Oz update

Had a wonderful trip with lots of birding, photographing, eating, drinking, and general fine time. Plus zip for fishing.

Hit Tasmania in a big storm. The stream I planned to fish (modest creek) was up about 2 metres. All other streams were at least as high and rather brown. Did buy a book on Tassie trouting and it is well worth it-at the right water levels. Almost all wild browns in streams, rivers, and lakes. How do you want to fish them? Tailing (feeding on snails), sight fishing to individuals, big rivers, small creeks, big lakes, small lakes. Plus, they have major sea-run browns (like our cutties but average about twice as large). Lots of bay/estuary fly-casting to aggressive feeders. Next time. And we'll try to be closer to summer than on the cusp of spring.

Was hoping to fish some Queensland streams, too, but there just weren't any where we were that had any access. Had one chance to do some lake fishing for Barramundi (on a 1-wt) but that got rained out, too.

To top all that off, when we landed in LA it was raining for the first time in something like 4+months. When we first retired, everywhere we went it snowed (this included Hawaii). Now, it just rains.