The Social Fishing Podcast

Ep71 – Chasing Golden Perch, Understanding Fish Behaviour, and a Catch-Up Around Mental Health with Rhys & Dan

Another episode where I’m joined by Dan Webber to have a chat about the current fishing, techniques, and approach for chasing Golden Perch in spring and summer. There is a huge amount of information and content that you can apply to your sessions in this episode which runs for over two hours.

During the middle of the chat, we get into conversation about fish behaviour, which include Murray Cod, Trout and Golden Perch and a critical concept that makes a massive difference to your fishing sessions (this is a must know concept).

Then we finish up the episode by referring to the amazing response we got from the last episode with Dan Webber on mental health.

Plenty of learn and discover in this episode of The Social Fishing Podcast!

Join the SF Membership: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

 

In this episode:

2:00 – Intro and Catchup on Recent Session this Spring

7:00 – Learning from Failure and Poor Sessions – Recap from Dan’s Recent Trout Session

14:50 – Lessons from How Fish Feed from a Recent Burrinjuck Session

19:00 – Example on Fish Behaviour from Lake Hume

26:00 – Late Spring & Summer Techniques for Golden Perch

53:50 – Most IMPORTANT Thing to Remember About Fishing!!!

56:45 – Summer Techniques for Yellas continued.

1:00:50 – Go-To Trolling Lures for Yellas in Summer

1:05:30 – Concentrations Concept – Understanding this is Key to Success

1:40:00 – Few Final Words about the Upcoming Season

1:49:00 – Catchup on Mental Health from the Last Episode

Ep70 – Current Flooding and Fish Kills: The Facts Around What is Actually Happening (ft Peter Phillips)

This is a sad topic but one that needs to be shared. There is so much false information, blaming and comments going around in the media around the fish kills. So, with that I wanted to produce a series of podcast, articles, blog posts and videos interviewing knowledgeable people and sharing the reasons behind these fish deaths.

This is the third major fish kill along the Murray River we will have seen in 12 years. We as humans have caused this issue and it’s up to us to fix it. This is a MUST LISTEN and SHARE episode.

I was lucky enough to be joined by environmental science teacher Peter Phillips who is completing his PhD on the flooding along the Murray River. He spent over 50 days floating the Murray River in the 2016 floods and has an in depth understanding on this river system.

In this episode we discuss a range of topics including blackwater, the current flooding and what’s causing it, what has happened in Shepparton and Echuca with the suspicious fish deaths. We also discuss the nature of the river and how the flows have changed over the past 50 years, the prediction of these current fish kills and what we need to do to stop this from happening again in the future.

Everyone who cares about native fish needs to listen to this episode so please share it with your friends. And let’s make a difference!

 

0:00 – introduction from Rhys about what is happening with flooding

8:15 – Overview of the flooding in the Murray, Goulburn, and Campaspe around Echuca

10:10 – Peter Phillips background, passion, and PhD study

11:30 – What is Blackwater and Hypoxic water?

14:55 – What is happening with the current floods and why the fish are dying around Echuca

24:30 – Dissolved oxygen and what fish need to survive

29:30 – What’s happening with the flood continued.

38:00 – Fish kills further downstream in the Little Murray, Gunbower Creek and the Murray River

41:00 – Why the fish kills have been so bad in the past decade

46:00 – What’s the solution? Is it going to get worse?

51:10 – How the riparian vegetation filters carbon from blackwater

54:00 – Will we see a massive fish kill this summer coming?

56:15 – IMPORTANT: Summary by Rhys on the issues and moving forward

Ep69 - Matt Mildren: Dartmouth Dam and Trolling Techniques for Trout

In this episode I’m joined by Matt Mildren to talk all about chasing Trout at Dartmouth. It was great to have Matt on to talk a little bit of Trout fishing jumping into the history of Dartmouth, the fish species, the size and layout of the lake. We then talk about the Trout in the system, the best approach, key lures and seasons.

Matt also jumps in and explains trolling for Trout in detail and how he uses different gear throughout the year to target them effectively. We then finish up with a few cod stories.

Matt writes a monthly report on Dartmouth Dam. It’s available inside the SF Membership along with other reports from NSW and VIC. You can learn more here.

To become an SF Member, click here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

To get your FREE Gear & Tackle eBook, click here.

 

In this episode:

4:00 – Fishing Competitions at Dartmouth

5:00 – Dartmouth over 100% and spilling since 1996

9:30 – Trout Stocking, Macquarie Perch and History of Dartmouth

20:40 – Matt’s background and fishing journey

32:30 – Fishing for Trout in Dartmouth – Tips & Seasons

1:01:00 – What is it about Trout that Matt loves

1:04:45 – Best lures for Dartmouth

1:12:45 – Your most memorable fishing moment

1:21:40 – Matt’s last piece of advice

Ep68 – Windamere Trip 2022: Recap, Stories, Lessons and Fishing a Full Lake with Rhys & Dan

The Annual Lake Windamere Trip! This podcast was all about our big trip to the iconic Windamere Dam. A special place on the calendar for spring each year and it was great to get back to this system and hook into some yellas.

This year was very different with a completely new lake as levels have risen to 88% (and still rising). This has changed the entire landscape and layout of the lake; we have new challenges of locating fish and trying to effectively fish the flooded edges and vegetation.

In this podcast we give you a complete run down on our trip, how it unfolded, how we managed to catch fish in tough conditions, plenty of stories (and funny bits), the content we created and our opinions on what Windamere will be like going forward. Even if you don’t plan on fishing Windamere, but you do love chasing yellas, this is a podcast you want to listen to!

For our Trip Report, Recap Video and Technique Videos from Windamere click here.

To become an SF Member, click here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

To get your FREE Gear & Tackle eBook, click here.

 

2:18 – The start of the trip and the anticipation

9:30 – What Windamere is like now that’s it’s full

18:55 – Windamere Dam stockings

20:50 - Overview of our trip, each day session and the fish we caught

36:45 – Insight into our trips and what goes into content creation

1:00:00 – Overview of the trip continued – Lessons and Tips

1:27:11 – Thinking outside the box and how important it is to learn

1:42:30 – Go-to lures & techniques for Windamere since the rise

1:46:30 – Our thoughts on Windamere into the future

1:43:00 – Our best moments of the trip

Ep67 - Adam McCulloch: Northern NSW, Spring Yellas and Fishing with Jerkbaits (Suspending Hardbody’s)

Spring is here and we have a cracker yella episode for you! Joined by fishing legend Adam McCulloch, we discuss a range of topic around spring yellas and fishing in Northern NSW. Adam talks about his home three lakes, Keepit, Split Rock and Chaffey, as well as the surrounding rivers.

He gets into a detailed run through of using Jerkbaits (Suspending Hardbody’s) for yellas. A technique that works well in early spring with fish sitting up in the shallows. Adam talks about the massive Silver Perch in Chaffey, and we also have detailed discussions about water level change and how that affects the fishing. Including a quick chat about Lake Windamere filling up and what we both think that will mean for the fishing out there.

Another great episode with plenty to learn for spring yellas!

To become an SF Member, click here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

To get your FREE Gear & Tackle eBook, click here.

 

3:45 – Intro and General Chat

6:30 – Adam’s Story, Background, and Fishing Journey

20:20 – Lake Keepit, Split Rock and Chaffey

27:55 – How Lakes Fish Different High V Low & Thoughts on Windamere Filling Up

40:24 – Back to Talking about Chaffey

46:40 – Silver Perch in Chaffey Dam

52:30 – Chat About Trout Cod

56:35 – Chat About Removing Willows

1:00:00 – Tips for Chasing Yellas in Spring & Using Jerkbaits

1:17:05 – Number #1 Tip for Yella Behaviour

1:20:45 – Adam’s Goal for this Year

Ep66 - Graham Fifield: Talking about Cod & Yellas, Urban Lakes & Fishing the ACT Region

In this episode Rhys has a chat with Canberra local, Graham Fifield talking about all things urban fishing. Graham shares his earliest fishing stories from both the south coast and in the ACT region, before jumping in to share his tips for fishing urban systems. Including the lakes around the Canberra Area (Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Tuggeranong, Lake Ginninderra, Yerrabi Pond and Googong Dam).

Rhys and Graham get chatting about plenty of random topics in the fishing world. This is another great episode!

To become an SF Member, click here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

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3:00 – Our Team Trip to Wyangala

14:30 – Graham’s story, background and how he got into fishing

35:00 – Flick and fly journal & freelance writing

44:00 – Grahams recent sessions this winter

50:00 – Tips for Fishing Urban Lakes for natives

1:08:00 – Q: Where is Graham most confident fishing?

1:10:00 – Q: What’s Graham’s favourite style of fishing?

1:13:30 – Q: What’s Grahams next goal he wants to achieve?

1:20:00 – Fishing style Graham would like to try?

1:30:00 – General fishing chat between Graham and Rhys

Ep65 - Ben Wiseman on his Recent AYC Cod Classic Win at Wyangala Dam

Ben Wiseman took out his first AYC Competition win this year at Wyangala Dam. I wanted to get Ben on for a chat because his story to wining this year’s comp is very cool. The Social Fishing Team fished Wyangala Dam a week before the competition this year and we shared heaps of information inside our membership platform.

Ben took that knowledge on board and applied it to his fishing the following weekend, which helped his and his mate take out the win. Here is a message I received from Ben a few days after the competition:

“G’day Rhys, I just wanted to get in contact and let you know how your recent trip report on Wyangala helped me take out the biggest cod and win the recent AYC Wyangala Cod Classic.

We used livescope to try and find fish and temp them into biting, to work out a plan of attack for the rest of the weekend. After several hours of scanning for fish and finding some but we weren’t able to get any to commit. After a disappointing session we decided to use the tactics that you described in your trip report from the weekend before and put the livescope away.

We started flicking unweighted swimbaits at the shallow points we had marked around 5am before the sun came up, after a couple of hours with no success the sun was finally up, and we were in full sunlight then my lure got engulfed at 7:45am by a 710mm cod on a shallow point.

Feeling pumped but sore from casting such a large lure for so long I decided to start casting a Gantia before the next shallow point that we had marked earlier. First cast at the point and my rod loaded not long after my lure hit the water and I was into a big cod. After I got it near the boat and a few lunge’s down deep we managed to get the fish into the net, it measured 1075mm at 8:50 am.

I ended up with the biggest Cod for the weekend and our combined efforts got us the win with a total of 2115mm for out two biggest Cod and landing the most fish for the weekend beating at lot of other accomplished teams and anglers.

Only after reading your report and deciding to put the tactics you described in to practice, we able to take out the Win. It has definitely changed my perspective on live sounders as we beat a lot of teams that were running it on their boats.”

Thanks, Ben Wiseman

Become an SF Member today: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

 

2:00 – Intro

3:20 – When Ben started fishing the AYC

8:30 – Ben’s Sessions fishing before the competition

11:00 – Story from the AYC competition from this year

30:00 – Advice for using live technology for the first time

35:00 – How would we approach a new dam

Ep64 - Trent Freer: Fishing the Murrumbidgee River, Lake Mulwala & Lake Hume

Trent Freer is a local angler to Southern NSW and VIC and has spent the past 20 years chasing Murray Cod in places like the Murrumbidgee River, Lake Mulwala and many other small creeks. This was a great chat where we discussed a range of topics, including getting started on lure fishing, using lipless crankbaits in rivers and how to fish Mulwala in tough conditions.

Trent was happy to share his processes and what he has learnt about fishing over the many years of being on the water. At the beginning of the episode, we discuss one fish in particular that we were both lucky enough to catch, on sperate occasions, 3 years apart.

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4:30 – Story about a cod both Trent and Rhys have caught from Blowering Dam

21:10 – Trent’s Story and How Fishing Started

28:30 – Stories and Techniques from fishing the Murrumbidgee River

38:30 – What makes a good bite period on a river system & techniques for fishing in tough conditions

41:00 – Mulwala: Trent’s Exact Process for Fishing in Tough Conditions – Step by Step

54:15 – Trent’s Biggest Murray Cod from Mulwala

57:20 – Fishing Lake Hume: Tips for Yellas

1:02:10 – Key Lesson Trent has Learnt from using Live Technology

1:06:50 – Trent’s Plans and Goals for this Winter

1:09:00 – Trent’s Number One Lesson

Ep63 - Jack Weymouth-Smith: Fishing the Murrumbidgee River out West

In this episode I’m joined by young fishing legend, Jack Weymouth-Smith! He is based out in Western Riverina and spends most of his time fishing his home waters of the Murrumbidgee River. In this chat we talk all about this river system, the fishing styles, techniques, flows and plenty of stories of big fish.

Jack is a great fella who just loves his cod fishing! He has learnt a lot over the past 7 years fishing this river system and has caught plenty of cracking river cod. Towards the end of the episode, we talk about a bunch of topics that have plenty of great info for fishing any river system.

And last of all, you don’t want to miss the end of the episode where Jack shares his most memorable catch and his number one tip (trust me you don’t want to miss this one)!

You can checkout the Freshwater Mini Series here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/free-freshwater-mini-series/

Visit our website at: https://www.socialfishing.com.au/

Or you can become a member today: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

 

This episode:

Jacks background, story and how he got into fishing (4:00)

Fishing the Murrumbidgee west of Narrandera (13:00)

Clarity, Bite Windows, Seasons and Techniques in Rivers (25:00)

Lake Mulwala, Other Trips and general chat (33:30)

Flows on the Murrumbidgee (45:30)

Jack’s goals for this year and favourite lures (49:00)

Jack’s most memorable catch (54:20)

One last lesson from Jack (59:00)

Ep 62 - Tyson Zarew: Chatting Everything Murray Cod and the Learning Journey of Chasing Impoundment Cod

In this episode I’m joined by keen cod angler and SF Member, Tyson Zarew. Born and bred in Canberra, Tyson has fished throughout his whole life, but it’s only been recently that he has started getting really serious on chasing big cod in the impoundments.

Over the past three years Tyson has learnt an incredible amount about chasing big cod and has grown as an angler and in this episode, he shares these lessons.

We talk about his childhood, before jumping in and discussing the journey of chasing big winter cod, the lessons, stories and some of Tyson’s most memorable experiences. We also touch on urban lake cod and the best way to approach these situations, using live technology and also one of his recent experiences fishing gorge country with the Goodoogang Lue Tag Boddy Dazzler and the story of Tyson’s epic metre cod on surface.

This is another great episode and I hope you enjoy!

LIVE Q&A coming up with Tyson Zarew this coming Thursday 24^th March at 7:45pm inside the SF Membership. Make sure you tune in! You can become a member here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

 

Freshwater Mini Series: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/free-freshwater-mini-series/ 

 

How fishing started for Tyson and his early days (6:00)

Tyson’s fishing the past decade and how it evolved to the big cod he chases today (15:00)

Tyson’s favouirte style of fishing (26:00)

Fishing Urban Lakes for Cod – Techniques and Approach (30:00)

Burrinjuck and Wyangala: Techniques, Tips, Stories and Fish (34:50)

Tyson’s journey learning over the past three years (48:00)

Tyson’s involvement in the Goodoogang Lure Tag and his trip fishing gorge country (55:40)

Live Technology and Tyson’s thoughts (1:12:00)