Testing The Recurve

April was the month and our touchdown destination was Hobart, Tasmania. After an unexpected and exorbitant extra cost at the airport for my 3.5′ fishing rod tube, we arrived at our prearranged hotel and used it as our base of operations. Joe is an avid fisherman and was itching to get out and hit the streams but we landed late in the day and the fishing was going to have to wait. Tired from the flight, a beer and feed was on the to-do list and I was starving. Hobart has ample places to eat and drink and I must admit I’ve had my best hamburger ever in Salamanca. I can still remember it. When it comes to liquid gold I’m sort of fussy and enjoy the creativity produced by boutique breweries, a good tasting Pale Ale, IPA or Stout really hits the spot. The beer selection in the pubs around Salamanca was excellent. Thanks boys!

The next day, an early morning rise had us squaring away our kit and holding down a cup of joe before packing the hire car and looking for an establishment that would feed us a plate of egg and pork. Joe might be able to survive a breakfast free day but I really don’t need the agony of my stomach complaining at 10am while I’m wading through a stream.

Our target streams were the Huon River, South East of the city. The Huon provides more than a few off-shoot rivers such as the Weld and Picton which hold nice table size Rainbow and Brown Trout and if you’re lucky, Atlantic Salmon. Before heading off we needed some local knowledge plus a little stocking up of the a few Drys and Wets. The guys at Bridges Bros who specialise in Fly Fishing were a great help and more than happy to share tips and tricks.

Finally on the road heading towards Huonville on the Huon Highway which didn’t take long at all from the city. The Huon River stretches from Hounville South and West, crawling through Judbury and the Hartz Mountains National Park. This part of the country is truly scenic and we found ourselves stopping and starting constantly. A kilometre out of Judbury had us sniffing the very fish attractive waters flowing from left to right. This time of year meant the river wasn’t flowing exceptionally fast unlike the winter months so I ripped the Recurve out of its bag and was ready to put it through its paces.

The Recurve is a fast action rod equipped with a very cool looking ALPS RA7 Skeleton reel seat, tough ALPS TiCH Smoke Titanium coated snake guides and a golden olive coloured fast action highly engineered blank. Today’s Recurve will be the 9′ 5 weight version that weighs in at a total of 85 grams with a swing weight of less than double that, which means flicking the line all day was really easy. After scoping the insect life around the river system I attached a 9′ leader and a nice little Black Spinner pattern and began laying out the line towards the undergrowth. The Recurve exhibited great delicacy in delivery while the stream took the Fly on its journey.

Travelling upstream to look for a longer stretch of space for a little double hauling the Recurve definitely performed well. With plenty of strength towards the grip and mid section, the 5 weight line shot out easy without much hesitation. It was time to test the rod to the 20 metre mark and this rod has ample power on the back stroke and forward stroke without sacrificing accuracy. Up ahead an attractive seam in the river’s right hand bend took my fancy. I stood in a convoluted position against some Australian native growth and the only possible chance to cast at my target would be producing a side-casting technique, which the Recurve did not disappoint. Pitching my line for the following hundred or so metres reaped only a few half rewards with two what looked like, Brown Trout bust-offs only to leave me in frustration and cursing the words, “well that’s fishing I suppose”. Joe was luckier, landing a 40 centimetre Brown, fishing a pool towards the North side of close to where we started. The day’s end was near enough to begin packing up the car so we headed off to begin the next days excitement.

An early start the following morning saw us heeding the advice of the local Indians and heading in a Northerly direction towards Mount Field National park on the Gordon River road. Our destination today is the Tyenna River which runs along Gordon River road and Mount Field Park and all the way through Maydeena.

Another fantastic day with temperatures in the low twenties and some of the best Australian bush anyone could experience had our tempo wound back slowing us right down. Half an hour after a cup of the coffee I was back on track and it was time to put the Recurve through its paces again. Nymphing was the game this day an I needed to find a few slow running streams. Crawling through some rough terrain we finally managed to locate the perfect waters and equipping the Recurve with a few Bead Heads she performed exactly as I hoped. The Recurve had no problems handling the weight on either Short or Long stick casting. The rod’s slightly stiff tip allowed for this, along with easy control when mending the line as it floated along the seam of the stream. The next test was to add a few split-shots to the leader and see if the Recurve would complain. It certainly did not, and I’m happy to say that due to the design of the blank it handled it very well.

Unfortunately, the day’s fishing produced only one 35 centimetre catch. It seems I’ll be buying the beers tonight. I can honestly say that after swinging the Recurve around the South of Tasmania for a few days I’m glad to report that if you’re in the market for a rod that can perform all-round than this rod is a perfect choice. Tasmania is a beautiful part of the country where you can stretch out a fly line anywhere on long river stretches, to small stream bends where the Recurve feels right at home.