AS we came off the ridge and drove slowly down through the trees to the river, a mob of feral pigs broke cover from out of the scrub and tore off along the opposite bank. It was much cooler down near the water and the pigs had obviously been enjoying an afternoon siesta in the shade of the overhanging red gums. We watched them disappear into the bush before turning our attention to the river.
It had been a long time getting here – weeks of negotiation with land owners, time spent organising the trip and the filming schedule – not to mention the long drive – so it was good to finally arrive. And initial impressions of the location certainly didn’t disappoint.
The head of the pool was marked by a big sandbank and on either side stands of reeds were punctuated by snags of varying sizes. The water looked deep and cool. Surely it would be alive with Murray cod?
Together with Fisho colleagues Mick and Scott, I’d made the long trek from the coast to central-western NSW (via a stopover at Lake Lyell near Lithgow to fish for bass) over the weekend to catch up with good mates Ken Smith and Matt Hansen. Matt, together with his mates Rod Price and Luke Evans, had organised access to a remote river on a large sheep station.
The plan was to film an episode for our upcoming online TV show, Fishing Journeys. Plenty of 4Wding down steep bush tracks, a great bush camp and some memorable barbies where large amounts of red meat, all washed down by cool amber fluids, were consumed, should make for entertaining – albeit blokey – footage.
Some prime action involving feisty Murray cod caught on fly and via Rod’s excellent spinnerbaits (see HERE for details on his Native Lures range) will add to the show.
Apart from the pretty little cod, it was the country that will star in this particular episode of Fishing Journeys. We were lucky enough to enjoy unspoilt Aussie bushland and you can take it as read that we treated it with the respect it deserves. Too often these days you go to a great place in the middle of nowhere and find it littered with bottles, cans and plastic bags. Not so with this place – the only sign of human influence was the presence of the wild pigs when we first arrived. Other than that the bushland looked much the same as it probably did when the original Aussies were the only ones walking our vast landscape.
Stay tuned for details on the launch of Fishing Journeys, which will be screened free on the Fisho website. See a short series preview clip HERE. Meantime, check out a few images below shot by Scott Thomas during our trip out west.
