FLY FISHING NARNIA - PART 3 | "The Pinnacle"
- Paul Kowalski
- Apr 3
- 6 min read
When I sit back and reflect on this single day I experienced in mid‑February during the 2024 season, it remains the most productive, memorable and extraordinary day I’ve ever spent on a river fly fishing. There were moments when I genuinely couldn't believe what I was seeing - the conditions were that special. The fish were plentiful, in beautiful condition and eager to eat off the surface. Everything seemed to align in a way that I have rarely witnessed. I hope to experience a day like this again in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. These are the days that stay with you, the ones that make all the tough sessions worthwhile.
THE PLAN
It was late January and with vivid memories of being here only a month prior, something was telling me to get back to this river one more time in the 2024 season. Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of time, only a few days to make the most of what would prove to be my last trip for that season. I remember checking the weather in the days leading up to this opportunity and with what looked like great conditions, I made a last minute decision to go for it. The plan was to drive up early morning, get down to this area on my bike, and fish for the day and then get myself back out again. I would then camp somewhere nearby, and fish another great river the next day as I headed home.
MILES & TRIALS
I rose really early to leave for the mountains, I couldn't wait to simply get in the car and drive. In complete darkness, I left my driveway and quietly proceeded to sneak away from every day life for a while. Thoughts were flooding into my head as they often do when I am heading away, about what the day might hold. How would the river look, what insects would be around and would there be trout eager to feed. I was in the mountains after a few hours, winding up narrow roads and by this time, the light was starting to show with ambient colours in the sky to the east. I arrived to park my car at around 8am, happy to be back at the start of the journey into this special river. As I set off, I stopped to have a chat with two hikers who were walking out. They mentioned that the rivers of the area looked amazing, running nicely with super clear water. Arriving at the rivers edge only confirmed what I had been told, the river was a clear and in immaculate condition, it was a calm day with hardly a cloud in the sky. I locked my bike up safely and proceeded to get ready to fish. For this trip I decided that I wouldn't fish from where I initially met the river. Instead I decided to walk a few kilometers up stream, to make sure that I was fishing water that perhaps rarely sees people. I felt like that would be my best chance.
Soon enough, I was walking along a high edge bank that I know well, and it's always a prime opportunity to spot feeding trout from above. As I walked I looked down to spot a big brown sitting just under the surface, above a big, light coloured flat rock. It was feeding frequently off the top so I quickly headed away from the river to circle back and plan my approach. I had seen the usual insect suspects around, big green and brown grass hoppers, Caddis and the odd mayfly. So I tied on a larger Patch Adams pattern in dark brown with a pink post for visibility and made my careful approach. I could still see the fish when I made my cast, it was still happily feeding from the surface, completely unaware of my presence. I could not have imagined a better start to the day. I put my first cast to the left of the fish, my fly landed about a meter up stream from the fish. I watched in great anticipation as my Patch Adams started floated down this run, bobbing and swirling in the bubble line. As quickly as I could realise, a big brown nose broke the waters surface and sipped in my fly. As the fish turned I struck and felt the weight, 'I am on' I thought. As quickly as I had struck, the line went from tight to slack. He was gone, just like that.
On retrieving my line, my fly was gone. The tippet had broken at what looked like the hook knot, bugger, that was a really good fish, maybe I struck too hard. I retied another fly and really tested my knots and 5X tippet, and walked further up stream and cast to another fish. Once again the fish took my fly on the first cast with no hesitation and as I set the hook, my fly broke off at the hook knot once again. Something wasn't right. I then proceeded to tie on a new length of 5X tippet and a new fly, testing everything was holding. I lost the next four fish in the same way, getting pretty concerned about what was happening. Clearly my tippet was faulty. I sat down for a minute and luckily had a different branded tippet material, that I generally never need to use, in my vest. I replaced most of my leader and tippet, in the hope that this new brand would hold so that I could turn things around.
RIVER OF PLENTY
After a quick bite to eat and a drink, I started fresh. It was frustrating to have lost those earlier fish, but my overall thought was about just how many trout were around and the reality that they were feeding with an eagerness that I have not often seen. I decided to get to the water I had originally planned to hit, so walked roughly a kilometre up stream, and started again. As I sat by the river, hidden in the grass, I could see yet another good fish feeding happily in what was another perfect piece of water. I watched my fly line extend out over the ripples, delivering my Back Country Wulff softly to a likely drift. As had been the case for the day, this brown ate off the surface as soon as my fly got in the zone and, as I set the hook........everything held and I was on. Getting that fish to the net was a relief, thankfully I didn't loose another fish for the rest of the day.
By this stage it was roughly 10:30 am, I still had many hours ahead of me. I made my way just up stream and what happened for the rest of this day was unlike anything I had experienced. In some cases I was catching four and five good sized browns from one good run. There appeared to be trout everywhere and they were just so eager to feed.
FISH OF THE TRIP, POSSIBLY THE SEASON FOR ME
I had reached an area of the river I had never seen before, I was a long way upstream when I found this classic piece of water under a set of rapids. It was starting to get later in the afternoon and I figured I was getting close to my turn around point, but I didn't want to leave. I looked at the piece of water from a heightened vantage point for some time watching for movement. I didn't see any fish moving but I did think to myself that as far as trout water goes, it doesn't really get much better than this. Cool oxygenated water, great depth and an abundance of cover and feeding spots.
I made my way to the base of the run.
To my surprise, nothing happened in the lower reaches, but I did have my eye on the area just below the white water, there had to be a fish sitting in there, surely. I slowly worked my way through the middle of the river, and stopped just behind the big white rock, to stay out of sight. It looked amazing. I must have put fifteen casts through there with different flies with not even a look, it was a bit of a let down. I stopped and let the water rest for a few minutes and tied on a brown coloured Stimulator X. On the first cast nothing happened, but I wasn't happy with the placement. I cast again, 'that was the cast' I thought, and a few seconds later, I watched as this big brown hit the fly with some impact, leaving a large boil where my fly was floating. I struck and entered into the fight of the day. This fish took me up under the rapids and then downstream, and then upstream again. I can't lose this fish and was relieved to see him safely in the net. What a beautiful brown trout and what an amazing day.
I sat on the bank for a while after releasing this amazing fish. Just to soak it all in and take some time to think about this place. I had it in my mind that this trout was the best way to end the day, but ended up in the runs above the rapids just to look at a bit more water. Two more beautiful trout later (pictured earlier in the article), I knew it was then time to leave. I had been gifted this special day, one that I probably won't forget.
There is one more story in this series, but it is one of change and lessons, stay tuned.
