Page 1 of 24 1234567891011 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 348

Thread: The Milky Condamine

  1. #1

    The Milky Condamine

    I am really starting to wonder whats gone wrong in the Condamine River. I grew up at Chinchilla and fished it for 28 years and it always used to clear up thru the winter, depending on freshes off course.
    If you get a big fresh thru the winter it would take longer to clear, but even in droughts it would still clear up.
    I moved to Cairns in 1987 and go back almost every year to visit family and almost always go out and chase some yellowbelly.

    BUT FOR ABOUT THE LAST 5 YEARS IT HAS NEVER CLEARED UP. All the local fishos know it too.
    Has anyone got any solid info as It is a cryin shame.

    Anyone?

  2. #2

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    CARP CARP BLOODY CARP, that is the problem i feel, i live on the condamine and in the last 5 year there has been a large increase in numbers. i have notice that some of feeder creeks to the condamine will clear charley and rocky, but they don't have any carp in them. if you could get rid of the pest it may help the whole system.

  3. #3

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    I must disagree the creeks around here clear up and they are full of carp. I belive it is farming cotton the wetting agents they use and drought in the higher catchment where the clearer water comes from that use to flush the dirtier water out of the system.
    cheers rossco

  4. #4

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Could well be the cotton farming, as I have been fishing the Condamine at Ellangowan, west of Warwick, and before the recent rain the water was not very dirty, and we certainly have heaps of stinking carp, but no cotton farming upstream of here, that I know of. Not having fished the river till recently I was very saddened to see just how many carp are in the river, so I go on carp slaughter missions to get rid of however many I can.

    Cotton farming must be one of the worst for adding copious amounts of chemicals to our streams.

    Cheers Eleanor

  5. #5

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    This is intersting. Especially as the river still clears above the cotton. can anyone else confirm clearing conditions upstream of most of the cotton?

    I'm going to contact the EPA and DPI and ask if they are aware of it or have an opinion on it. Rudd and Co seem to be trying to restore the Murray - Darling, and the Condamine is the most northern tributary of this massive system.

    Cheers

    John

  6. #6

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Clearing of natural vegetation right down to the water line adds to the mud colour.

    No natural grass plants and edge vegetation to filter the rubbish.

    good luck with the rudd thing mate.
    Cheers

    Steven

  7. #7

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    I spoke to a guy from the Dept of Natural Resources who is a water Ecologist and he was quite interested. He has referrred our conversation to another Ecologist who works more specifically in that Condamine area west of Toowoomba.

    Another thought is that the Condamine runs thru the heartlands of some of the best farming country in Australia ans has suffered silt erosion from such for almost a century! It cleared up seasonally thru all those years, so What has happened now??

  8. #8

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Is anyone following this thread who has observed the Condamine above Dalby or below that can witness its condition these recent years?

  9. #9

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    I also remember when it use to rain that much in the black soil country the water ran clear that hasn't happen for over 10years, I think it is a combination of all these factors mentioned so far.
    cheers rossco

    PS the yella's and cod have been on the chew at Surat weir, a mate of mine has caught over 80 fish in the last couple of days and yes he did the right thing and released them.

  10. #10

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Quote Originally Posted by rossco View Post
    I also remember when it use to rain that much in the black soil country the water ran clear that hasn't happen for over 10years, I think it is a combination of all these factors mentioned so far.
    cheers rossco

    PS the yella's and cod have been on the chew at Surat weir, a mate of mine has caught over 80 fish in the last couple of days and yes he did the right thing and released them.
    GREAT!
    Tell me is that above the weir or below? And does the water clear up down there still?
    John

  11. #11

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    It may have something to do with the drought, as the run off, is coming straight off cultivation instead of crops or grazing country with grass on it, i do have some proof that if the weir fills from the country around kogan that it take long to clear if it clears at all, as there is far more suspended solids in the water. if that get you further in your [FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']investigations.[/FONT]

  12. #12

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Grew up at Condamine and spent 90-94 fishing the river endlessly. During this time the river cleared during some years of very little rain above the yulabilla area, but below Yulabilla/Riverglen, towards Glenmorgan, the water did not clear. THis is around the point where the Dogwood joins the Condamine at Warkon, and becomes the Balonne. This turbidity gradually worked its way back towards Condamine township in the following years. The situation now is that water around the town of Condamine rarely clears, even at times of minimal flow. I can't really account for this. THe Dogwood never clears. There is very little farming in the Dogwood catchment, and stocking rates would have changed little over the last twenty years in the mid Condamine catchment. There is cotton farming east of Condamine but there is none down toward Yulabilla and Warkon. It's almost like the river picked up non soluble sediments that refuse to settle. Assumed it was the carp but at the time the river began to become more turbid, carp were well established through the length of the river. My assumption at the time was that it was related to carp quantity. Once enough carp were in a volume of water, they stirred things up enough to precent clearing of the water.
    Around this time, old timers were saying also that the cod were feeding on the carp and that they hadn't seen as many big cod around for years. NOt sure if that was true then, or still true now.
    For what it's worth, that's my story.

  13. #13

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    Inreresting what your raising here kevin and Shiek about turbid Creeks
    I know three tributaries in the Condamine catchment around Chinchilla that never clear, namely the Rocky, Wambo and as mentioned the Kogan. Im also not sure about the Undulla down Meandarra way but all these creeks still didn;t stop the Condamine clearing up as a general rule. Your absolutely right tho in saying their waters, if sitting in the Condamine, stop it learing in that reach for that season.

    Now last summer there was a fresh that camr down the river all the way from Warick which peaked at 9 metres at Chinchilla. This was a good run and I watched all the records on river heights on the BOM site, bit sadly to say this still didnt get the river clear, Unless the dirty Kogan emptied its guts into it at the last moment?
    Dunno
    John

  14. #14

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    I asked the guy from the Dept of Natural resources as well about the impact of big runs thru the River and he said the Condamine had not had a major flood thru it as a system since 1998.

    I'm hoping that we can see one of these come thru again soon as it could refresh the river or give it a fresh start.

    John

  15. #15

    Re: The Milky Condamine

    odes20, it is below the weir where they are biting, no the river hasn't cleared for over 10yrs now at Surat came close a few years ago than we got a dirty fresh. Gundy's lagoon clears most year, fills from the condamine river in a high run and it is full of carp. Also you never see the small springs that seeped out of the river banks that helped clear the water due to extreme drought.
    cheers rossco

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Join us