Uncle Billy’s Retreat – Our Winter Getaway

With Winter in full swing, it is an opportune time to take a break from the Shop. The Trout streams are closed, which makes choosing a Farmstay Retreat mixed with Stillwater dams, regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout, a good option. A great way to scratch the Trout itch during the colder months.

Road tripping to the NSW Northern tablelands area of Ben Lomond where the skies are blue and cool air crisp. Uncle Billy’s Retreat is located 25 minutes from Guyra or 50 minutes from Armidale, NSW.  Four lakes are featured on the property, with the largest covering 15 acres. There is enough water to keep you casting and exploring for a few days.

Uncle Billy’s offers a few comfortable accommodation options with all of the essentials included. Wood fire heater, stacked firewood, beds with warm blankets (the cool air comes as soon as the sun sets), kitchen with gas stove, dining table, USB charging ports, TV and nice warm shower.

Internet and Mobile coverage are limited, best to say that it is not available and if you require that during your stay, devices like a StarLink should be considered.

Really thou, what we truly enjoyed, was the break from the phone pinging all day.

We stayed in the Lodge Cabin, self-contained brick cabin, an open room arrangement with 3 beds, Double and 2 singles, everything above already mentioned, with a view directly to one of the small dams and included an outside fireplace with seating and an undercover car parking space. Great for keeping the frost off your windscreen for the early start.

Hosts, Mel and Rob ensured The Lodge was prepared, complete with firewood cut and loaded to the woodfire.

Is there nothing better for fly anglers, than to be boiling the kettle for the morning coffee and overlooking a piece of water with rising fish.

The Gear

For the impoundments on the property, we used 9ft6in length fly rods. Namely, the Scott Session 6wt and the Primal Raw CCC 6wt, matched with SA MPX WF6F floating fly lines. The additional length of rod really does help clear any foliage from the ground on the back cast and delivers a longer cast overall, covering more water.

Most of the banks are elevated from the water level, with the longer rod in play, meant that we could stand back from the water’s edge and retrieve the flies right to the rod tip.

Waders and Boots kept us warm and the cold air away. Whilst not essential, did find them very handy for keeping clean from the dirt and mud on some of the banks and feet dry when releasing fish.

A small backpack with a selection of flies, leader, tippet, food and water. A landing net with a longer handle was found to be advantageous, and we used our Simms Daymaker net for this trip.

Techniques Used

Being a Stillwater environment, any of the specific techniques to that type of arena could and should work throughout the day.

Pulling Streamers was the most adopted method, rigged in a team of 2 flies. A large profile streamer pattern with a trailing attractor pattern, 2 Damsel patterns, regular sized streamers with alternate colours trailing.

Cherie did run a few other options; The Washing Line, a very effective Stillwater technique with a team of 3 flies.

A few very big fish chased down single rigged, large streamers, thou we could not convert those, more exploration and time required for another trip.

All mater of retrieves were used, and as they say; keep mixing it up and changing until you discover the retrieve that the fish want. On this trip, our successful retrieves looked a bit like this. Making as long a cast possible, commence the retrieve quite slow, about a third of the way in, increase the speed tempo and about the two thirds of the way in, increase the tempo again.

Same approach is applied for working through the water column. Counting down on successive casts to place and retrieve your fly through varying water depths by allowing the fly/ flies to sink for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, until you find the productive or comfortable zone that the fish are sitting. And it changes throughout the day.

Most aggressive eats occurred at the rod tip. Take note of the longer rods and ability to cast further and stand back from the water’s edge. Aspects all which assisted in a successful trip.

Leaders and Tippet

It is quite a common question. What leader were you using?

We choose to use SA Absolute leaders, 5X in size and 9ft in length. With an additional 3-foot length of fluorocarbon tippet material in the same breaking strain.

The Flies

Take your Streamer, Nymph and Dry fly boxes with you.

Streamers worked!

Stillwater techniques of pulling streamers with multiples in the team were productive for both of us. The Gold Sparkler added the flashy attractor dimension to a larger, profiled and silhouetted streamer in the form of Game Changers. A fly platform that offers great movement with its foundations being built on articulating shanks.

On a final note, just because the waterways are stocked with Rainbow, don’t think that the fishing will be easy peasy,  we both had to work pretty hard to find success during this Winter’s trip.

This was our first visit to Uncle Billy’s Retreat and loved every bit of the surrounds, wildlife and tranquility.

For more information, or to book a getaway, visit the Uncle Billy’s website

From the UBR website “Uncle Billy’s Retreat is strictly fly fishing and is based on the catch and release system. We have a reputation of providing a high standard of quality fish and their health is paramount to the success of our business..”

https://www.unclebillys.com.au/