LAKE BORUMBA FISH STOCKING ASSOC. NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2011.

            The week end started off on a windy note with the SE breeze making the water fairly uncomfortable and cold. Early morning starts were pretty hard to get going so 8.00am seemed like a good time to get motivated. Especially when a hot cuppa was on hand to crank the motor. By the time Thursday had arrived the mornings were crisp with a light breeze, which died away about 8.30am, leaving a perfect day of no breeze at all with lovely sunshine to warm the body. This kept up right through until we left for home on Monday.

            The fish were pretty reluctant to engage in battle early but when a school was found and enticed a little, the activity was pretty good. The fish had moved about a lot since our last visit and were mostly scattered all over the Dam with schools appearing occasionally, which were more inclined to attack a live shrimp than a plastic or hard body lure. The main problem here was that the shrimp were pretty hard to find. The traps were only yielding one or two shrimps at a time and if you managed a dozen for the day you had done well. Of course the next problem was to find the fish that wanted to play. Don found some playful fish on Friday and had a great day. Meg and Harry managed a few as well and a number of fish were tagged. Saturday saw the start of the official registration comp with a number of good fish brought to the net, which is very unusual for a comp day. Don managed Bass to 46cms and Megs best was 44cms. All nice fish with average being in the high 30’s. Harry managed a 65cm Toga but try as he might, could not find a Golden to play with. I understand he has a plan for next time he gets to Borumba. Some thing pretty secret which I think might go BANG when it hits the water. I must check the regulations.

              Chris and John found the going pretty tough using lures as did Kerry. There is always a bright side to adversity, so instead of trying to catch fish that did not want to play their game, got the mower out and cut the whole area around the clubhouse. Makes the place look very attractive. Great work fella’s

             Meg and Harry had a day on the paint brushes and put a coat on the cupboards. Makes the place look nice but Harry forgot the kick board under the sink so we have a few toe marks to remind him of his slack approach to painting. He can only get better, so a bit of practice has been recommended.

             The new kitchen pantry was installed and Meg, Della and Margaret spent a full day sorting out the items to be put in there and free up space in the cupboards under the bench. Seems to work OK but now Harry does not know where to put things when he does the washing up. More practice is obviously needed here also.

             Fellowship was again top class. Meg made up a fire each evening in the grate outside, fires have been banned from being lit inside, and the chit chat around a very pleasant blaze sipping a couple of wines or such, was a wonderful insight into life and lots of problems were solved, political or otherwise. Dinner time seemed to come around so fast we all missed it and had dinner around 8.30pm, which is usually past Harry’s bedtime.. Margaret’s card games, spoons in particular, and Darts were a great way to spend an evening of fun. John and Meg have a bit to learn about the subtlety of Margaret and Harry when it comes to spoons. They spend a lot of time watching the cards instead of the other players. They get pretty tricky at times.

             The AGM came and went with just a couple of new names getting their hands on a job. Kerry Fitts is doing the publicity officer job and will be doing the newsletter as part of his official capacity. Any member having a piece of news suitable for the website can send it to Kerry at kezza10@gmail.com  Silvafox has been turned out to chase chickens and will no doubt have his hands full catching one.

             We are very pleased to advise members that as of today’s date we have been advised that our application to the Jupiter’s Casino Community Benefit Fund has been SUCCESSFUL and the application for funds to put in the ceiling, new lights and ceiling fans in the clubhouse has been approved. Funds should be transferred to our bank in the next two weeks, and then work can be contracted out. One thing to consider is to have a suspended ceiling or a fitted ceiling. Sec Harry is checking with the electrician to see if any variation with pricing on the different light fittings needed. Members can be involved with the painting of the finished work which will include 3 privacy areas at the SE end of the building. If enough funds are saved on the lights then we may be able to pay a painter to do the job.

             Weekend October 15^th/16^th. The weekend was planned for Bjelkie Petersen Dam but our enquiries have found that the water is badly infected from blue green algae and is not suitable for water activity. The executive have decided to hold the week end at Lake McDonald. The scout camp is available for our use and has proven to be very comfortable on other occasions. So we are off to Lake McDonald. As this is an ELECTRIC MOTOR only dam, no outboards can be started whilst on the water. You can row or push or put up a sail to get around. I shall be taking a paddle. I have been assured that the fish are holding just out from the ramp so a short paddle and drop the anchor will do for this little black duck. Hope the fish can join me. That is all from me this month. C U all at Lake McDonald

            Tight lines and good weather have been placed on order.

                                                silvafox

LBFSA NEWSLETTER JULY 2011.

 

            The July meeting seemed to be the start of a great week end of fine weather for members to enjoy their favourite pastime, Fishing and Fellowship, and were not disappointed. Don and Margaret had already settled in to a nice possie near the fish tanks before Meg and Harry had arrived. Margaret got to work collecting rocks for a fire place, but called for assistance as soon as she found a large one and needed assistance to move it into place. That night saw a lovely fire going which is the ideal spot to have a chat and a couple of pre-dinner drinks. In fact it was after 8.00pm when we decided that hunger was taking over the conversation and made a retreat to the clubhouse for a meal.

           Fishing the next day got off a very spiky start when Margaret put her  hand on one of Don’s many lures in the boat, which penetrated through her finger. As luck (?) would have it, the barb came out the other side which made it a painfully simple exercise for Don to snip the barb off and push the remainder through and out.

            Nial and Sandra arrived with their nice new boat and motor and the Kayaks have been put in moth balls for a while. Sandra could not contain her excitement at being able to go from the ramp to the top of Yabba creek in less than 15 minutes. A great improvement on the 1½ hours it usually took.

            Saturday saw the beginning of probably the worst days fishing on the Lake that anyone could remember. The wind was there all day blowing straight off an iceberg moored in Borumba Creek. The rain came and went on a regular basis. Just nice and steady enough to get you wet in all the wrong places. The fish were also holed up under a rock so they would not get their fins wet and would not come out for any reason. Even the shrimps were hiding. Harry did not manage a fish but Don came to his rescue and suggested that they had a spare one in their boat and would he like it. The answer being of course, Don got the fish out of the live well, put the lip grippers on it and was passing the fish, a nice 45cm Bass, across to Harry when the fish gave a hefty kick and disappeared between the small gap between the boats. “OOPS” said Don among a couple of other things like, “What a silly thing to do”, “How did that happen” etc, etc. The thought was appreciated by Harry, but he still did not have a fish in the boat.

           John was also wondering what he was doing out in that foul weather sitting and flicking all over the place with very little to show for his efforts. Fellowship started early that afternoon. We fired up the heater and had a nice time inside out of the wind and rain.

           Herman and Della came to the meeting on Sunday, as Della had a cataract done on Friday, and the eye was in a sling still, so they did not fish. That had no bearing on her throat and chattered along quite nicely although she could not see who she was speaking to. The mandarins Herman brought along off his tree were lovely and sweet and full of juice. Thanks Herman.

            The clubhouse is starting to look good. Don, Chris and Harry spent a couple of days getting things in place. Chris had the Gerni on all the walls and cleaned the  place up nicely. Don and Harry got the sink and benches in place, tiled the walls and got the plumbing done. The electrician came and installed the smoke alarm and relocated a couple of power points over the new benches. A nice new portable bench was assembled. All making the area very presentable. We are now waiting for a response to our application to the Community Benefit Fund regarding the suspended ceiling and new lights and ceiling fans to complete the renovation.

            With all this work being completed we shall then be in a position have the building all done to council regulation, which will allow us to finalise the lease on the building from SEQwater.

           Our next get together is to be at the Maroochydore River on 19^th 20^th 21^st August.  Accommodation is available at the Maroochydore River Caravan Park. Bookings have already been made for those members requiring it and cabins are available for $85 and $110 per night for two people. The phone number there is        07 5443 3033. The river has been fishing very well recently and the caravan park is close to the Cod Hole Ramp. Looking forward to a great week end.

 New locks have been now put in place and keys are available for those members who wish to swap old for new. Just ring Harry for more information.

 Looking forward to the next meeting. C U on the water somewhere.

                                                  SILVAFOX. 

NEWSLETTER - CARLO POINT TRIP June 18^th-19^th 2011

            The week end started off on a very good note, weather was fine and the water looked inviting. Chris and Harry went out in Chris’s new thunderbolt, Don Margaret Pete and Claire chose to explore the various sand flats in the area of the boat ramp, to pump some yabbies and flick a few lures around the edges. Meg decided that an afternoon nap would be the way to go. Harry was quite taken with the electronic gadgets on Chris’s boat, they tell you where you have been, where you are going and sometimes where not to go. They got a few flathead; Harry lost a flounder because the net was not big enough. The only problem was coming back to the ramp at 49.7mph Chris forgot to return along the same track as going out and a mud bank just happened to be in the area that we wanted to go. Murphy’s  law states that when a fast moving object meets a stationary mud bank something has to move and in this case it happened to be Harry in the jump seat that accelerated. The boat went from 49.7mph to zero in 1 sec and Harry accelerated from zero to 49.7mph in the same period of exhilaration. The only thing that stopped him from making a very quick exit from the boat was the step up to the transom and the electric motor mount on the bow, Both have now been repaired satisfactorily, Harry is still trying to work out what the hell happened. The sand bank walkers got a number of fish which were released back to their respective parents, and then all assembled around a nice fire for happy hour at Don and Margaret’s camp.

            Saturday morning saw all anglers on the water early, an overcast day but not too bad. Just a south westerly breeze of about 5-6 knots with a mean temperature of 8deg C. Meg and Harry saw a chance to get in behind some mangroves out of the breeze, whilst Chris and Margaret took off to Fraser Island some 10 miles away. Don and Margaret had a nice sleep in. Naturally the breeze picked up to about gale force in the next hour or so and Meg decided that if Harry did not take her home ASAP dire consequences were to descend on him, very quickly. The mile and a half trip took best part of an hour. Not pleasant. They were home by 10.0 am with no fish. Peter and Claire went downstream and at least got somewhere to hide for a couple of hours. I heard on a very private grape vine that the spot was the Tin Can Bay Yacht Club. No fish but very comfortable out of the wind. Chris and Margaret got pounded at Fraser Island and waited for the tide to change before heading back to the camp. A few flathead were boated, nothing very exciting but a feed at least.

            Saturday evening we assembled at the Thai Restaurant on the boardwalk for a lovely meal, then drinks at the Cabin and bed was a favourite place for all pretty early.

Sunday morning was no better than the day before so it was pack up and get on the way home reasonably early.

            Carlo is a nice spot, plenty of room for campers and the cabins very reasonable when 2 couples share the tariff.  WARNING.  When sharing a cabin try to avoid the top bunk. Claire drew the short straw in our cabin and there was no ladder

All considered it was very good week end, the usual great fellowship and lots of laughs. The main topic for the giggles was Chris’s new boat jacket, with 25 pockets, 32 zippers, nose wipers, whistles, torches, & bells. Even pockets for bait and tackle, mobile phone and spare plugs in case any of the pockets leaked when you fell overboard. Just one problem, if he fell overboard he would go straight to the bottom it was that heavy with gadgets. We all liked the colours though, all six of them.

            The next meeting is on the weekend 16^th – 17^th July at Borumba. Some of the Clubhouse modifications will be complete and we are all going to camp at the site, even have a fireplace going. Looking forward to it. C U on the water.

                                                 Silvafox.

NEWSLETTER MAY 2011

             The May week end started as a lovely evening and tapered of  to a mud sloshing Sunday when we packed up for home. Rain developed after a nice Saturday on the water, finishing up with a deluge during the night that sent Meg and Harry scampering up to the clubhouse for a bit of shelter. The camp site was awash; with mud everywhere you placed a foot.

            Sunday morning saw little better weather and we were at least able to recover our Redclaw traps. Pity about the fish. They seem to be schooling up with a lot of fish showing on the sounders but having little to do with the offerings thrown at them. John and Harry crossed paths high up in the Kingham arm with a huge area of fish showing up along the drop off just out from the shore line... Harry just pulled up to say hello and seeing all those fish tempted him to throw a shrimp in amongst them... Whamo, three drops, three fish. John was very displeased as his lures were not raising a touch. This fishing is a very selective operation. All finished good as John later on did get his bag of Bass.

            Chris managed to entice a nice 41cm Bass and decided that as the fishing was so hard he was going to take this one home for dinner. At least Margaret would accept his story that he was actually at the Dam fishing for the weekend.

            Herman and Della had a great day on Saturday landing some 11 Bass in one session. At least the Tag guns were getting some use. Harry finished the week end with a tag bag of 8 fish as well. Margaret and Don had little to report except that the fish were on the bite better before the official club comp started. Isn’t it always the way.

            It is good to report that the modifications have begun at the clubhouse, with the in floor drains now filled and concrete sealed. Looks very good. More work is required to get the place back into operation and hopefully that will be done before the July meeting on the 16^th-17^th. We still need to get some assistance with funding to do a great deal more at this stage. Keep your fingers crossed that our application is successful.

            Our next gathering is to be on the 18^th -19^th June at Carlo Point. This is a very nice venue at Tin Can Bay, plenty of room for campers. Bookings are not required for unpowered sites. Should you require a cabin or powered site, ring the Rainbow waters Caravan Park phone, 0754863200. C U there.

            The working B held at the clubhouse was great success with everything out of the area ready for the work parties to come in and do their thing. President Peter was a great organiser. A couple of loads to the tip got rid of the surplus items and a halt was called early enough for us all to get home before dark.  Claire was the chef for the day and did a wonderful job. A Hearty well done all round. Harry’s home made ginger beer was hit with the workers to clear a little dust from the palette.

See you on the Water.

Silvafox

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2011.

            We finally had the opportunity to hold our regular meeting despite the gloomy forecast for the week end. Showers and occasional rain. Who could want better for fishing in open boats? Herman started the ball rolling by announcing a single lure competition for Saturday. All present were given the same lure to use and headed out to make it work?

            We all assembled back at the clubhouse, in the rain, to compare catches. Surprising as it may sound the lure supplied by Herman, a $3.00 stock clearance special bibless rattler, had actually worked. Surprise! Surprise! Meg finished taking out the prize, she gets to keep he lure, with 2 Bass and 2 Goldens. Hearty congratulations on her first ever win in the club competitions. This catch came after Harry and Meg had been trolling the designated lures around for some time and Meg got a snag. Captain Harry backed the boat up to retrieve the lure and the wind, as it will, sent the boat to the middle of nowhere up against a tree. The Captain looked at the sounder and could not believe the fish showing under the boat, so lassoed the tree and started fishing. The result was about 10 Bass, 2 Goldens, and a 68cm Toga. Not bad for a couple who were on their way home to get out of the rain.

            We settled down then to Happy Hour whilst Chris put the finishing touches to our Trophy Presentation Dinner. Roast Beef served with baked spuds, pumpkin, various vegies topped off with Apple Pie and Twisted Mud Cake. Harry produced a nice bottle of Galway Pipe Port. Not bad for a fishing camp dinner. Chris did a great job, as usual, with the cooking.

            Harry had a surprising start to the week end when he went out to put his red claw traps in the water on Friday afternoon. The first trap he went to bait up had the rope coiled inside and put his hand in to get the rope and came out with a snake skin. Gave him a nasty bowel attack until he found it was just a 1.2m skin. The snake had actually gone into the trap and shed the skin inside before leaving the premises. I might add that the traps are stored in the clubhouse during visits to the dam. ?????

            The end result was great as the Red claw were the best seen in the dam. Plenty of them, providing you got there before the share farmers and a great size up 40cms long overall.

            The Calendar committee had been at work on this year’s program and the result is as follows

            MARCH           Borumba meeting.

            APRIL             Lake McDonald.

            MAY               Borumba meeting.

            JUNE              Carlo Point.

            JULY              Borumba  meeting

            AUGUST         Maroochydore River or Pumistone passage - tba.

            SEPTEMBER.    Borumba        AGM.

            OCTOBER.       Bjelke Petersen

            NOVEMBER.     Borumba.       Final club point score competition.

            DECEMBER.     No meeting.

            JANUARY        Borumba.

          The meeting held with Gympie Council Officers, SEQwater representatives and Pres. Peter Chris and Harry on 14^th March was a very successful one with the outcome being very good for the Stocking Group. Main point and issue had been the necessary alterations to our lease agreement to allow our members to stay overnight in the Hatchery building. This has now been clarified, with a minimal amount of work required. The main and first job is to fill and seal the floor drains in the building, and extend the storm water drain to pick up the storm water falling on the concrete tanks up the hill from the building and direct it to the creek. The other things to be done are safety issues, Smoke alarms and emergency exit signs to be hard wired in to the electrical system, as well as the renewing of fire extinguishers.

            All members will be kept in the loop, as a working bee will be necessary to clear out all the existing fittings in the building to allow the filling and concrete work required to carry out the modifications. We hope this will be in the very near future. Just a few details as to delivery of the fill needed and the hiring of machinery to move and compact it in the drains.

A professional crew shall be engaged to pour and finish the concrete. They will of course need help to minimise costs.

            Herman presented a very interesting summary of the fish caught during the club competiton run during the year., these were., Bass 95;  Silvers 3;  Guldens 6;  Catfish (mostly Dells.) 8;  Toga 4;. Just shows how hard the fishing was during 2010.

            The proposed trip to Bjelke Petersen will be interesting as we have not been there for a couple of years due to the water levels. It is now full again. Interesting to find out if any fish survived the low water levels which went to 2%. I have always liked fishing BP Dam.

            After a few pretty ordinary months, with the Qld population suffering a series of major disasters, as well as personal losses, let us look forward to better days of fellowship, weather and fishing. Most impoundments in the state will have suffered losses to the fish stocks but these will now be boosting the downstream rivers and creeks, not all bad news.

            C U all on the water... Health and Happiness be plentiful. Best wishes.

                                                             silvafox

NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2010

             The weather gods seemed out to disappoint us once again. The forecast was not bad, but certainly indicated showers and possible storms. The early birds got the best of the changeable pattern. Thursday night saw quite a downpour which set the pattern for rain at night with showers during the day. One thing though the rain did not spoil the fishing for the fish were not available at all. Plenty showing on the electronic machine but very few in the boat and small to boot. A lot more rain fell on the coast than we had at the camp which caused a number of our members to stay at home. More is the pity for the fellowship was in top gear with the ladies leading the way.

            Don and Margaret Robo fished hard with just a few keepers most of their catch was a tag and release effort and plenty of them.. Chris and Margaret were out and about but not much action. Word is that Margaret forgot to take her book this time. Harry fished two sessions a day for 4 days with just 4 fish of small to medium size to his name. Meg did not even bother to get her rod wet. Smart girl. Harry got desperate one afternoon and went down to the spillway pond, 6 fish with 6 casts including a nice 42cm Golden. No fun there.

            Herman and Della got a couple of keepers on Thursday but all told the fishing was less than ordinary. The bright side for Herman over the week end was from his Doctor. He has had such good reports recently that his very strict diet has been amended and he can now eat some things that actually taste like food. Would you believe he can now eat sausages. That is, a new sausage called “Heart Smart”. Herman had got hold of some of these and Della was doing them up for him as a special treat. Grilled Sausages with plenty of thick tomato and onion gravy. YUM.

            Well without labouring the point Della got the meal going early and of course cooking makes people thirsty and Meg and Della started on the aperitifs’ early too. The sun is over the yard arm at 3.30pm The sausages got browned and turned down, the gravy was made and got turned down, the aperitifs got chucked down and refilled. Herman and Harry decided to join in and around 7.30pm someone suggested that it might be dinner time, Herman was looking forward to his grilled sausages. Dinner was served, Herman got his sausages, even in the dark we could see that they were underdone. The veges were great and when he was done asked why he did not get any gravy. It seems that when Della turned the gravy down it was left on the gas for another 2 hours with disastrous results. Ever tried Gravy toffee? Not recommended. A great night was had be all.

            Don and Margaret were catching a lot of fish but there is still one unexplained episode to which I have not found the answer. Don came home with bandages on both his thumbs. I did hear something about two trebles on a lure, one small fish, and the result a treble in each thumb with the fish still attached. Would have been quite exciting. The mind boggles at the antics in the boat. Did Margaret release the fish or the husband first? The fish had to go back unharmed, that is the law, nothing in the book about punctured husbands. The answer could be in the next newsletter.

            Harry had a bit of a problem during the period. Apart from happy hour, he had a lot of trouble staying awake for more than a couple of hours at a time. He was either waking up or going to sleep. No one seemed to miss him much or could not tell the difference between wake up and go to sleep. I understand he is feeling much better now.

            Late news to hand. Margaret Mangold has been crowned Bridge Champ of Gympie Wide Bay area. Apparently she has been out playing all the local Bridge players on a regular basis and is now on line for the 2014 Bridge Olympics. I do not know where the bridge leads but Margaret is well on her way. A good fisherperson as well. It is great to have a celebrity in our little group. Good work Margaret. Keep bowling them over.

            The meeting on Friday with the SEQwater people achieved some progress with our efforts to do the necessary modifications to the Clubhouse building. We can now go ahead with the work providing we can supply SEQwater with proof that the work is being done by qualified tradesmen. No problem there, so we can now make plans to get the work done. The work will have several stages.

Stage 1.   Remove all items from the clubhouse, cupboards, benches, shelves, drain covers anything that can be moved. Clear the area. Any useful items can be stored at Chris Mangolds’ home. We may be able to have a garage sale and gather some funds.

Stage 2.   Lay the extended drain line to remove the surface water. Install floor wastes.

Stage 3.   Truck in some 40 cu mtrs of fill for the drains and fill the drains. (contractors)

Stage 4.    Lay concrete to finish the floor.(contractors)

Stage 5.    Install suspended ceiling (contractors.)

Stage 6     Electrical work. Lights, fans, security lights. (contractors.)

Stage 7     new kitchen benches and cupboards.

Stage 8.     Relocate Friges, and cooking equipment

Stage 9.     Paint the floor.

            As can be seen there is quite a bit to do. The time frame for this to completion is end of February 2011. We will be needing any member available to volunteer some time. As each stage is done the next will be planned. All members will be kept in touch. Once we begin the work the clubhouse will be unavailable for members use for several months. The end result will make it all worth while. Please contact Secretary Harry on 07 54996262 should you be able to offer any assistance with labor or materials.

            Don’t forget the Xmas meeting is to be held at the home of Chris and Margaret Mangold address , 480 Mary Valley Road, Gympie on Saturday 18^th December, 5.00pm. till ?????

A smorgasbord dinner will be served, a small charge may apply. Ladies may like to bring a plate of nibbles. BYO drinks. Please ring Margaret on 07 54832823 and advise her of your attendance for catering purposes. It will be a great night. 

            January meeting is scheduled for Borumba on  15^th. This will be confirmed, as school holidays will be in full swing and the clubhouse may be unusable. Keep in touch.

                                                            SILVAFOX.

 

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2010.

            The week end got off to an ordinary start with the weather forecast not containing much good news, and a considerable amount of rain thrown in for good measure. The good news was that the fish that had been fasting for a number of weeks had suddenly decided to feed again and some good catches were on the books. Don and Herman, who went up early, got amongst some nice Bass up to 49cms. John had a great day on Friday with some 14 Bass tagged and released. Chris and Margaret had a mixed day. Margaret took a book to while away the time, read a little, fish a little, and torment the life out of Chris. Marg would read for a while whilst Chris would catch nothing. Then she would decide to show him how to do the trick, put the book down, pick up her rod and make a cast or two, catch a fish or two and then return to her book. Chris was pulling his hair out (?) for he could not get attached to a fish at all. The days result was Margaret 6 Chris nil. Happy hour was not too happy as Margaret relayed the day’s activities. Harry arrived Saturday after noon and did a recon of the dam searching for fish. He knew that Don and Herman, who had teamed up for the afternoon, were really on to something good, so with respect for the privacy of his friends, did not go near them. Results given at length at Happy Hour were, Harry nil, Don and Herman 17.  John was in the mix with some lovely Bass to 47cms as well. Even had a new lure snapped in half by a monster? (I can only write what I am told?) Nial and Sandra, trying out a new Kayak with a motor run on petrol, (shame on them) were enjoying the luxury of a powered craft & forgot to count the fish that were released. All present felt so sad for them that they were invited to have another G&T to erase their sorrows. Offer was accepted eagerly.

            Sunday saw the leaders of our intrepid group getting ready for the AGM later in the morning. No fishing for them this day. Some members went out and (glee, glee.) the fish were gone from yesterday’s spots so the little time allowed did not enable them to find them again.

            The very interesting news for the day was the observation that Peter and Claire made whilst fishing in the spillway pond. There were fish a plenty hopping onto anything thrown at them. Poppers, Fizzers, Jumpers, Sinkers and Twisters all produced fish. As time ticked away towards the meeting time, tick, tick, tick, Peter found himself having a scratch on a very sensitive part of his anatomy. With not much area to work on he retired to the toilet for a micro inspection of the affected part of his body, his d**k. Lo and behold there was a tiny little tick in his d**k. All present thought this was dicklerious, and gave Pete all the sympathy they could muster between laughs. Several offers were made to de tick his d**k but all were refused on various grounds. Hands too cold, fingernails too long, not pretty enough, etc. etc. So he operated on his own (d**k) we had a first aid book in the cabinet, so Claire was d**ktating the instructions to de tick a d**k from outside the door, whilst all present went into paroxysms of laughter trying to get a look at the operation. What a predicktiment for our President.

            Monday saw only the bravest of members still on the water looking for fish. Pretty hard to find in all the rain. Don and Herman went back to their private spot marked X on the map only to find the fish had moved out of the rain and gone in under the trees. Harry found them and had a lovely morning catching and tagging. The best was 44cms but a pleasant change to his previous couple of days fishing.

            John Herman and Harry were going to stay another couple of days but the rain was so persistent that we all decamped and left on Monday afternoon before the creeks came up and kept us there for a week or so.

            The October meeting, scheduled for 16^th/17^th clashes with a competition at Boondoomba Dam. The members have decided that the club fishing competition point score shall be split between the two dams, Borumba and Boondoomba, members fishing in the competition shall be allowed to record their catch, at either dam, to gather points in the club competition, which is reaching its end. Those fishing Borumba on that week end can record their catch by notifying Measure Master Herman, as can the ones fishing Boondoomba.

            We have also been advised that our application for funding to upgrade the clubhouse has been rejected, so the meeting resolved to undertake some of the work under our own steam. The first thing to be done is the filling and sealing of the drains under the floor. Sec. Harry is in the process of gathering information on ways and means of doing this and shall report as soon as things are organized. The work shall entail a working bee to clean out the clubhouse to allow machines to work inside. The sink is to be removed, the serving bench goes out, the friges moved, all the boarding lifted to expose the drains and a new 150mm drain laid under the floor to take away the rain water from the concrete tanks. A bit to do, but we feel an effort by members and friends can do this in a couple of week ends. The cost is estimated at around $3000 to $3500. The quoted price was $9000 so we stand to save a few dollars. More information will be given as soon as available. Work is expected to start late October/early November. Keep in touch. Harry will be away most of October but shall be back in time for the work at the clubhouse. Information can be requested from Chris ph 0754832823 or Don ph 0754485982  Good fishing till next time.

                                                              Silvafox. 

 

NEWSLETTER AUGUST  2010.

            Once again the weather was kind to our members who attended the week end at the Robertson’s home and fished the Maroochydore River. What a great week end. John had sussed the area out for us and knew where the flathead were hiding, so he sent us in another direction. The tactic did not work as we all caught a few fish. John landed a whopper over 70cms and I saw one fish released that was over 80 cms. A real crocodile of a fish. We fished the upper part of the river right up Dunethin Rock. A really lovely area to just sit and relax, watch the birds and hope a fish did not come along and disturb your lethargy. I fished with Pete and Claire on Sunday and it was a great morning flicking plastics this way and that way with great abandon. Naturally the target fish had moved downstream about 2 miles and were not to be disturbed under any circumstances. (Who would have guessed that.)

            The roll up on Friday evening, around the camp fire, was as good as it gets. Pete produced a new drink and was insistent that everybody present was to have a taste. Harry stood on his dig and refused a taste, Sandra, being a gentle natured person, tried it and promptly labeled it disgusting, with the comment that it tasted like beer with ginger mixed with it. That is exactly what it was Alcoholic Ginger Beer. A great way to spoil two good drinks. Harry, being his usual obnoxious self, made some comment that upset Meg, so she promptly dived her fist into Nial’s new Gin and Tonic, grabbed the slice of lime out and threw at Harry, Scored a direct hit and sprayed all and sundry with gin and tonic. Harry is still not sure what he did to provoke such an attack, so out of character for him. Nial retired to refresh his drink.

            A medical emergency was declared on Saturday morning when Pete discovered a splinter in his finger. (John reckoned he had been scratching his head.) It was only a small piece of 3 x 2 but the operation to remove it was accompanied by much oohing and aahing with the occasional grunt thrown in. The oohs and aahs were from Pete and the grunts were from Doctor Don trying to hold his arm still so the offending piece of timber could be removed.

            Saturday evening around the same bonfire, we were treated to a wonderful dinner prepared by Don and Margaret 2. A very large camp oven full of stew and vegetables, topped off with a Dora pie and a Claire B and B pudding with cream and/or custard. This is really living in the fast lane. Kerry and Joy with Ted and Kaye popped in for a drink or two and decided to stay for dinner, it looked so good. It turned out to be stewed goat chops, with two kinds of potato, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, peas and beans. What a feast, it was so delightful we did not even have to wash the dishes. All wiped clean. The only potential disaster in all this was Harry lost his beer glass, investigation revealed that Margaret 2 had collected it with the dishes and put it in the dish washer. When H recovered from the initial shock of having his beer glass WASHED, Marg retrieved it and poured him a beer which tasted lovely. Nice and frothy with great presentation. All good. He even had a couple more just to prove that glasses can be washed in a machine and come out sparkling. Thanks to Margaret.

            Sunday morning was an early start. We had a lot of trouble getting Pete’s motor started, (not the one in the boat,) as he reckoned he was up half the night trying to catch the bloke using a chain saw outside his window. All in his mind of course, it was only Meg tuning up for the day, during the night. Any way the fire wood came in handy.

            Back to business. The September meeting to be held at Borumba on Sat and Sun 18^th and 19^th is the Annual General Meeting, to be held in the Clubhouse at 11.00am. Membership fees are due and must be paid before the meeting. Secretary Harry will be on hand to accept payment. No member is entitled to attend or vote unless paid up and has avoided the security guard on the door. All positions are up for election. Maybe there is a job for YOU. There shall be a BBQ lunch after the meeting. Nothing flash, but enough to get you home on a full tank.  Byo drinks, please, for those driving home after the lunch, BYO as much as you like for those staying Sunday evening.

            Another year has come and gone for the LBFSA and things are going well. Plenty of fish in the dam. (They must be in there for I don’t catch too many) We keep putting them in and they keep growing. The dam is a picture just now, full to capacity, lots of ducks around, the cattle are fat and the deer keep multiplying. A great place to relax and enjoy. We still have no news of our funding application but some news should be available at the meeting. Keep your finger crossed.

            I trust that the newsletters have been read in fun and fellowship , as they have been written. Fact and Fiction are never far apart, just being a part of the group we call LBFSA ,is a very friendly feeling for us all to enjoy.  I give you a toast to our future.

Silvafox.

NEWSLETTER JULY 2010

The meeting this month was a variety of sensations. Cold as should be expected in winter. Windy at times and as pleasant as you could envisage at other times. Well it is mid July and the depths of winter, so nobody is going out in their bikinis, are they?

The unchanging factor, which seems to be a problem each month, was the fish. One boat would catch a heap and the boat close to them caught nothing. Has technique become such a factor that we should, sorry, some of us, take lessons in the art of tossing lures around? When that is arranged I am going to be the first in line, for I just cannot entice a fish to grab hold of any unnatural object I throw at them. A live shrimp and I have a chance, lures and I are not friends, and yet Don and Margaret go out and catch lots of fish and not a shrimp in sight.  Chris and Margaret do OK, as does John, at times teaching us how to be suave when taking out the monthly prizes. Look at Mark Kenny, at Lake McDonald last month. Some 40 fish in a couple of sessions of all varieties. There is even a suggestion the he got an eel on a lure at some stage. Boats came and tied up to his boat and still could not catch a fish. Where is the Justice, I ask, throwing my box of lures in the wheelie bin.

Meg and I had our Grandson Jake with us last meeting, and one morning Jake had 5 Bass caught in about the time I took to change my hook. Then total shut down. Not another fish in that area. I know others had the same problem. Is there HELP out there? Once again I ask, “Where is the Justice.”

Now where was I. The social part of our gatherings is always the same. Top notch fun. Probably the saddest part of the week end was that Harry was off the beer. What a grouch he is sober. Thank goodness the others were sane and having a little something to ward off the cold beside the fire. Fellowship at its best.

We were all pleasantly surprised to see the clubhouse area had had a lot of work done to it. The weed growth along the fence had been removed, the two big earth dams had been filled and leveled, some suspect trees had been removed and the jungle that was around the old display building had been cleared. We can now actually walk from the clubhouse up to the gate without taking a GPS to get back.  Great work. A big thank you to our new landlord, SEQwater, and the local Ranger in charge of the work, Ross. Now if we can hopefully be considered for funding to improve the clubhouse everything in the garden would be rosy. This month we should know the answer.

Bob and Dawn have the grounds and facilities as nice as can be expected. The amenities block is always nice and clean, the grounds look a picture. A pleasure to be there these days. Dawn also makes a super wine ( Bobs 20yr port) trifle should you ever get the opportunity to sample some. Be there at Xmas to have a chance. We are very fortunate to have good cooks like Dawn and Dora in our group. Between these two lovely girls we indulge in some great treats.

I seem to have had trouble with the last Newsletter, so I shall re iterate some of the news here. The week end was held at Lake McDonald and incorporated our members in the Annual Noosa Festival of the Waters. We supplied the work force to assist Dave Whelan, editor of the Bush and Beach Magazine, in the Annual Teach a Kid to Fish programme. Some 15 of our members were there, plus some family and friends, showing the young ones how to put a worm on a hook, how to cast the bait safely out to the waiting fish, how to handle the fish when you land it and then release it carefully back into the water. John Shorrock had his Son David and his children join in the fun. Also caught a fish to show Granddad how to go about the task. There were 70 kids sign on for the day, each spent about 1 hour learning the tricks of the trade and then went away with a sausage sizzle sandwich for lunch, a can of soft drink and a bag of goodies provided by Dave as a memento of the day. The lucky ones also managed to receive a beginners Rod and Reel outfit to practice at home. Thanks to Dave and “Bush and Beach.” These things all take time to put together and Dave does a great job getting the package in place. We support this project each year with the labor force. A great day had by all.

Mark Kenny blitzed the field for catching fish. A huge take and release effort for the week end. He just found a spot near the hatchery and caught fish after fish. Bass, Golden Perch, Silvers, Eels and even a turtle. Maybe a couple of Jew as well. He even loaned his lure to another member, but no success. When Mark starts his Lure casting school I am his first customer. I will even buy a new lure. (Please do not tell Meg or I shall be talking in a squeaky voice for the rest of my days.)

So much for now, the next meeting at Borumba will be the AGM. Come along and get a job. The work is easy and the pay great. You also get to meet some great people. Maybe even shake the hand of our worthy President. ( Don’t start talking football. You may regret it. Particularly if you are a Wallaby supporter.)

The August meeting is on the Maroochydore River on 21^st-22^nd. Should be another great week end of fun and fellowship. SEE YOU THERE.

Silvafox.

NEWSLETTER. April 2010.
 

The meeting in April was held at Borumba, the weather being kind and the members chafing at the bit to get at the fish. After a couple of months of very dubious weather patterns it was great to see a bit of stability.

The fishing was not something to write home about, but the fellowship was as good as ever. Unfortunately for Secretary Harry, the time was spent in hospital with a nasty bout of Fiji blood poisoning. If you have had this problem I sympathise with you. If you have not been inflicted, then say thank you to the people who hand out these things. I wish to say a BIG THANK YOU to those who rang to say hello and send cards of good thoughts to me at the Hospital and at home. Much appreciated. The good news in all this was that I managed to get on the plane to Brisbane before the sickness really took hold. A Fiji hospital is no place to be if you are sick, I can assure you.

The next meeting will be at Borumba again on the week end 15th-16th May. The weather gods have been consulted and we have been assured that conditions shall be good and the fish are going to co operate in the points competition. Won’t that be nice. The Redclaw have slowed down a bit, but providing you can get the first tug on your trap ropes, then the rewards are there for the taking.

The June meeting is to be at Lake McDonald

REPORT ON FEBRUARY 2010 OUTING

Just a short run down on the week end just gone. We should have been at Carlo Point but the weather for camping was less than good so we bailed out and decided to go up to Borumba. Despite the roads being cut until Friday, John Shorrock, Don and Margaret Robertson with Chris and Margaret Mangold all arrived at Borumba. Meg and I had our Grandson Jake in tow.

The fishing Friday afternoon was ordinary although John had a great afternoon. 8 Bass the best 49cms only three in the 30 area. Chris and Harry with Jake ZERO. Saturday started out good Margaret and Chris got a couple of nice ones as did john once again 48cm. The best Harry and Jake could do was 1 catfish between them.

Sunday saw Jake and Harry on their own. Jake got 2 Bass 40 and 34 cm while Harry again scored zero. Three small bass between 12 and 15 cm were tagged and released.

Again, the redclaw pots were being raided with any of the contents removed.  So on Saturday afternoon Harry found a spot where no has been for years (?), put the pots in 1 metre of water and cleaned up on Sunday morning. All the redclaw were nice size too. Being the good bloke Harry is, he has agreed to tell the members where the hot spot is. There are 3 dead trees close together near a floating log in Yabba Creek. Find a meter of water behind the weed beds and hold on tight. Please don't give this information to any one else. Mum's the word.

The weather was kind to us and only rained after dark. The fellowship was very pleasant as usual. Next meeting is at Borumba 20th/21st March. Pisces meeting. Come prepared.

SILVAFOX.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2010.

A good gathering of old members, plus a few new ones attended the week end 16th-17th which was the Annual Presentation of Trophy's Dinner evening A few retired members make it a long week end and arrived on Thursday to set up camp and check out the fish in preparation for a big week end. Now all good planning has a flip side and I am afraid that we worked on the wrong side all week end as far as the fish were concerned. Measure Master Herman started the ball rolling with the announcement that the competition for the Saturday was to be a one lure event. No bait, no alternative lures. Just the one he supplied and all persons fishing in the competition were to use it. Should you happen to lose it then you were disqualified and return to camp to have cold drink.

The lure was called “FRENZY” in a nice watercolor green, which seemed to disappear when you dropped it in. The fish certainly could not see mine, as I was not even able to record a sniff, let alone a bite. This was also the case of a few others. Don, Margaret R, Chris and Margaret M, did not seem to have any trouble as the fish attacked them with gusto. Bass kept coming, 40cm, 44cm, 45, 47 48 and 49cm. The end result being that those two boats scooped the pool of prizes.

Some of the others tried to get hold of their lures and examine them for some kind of fault, or other devious means of attracting fish to their boats. Alas they were locked away for next years comp.

Aside from the fishing some nice Redclaw were boated, if you could manage to be the first to your traps in the morning. Bernie and Harry were getting a couple of dozen each day, the bodies going 6 to 8 inches. ( 15 to 20 cm for the new age folk.) Nice chewing.

Outside the comp fishing hours some good Saratoga were landed by Kerry and Jason Fitts and Sandra Gow boated another 55cm specimen. The warmer weather has them very active early in the morning

The presentation dinner was scheduled for Saturday evening, so with this in mind the assembled gathering decided to have a practice on the Friday evening. A wonderful start, dinner at 9.00pm if you could handle it, animated discussion on all aspects of fishing to running the country. Lots of problems were solved and a lot of others undecided. All in all a great evening. John and Herman were the last to go to bed, or should I say, went to sleep, after a couple of snifters of a very nice Red. One of our new members Kerry (Kezza.) Fitts and grandson Jack fitted in well with the older members. Kezza's Son Jason and his wife Sandy have also indicated their intention to join the group. Nice to see some younger fishers and the Juniors coming into the club.

The presentations on Saturday followed a lovely dinner with Camp Oven Baked Meats, compliments to Chris, with a variety of salads. This was followed with a selection of deserts like, adorable Dora Apple Pie, coconut and caramel slice, Dawnee Special Wine Trifle with a Caramel tart (to die for), Fruity Pavlova all served with Cream and Custard. Please stop drooling on the page. Our new Junior Jack was seen to have just three helpings of desert, and when asked if he was going back again remarked he could not walk to the table.

The presentations followed, resulted as follows,
   Men's Club Champion Don Robertson 2350 points.
   Runner up. Chris Mangold. 2075 points.
   Ladies Club Champion. Margaret Mangold. 1277 points.
   Runner up. Margaret Robertson. 721 points.

Annual Award Largest Fish by Specie.
   Don Robertson. Bass. 48 cm.
   Harry Houston. Saratoga. 68cm.
   Chris Mangold. Silver Perch. 48cm.
   Peter Chambers. Golden Perch. 49Cm
   Herman Whitehead, Jewfish. 51cm.
  All received a Gold Mounted trophy, inscribed with details.

Special Saturday Comp One Lure (Supplied.) All fish caught, measured and added.
   Men's Winner. Don Robertson. Total length - 175 cm. .
   Runner up Chris Mangold -118 cm.
   Ladies Winner. Margaret Mangold - 79 cm.
   Runner up. Margaret Robertson - 40 cm.

Monthly Award Largest Fish.

   Don Robertson. Bass. 49 cm.
   Margaret Mangold. Bass. 46 cm.

The next outing shall be held at Carlo Point, Rainbow Beach on week end 20th - 21st February. Camp sites are $25 / night for 2 persons extras $6.00 each/ night.Bookings are probably not needed in February but best to ring first. A camp site is big enough for a Tent, Car and Boat. Enquiries. Rainbow Waters Holiday Park. Phone 07 5486 3200.

Activities calendar 2010. (All Borumba venues are our Meeting dates)

   January 16/17 Lake Borumba,

   February 20/21 Carlo Point.

   March 20/21 Lake Borumba.

   April 17/18 Tiaro.

   May 15/16 . Lake Borumba.

   June. 19/20 Lake McDonald.

   July. 17/18 Lake Borumba.

   August. 21/22. TBA.

   September. 18/19 Lake Borumba AGM.

   October 16/17 TBA.

   November.20/211 Lake Borumba.

   December. TBA.

Until we meet again on the water.

Good Fishing and Good Health.
SILVAFOX.
 

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2009.

The weather gods smiled on us again. The sun shone and the wind blew but the fish were in a very cantankerous mood, to put it mildly.

Chris and Margaret were very active in a competition run at the Dam on the week end with some 40 anglers weighing in just 100 fish for the two day event. Margaret managed to out fish the women and won herself a nice Spin Rod and Reel combination. Well done Margaret. Chris was in the running after the first day but faded in the run to the line.

Nice to see Herman and Della in action after a spell on the sidelines. Herman is getting his problems under control and really enjoyed his time on the water. He hasn’t lost his touch with talking to the fish. It does not work for me; I apparently talk the wrong talk.

Harry and Meg had their grandson Jake down from Proserpine for the school holidays. He loves his fishing and had them out on the water most of the day every day. He even fished the dam spillway during spells on the bank and got himself a nice 44cm Bass among the other fish. There were a group of kids from the camp ground fished the pool every day and usually caught a feed to take back to the pan. Jake even talked his way onto Mark Kenny’s boat during the competition being run and put in his 3/ 4hour sessions without a fish. Takes a bit of patience.

Nial and Sandra deserve a medal for the time they put in out in their Kayak’s. Pedal their way   to the top of both creeks. They make a nice day of it taking an esky with food and drinks to sustain them. Even have a little nap when the occasion arises. They have both had a bad time health wise recently and it was great to see them up and kicking again. Nial is putting together a Web site for the Stocking group as a way of promoting our activities at the dam.  It shall be up and running soon.

 The Annual General meeting on Sunday saw the old committee re elected for another 12 months. They must be doing something right. The important news from the meeting was the granting of Life Membership to Herman and Della Whitehead. They have both been very strong supporters of the group for a lot of years, and still in the thick of the action. Congratulations are in order, and we trust they shall be able to continue coming along to our camps whilst health and bones can stand the strain.

The next trip will be to Lake McDonald on Saturday and Sunday 17th/18th October. Electric motors only allowed there. Camp sites are available at $5.00 per person per night. Hot showers available. A camp kitchen is available at $2.00 p.p.p.n

That is it for now. See you on the water.

 SILVAFOX.