Thursday 16 September 2021 Cuttagee Lake

 With an ease in restrictions to allow 5 people to meet outdoors R took the opportunity to join L&I for a paddle on Cuttagee. We hit the water at 10.00am,  turning into the straight we heard a faint buzzing and R looked up to find our no doubt envious :) neighbour charting our progress.

Stopping for a chat with a fly fisherman who had been at it since 5.30am and had had no luck. The fisherman mentioned the commercial fisherman had netted the lake this morning I have seen him laying his nets 3 times since Cuttagee closed in the middle of June and I suppose he has stripped both Little Cuttagee and the main lake of most of the bigger fish. I hope the pair of Sea Eagles that call Cuttagee home are finding enough fish to feed their young.

We paddled down the lake

and into the ephemeral lagoon, which now held plenty of water, where we stopped for morning tea. 

After a pleasant 35mins in the sun we headed back down the lagoon

past all the new growth on the silt jetty,

some of which will soon be doomed by the rising water.

This section of the silt jetty, then high and dry, was where we had morning tea in early August.,

Three swans taking flight toward us as we paddled up the creek.

Further on, near the first bend another takes off toward me. I got a close up view as it swerved at the last minute to pass me at head height.

Once round the bend we were sheltered from the breeze

This time there was enough water to get over the Backwater ford so we continued on up the creek.

At the far end of this spit I ran aground, R having made it through.

While we waited for R to explore to the paddlable limits I extricated myself and admired the clarity of the water

and the surrounding forest.

R's exploration was stopped by the spit, narrow channel and 

rock wall ahead.

Back she comes

this time failing to find the sweet route

We stopped for another 35mins, this time for lunch, on our way back down the creek. The sound of the rising breeze the only thing prompting us to move on again.

Retracing our route round the back of the island to stay sheltered that little bit longer.

Once back out in the lake we paddled steadily into the head breeze until we turned for home, where L got to deploy his sail for a few hundred metres,

before we turned and paddled back across little Cuttagee, ending our paddle around 2.30pm.