Project Description
A trip to the Blue Mountains area was a perfect opportunity to get out amongst the exact conditions that our customers would be using this type of fishing rod. The time of year saw the heat returning which made me think the Brown’s should be around, and I was right.
What other way is there to get a feel for how a rod really performs other than to explore the open environment and wet your feet, or in my case boots. The scene was set for an early morning start in the back-country of eastern Australia in the Blue Mountains region of the state of New South Wales which sits at 33 degrees south latitude. The waters running through the Blue Mountains and the NSW Central Tablelands are a popular fishing destination. Lakes stocked with Trout, Bass, Golden Perch, Silver Perch and Murray Cod see fisherman from everywhere visit the region to try their luck. The most sort after target however is the elusive Rainbow and Brown Trout, and for good reason. Trout from this region can grow to 6kg, with 1-2kg a very common catch, especially in the lakes and damns. This day saw us in a secluded little section of the region with small streams running downstream to the North and with deeper pools situated to the South.
One can see how it would be easy to get lost in the beauty of the Blue Mountains region. Dominated by temperate Eucalypt forest and native wildlife roaming everywhere makes this area a very inviting option to dress up for the occasion. Even though we were here for a specific purpose, you couldn’t blame us for doing exactly the opposite which was taking in the air and sites and sounds of the Australian bush. I mean why would you deny yourself the pleasure after travelling the distance and doing the hard slog because we are by right not only fishing rod builders, but we also love to fish.
Taking the kit out of the 4 x 4 we constructed a plan to get some work done and then have a bit of fun afterwards.
First priority was to unveil the DUC rod and introduce it to the shallow running stream ahead of us. The DUC I am testing here is a 5wt medium action rod built specifically for small running streams which is why we offer it in either a 7′, 7’6″ or 8′ version. The DUC is built with light weight REC Nickel Titanium alloy snake guides, an ALPS BUL5 Walnut reel seat and a high grade cork grip giving it a total weight just under 80 grams for the 8′ version. The beauty of this rod though, which I really had the opportunity to taste, was the very light swing weight. The rod blank is designed and made well enough that with the combination of the components has a swing weight less than double it’s overall weight which makes it easy to use all day. With a floating line, 9′ leader, half metre tippet and a dry Adams ready to go I started targeting the seams and undergrowth getting a feel for the rod’s action.
Hoping to force a Brown to rise at the same time I noticed how easy it was to get this rod to place the fly exactly where I wanted it. The accuracy of this rod is very easy to get use to, which combined with the light weight of the rod, made casting effortless for the entire session. The progressive action and light tip of the rod also made it easy to present the fly delicately and not slap it down in the water which I see other rods do. Back against some growth forced me to try out the roll-cast technique and the DUC did not disapoint. Very easy to load and push forward. The line just obeyed and unfurled the way it was intended.
The next test was some Nymph fishing to see if the rod was tough enough to handle a Bead Head. Adding a split shot on the arrangement placing it in the seams was nicely done by the DUC-853. With the light swing weight of this rod it made it easy to push the dropper setup where you wanted it. Unfortunetly the day did not deliver us windy conditions so testing the rod’s ability in high winds was not to be. Maybe the next fishing trip will allow us the opporutnity but for today, we were going to enjoy the rest of the trip and can say I was impressed with the performance and rate this rod a delight to fish with in this tight overgrown environment. It does exactly what you want it to!
Lunch time provided a pause for some snacks and beer and a change of pace. I removed the very light wieght and very fast SP0702-BS Black Series from its bag and got it ready for some Crankbait work. This is one of our best creations and one of my most favorite rods for trout fishing. It’s a 2kg, 7′ long soft tipped trout rod weighing in at just under 90 grams (feels like air in your hands) and has caught a large number of fish in its time. It was time to hit the track and make our way to the south end deeper pools and scout the area before smacking the undergrowth and edges with a CD5 Rapala. Before long I pushed the lure through a seam and the fight was on and I had a nice little 35cm Brown on the end of the line. Trout are territorial so this particular pool gave us no more fish which forced us to the next available spot and soon it was on again. Another Brown of the same proportion was breaking the surface not wanting to give up. The SP0702-BS basically denied him this right and led him straight into my hands. We love this place so releasing the fish is a pleasure knowing that maybe we can fish the same place the next time.
Comments are closed.
