February 2010 Report


March 2010 Report

G’day Gangsters,

March saw 100ml of rain fall in Wagga over one weekend,this record rainfall filled dams,did a lot of damage and even managed to fill Wagga’s Lake Albert to around ¾ of its capacity.This brought much joy to many and also a bit of frustration to those badly affected by the rain but at the end of the day it was much needed.The influx of water again into the river saw the water clarity dramatically change to a muddy brown and the height also at a level it hadn’t been at for quite a while.With the river no good for a period of around two weeks,many chose to head to Blowering and Burrinjuck Dams.Blowering was giving some anglers a few mixed messages as well as the Reddies were firing and then would shut down and on came the natives.This didn’t matter as people were catching fish.Jarrod from BCF Wagga landed a healthy 63cm cod at Blowering on a night visit,yellow and green were the colours of choice that produced it.Back home on the river and the water had cleared enough for a afternoon trip for myself and Joel from BCF Wagga.Joel managed to land a 65cm Trout cod on a ¾ oz  black and mustard Bidgee Bait wich he nick named the “WASP”.He pulled this fish from a reasonably deep bend in the river in fast flowing water.We also tried our luck at a bit of bait fishing with only a couple of small cod being caught.

Take care and goodluck.  

“GO THE WASP”

2010 WAGGA CLASSIC - “WHAT A CLASSIC”
463 entrants, 155 fish,  164 boats and $8000 raised for the local charities.The Wagga Classic is only going to get bigger and better every year.
The wet weather leading up to the Classic didn’t hamper the anglers who were out there trying to claim a stake in the $20, 000 in prizes.An overcast day greeted all who took part wich left a rather pleasant day to be on the water.People were arriving at 5am and were launching there boats and getting ready for the 6am start.Two light towers helped a lot as it was reasonably dark being overcast.The registration table was flat out for most of the morning but slowed down for most of the day but entries were still being taken at 3.30pm.Most people had pre paid there entry fee and went straight out to try there luck.The Mayor Kerry Pascoe came down at 6am to declare the event open by casting the first line in for the day.6am hit and it didn’t take long for the first fish to be recorded, a 54cm cod was the early bird for the day.He had set trend with many cod being angled up until around lunch time.Not all were legal but the were still Murray Cod wich means that they are going ok in that section of the Bidgee.It didn’t take long for the flaming carp to show there presence with many good sized carp being angled during the days fishing.The other good thing to come out of this years classic was that 8 YellowBelly said g’day to a few anglers.This is good as there were none recorded in last years classic.All up on the day, 155 fish were caught.The bulk of the fish this year were native fish wich is a very good sign for the river here in our area.A nice even number of 80 native fish were angled, the majority being Murray Cod.This left 75 intoduced species taken from the river(carp/redfin).
This year saw a vert healthy 85.5cm Murray Cod take out fist prize.The young lad who caught the fish was shaking with excitement from the reports.Rumours have been circulating that this fish was teathered. This is disappointing that there are people out there who want to try and spoil a good thing.I have no reason to doubt the catch and especially no reason when the marshals who recorded the catch actually saw the fish take the bait and saw it being landed and also witnessed its safe and prompt release.It is also disappointing that some have decided to add to there weekly reports comments about how they think the classic fished with out even getting all the facts.463 ENTRANTS, 0VER 250 AT THE PRESENTATION, I think the days fishing went rater well and from what I can gather, everyone was happy.Hey, if you don’t catch a fish when you go fishing, I thought that was just a part of the sport, take the good with the bad.I know that on the day not everyone landed a legal sized fish or landed the winning fish, I will say it again as I have said many times before, The Wagga Classic,  it will always be a charity event, no one will ever own it, its your event, Wagga’s event and it will always be a family orientated day on the water.I guess the guys who reported back to them that the days fishing was no good, well these blokes must have fished outside the competition zone because I personally ventured out on the water from start to finish and the amount of smiles on peoples faces, especially the kids told me that every one was having fun and that’s what the Classic’s about.  FAMILIES, MATES AND THE ODD ONE MAN SHOW ENJOYING THEMSELVES.
The presentation drew a crowd of over 250 people wich was great.Everyone who attended got a ticket or two in the lucky dip wich had around $4500 in prizes.The prizes were given out to the winners and they were all rapped with what they won, cheeky buggers were more than happy to pose for a photo with there takings.The Lucky dip was a hit with over 70 prizes given out.They ranged from Gangster Lures, Wilson’s new slick back lures, Spotters sun glasses , eskies, torches, hats, stickers and a canoe.These were only some of the prizes.
My self and Shane from Wilson had also ventured out on the water and gave away 80 lures and spinnerbaits each, this brought a smile to many anglers as well.
Kerry Pascoe was also at the presentation to hand out the awards and draw the boat wich was won by Clarrie Stephens of Borambola.Kerry also promised we would have a boat ramp in by the next comp or we could throw him in the river, 250 people witnessed Kerry say this so all I can say is , he has to were speedo’s when he gets thrown in.
The Wagga Classic would like to extend there many thanks to all the sponsors envolved this year and look forward to your support again next year.We also would like to thank all who entered the event and we hope you will be back next year and continue to help us grow Wagga’s very own fishing competition, THE WAGGA CLASSIC.
Cheers.
 
Winners:

Murray Cod	Cade Docking	85.5cm
Yellowbelly	Brendon Kerr	46.5cm
Redfin	Ben Wealands	40cm
Longest Carp	Noal Camin	72cm
Biggest bag	John Raczkowski	5 carp
Juniors
Murray Cod	George Stoll	47.5cm
Yellowbelly	Macauley Armstrong
Redfin
Longest carp	Corey Williams	72cm
Biggest bag	Ryan Pollack	3 carp

             
               
                                            
                                                 
                                           
                                     
 
                          
                                             
                                      
                          
                                       
                                           




December 2009
December report. G’day Gangsters.Well the month of December has been a great one for many of our fellow Gangsters out there with many fish being landed.They were landed with many different techniques from casting around structure,trolling the rivers and dams and also a fair few landed on bait.The Bidgee had fished rather well for many with reasonable amounts being angled on single occasions.Most were taken on bait but the Bidgee Baits managed to land a few,the Wobbly Albert range had also proven itself with some anglers landing some nice fish not far from Albury on the Murray.The 1 oz Wobbly Albert had also performed in the Bidgee for a couple of locals with Lincoln Harmer landing some healthy cod of around 45cm to 68cm in length. Myself and a team of seven ventured to Blowering for the Hammi Cup,luck wasn’t on our side this time with only one redfin and yellowbelly landed by our crew,all up there wasn’t many caught during the competition with the winning fish being nearly 30lbs of memory.The event was well run with plenty of room to facilitate everyone,Plenty of beers had by all,plenty of friendly faces that we met,huge fireworks display on the Saturday night,many a yarn was shared.Just a bout everyone got a prize.Its no wonder that this competition is growing every year.With many thanks due Mongo and his crew for there efforts in running the competition and there support for our crew.We’ll definitely support and attend next year,thumbs up for this one Gangsters if you are after a friendly family orientated event. The Gogeldrie Weir near Leeton had produced some fish for some with one lucky angler landing a nice 28pounder.This is another great little spot for a weekend away with all your accomadtion needs catered for.There’s easy acces for your boat,canoe hire,grassed area’s for the kids,toilets and showers,plenty of room and friendly staff there to help you out.Call in and see Harry at the Weir and he will steer you in the right direction for a great weekend.The Gogeldrie Weir is also the base for the Bidgee Classic in March and this is also another great family orientated event. Sponsorship for the Wagga Classic had rolled in steadily until the deadline and I can tell you we have some great prizes and give aways for many of you lucky anglers who attend.The Classic is shaping up to be a good one with reports of many traveling from towns near and far to attend,not to mention the local interest.Theres was only one thing that was brought to my attention that was a little bit disappointing,that was the lack of interest to support the event from some business’s that thrive on this fishing,boating and camping community,all I can say is get in and support the sponsors who have supported the Classic as the have sponsored and donated great prizes in an effort to thank everyone for there support who have supported there business’s,BIG THUMBS UP TO ALL OF THE 2010 SPONSORS. Myself and the gang didn’t get out as much as we would have liked to over December but are sure about to make up for it over the next few months.We hope you and your families had a great Christmas and from the team here at Gangster Lures Wagga,we wish you all the best for 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Don’t let fear stop ya!!!!!!!!!!!

October and November Report
G’day Gangsters,

Well its not that far off that time of year and things are starting to heat up a little.Some good sized Yellowbelly are being caught on various techniques and lures at Blowering.Most of these are being caught around the moon with reports of 4 to 5 days before & up to 5 to 6 days after the full moon.3/4 oz and the 1 oz bidgee baits and bidgee bomb have been landing a few in the shallows whilst one lucky angler landed a nice sized 89cm cod on a 2 ½ oz Dam Buster,purple and black.I am waiting for the pics to arrive.Smaller lures have also done the trick with some good results coming in from anglers who have been using the 50ml and 60ml sized Viking lures and also on the Smak (Blitz Baga).

Bait fishing has been all the go in the Bidgee with a few being angled on woodgrubs,yabbies and cheese.Smaller lures will do the trick ifyou want to troll as the river has got a reasonable amount of water in it but it isn’t all that deep,casting spinnerbaits will also do the trick,look for some structure to carry out this technique.

The Wagga Classic has been receive a great response still by people wishing to sponsor the event.This should be a great day for all who attend and for some lucky winner,a boat and motor package is up for grabs along with heaps and heaps of prizes.

Myself and a few of the boys will be heading up to Blowering Dam to try our luck in the Hammy Cup,This is a family orientated competition and is also a memorial event.Gangster Lures has sponsored this event and we cant wait to get there and meets some new faces.

Gangster Lures Wagga also sponsored the Jugiong carpathon.We received many thanks from the crew who organized the event and also,they managed to rid the river of quit a few carp.Well done guy’s

Till next time,

Take care



September Report
G’day Gangsters, We have finally got the pictures developed of our little lobstering expedition and they will be up on the web site very soon. We landed some nice sized cray’s and they were all very healthy looking as well,a few of them had eggs wich is always a good sign that things are working well for them. A bit of old bullocks liver did the trick on these guys. You often here of many different types of baits to use when lobstering but bullocks liver is easily obtained with a simple trip to the old butcher.

The fishing side of things has been reasonable, a bit of extra work was needed to produce a few fish as the temperature has still been a little bit cool but with persistence and many different techniques used, we were able to land a few over the last few months,our main problem was getting on the water in a few favourite spots on the Bidgee but if you step back and think about where you are going to launch your boat,you usually have no problems. We often notice people encountering problems because they rush into it or you often see where people have had a bit of trouble and if they only got out and had a look around,things might have been a little bit different.

The call has been put out for sponsorship for the Wagga Classic Charitable fishing comp which will be held on the 6th of FEB 2010, the response towards this event has been great. Just shows that there is a need for the fishing,boating and camping community to be able to use there equipment here in Wagga and not have to travel away all the time. Some business’s thrive on this community and it will be interesting to see what gets put back into it.

Till next month,

Take care


August Report
G’day Gangsters,this month saw Sean Hodge (numb nuts),head to Grabine for the duration of the competition there.Wet weather hampered there efforts a bit but some good fish were caught earlier on before the rain hit.He recorded a nice yellow belly to the marshals but was unsuccessful in the race for the prizes.He tried out the new paint job on his boat as well and got a lot of good feedback,don’t worry,he hasn’t shut up about it either.

Closer to home and another good man lost as Simon Cannon had his bucks party on the banks of the Bidgee with some fishing and clay target shooting being the main attractions.The rain hampered this event as well but Josh Wheymouth only managed to land a cod of around 36cm on a white and black ¾ oz Bidgee Bait.A couple of the other guys landed a cod of around 50cm on a trusty old worm,this made the cold weather a bit more bearable with atleast some fish being angled for the weekend.With the river rather low,launching the boats in some areas is a bit tricky.There are still many reserves around wich boats can still be launched from, you just need to pick your spot and approach the launch with a bit more thought.

Mick and Josh Wheymouth ventured out to there annual Booligal trip where they meet up with family to do a bit of fishing,chase a few pigs and enjoy a stubby.Josh had the best result for the weekend as he landed a nice 75cm cod on a black and white 1 oz Bidgee Bomb.He was supprised as he said he hooked the fish in a very shallow and unsuspecting piece of water.It just goes to show that you don’t need great depths and the right conditions to land fish all the time as so many think you do.Some times it’s the places you least expect that produce the fish.

Till next month…………….keep well…………


July Report
G'day Gangsters,Well this month saw a group of us head to Mildura to fish the mighty Murray River.Brendan Bourke and myself organized a group of keen anglers who hit the road for four days to catch up on some much needed time away.The Friday morning saw us hit the water about forty klm’s from Mildura.We were in company with a great friend and local of the area of over 60 years of fishing on the Murray in and around the Mildura area.Our trusty local guide Pete,was a big fan of the Stump jumper range of lures and talked for hours on what hard bodied lures had produced more fish from the river in that area and the names he rattled of were not what we expected to hear, so as much as we always hear and read about big brand names in magazines and on the grape vine,I guess you just cant beat some fair dinkum local knowledge to steer you towards the lures to use.Jamie Fletts,Mudeye Lures got a good mention as did Jason’s,Muldoon’s Lures.Mick Poulos’s Cod Seeker’s also mentioned and with hundreds of pic’s to back up Pete’s stories,we shared many a quite ale during the evenings talking about some of the great fish he had landed.Half an hour into the days fishing,Pete had only two spinnerbaits in his tackle box and had honestly as he quoted not used spinnerbaits before and this was easily seen as they were both brand new and still in the packet,they were not much to look at either the two spinnerbaits as they were some Chinese made contraptions.I offered Pete a couple of 1oz Bidgee Baits,he picked the Pink and Purple and with much surprise to the few boats that hung around near by and myself and Bourky,the old paddle steam captain up with the goods with what I counted to be his 4th cast,nice sized 68cm Cod was his reward and do you think we could get him to stop,he was loving standing up the front of the boat flicking the Bidgee Baits in and around the timber.Not far down stream saw Dennis Hawke and Adam Robinson tolling through some very good structure in 32 foot of water,Dennis Hooked a healthy 53cm cod on a Red and Black Bidgee Bait,this fish was tagged and all the information and details were sent to the N.S.W fisheries.

The next day saw us head to lock nine,didin’t take long at all and not far from where we had launched the boats that Simon Cannon landed two just undersized cod,Josh wheymouth landed a 49cm yellow belly on a white and black Bidgee Bait and was very happy with his catch as he let everyone know later that night,he also topped this of with a 52cm cod.Adam Robinson hooked a cod on a green and black 2 ½ oz Dam Buster and was more than happy that he got a piece of the action.The bloke who had the biggest smile all weekend was Bourky with his 102cm he land in about 19ft of water on a nice troll through some great structure,Yellow and Green was the colour of choice this time.My self and Joel Wealands from B.C.F had to settle with a couple of good hits and many a beverage later in the night to get our kicks but that’s how fishing goes.All up,our trip to Mildura was a great time had by all and many thanks goes out to Pete and no doubt we will be over there again very soon.

Back home and Josh wheymouth had been lucky to catch a couple of cod from the bidgee and these were on grubs,access is obviously hard in some places with the water levels as they are but for those who have been venturing out,there have been some nice size fish landed on lures,spinnerbaits and bait.The reports I have been receiving have been that the anglers have had to work reasonably hard for there results but as the old saying goes,hard work pays off.Till next time,Good luck and stay dry.

April Monthly Report
G’day Gangsters, The fishing has been great for some anglers at Burrinjuck with many a good size Yellowbelly and Cod being caught.Charlie and Marlene Bush from Wagga had some success with Marlene landing an nice size cod on a red and black Bidgee Bait whilst Charlie had a greater success rate landing a nice bag of Yellowbelly.Ben Perry also had some luck whilst trolling a 4icnh Pearl Wobbly Albert.He landed a nice 64cm Cod,he was trolling in and around some good structure for a while before the Cod hit.
Blowering Dam produced 1 Cod for Trevor,Simon and Nat Cannon over the weekend.That made the trip and the long hours trolling worth while for the three anglers who ventured up for the midnight troll.Trevor hooked the Cod on  a 1 oz white and black Bidgee Bait.They pick him up on the eastern end of the dam wall.Blowering also experienced some nice rain over the weekend wich might help out with the water level abit.
A bit closer to home and the Bidgee has fished ok for some of us who didin’t venture away for the weekend.At the Gogeldrie weir near Leeton,the Yellowbelly have been biting on worms on the Leeton side of the wier.Myself and Brendan Bourke fished the weir and were unsuccessful,we trolled for a few ours with bidgee baits,we did come close with a few good hits we experienced,we worked the water a couple more times where we had a couple of good hits but were unsuccesfull.Guess that’s fishing.The Bidgee at Wagga though proved great for Adam Robinson who took the kids for a fish with many undersize cod being caught on Bidgee Baits through to worms,Kids had a great time so I was told.



Wagga Classic Follow Up
This week we are handing the money raised from the Wagga Classic fishing competition over to the two charities,the V.R.A (volunteer rescue association) and the STAR FM kids cottage appeal.We are also handing over the keys to the 385 explorer wich Bob Roberts of Wagga won at the classic.Bob didn’t believe me at first when i called him with the news but after a while and with everyone at his work in his ear about the boat all the time,he finally realised I wasn’t kidding.Both charities were also greatfull to hear the news on how much they were receiving.
Keep sending in those Pic’s as you may be the next Gangster OF THE MONTH to win a lure pack.Good news for some and bad for most ,ha ha, Tom and Tracey are back in town for a short stay som am looking forward to having a beer with them before the take off on the next part of there around OZ adventure.
Till Next Time……………….
Good fishen…..