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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Our local trout river season opened this past weekend. I'm spending the next three days fishing around Tumut, NSW. Fished this stretch this morning and was rewarded with a well conditioned 40cm Rainbow. #Flyfishing #Australia #rivers

A stretch of the Goobarragandra River near Tumut, NSW, Australia. Grassy banks and River Red Gums line the banks of a fast flowing free-stone stream.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

My NZ licence arrived today. That must mean that November is getting closer - and therefore the anniversary of me breaking my ankle on a NZ stream. I'm so looking forward to NOT repeating that ever again. #flyfishing #NewZealand

A photograph of the front of a New Zealand fishing licence for 2026/27 - itself a photograph of a woman angler holding a larger brown trout for the camera.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Well, that worked a treat for a fisher getting a bit despondent at going fishless on too many trips. New Zealand was the answer. Hooked, but broke off, another two a bit smaller this morning. #flyfishing #trout #NewZealand #rivers

Fly fisher in brimmed hat and polaroids holding a 26 inch male brown trout caught on a small New Zealand river.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Travelling to Christchurch NZ for an initial 3 day guided FF trip. To follow-up with other areas. Looking forward to this one for ages. #flyfishing

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

WooHoo! Just booked my second ever trip to New Zealand! Will try to get three guided days out of Christchurch before heading south on my own. #flyfishing

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Australia's river trout season starts on 4 October this year. I thought one of the Bluesky fly fishers might be interested in spending a season or two guiding downunder with my favourite outfitters. One of the few float fishing specialists here #flyfishing www.tomsoutdoors.com.au/pages/career...?

"Guide Wanted" ad for Tom's Outdoors in Tumut Australia. https://www.tomsoutdoors.com.au/pages/careers-at-toms-outdoors? for details

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

I am on a reconnaissance mission to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. This is the Fish River near the town of Bathurst. A fingerling trout was jumping at hovering midges in the shallows. I will return. #flyfishing #rivers #Australia

A river flows towards the viewe. A boulders covers the foreground and rocks protrude from the water. Trees line the banks.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Back home until next time and had a chance to compare notes with the local #flyfishing crowd. All have been blanking in low, clear #rivers except for those who have gone higher and found running water. Not easy when south east #Australia is so dry.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

My final morning on the Goobarragandra River (for this trip, anyway). Having exhausted my dry and dry/dropper skills for no reward, I fished this run with tight-line nymphing gear for exactly the same result. Clear and low, but a lovely morning. #flyfishing #rivers #Australia

A long straight run of a river surrounded by Australian trees. Looking downstream.

Looking upstream on a shallow river with a stony bottom. Trees line the banks and the morning sunshine highlights foliage.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

This is the pool I fished this morning. Long harvey-style leader with a small dry/dropper rig. Long, delicate casts into bubble lines and deeper holes near the far bank and behind boulders. Nada. Nothing. Nil. I am cursed. #flyfishing #rivers #Australia I hate Mondays.

A river pool with a large island-like boulder and a sheer rock wall on the far bank. There is a rock-strewn sandy beach in the foreground.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

The local outfitters and fly shop assures me that fish are being caught not far upstream from where I am fishing. I am still blanking out. Luckily, the scenery is so inviting. ##flyfishing #rivers #Australia

A freestone river run looking upstream. Willows and native vegetation line both banks.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Back on the river tomorrow after a few days at home. I'm determined to fish better - longer leaders and greater stealth to cope with the low, clear water. May even get a guide to audit my presentations - or just do a day on a drift boat from Tumut to break my bad run. #Flyfishing #Australia #rivers

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

The fishing (possibly the fisher) has been total shyte. Which lead me to ponder the phenomenon of wombat poo. Yes, it is cube-ish, but just as strange is that, for an animal whose arse is so close to the ground, they go to a lot of effort to poo on top of protruding rocks. #flyfishing #Australia

Three black cubes of wombats feces on a rock.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

You would think this tailout would hold a few trout. But not this morning. I have been staring so intently into the water that I am now hallucinating fish. But that's #flyfishing, I guess. #rivers #Australia

The bottom of a short run in the river flowing over stones. There is a riffle and gum trees in the distance.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Nymphed this run for two hours this morning for no result. It's usually productive for me, and I reckon my casting and drifts were not too bad. I'm getting a bit disheartened to be honest. #flyfishhing #rivers #Australia

Looking upstream on a shallow stream flowing through the Australian bush. The water is clear and the bottom composed of rounded stones.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

A crisp autumn morning on the river. Saw a platypus feeding in the shaĺlows. An echidna nearly walked into me while I was fishing last evening and a (rare) Murray crayfish walked onto my boot while I was wading. #flyfishing #rivers #Australia

Looking up a quiet river pool at dawn. There is a bank of smooth rocks in the foreground and (exotic) willows overhanging the water in the midground.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Back on "my" river for a week. First time fishing since Christmas. Water is low and it has been a hot, dry, and long summer, but a bit of rain in the past week has freshened things up and dropped the temperature. #Flyfishing #rivers #trout #Australia

Looking upstream on a stretch of the Goobarragandra River near Tumut NSW Australia. A pool and shallow run surrounded by mature eucalyptus trees.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Went to the lake at dawn for some casting practice. #flyfishing #Canberra

Looking out over a calm lake at sunrise with more than a dozen hot air balloons against the cloud. Canberra, Australia

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate. I have dusted of our aluminium (prone. aluminum) pole for the holiday. Aluminum has a very high strength to weight ratio.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

No fish or platypus today, but this guy was taking a walk as I left the river. There were also plenty of wombats. #echidna

An echida walking across a grassy patch.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Decided to give the river another 12hrs to retreat, so I fished the confluence with the Tumut Rriver tailrace about 20km downstream. Bad decision. I immediately lost three streamers to new snags then snapped my best carbon fibre rod mid section. 😮‍💨

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

The river rose further overnight, reaching more than a meter higher than yesterday with a flow of near 4,000 GL/day. This is the highest level reached this calendar year. It has started to fall but more rain is predicted for this week. Interestingly, the temperature fell from 24C to around 16C.

A graph of river discharge rates for the Goobarragandra River from January 2024 to the present. There are eight incidents of flow above 2000 GL/day with today's being the highest.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

As expected, it continued to rain and the river rose. Just 40mm of rain in the catchment over 18 hours was enough the increase flow by a factor of 10. This is prime River Red Gum habitat as they need the cycle of flood and drought. #river #trout #FlyFishing

A flooded river bank with a fishing rod.

The Goobarragandra River at Lacmalac near Tumut NSW. The river is running high over its normal bank, as shown by the inset graph of the past 12 hours discharge. The river flow has risen from around 250 ML/day to over 250 ML/day in a matter of a few hours.

A mature River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) with its base and exposed roots in the flowing water of the Goobarragandra River in high flow)

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Still raining across eastern Australia. We received around 20mm overnight and I'm expecting a surge of fresh locally later today. Hopefully, the fishing improves.

The Goobarrragandra River at Lacmalac near Tumut, New South Wales. It is raining and the view up the river is misty and river has large trees either side. An inset weather map shows a significant rainband across eastern Australia

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

I considered giving fishing a miss this morning, but the weather was pleasant with some cloud cover. Happily, I hooked (but didn't land) three small trout while swinging wet flies through the broken water. A chubby little skink - around 15cm long - sat and watched me for a while.

A skin lizard on a rock. Maybe a female with eggs from the size of the abdomen.

Looking downstream from the middle of the river. A fly rod in the foreground and white water in the mid-ground where it splashes over stones.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Despite unfavourable conditions, I was unable to resist some "casting practice" this morning. I did see a platypus that has taken up residence in this pool since I was here in early Spring. That's three I know of in this 1.5 kilometre stretch of river. #FlyFishing #river

A glassy surfaced river pool with smooth rocks and two fly fishing rods in the foreground.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

24 hours into a 2 week stay on the river and I find the spring fishing season has departed early this year. The river LOOKS great but the flow is relatively low and, at 24C, the temperature is above the tolerance level of trout. I haven't seen a fish in three fishing sessions. #FlyFishing #trout

Looking upstream at a small rocky stream (the Goobarragandra River) with a hand holding a digital thermometer in the foreground. The thermometer reads "24.0 C"

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

I love rivers, big and small. I can't fully explain it. There is a strong emotional connection as well as an intellectual one. There is nothing more satisfying than fishing (catch and release, with a fly rod) alone on a wild, healthy river.

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Paul Garrett @paulgar.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

I have today deactivated my Twitter (X) account as part of my effort to decrease the amount of toxic pseudo news, commentary and crap commercialism in my life. My post-US-election resolution is to spend more time fishing and to further lower my expectations of humanity.

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