Compleat Angler Wagga in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia | Sport & recreation

Compleat Angler Wagga

Locality: Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 6921 4313

Address: 112 Hammond Ave 2650 Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.compleatanglerwagga.com.au

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24.01.2022 Keaton Mount has had a good start to the morning landing this 42cm yella on the McGrath Widebody lure in the carp colour at Lake Hume. Well done Keaton #yellowbelly #catchandrelease #luremaking #lurefishing #lurebuilding #lure #lakehume

22.01.2022 BLACK FRIDAY SALE TAKE 20% OFF SPINNERBAITS NOW $8!! = 2 DAYS ONLY! Friday 27th - 28th Nov! = ... #blackfriday #sale #fishing #compleatangler

21.01.2022 NSW fishers are gearing up for a great long weekend, with the official opening of the State’s trout season this Saturday, 3 October. For more information visit... https://fal.cn/3aG3z #nswdpi #primaryindustries #strongerprimaryindustries #troutfishing #troutseason #recreationalfishing #octoberlongweeked

21.01.2022 Congratulations to Andrew Ramsay for his entry into the Compleat Angler Metre Long Club!!! A magnificent 110cm Murray Cod. This fish came out of Blowering Dam, ...NSW. And how's the scenery! To find out how you can become a member and go into the draw to win a $5000 Fishing Tackle gift card. www.compleatangler.com.au/about-mlc #compleatangler #metrelongclub #fishing #fishingaustralia #murraycod #bloweringdam #freshwaterfishing Compleat Angler Australia Compleat Angler Wagga See more

20.01.2022 Looks like Fire Ball Orange was the favourite colour! - ALL Orange have now sold! We have limited numbers left in Chartreuse, Hotter than Pink, Mean Green & Stop Lite Red. If you wish to secure a particular number please jump online - you can select pick-up from store or post. www.compleatanglerwagga.com.au ... #customcraftedlures #collectables #hotrods #timberlures

19.01.2022 Another great day catching beach worms on the mid North coast Rapala Storm Fishing Australia Jetty Boating Lowrance OM Flasher Rigs and Tackle

18.01.2022 Daiwa Pro-Staff Josh Kopp gives the lowdown on how to catch Golden Perch this season on the Daiwa Bait Junkie! #BaitJunkie Jacko Davis

17.01.2022 Daiwa Australia's Product Manager Tom Slater expains the design behind the Bait Junkie 2.5" Grub. Arguably the most sought-after soft bait design in Australia r...ight now, the humble single tail grub has come full circle. The first thing you’ll notice on the BaitJunkie 2.5 Grub is the orientation of the tail. By positioning the tip of the tail parallel with the body of the grub, there is no opposing forces from the water acting on the tail. The result is all of the water pressure hits the inside curl of the tail, forcing it to open up and produce that irresistible swimming action. #BaitJunkie #FeelAlive

17.01.2022 Keen fisho Dave caught this 60cm model recently on the Mitta Great fish mate and thanks for sharing!

16.01.2022 Eucumbene all set to fire up on opening day running fast and high

14.01.2022 Single hooks on the Yakamito Rabid Vibe certainly eliminating the snags a bit ! No yellas cooperating though .

14.01.2022 Catch this weeks fishing report right here 1/10/2020 https://youtu.be/rwT2e4q2Cvs

13.01.2022 Pete Hodgkin reckons the Mitta’s fishing ok!! Caught on a Yakamito slim minnow

12.01.2022 Jell Cat nailed a couple more casting small blades from the bank yesterday

12.01.2022 Fishing Column G’day fisho’s!! We’re nearly there! Only a couple more days to wait now until cod season 2020 fires up at midnight Monday and with no forecasts o...f rain prior you can’t imagine a bad spot to be. The only spot I can think of that might not be 100% might be the Upper Murray and the only reason I say that is because of the water clarity issues it’s been having of late. In saying that though, it will only make it tough for the lure fisho’s, I’m sure bait fisho’s that fish around Jingellic, Walwa and above will still have no problems boating a few and as we all know, they’re magnificently coloured fat fish right through that beautiful area. I don’t think you’ll be able to use water conditions as an excuse anywhere else from Tuesday on. If this is your first cod opening or you’re just getting into it the biggest tip I can give you weather your going to fish bait or lure, is get in as close as you’re game to any structure. Cod love cover and, during the day in particular, will hold in tight to old stumps, tree roots etc. so make sure you try to get in as close to his home as you can. There’s been plenty happening everywhere this week so let’s have a look around the traps. Dartmouth (61.4%) --- seems to be a model of consistency of late and there were plenty of good stories coming out of the mountains again this week. While there’s still a lot of trout being trolled on the main lake, particularly by those using lead line to get down, Lake Banamboola is also going pretty well. This is an ideal location if you’re a land-based angler. Lure, bait and fly all work well there and there’s been some very nice trout landed lately, most by spin fisho’s from what I’m hearing. Small minnows, Tassies and spoons all work well and don’t forget, the Golden Tagged Fish program is still running and there’s one or two in the pondage as Josh Read found out a week or two back. Josh caught a nice brownie with a tag hanging off him and won $2,000.00 for his efforts!! Streams --- will have settled nicely after recent rains and will be well worth a visit. You would think this year will be a pretty busy one in the hills after most people lost camping opportunities earlier in the year, with fires and Covid wiping out Christmas and Easter for most, the next month is very likely to be the quietest for the season so it might pay to make the most of that. My young bloke Ben did really well on the Mitta on Thursday landing a good number of fish on fly with one being over 2.5 kg. All were caught on dry’s and most came in during the day, which is much more fun than relying on that frantic half hour rush on dark we often get. Lake Hume (76.8%) --- was good again this week with just about everyone reporting lots of reddies. Even though most are small most fisho’s are getting a good feed. There has been the odd fisho striking a patch of decent fish though and the yellas are still about as well, with grubbing or trolling doing well. On that note I’m happy to say my prediction of the yellas shutting down on dropping water hasn’t come true!! Murray --- below Albury has plenty of water in it and fisho’s flicking vibes about have been doing well. Jamo Smith and a couple of mates got a great mixed bag on Thursday evening, landing a good trout, a couple of reasonable reddies and a couple of yellas for a session. I’m sure the cod will turn it on for us too this week! Mulwala --- will be a destination for many on Tuesday and you would think it should fish pretty well. You’d expect flicking or trolling spinnerbaits or hard bodies would do the job but be prepared to leave the shallows and head for the channels if this really hot weather continues. Cod in the smaller streams --- should be sensational this year! We’ve had good water levels and the most exciting thing is more about what I’ve been hearing, not what I’ve been seeing in the hills! Cicadas have been chirping away in big numbers and if they’re about in big numbers that usually means the percentage that fall into the water is larger too, and that usually means cod will get used to feeding off the top, and that usually means surface lure fishing is a great option, and that usually equals a whole lot of fun!!! Simple isn’t it. Eucumbene (38.2%) --- fished pretty well for my brother Peter and a few mates’ last weekend. Pete fished fly and found Midge balls did the trick on evenings but also picked up a couple on nymphs during the day. The rest of the crew trolled a few up but had to work for them. Good luck if your heading out anywhere this week!! See more

12.01.2022 Well it was nice to hit lake hume after a 12 hour day at work for only a 40 minutes fishing session on the lake. Condition was like a washing machine again not... sure if the lake like me these days lucky its only a short trip from my front door step now. Method today was trolling the Mcgrath wide body's lures again colour that did the damage was Eucumbene spawning colour spring seem to be a good time to run this colour on lake hume. Happy days See more

11.01.2022 Fines for Golden Perch Offences With good flows and warmer weather fishing activity has significantly increased across many inland waterways including the Murra...y, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan and Namoi Rivers. Patrols by NSW DPI Fisheries Officers over recent weeks in these areas have unfortunately detected a number of serious offences involving Golden Perch. At Locks 10 and 11 on the Murray River near Mildura, 5 men including one man who was allegedly found committing the same offence on 2 separate occasions, have been issued penalty notices after exceeding the daily bag limit of for Golden Perch. At Wallanthery on the Lachlan River near Hillston 3 men have been issued penalty notices and warnings for a range of offences involving Golden Perch including exceeding possession limits, leaving lines unattended and using more than 2 hand held lines. At Drildool on the Duncan Warrambool Waterway that flows into the Namoi River near Burren Junction, 2 men were issued penalty notices for taking 33 Golden Perch with 18 unattended lines. Golden Perch, also known as yellowbelly, callop, perch, Murray Perch or white perch, naturally inhabit the Murray-Darling river system (except at high elevations) and are stocked by NSW DPI in many inland impoundments. They have a minimum size of 30cm, bag limit of 5 per day and possession limit of 10. Report illegal fishing via the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536 or online at: https://bit.ly/3dMPFCX

10.01.2022 BLACK FRIDAY SALE !! 2 DAYS ONLY - Friday 27th & Saturday 28th November. 20% OFF FISHING TACKLE STORE WIDE !! 20% OFF Hunters Element clothing & boots... #blackfriday #sale #compleatanglerwagga

09.01.2022 HEROES WHO SAVED THE MURRAY COD Wonder what the 'good old days' really looked like. What the unsung heroes did on behalf of recreational fishing. Some of you ma...y have seen this when it came out in Freshwater Fishing Australia - but a really important recognition of past work bringing future rewards. Please read it, take note and share! The heroes who saved the Murray cod You hear the old guys rave on about the good old days. But what if the good old days weren’t very good at all? What if the good old days are actually right now? And what if it weren’t for the efforts of a few dedicated and largely unsung heroes, we would be lamenting the demise of our freshwater cod species. Because that is exactly what happened in Australia as I shine a light on the heroes who saved our cod species! I have been really, really lucky to have known, respected and looked up to these guys the ones who put in the hard yards when no one else was. And I like to think that I was able to play a part in this important, but not necessarily most proud part of our history. Things were looking really bleak for all of our cod species back when Freshwater Fishing was rolling off the presses for the first time. A perfect storm of blatant disrespect of them as a ‘real’ species, the introduction of carp, the unregulated use of chemicals like dieldrin and Aldrin, the overuse of irrigation, poor flood mitigation, the building of dams, the view of our major inland rivers as sewerage overflow systems and the unbelievable belief that the only good river was one that looked like a concrete culvert, had a devastating effect. Back then, fishing for Murray cod in the western waters involved taking as many set lines, cross lines and drum nets as you thought you needed, and filling up a large fridge freezer with as much beer as it could hold and then camping out and replacing the beer with cod. Good old boys could get well and truly ripped and still catch fish. Most farmers had a drum net off their foot valve for irrigation. It was just one of those things and some of the keen young Fisheries Officers of the day were frustrated with the lack of attention to these goings on. Enter our first and perhaps the best known of our heroes. Rod Harrison. Rod was a country cop who was working out bush. He had loved to fish for our more highly regarded sportfish like bass and was surprised that golden perch and even Murray cod were viewed as difficult or unworthy targets for lure tossing. There are some really interesting stories of Rod’s exploits back in those days like that he would have a fishing rod to ‘reinforce’ the whip aerial on his motorbike, and of mystery sightings of police vehicles near weirs or good water as a fresh moved through. And of somehow that his quota (something that isn’t even really talked about nowadays) may or may not have been largely made up of overtime parking near the local bowls club. I haven’t talked with Rod in detail about these stories, but they don’t need to be true in any way to add to the colour of the man I think of as the Banjo Patterson of Australian fishing writing. I first met the great man in 1982. I was a failed dropout from Sydney Uni with an interest in Australian native fish, although I was (and probably still am) a better trout than native fish angler. Rod lived about three house down from the Shellharbour pub and there was a tackle store on the opposite corner. I went to see Rod about starting up a branch of Native Fish Australia and I was nervous as hell about meeting someone of his physical and literary status. He took me over to the pub and I drank about 10 litres of Coke that day (you gotta drive mate, so you better stay on the soft stuff don’t want to have to bail you out the first day we met). And I learned so much. About a bloke who started to catch a few native fish on lerrrs (Rod has a special way of pronouncing the word that I can hear in my mind perfectly). And then he started writing about these fish as if they were in the same league as bass and trout. He wrote about the places he fished and did it in such a way that many people wanted to get out and see our great brown land and to be a bit more active than just checking their setlines once or twice a day. It took a while, but with the support of Fishing World magazine and people like Ron Calcutt, Vic McCristal, Gordon Winter, Peter Newell and Bryan Pratt among others, the legitimacy of native fish as an angling target started to increase. Rod started using the entirely more appropriate Aboriginal name (one of them) Goodoo for the iconic Murray cod and coaxed a love affair for ‘the green fish’ among many young anglers like me. I wasn’t very good at it, but I was allowed into the circle of these people (although I never got the meet the great Vic McCristal) and others like the wonderfully idiosyncratic Ross ‘Chiz’ Chisholm, Allan Thurbon and in Victoria, the dedicated Willy Trueman. But while Rod was promoting and gaining recognition for the great Murray cod, it’s numbers were going backwards and bloody fast. And they weren’t alone. Silver perch were once so common in the Murrumbidgee River around Canberra that they were considered a pest. People could get Macquarie perch when they wanted a feed, and catfish numbers in the rivers were falling faster than the town drunk on show day. It started to get Rod annoyed, then angry, and then downright pissed off. Carp were a problem, but they were also a really convenient scapegoat to pave over other environmental cracks that were widening by the day. Rod wrote an article called ‘Them old cotton fields back home’, where he took full aim at the irrigation and chemical uses of the cotton industry. And the hornets got well and truly stirred up. There were threats and all sorts of posturing went on and it was getting very hot in the kitchen. A ‘significant’ increase in the number of birth defects in some parts of the cotton growing areas got some attention. In my opinion, for what it’s worth, is that some of the wives pulled rank and suggested that things had to improve. To be fair, while there is still a ways to go the cotton industry of 2017 is nowhere near as evil as it once was but more on that later. Rod Harrison was not the only angler to be promoting Murray cod, but for me, he was the one to make it legitimate. He added character and personality to a fish that was, up to that time, a somewhat tragic and mouldy head stuck up behind the bar in almost every western pub. I was lucky to co-author (an Australian first) several articles with Rod, including the second of the Lures-In-Depth features and a piece on Copeton Dam that featured a nice Murray cod. Rod was also the man who promoted the ‘Deepest Dozen’ diving lures that was an important catalyst for the Australian lure making industry. Rod was probably the first person to advocate big really big lures for Murray cod Look at that mouth these lures barely get them interested!! and Rod is rightly enshrined in the Australian Lure Hall of Fame for these contributions. Rod has gone on to become a true living legend of Australian fishing. He is probably best known for his fly fishing exploits I once saw him outcast a snobby fly fisherman just using his hands and no rod at all! Rod is easily the best ‘big man’ fly caster I have ever seen. He pioneered Papuan black bass fishing and is now an icon of the Queensland impoundment barra fisheries. But to me Rod is, and always will be one of the heroes that saved the Murray cod. I built on my introduction to Native Fish Australia and used to, among other things, take native fish around to shopping centres so Illawarra locals could see some of the fish they might have heard about. This was to prove crucial when a job as a technical assistant at the Narrandera facility was advertised. I was successful and started work there on the 4thof June 1984, for the princely sum of $13,053 per annum. My boss told his wife that I was either going to be the best or the worst person he had ever hired. That man was the second, and perhaps the most profound of the heroes Dr Stuart Rowland. Stuart Rowland came to research a little later than many and this may be one of the reasons why he is such a good communicator and so highly regarded by the community with whom he interacts. A Vietnam vet, Stu was given the task to look after a particularly good soldier by the name of Les Hiddins; known to most of us as the bush tucker man. My second day at Narrandera I got to do some sampling at Lake Mulwala. It was being drained for dam wall maintenance and was closed to fishing, but we needed some cod broodstock. Even though the dam was almost completely empty and we were using gill nets, we were only catching one or two cod a night. The best cod fishery in the land had VERY few cod in it in those days. And rather than there being beautiful cod lures hanging off the numerous snags, there was abandoned set line after set line hanging from every tree as far as the eye could see. It was also the time of the desnaggers and bold entrepreneurs. They were even using an army surplus tank to pull the larger logs out of the Murray River. One of the best Fisheries Inspectors ever, Barry Myers, quizzed the operators, who were legitimately operating by permit. ‘Yeah mate if we pull the log out really quickly, there’s sometimes a big old cod inside it and we get to have fish for lunch.’ Yep those were the male cod guarding the eggs so not only were they taking the adult cod, they were wiping out the next generation as well. And the water engineers told us that by removing a snag, they could get the water to Berri in South Australia about 9 seconds quicker whereas we couldn’t tell them how many cod were being impacted upon. The irony was that the fishing really did improve in a desnagged area straight afterwards. Cod, a territorial species were moving up and down the river looking for new places to hang out and were being caught. The problem was that 6 months after the de-snagging finished no cod were being caught AT ALL. But by then the media interest had waned. It is very sad that this exact stretch of river, 25 years later was part of a snag introduction program. Stuart Rowland wasn’t the only scientist to help the Murray cod. The great John Lake was a pioneer, and people like Fred Reynolds had done some special work. Martin Mallen-Cooper is another who did great work on fish passage but doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Special mention needs to go to Tim Berra, the guy who finally unravelled the mystery of the (also poorly named) trout cod. Researchers were always taking the funny looking cod to the definitive ‘type’ specimen held at the Australian museum, only to find they were the same. It wasn’t until Berra took a trout cod AND a Murray cod to the museum that he discovered the original specimen (from the Macquarie River) was actually a trout cod and Murray cod had to be renamed Macculochella peeli. Stuart did his PhD on cod and was able to describe the Eastern freshwater cod; and to name it after his grandfather. So it became Maccullochella ikei. By this time, Stu had moved to Grafton where Graham Schucraft had found funding to build a new hatchery to save the Eastern freshwater cod. My first ever article for Freshwater Fishing was in Issue 14 on the Eastern Freshwater cod. One of the things which Stuart did in determining the evolution of the Eastern freshwater cod was to talk to lots of people. Or more correctly, he listened with respect to the old timers, the gatekeepers of local history and to experts in other fields. The geomorphologists for example were able to confirm that the cod probably evolved when some westward flowing streams were diverted by upheavals in our distant past. The timing was consistent and each theory and evidence strengthened the others. Very few fisheries people have the confidence to step outside their own areas of expertise. Around this time, there was a major outbreak of the parasite Chilodenella sp. That devastated the already diminished Murray cod populations in places like the Macquarie catchment. Cod were scarce to the point of great concern throughout the Lachlan catchment, once a stronghold. It needed the ability of Stuart to be able to crack the captive breeding of Murray cod to give the species a real break both with natural breeding in spawning boxes and then with hormone enhanced injections. Stuart was able to determine growth rates of fish and the fecundity (number of eggs) of the species. It was lucky he was around. And I got to go along for the ride but it was tough going. Not only did we struggle with Murray cod broodstock, we could fish a whole week in the Barooga trout cod waters sometimes for only one fish; and with great anglers like Kevin Clark, we could put in days on end in some extremely remote areas for little or no return fishing for Eastern freshwater cod. One other thing Stuart was able to do was foster a love and respect for our Australian native species in others. And to mentor people like Brett Ingram, Mike Rimmer and Steve Thurstan and even little old me, to follow in his footsteps. Steve Thurstan’s efforts in breeding large numbers of cod for stocking, coupled with the community hatchery programs of Phil Forster at Bingara and the magnificent efforts of the Queensland stocking groups have been nothing short of phenomenal. Stuart was equally at home talking to down to earth people like Brian and Debbie Dare or an internationally renowned scientist. He was easily the best field biologist I ever got to work with having a real love for the Australian bush, how each piece fitted together and an uncanny ability to make sense of seemingly unrelated things that many people hadn’t noticed. The things that Stuart possessed that I most highly valued, were his sense of fairness and his integrity. This was severely tested when his old technical assistant, now with a piece of paper in his greasy mitts came back to fisheries and wanted to make some big changes in native fish management. Which brings us to our third hero and the one that is almost certainly unknown to nearly all anglers who value Murray cod Robin Claxton. Robin was the Executive Director of NSW Department of Agriculture and Fisheries during a difficult period. It was the era of the very poorly considered move to Orange. It was a time when the Independent Commission Against Corruption was getting started and it was the time when Prokop started wreaking havoc on fisheries management. When I started as Australia’s first ever dedicated recreational fisheries manager no one expected me to actually DO anything. I was told to my face that nobody any good had applied; that mine was a political position to shut up the rampant recreational sector and that I should count my money over in the corner and stay out of the way. I was 29 years old and too young, passionate and probably stupid to do just that. Paul O’Connor, with whom I had worked in Narrandera took a big gamble in appointing someone so young and inexperienced. Robin Claxton needed a bit of reassuring, but they said I couldn’t actually do anything too bad so not to worry about it. And that was all the advantage I needed. Around this time I was invited to Lake Mulwala to film ‘Catching a Legend’ with luminaries like Bill Classon, John Ellis, Ray Broughton and Fred Jobson. This was a very popular video because TWO big cod were caught while filming. That’s how scarce big cod were even in Mulwala in the early 1990’s. These days, almost every man and their dog has caught a metre cod whereas back then it took the best anglers in the country to come close to that mark. Interestingly, that video has a very much younger Frank Prokop catching a Murray cod on a surface lure I think the first time it was done on film. While the old hands were looking elsewhere and convinced that I was just the newbie dunderhead I managed to completely revamp and modernise the trout rules and review the marine fishing rules twice. Then I started on the review that I really wanted and felt was most overdue the review of native fish rules. There were two simple principles that were applied. The first was that trout fishing rules would NOT be used to protect native fish. If native fish needed management, then we would tailor the rules to meet the needs. The second was that where trout and native fish occurred together native fish would get priority. Where trout were the predominant species we would have trout rules that were designed by the anglers to meet their needs. In this way we largely avoided the confrontational attitude that had been brewing in Victoria where you were either a trout man or a native man but you couldn’t be both. A prime example in NSW was Karl Schaerf, an outspoken and truly passionate member of the executive of the Central Acclimatisation Society (CAS). Karl loved all fish and the environments in which they lived. He had been devastated by the losses from the chilodenella fish kills and wanted fishing regulations that would enable the fish to recover. Karl was also responsible for getting Murray cod stocked into Windemere well before I wanted them to go in with well constructed (and often repeated) logic. He also got trout cod and Macquarie perch into the Abercrombie system and did as much as any one individual off the table, other than perhaps Willie Truman to help these fish. Another person who is often criticised is Bruce Schumacher, who was Chair of RFAC in NSW at the time. Bruce watched these reviews go past with frightening rapidity and he assessed each and every proposal on its merits and on whether it would provide a long term benefit to the stocks and to recreational fishers. This was at a time when it would have been much easier to shout out No and try and stop any proposal at all. There were plenty who used this tactic, but the wider community was crying out for reasonable management, even if the guys who made death threats against me and a few others didn’t see it that way. The reason that Robin Claxton is a hero is that he backed me and Paul O’Connor and the review committee right through the process. Change is scary and those who think they are going to lose are often motivated to go to extraordinary lengths to prevent it from happening. But the group that surprised me the most and who were the most vociferous in their opposition to my proposed changes were some of the researchers. I was promoting community driven and conservative changes. Ones that were viewed as ‘populist’ ‘unfounded’ and ‘unnecessary’. Some of the researchers wanted lots of money to ‘study the problem’ and then tell us what we should have done in the first place. To me, that was (and still is) irresponsible. The Minister of the time, Ian Armstrong, from the National Party, was also a strong supporter. He summed it up ‘You mean the scientists are saying the community is wrong when they are telling me they want management controls that the scientists think are not necessary?’ ‘Who do you think I’m going to side with in this debate?’ To be fair, the scientists did support the first ever variable slot limit for Australian bass. It was just one of the truly unique features to come out of the review. But they were NOT happy about proposals for species like Murray cod. This review, which came about in 1991/1992 built upon the recognition that Rod Harrison had promoted and the scientific knowledge and personal integrity that Stuart Rowland had fostered. And thank god that Stuart stood up to be counted when the slings and arrows were flying, because I needed his support. That review introduced the management measures which are most likely to be responsible for the magnificent cod fisheries which are available today. Foremost and most important, in my view, was the closed season. Ironically, it wasn’t my idea at all. I just PUT BACK a management measure that had been foolishly removed because it was felt to be ‘unnecessary’. The closed season protects cod when they are at their most vulnerable. It was the time when the really big cod were being caught up the back of Burrinjuck on (legal) setlines baited with a big goldfish. These fish were often put on the back of the proud capturer’s ute and driven around town to each and every pub. With a bit of luck, the head was still in good enough condition to be mounted and put on a board, but often the fish went off while celebratory ales were consumed. We proposed a size limit and brought in tight bag limits which included a possession limit to reduce the filling of freezers on extended camping trips to the Darling. We proposed stopping the use of live fish for bait not on animal welfare grounds, but to stop people moving carp, goldfish and redfin around the country. And in a move that signalled the end of life as we know it to every ‘boy’s own’ camping trip we proposed banning the use of set lines in inland waters. We got lots of coverage and many vehement condemnations. We got lots and lots of survey forms returned. These survey forms included postcodes so we could see who was saying what and why. And there was overwhelming support for ALL of the proposals. Sure the support for some of the proposals was much less on the western side of the Newell Highway, but even there, many of the concerned locals and many landholders were saying things like if it applies to everybody it’s ok with me. Banning setlines everywhere was seen as a step too far and too quick so set lines were just going to be banned in impoundments. Robin Claxton and I had a number of meetings at this time. I was busy on other fronts too. One of the Fisheries Officers was taking photos as a rise in the river slowly made its way downstream on the big rivers and some of the unscrupulous landowners were cutting the banks on their tailings dams as the water rose releasing chemicals that shouldn’t be in the rivers and then blaming the resultant fish deaths on the ‘black water’ events associated with the river rise. It apparently got so bad that the Director General said to Robin Claxton ‘If I hear the words Prokop, cotton and fish in the same sentence ONE of them has to go!’. It may be a legendary statement, and I didn’t hear the words myself, but I did get a number of counselling phone calls pointing out that fisheries and agriculture were supposed to be on the same team. Unfortunately the fish didn’t do very well after they tried the backstroke. Robin Claxton would laugh and ask why I was so keen on making work for myself and was I sure that I was doing the right thing. But he backed me and the committee. The Minister backed me and it wasn’t easy for a National Party Minister to support changes like were being proposed. There were also some really clever things in that review. Like total protection for the Australian grayling. Very, very few anglers even know what they are, let alone fish for them. The total protection, however, meant that logging operations were subject to a full environmental assessment process. My friend Jenny Burchmore used to argue that these fish were so threatened that the recreational sector themselves demanded they be totally protected and anything that hurt even one little scale needed to be controlled. Truth was, we were getting nowhere trying to protect habitat for Australian bass but with grayling we were on a winner. Until that is that they did a few surveys and found that there were actually a whole lot of grayling in most of the south coast rivers. So the management package was introduced. A lot of people that used to (or wanted to) catch big Murray cod in Burrinjuck were braying for blood. There were petitions and meetings with local members and a lot of letters. Complaining about banning set lines in dams and demanding that this punk Prokop be sacked for ruining their way of life. Over 2,100 letters in various forms actually. It was some kind of record. And it caused ripples. But Robin Claxton and the Minister held their ground. Because in the questionnaires, the views represented in the responses had over 45,000 people in favour of banning set lines. I even rang up about 25 of the people who had signed on the petitions because they included a phone number. I asked them what it was about the proposal that they would like to see changed. All except one person were unaware of what they had signed and though it was something to do with the change rooms at the local footy oval. Of course, it was made abundantly clear that I was not going to be welcome in Yass, Temora, Harden or Cootamundra for a long time. It also took more than 20 years to get around to finishing the task and banning setlines on western rivers. I don’t blame the managers for that it was AWFULLY hot in the kitchen back in 1992. Because of National Party policies, reintroducing the freshwater licence was completely off the table. There were a couple of proposals that the researchers made me take out of that review that I now sincerely regret. They were to provide total protection for the river blackfish and for the other species of freshwater spiny crayfish. Oh well even so, it was the review that I was a part of that is my proudest moment in management. A side note is that I got a call from a senior fisheries manager from Victoria. He very pointedly questioned my parentage, my motives and where I was going after I passed away before telling me that there was absolutely NO WAY that Victoria would ever introduce such populist twaddle. Back then the border went through the main basin of both Hume Weir and Lake Mulwala so it meant that the NSW portion had a closed season but the Victorian part was open all year. A delegation to the Victorian Minister pointed out that this was not good and that they wanted the NSW regulations to apply. The smug little public servant said it was a dumb idea but the Minister concluded that the public servant was required to do as instructed. I got a follow-up call the next week from a very much humbled pompous ass. What day does the closed season start so I can put it in place in Victoria.’ I was polite but couldn’t stop laughing for a week you don’t get many wins in fisheries although it was the cod that were the winners. So today, after 25 years of closed seasons, tight bag limits and banning set lines. Murray cod have made a dramatic comeback. The rules have been tweaked and added to. A slot limit has been introduced, and the ground work that was put in by Rod Harrison is now part of the Australian angling landscape. The hard work of Stuart Rowland allows him to enjoy retirement in Yamba and reflect on the remarkable achievements of his career. Not only have Murray cod bounced back, but so too have trout cod and Eastern freshwater cod to the extent that government is now struggling with the unexpected conundrum how do we actually relax the rules if the management has worked? Last I heard, Robin Claxton was managing a guest house with his partner of the east coast of Tasmania, and after a long career, Paul O’Connor is now retired and enjoying his grandchildren. As for the cod they know nothing of these trials and tribulations. But their capacity to grow and mature without having to worry about an ex-army tank ripping out their home would simply not be considered today. Because today is the good old days and tomorrow should be even better! A final cautionary note Murray cod management has been a spectacular success and we all deserve credit, but there are a few things to watch for in the future. Firstly is the rising level of fundamentalism towards the species people verging on zealotry who attack anyone who actually keeps a cod to eat. It’s about balance and respect and the pendulum shouldn’t swing completely to the other side. Secondly, the use of the slot limit could have an unexpected consequence in the future. As cod are very territorial and their reproductive capacity starts to drop off late in life we could end up with populations where big, skinny cod are preventing recruitment of young fish. We already know from parts of the granite belt that you can overstock cod but there could be a difficult time when it is necessary to cull some of these big cod that we have worked so hard to protect for the overall benefit of the stock. Finally, it is time to look at the possible wider adoption of the South Australian rule that prohibits the removal of protected oversize cod from the water. Heavy and slack gutted, big cod can be damaged by anglers who strongly believe they are conservationists but can kill fish through over handling. I have just returned from Canada where no sturgeon over 5 foot is able to be removed from the water. Using cradles and manoeuvring the boat to the bank still allows for a quality photo but it is far, far better for the fish. So how about it guys take the photo with the fish in the water or in a cradle and you improve its chances of survival. And best of luck to all the other people who have made a huge contribution to the recovery of Murray cod but didn’t get a mention. We all play a part in this success story!

09.01.2022 Weather was rough but was able to score any metery at Blowering!!

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05.01.2022 Its yella time! #luremaking #lurefishing #lurebuilding #lure #catchandrelease #yellowbelly

05.01.2022 Reggie only hit the water 1 hour ago and he is already reeln' in the big ones! 87cm cod at Blowering! Bet your happy you decided to go Reg

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04.01.2022 HOT RODS ARE LIVE! The Custom Crafted timber Hot Rod box sets are now live on our website and selling FAST! Boxes already SOLD; 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 30!! Jump online at www.compleatanglerwagga.com.au to check these beauties out before they all go! ... On a side note this would make the perfect Chrissy gift for any fisherman

04.01.2022 Travelling the Golden Highway Moving up and down our inland river systems is essential for Golden Perch (aka yellowbelly), but with more than 10,000 barriers t...o fish passage across the Murray-Darling Basin in NSW, it’s often easier said than done. Our native fish experience a highway littered with permanent road blocks and speed bumps as they try to make their way along the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. Native fish such as Golden Perch have to be able to move freely within our waterways so that they can feed, breed and find new homes. However, the most important journey the species undertakes is during spawning migrations. These extensive trips are usually taken during the spring and summer months when the water is warmer than 20C. During this time individual Golden Perch can move thousands of kilometres upstream with one fish recorded as making a massive journey from South Australia to Queensland, travelling more 2000 km in three months, a rare event only possible during extreme flood events. Female Golden Perch can lay up to 500,000 semi-buoyant eggs that hatch into 3.5 mm larvae after 1-2 days. The larvae drift downstream before being able to actively swim and find food after five days. So free passage for the Golden Perch is critical, both over small and large scales. However, with thousands of barriers to fish passage such as weirs and road crossings across the Basin, it’s more a case of road blocks than open highway for our native fish. For most Golden Perch, their only natural chance of help past these barriers is a flood that overtops the weir wall, however, large floods are becoming increasingly rare in our systems. So how can we help Golden Perch and their fishy friends travel unimpeded along their own Golden Highway? In the case of larger barriers, fishways are needed to help fish pass. These impressive pieces of infrastructure act like a ladder, helping fish move both upstream and downstream of weirs and dams through a series of pools and steps. In NSW waters, fish now have unimpeded access to more than 2000 km of waterways. More works are planned for the future to open up our waterways and create the ultimate fish freeway. To learn more about paving the way for free fish passage, visit our website: https://fal.cn/3aCUT... It's Biodiversity Month and NSW DPI plays a part in protecting our State's biodiversity through research, protection & breeding of native fish. Gunther Schmida NSW DPI Fisheries

04.01.2022 Widebody lure in the Firestrike colour getting into the reddies today at Lake Hume. #luremaking #lurefishing #lurebuilding #lure #catchandrelease #lures #redfin

03.01.2022 Scratched up a few from Lake Hume this afternoon

02.01.2022 Good way to spend the end of the day. Landed this yella on a McGrath Widebody lure in the Rainbow Trout pattern at Lake Hume. #luremaking #lurefishing #lurebuilding #lure #catchandrelease #yellowbelly #lakehume

02.01.2022 This iconic picture of Bill Rhoades and his IGFA Men’s 8-kg (16 lb) Tippet Class World Record catch was taken 33 years ago today. Bill was fly fishing the Trask... River, Oregon, and landed the record king in 35-minutes after it struck a double egg pattern fly. His record catch weighed in at 28.57-kilograms (63-pounds) and still stands to this day . #fishIGFA See more

01.01.2022 LAUNCH DAY - TOMORROW!! 1st October 2020 www.compleatanglerwagga.com Custom Crafted Lures Hot Rod collectors timber box set. Never seen before nude & semi nude Hot Rod timber lures! These collector lure sets are sure to sell out fast! Jump online at www.compleatanglerwagga.com.au to view the colours and numbered box sets available to purchase from 7am 1st October. ... *post and in store pick-up both available. See more