Bungawalbyn Creek

[Roo]

The opportunity came up to have a poke about up Bungawalbyn Creek on Sunday morning. I took a rod and some lures......but i left the camera in the car
Had a few looks wherever i could get to the creek from the roadside without climbing fences and It does look a bit average. the water quality was a bit turbid but that may have been due to the rains on saturday. I had a good walk along the banks at sandy crossing. there are tons of snags there. you couldn't take a boat up there as from what i could see, there was atleast 400m of creek with big trees fallen right across blocking acces to boats. I put a few casts in around these snags for mixed results. About the third sunken log i tried produced a bit hit on the second cast. next cast it got slammed. after a short but tuff fight, I had my first bungy creek bass at my feet. I measured him on the tackle box, 35cm, and sent him back for another go. Next cast in the same spot, same retrieve, Bam, another one, but this time a bit smaller, I'd estimate about 25 or so as i dropped him when i let the line go slack as i bent down to pick him up.I'd flattened the barb on my jighead and hadn't noticed the bend the previous fish had put in it . No more fish as the sun was well up by now (9am) and my belly said "feed me".

Something worth noting was the fish were in excellent condition. Nice full belly's and no parasites or obvious fungas' that we tend to find on the tweed river bass. There was a reasonable food supply as whenever a let my Squidgy wriggler just dangle near the surface beside the bank, some other similar sized fish would appear to mingle around as if to school up .

anyway, good to see the upper part of the creek isn't dead yet. there were plenty of turtles so it must be ok.

cheers, Roo.

[Matthias]

Might have to check that place out this week. Sounds like a good spot to flick poppers on dark.

I caught a bass in the Tweed on friday and it had red spots all over it. It looked terrible. (no pic). Looked similar to red spot disease from acid sulphate soil pollution.

Pete.

[stonecold]

Good to hear they are still there roo

[woodchopper]

Hey Roo

I'd be very surprised if you ever see bungy creek with clear water in the wet season. the soils from its catchment are usually sodic which causes clay soil runoff to disperse in water and create muddy water for weeks on end. During periods of low flow and no runoff from farms, the water does clear up some what.

I've got an older workmate who reckons some dh let murry cod go in the creek and that he has seen one approx 70-80cm long. Bungy give the feeling of being in a remote area and i'm keen to also try fishing some of the harder to reach areas.

Cheer Beno

[Roo]

Beno, If you start @ sandy crossing you can put a canoe in on the Upstream side it is navigable for about 2kms. Have a look on google earth.
Downstream from the crossing has a tight section full of snags where you can walk the banks for about 200 metres.

[Canoedle]

Sounds like fun mate, good stuff

[stonecold]

Beno I dont think they're Murray cod mate, Fisheries released Eastern Freshwater cod in a number of streams in the Northern Rivers in an effort to repopulate the species. I've heard reports of fish towards Bangalow and Jiggi.
As with the Clarence and Nymboida I'm pretty sure the Richmond was also targeted in the mid 90's.

Cheers Mark

[woodchopper]

Hi Mark

I was browsing through the eastern cod recovery plan implemented by nsw fisheries and on pg9 it stated that murray cod have been stocked in the clarence and richmond rivers in the past. also i know of one aquarium that sells murray cod for aquarium enthusiasts. I think it is possible that their are wild popluations of murray cod in the richmond system.

It also states that hybridising between murray cod and eastern cod pose genetic threats.

I believe it is hard to id the differnces between the species so i'm hoping my work mate saw a 70-80cm eastern cod!!

Cheers Beno

[stonecold]

Hard to believe they'd stick Murray Cod into the system when the Eastern cod is indigenous to the area but I guess they had a reason (?)
The 2 fish are very difficult to tell apart, whichever way lets hope that they eastern cod recovers enough to be taken off the endangered list.

Cheers Mark