...with Mark Pertot, Davo's Bait and Tackle. |
 Borumba Dam, at Imbil, roughly 45 minutes North West of Noosa, isn't the clichéd 'best kept secret' that we often read about in fishing or tourist magazines, it's just not usually over-fished or over-patronised, even in peak holiday periods.  Exactly
why is a bit hard to pin down although the fact that it's not heavily
promoted would partly account for it. That, of course, is part of its
charm. No hustle and bustle or noise; and away from the main body of water,
no ski boats, jet skis or day trippers, just committed fresh water anglers
looking for a resident Saratoga, Bass or Yellowbelly to pit their skills
against. And the fish are certainly here in numbers, and with an attitude.
Fortunately, the fact that most of the adult fish population have been
caught and released on almost every variety of fly, lure and bait you
could think of doesn't seem to have affected their predatory instincts
to any great extent, although they do seem just a tad more canny than
average. Some of our top gun local anglers, in fact, fish the area on
a regular basis to keep in shape for the now annual freshwater fishing
competitions held in the many impoundments and lakes of South East Queensland. While petrol motors are permitted at Borumba, most of the serious anglers also have their boats rigged for silent running, with bow mounted, foot operated electric motors (mostly the salt and freshwater MinnKota 'Riptides') the order of the  day.
This day, in particular, was spent with Mark 'Terminator' Pertot from
Davo's Bait and Tackle and his good buddy Darryl 'Dazza' Dimmick, as both
anglers fine tuned their skills in preparation for the Humminbird BASS
Pro Grand Final at Cania Dam. This, by the way, is not a team event so
it's interesting to see these guys comparing notes and working closely
together on these occasions, even though when the competition gets under
way it's every man for himself. Our mission was to photograph a 'Toga'
as it performed the typical aerial display they're renowned for when hooked,
but although half a dozen were caught and released (along with a couple
of Bass), none became airborne long or high enough for our purposes. Or,
unfortunately when one did, the cameraman (yours truly) was otherwise
occupied, enjoying one of his wife's excellent mashed egg sandwiches or
massaging the cramps out of his hand after hours with his finger on the
multiframe button of the camera. Ain''t it always the way! Still, that's
showbiz. It's an absolutely excellent day out (or weekend at the camping
ground or the Imbil Hotel) just for the scenery and a glimpse of the wide
variety of wildlife (Eagles, Azure Kingfishers, Monitor Lizards, Deer,
Wallabies and Freshwater Turtles) which are a feature of this pristine
valley. The fish, of course, are a definite bonus. Oh, by the way, we're
still very much in the hunt for that perfect 'Toga' aerial action shot
so check back every so often to see how we've been getting on. |
