NSFFC Club Day Trip - Lauriston Reservoir

Before the break of dawn Mark and I were cruising along the Calder Highway towards Lauriston Reservoir. This was the destination for the NSFFC's August day trip. Out of the three lakes within Coliban Water system, it is the one with the highest water level at the moment and the most promising fishing opportunities. We decided we would start fishing on the bank opposite of the public reserve at the dam wall, and then meet up with the guys from the club at the reserve around lunchtime. While I have done very little fly fishing at Lauriston, I have bait fished it many times in years gone by. My past experiences were telling me not to expect much, but first sights of the lake had my hopes rising. Within minutes of stepping out of the car we spotted occasional rises dotted throughout the lake. Most were out of casting range and appeared to be oncers, but any sight of moving fish generally gives a shot of boost to a fisherman's enthusiasm. We rigged up our rods in record time and given that we would not be wearing waders today (wading is not permitted at any of the Coliban lakes), we were making our way to the water within minutes. Mark's first cast was to a rising fish not more than 3 meters from the bank. His cast was good, his fly selection seemed good too, but soon as the line hit the water the fish was gone not to be seen again. Once again Lauriston looked the way I remembered it, a beautiful but tough fishery. We fished on, looking for any signs of fish and covering the likeliest looking spots. I made my way to the right of the dam wall stumbling across such a spot. A very long and narrow point was sticking out into the main channel of the lake. I started at the base of the point with the plan to work my way right to the point itself. Towards the end of my first retrieve I felt my line stop with definite weight at the end of it. I lifted the rod, and the weight started to pull and roll in disagreement. I knew it was a solid fish. Soon I was proven right as the brown took off to the air trying to dislodge the fly stuck in the corner of its mouth. This was followed by long runs into the depths, but soon enough, the fish was landed. I photographed it and quickly released it.
I continued to fish with renewed enthusiasm, but this enthusiasm was short lived. Gale force winds that were forecast for Saturday strengthened and made the fishing extremely tough. In the late afternoon Mark and I met up with the other club members, and we all made a move to a nearby lake which offered more protection from the wind. Unfortunately we could only afford a one hour session on this lake, during which no one caught a fish. Even so, this lake is already on the top of my lakes to fish list for this year and I'll be back soon giving it a fair go.