Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
We need your help to protect the beautiful Bielsdown River.
The beautiful Bielsdown River at delightful Dorrigo, up in the picturesque plateau country of Northern NSW is a top little waterway.
The Bielsdown is part of the Nymboida River catchment. It’s a declared General Trout Stream and it provides refuge to many a Platypus and native Water-rats.
This River is annually stocked with Rainbow Trout that are reared at the nearby L.P. Dutton Trout Hatchery at Ebor and during the open fishing season (which runs from midnight on the last Friday before the start of the October (Labour Day) long weekend to the end of the June (Queens Birthday) long weekend) it provides for good fishing for children and adults alike.
Recently an incident involving the illegal use of a Yabby trap in the Bielsdown River at Dorrigo, caused the unfortunate deaths of several Platypus and a Water-rat. Fisheries Officers have increased their patrols of the Bielsdown and have recently worked together with the NSW DPI Recreational Fishing Unit and several local Dorrigo residents to develop and install some signage along the Bielsdown River that seeks to educate the community about the prohibition on the use of yabby traps.
Nets and traps of every description (except a landing net being used as an ancillary aid to land a fish caught on a hook and line in the open season) are totally prohibited in declared trout streams including the Bielsdown River.
Additionally, opera house style (funnel) Yabby traps are now totally prohibited for use by recreational fishers throughout NSW regardless of the type of waterway including in private farm dams! If you have opera house style yabby traps at home, then get rid of them so they don’t end up being used illegally. These prohibitions are an important measure to protect aquatic surface air breathing fauna such as Platypus which drown in these traps.
To report illegal fishing activity contact the Fisherwatch phone line on 1800 043 536 or via the online report form – https://bit.ly/38lU4OB.
