fish on the Mepps #00 copper Black Fury. Not a big fish (270gms) but it was still a fish and the first for the session which was a relief. This fast water run under the willows stretches for probably 400 metres and I did catch and release another two solid little (310gm) brown and had five hit and misses as well before I reached the end of it and called it a day. It was now nearly 7.30pm and time to go home and put the feet up and prepare for another few hours working on the house in the morning and maybe, just maybe, sneak in another afternoon session!!!
I may not have caught a lot today but it was still a great afternoon to finally be on a river in much calmer conditions.
cheers
meppstas
Adrian Webb – Meander River, Meander. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
MEANDER RIVER FIRES UP TODAY. 8-1-14
After putting in six hours on the house today which is now nearly finished I new I deserved a trip to the Meander River for a spin session. Arrived on the river close to 4.15pm and as I was about to enter the river when I came across a couple of other trout fishers who had just fished the section of river that I was heading to. Now I don't normally fish an area that has already been fished, but when they told me that they never caught any thing at all, well this made for a challenge to see if I could pick up a few fish on the Mepps #00 copper Black Fury.
The first fifty meters of river I fished didn't show any signs of me catching any either as I did not spot a fish at all. But then with a cast across a nice piece of fast water and just letting the little copper Black Fury drift with the flow I was onto a nice rainbow that once landed tipped the scales at 580gms. Was this going to be it, or was I going to pick up a few more fish over the next 800 meters of river that I intended to work at. Two casts later and I was onto a small brown and then another on the very next cast as well and this was still in the same piece of fast water. Kept on working my way upstream and cast the little spinner directly upstream and parallel to the river bank and picked up another brown and this one was a nice solid river fish that went 490 gms. So over the last 20 meters of river I had already caught three browns and one rainbow and I was pretty happy with that too.
Ahead of me now was all fast water and I was very confident that this water was going to give up a few more fish before I reached the end of it. It did too. The next 600 meters gave up another seven browns plus I had hooked and lost six browns and two rainbows as well as having a dozen or so hit and misses. It was now 7.10 pm and so I called it a day and a good one at that it was.
It was a good decision to take up the challenge to see if I could pick up a fish or two in a stretch of river that had recently had two other trout fishers in it. Better still was the fact that I did catch fish that they couldn't manage to do which made it even better again. I did keep the rainbow and the 490 gm brown for my mate Craig so he can now fire up his smoker.
Cheers
meppstas
Adrian Webb – Mersey River, Merseylea, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown
NOT THE BEST CONDITIONS FOR TROUT FISHING. 3-1-14
Well Craig and myself went for another spin session together yesterday in what wasn't the best weather conditions for trout fishing that's for sure. With a very strong Nor-Westerly breeze and a change on the way I thought it was going to be a tough day on the river, and it was too. We arrived at Merseylea close on 3.30pm and after a one kilometre walk downstream we hit the Mersey with the hope of catching a couple of smokers for Craig. The first section of river we fished looked like it would produce a fish or two, but it didn't. I did manage a follow from a small brown and poor Craig started his day off by flicking his Mepps #00 Copper Black Fury into a willow on the opposite bank. Luckily he retrieved it without too much difficulty.
The next stretch of the Mersey was a fast water and I cast into a small pocket of water that flowed around a log and instantly had a hook up from a nice solid brown that was a keeper. This fish didn't stay on though, as soon as it made the first leap from the river it tossed the spinner. That brown would have been close on a pound and would have been a nice fish for the smoker, but it wasn't to be. We kept on working or way upstream having the occasional trout follow the spinner but they weren't really that interested in them at this stage. The sky was fairly clear with a few clouds building up which is what I was hoping for, as once we had full cloud cover the fishing may hopefully improve. The wind was playing havoc with casting the light weight (1.5gm) Black Fury's and Craig was really having a few problems casting the lure with accuracy in these tough conditions. This was mainly due to the fact that he hasn't been able to get out and have a fish for so long due to his work commitments, but this will all fall in place with a few more trips under his belt.
We had now been fishing for around an hour now and I finally hooked and landed a smoker for Craig. This brown (380gm) was the ideal size for smoking too. Finally we had a score on the board and we were hoping for a few more fish similar to that one. As we worked our way upstream I managed another six small browns on the copper Black Fury that were just legal size and were nice solid fish, but I released all of them.
They weren't big enough for me to keep for smoking as 220mm legal size just seems too small to me, I would prefer to see the size limit increased to at least (11 inches) 275mms. Craig would have to had one of his worst days in a river today I'd reckon, as nothing went right for him at all. He did have a few follows, I said to him I think you had your spinner in the willows more today than you had it in the river. The wind gusts were the reason for a lot of this, as it would carry the spinner in various directions making each cast much harder for accuracy. He agreed too, it was just one of those days for him and hopefully the next trip we will see him bag a few decent fish,as he deserves to get into a few that's for sure.
cheers
"meppstas"
Adrian Webb – Meander River,Montana, Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
TROUT RUN A LITTLE HOT AND COLD TODAY. 26-12-13
Thunderstorms may have stopped me from doing some painting today but it did give me the chance to head off to the Meander River for a four hour spin session today. Humid conditions and hardly a breath of wind was what greeted me when I arrived at Montana around 2.30 pm and the river was the perfect height too. So all looked good for some quality fishing. The second cast with the little (yes again) Mepps #00 copper Black Fury spinner and I was onto a small (290gm) brown that quickly came to the net and then released. A couple of casts later and I had another small brown on but lost it on it's first leap from the water. Still this was a great start with the browns being aggressive right from the start of the session.
The next stretch of river that I moved into was probably seventy meters in length and slow moving, but I thought it would still give up a few fish seeing they've been so aggressive to start with. Well they weren't, as a matter of fact they went the opposite and just sat behind the spinner and followed it right up to where I lifted it from the river then casually turn and moved off. This happened for the whole length of the run until I reached the head water where it was running hard and fast. In eight casts into several sections of this fast water I had five hook ups from three rainbows and two browns of which I managed to land two rainbows and one brown with the best fish being a 630gm rainbow which was released after a quick photo as were the other fish.
What lay ahead of me now was a run of fast water that was close on a kilometre in length and it's a run that I have fished several times before too. It's got to be the toughest stretch of river to fish on the Meander as it is just covered with every different size rocks you could imagine, and this is one stretch that really takes it's toll on me. The only reason I do continue to put myself through the punishment is that it usually gives up a lot of trout. Today wasn't one of those days as this stretch only gave up two browns and these were only small fish. It wasn't because the fish weren't there either as they were. They had gone back to just following the spinner through the water or just having a quick go at the lure and missing it, then darting off not to be seen again.
I had now worked around three quarters of this tough stretch of river before deciding to get out of it and move on to another another area a kilometre or so further upstream. This area I was going to was much easier to wade as well, and so off I went. Once in the river and after a few casts I had a couple of follows from small browns again, and they just sat back behind the lure before turning and moving off. So they're not going to be any different here either I thought to myself.
The next cast I lobbed the little copper Black Fury upstream next to a fallen log and then spotted this nice solid brown following it and I could see the white of it's mouth opening behind the spinner.
Now I wasn't sure whether this fish was going to attack the lure or not and so I slowed the retrieve down and then let the spinner drop causing it to flutter. This is when this solid fish took the lure and boy did it take it!! As she (it was a female too) hit it she really gave some hard head shakes with it as she made a run downstream with the fast flow. Then she turned and headed for some submerged logs and debris along the river bank and I thought I'm in trouble here if she gets into it. Just keeping enough pressure on the rod I managed to turn this fish two or three times and finally moved her into a deeper section of river. After a minute or so I finally had her in the net which was a relief I tell you.
Once this solid fish was netted the spinner fell from it's mouth and so that's how close I was to losing this trout. It wasn't as big as I thought it was when I weighed it as it only tipped the scales at 820gms. It too was photographed and then released. Well I fished on for another hour for only the one (480gm) brown and then thought time to give it away. Then I thought I'll just give the next fast water a go before calling it a day. This stretch of water was only a thirty meter stretch which turned out to be a good one in the end as it gave up four small browns which averaged 270gms. So it was worth giving that final stretch of river a spin. The day turned out to be quite a reasonable one in the end and helped to keep up my catch rate once again, even though they did run a little hot and cold today.
Cheers River: Meander Browns: 10 Rainbows: 2 (all released)
Adrian
Adrian Webb – Meander River, Meander. Tasmania Australia
Lure: Black Fury Ultra Lites
Fish Caught: Trout, Brown - Trout, Rainbow
"RETURN TRIP TO THE MEANDER WELL WORTH IT" 21-12-13
Seeing that my trip to the Meander River yesterday was cut short due to the rain setting in I decided to head back there again this afternoon. The forecast was again for rain and a chance of thunderstorms as well, but the clouds were high and it didn't look like it was going to hit here for quite some time. The only thing I didn't like was that there was a light Nth Easterly breeze today and that's not the best wind to fish in most times. Arrived at the Meander around 2.00pm and it was a much better day here than yesterday too as it was much brighter which meant I could take a few photos and also use the head cam. After a ten minute chat with the landowner I headed of and started working a fast water section and I reckon it was only the forth cast and I was onto a nice rainbow. Well this was good as it's how yesterday started off catching a fish very early in the session. So it looked like the light Nth Easterly which by the way had dropped to almost nothing, would not effect the fishing this afternoon. This solid rainbow once landed weighed close on 520gms and was in excellent condition. I was keeping at least four fish today to give to a mate who lent me his Karcher and a 16ft ladder for my prepping of the house. That was the only fish that was taken in this first piece of fast water and so it was on to the next section.
The next section was a much longer one of around one hundred meters and looked like it could give up a few trout as it had some great looking holding areas in it. It did just that, but they were only small browns and only three of them from six hook ups as I lost the others. Still it was good to be hooking into a few fish and who knows what the next section was going to give up. The river ahead of me had a lot of shallow fast water runs on it and I knew it was going to be tough going working my way upstream against the flow and on a slippery and very rocky bottom. Tough it was too as I worked my way upstream working every bit of fast water that had a lot of trout lies in behind the large rocks that were stretched out along the river. After hooking and losing another two small browns I did also catch three more nice rainbows as well with the best one going 550 gms. I now had my four good keepers that I wanted and now it's back to catch and release again.
This rock fast water was really starting to slow me down the further I kept working my way against it, but what kept me going was the fact that I was still catching trout. Over the next 500 meters before I decided to give in to the river I did catch and release another eight rainbows and four browns as well as losing six other fish. So the return trip to the Meander River well worth the trip in my books. I'll tell you now though, the body is really feeling it now and I reckon it will be a big rest day tomorrow for sure. The little Mepps #00 Copper Black Fury did it's job once again and I have now retired this one and replace it with a brand new one.
On my 1.5 kilometre walk back to the ''Trout Stalker 2'' I came across a little Echidna and a bush with some unusual small flowers on it, just another bonus of the trip here today.
Cheers
Adrian (meppstas)
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