its like a inland Sea

[Awoonga]

This place they call Lake Awoonga. l tell the old girl l need a bigger faster boat.
" Fat chance you only just got that one was the reply " So l go back to foundling lures. thinking to myself bad timing try again later, much later .The lake is a vast watery wonderland and even in my wildest dreams l didnt think that the water would get so high.There is a area that us locals call the bathtub Why ? cause there used to be a bathtub on the bank untill somebody nicked it ! Well this area is massive now .The Barras have found it and are having a marvelous time in the flooded grass. So surface is the tool to use. How big is a barras mouth ? More to the point is what do they think they can fit in there. l watched as a barra boofed a rather large floating cow pat. You know what l mean ! it went six foot in the air. Madness .The bush camp now has a million dollar view. Just park your boat below the camp site. No wonder its booked out. l think the word will travel quickly and the grey nomads will put it on there must visit list.! There is a steady stream of vistors to the lookout at the spillway and just yesterday it was about 80cm from going over. l get a funny feeling in my guts as l look at the spillway but not because of what you think ! My wifes father was killed during the construction of the spillway many years ago. And every time l go there l think of him. Moving on. Futter creek. This vast area now has arms that spill out onto the plains. And come winter l think it shall become a mecca for barras .With the release of more fingerlings into the lake you would think that all is rosy for the lake but there is a very dark cloud and at the rate that it is spreading l fear it shall clog this vast waterway Salvinia .The water board has tried to stem the flow but since the rise in water level it has spread through most of the Boyne arm. So l fear what measures they will have to take to remove it. l wait with baited breath...

[warrior]

we all prey that the dreaded S doesnt take over in any of the areas mate i have seen one dam on a documentry with it in and it is not good ,look forward to a winter fish up there and the second round of the comp.

[BR65]

Nice words Trev.
Love the cow pat boof, hopefully I'll see the same throwing a tango turd at Mondy.
Of course you need a newer, shinyer, faster boat, we all do, I cant believe the cheese and kisses doesnt see that!

[nipsta]

trev be good to see some photos

[tossie]

Ha, you think you need a faster boat. Want to try it in the hornet with a 30 on the bum. As for the dam JUST SPECTACULAR

Cheers Shaun

[NAGG]

Thanks Trev ....... The Aquarium trade has a lot to answer for - would hate to see an arm in the dam shut down or worst still - the whole dam bloody SALVINIA!

sounds like you are enjoying some pretty good fishing atm - certainly something to enjoy while it lasts
Cow turd boof ..... saw them boofin sticks back in late Feb at Mondy when the water was coming in - pretty cool.

Chris

[davez104]

It's not the aquarium industry. It's the idiots that own aquariums and think it is OK to dump their unwanted stuff anywhere. Even with all the publicity about feral animals/introduced plants becoming weeds etc, there are still people who would prefer to dump an unwanted fish into a creek than knock it on the head. These ignorant aholes are the people who put our local habitats at risk and give us (yes, me) aquarium keepers a bad name.

Dave.

[NAGG]

It's not the aquarium industry. It's the idiots that own aquariums and think it is OK to dump their unwanted stuff anywhere. Even with all the publicity about feral animals/introduced plants becoming weeds etc, there are still people who would prefer to dump an unwanted fish into a creek than knock it on the head. These ignorant aholes are the people who put our local habitats at risk and give us (yes, me) aquarium keepers a bad name.

Dave.

Why bring into the country a noxious weed in the first place - Yes it is a industry issue ...... just like the introduction of Talapia .
As for the fools that dump their unwanted fish & weed into the waterways - they are the second tier of the problem

Chris

[davez104]

Not something I'm going to argue about with you, as we both agree that these things getting in to our waterways is bad and should never happen. But the industry only brings in what people want and can legally obtain. It is the aquarium keepers who are ultimately responsible for the plants and animals they choose to keep. Being responsible for ones own actions appears to be a dying trend, it's all about someone else being at fault these days.

Fisherman are not totally blame free either. Noxious fish (carp, banded grunter, and tilapia also I believe) have been translocated by fishermen catching/buying them for use as live bait. Aquatic weeds are transported on/in boats and their trailers.

There are many other factors that need to be considered if this country wants to get serious about stopping feral animals/plants. Better education/awareness, along with tougher penalties and more men on the ground to police them would go a long way.

I just think it is a little unfair to level the gun barrel right at the head of the aquarium industry every time there is an outbreak of noxious weed or feral fish. The government needs to step in and do their part to help stop this stuff spreading.

[NAGG]

Not something I'm going to argue about with you, as we both agree that these things getting in to our waterways is bad and should never happen. But the industry only brings in what people want and can legally obtain. It is the aquarium keepers who are ultimately responsible for the plants and animals they choose to keep. Being responsible for ones own actions appears to be a dying trend, it's all about someone else being at fault these days.

Fisherman are not totally blame free either. Noxious fish (carp, banded grunter, and tilapia also I believe) have been translocated by fishermen catching/buying them for use as live bait. Aquatic weeds are transported on/in boats and their trailers.

There are many other factors that need to be considered if this country wants to get serious about stopping feral animals/plants. Better education/awareness, along with tougher penalties and more men on the ground to police them would go a long way.

I just think it is a little unfair to level the gun barrel right at the head of the aquarium industry every time there is an outbreak of noxious weed or feral fish. The government needs to step in and do their part to help stop this stuff spreading.

Not here to argue either ...... & yes the Ferral government should have done a better job in biosecurity in years gone by - In other words the Aquarium industry should never have been allowed to bring these plants into the country in the first place.......... I bet there was no environmental impact study or risk analysis done when someone wanted to bring Salvinia into the country initially.
As far as the Aquarium industry goes - It certainly didn't do a good job in self regulating. So - Yes it is an easy target when these things occur.
Try bringing in Pirana into the country - thats a case of biosecurity at work .

Sorry - whenever a industry introduces a potentially noxious species into the country without the right checks & balances - Ultimately they are the ones that should accept responsibility ....... & not run for cover pleading that we dont know that a client may eventually dump it into the environment when it no longer suits their needs or fancy!.

Chris

[davez104]

Fair enough. I just believe that people need to have the balls to stand up and be responsible for the things they do. We, as consumers, drive the industry to do what it does. It is our fault.

But yes, I understand what you are saying.

I'm not sure on the Piranha situation, but common sense would say they don't have a hope in hell of crossing the border legally. I'm sure they would do quite well in some of our northern rivers.

Dave.

[NAGG]

Fair enough. I just believe that people need to have the balls to stand up and be responsible for the things they do. We, as consumers, drive the industry to do what it does. It is our fault.

But yes, I understand what you are saying.

I'm not sure on the Piranha situation, but common sense would say they don't have a hope in hell of crossing the border legally. I'm sure they would do quite well in some of our northern rivers.

Dave.

Aside from the industry initially - yes you are right ..... people who have these things need to consider the impact of dumping ...... no different to someone letting go pet rabbits or cats in the bush or gardeners dumping their plant clippings - There should be massive fines in place.

Chris

[davez104]

cats in the bush . . . should be massive fines

Amen. Another of my pet hates. People think I hate cats, I actually hate people who own cats, allow them to roam and think that their little angel wouldn't hurt a fly

Dave.

[aussiebasser]

According to my GPS it is 19.8' deeper than it was on January 4th. The shallows are amazing, as are the fish. It's a whole new world out there.

[hairypunt]

I was really interested in hearing about awoonga water levels and how the rain has changed this iconic water way esp when i see a post written buy someone like trev who knows the waterway like the back of his hand. But instead i get half way down the page and have to read some B.S debate started by the mayor of ausfish.

Sorry for the rant trev i always look forward to reading your reports i think its a shame that so many interesting posts get hijacked.

Do you have any pics of the new dam for us brisbanites to have a look at?

I Have not been to the dam for a couple of years now last time i was there i just about needed a stop revive survive break while reversing the trailor down the ramp.