What an interesting season it has been so far and totally different to the previous year. With this year’s cooler temperatures and a lot more rainfall the trout have been a lot happier and it will most likely be an early spawning season if this weather continues.

Traditionally, this month is when the rivers are usually very low but with so much water this year we have been experiencing some excellent fly and lure fishing, even in the mountain streams.

Lake levels remained above 80% over summer but the level is dropping ever so slightly now as Snowy Hydro gets the level down to meet water allocations along the Murray River as well as to get ready for the snow melt next spring.

With the water temperature already dropping a little, I think it will be an early start to the trout spawning season and over recent weeks we have already seen some good fish moving up the Thredbo River, which is also an indication it may be an early start to the spawn run but this will mostly depend on the amount of rain we get over the next month or two.

The rivers are all in pristine condition after the rain and have also been fishing very well.

If you are a lure spinner, you will find a variety of lures will work, but the best will be jointed minnows as the brown trout start to become really aggressive and territorial.

Other lures like the Gillies Feathertail spinners or Celtas used in the shallower running water will be best early. A lot depends on rain at this time of year so it’s a little harder to predict what the season will bring.

If we get rain you might start to try and work the faster runs with some deeper diving lures or try a Gillies Bendback lure, which casts well when you need a little distance.

On the lake the best lure spinning will be early and late in the day and places where there are steep drop offs with plenty of rocks will be the best areas. Bays like Rushes, Hatchery and Creel bay all fish well. As the sun rises, change to a Tassie and cast further out over drop offs, letting the lure sink before you retrieve with a slow wind.

We will be starting to use pink and orange Tassies this month. Other lures to try are blades and while new to the trout fishing scene they are very good with gold or brown colours the best.

Another lure that I have been catching a lot of fish on has been the Blue Fox minnow spin. It’s great for casting on the lake.

Best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park but as the month progresses, Waste Point and the Snowy Arm will start to fire.

Bait fishing in Lake Jindabyne will further improve over this month and scrub worms and bardi grubs will still be the best baits. Teamed up with artificial baits that can be floated above the worms will help your catch rate considerably. Mudeyes are almost impossible to find now that the weather is cooling.

The best bait fishing areas are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay and Curiosity Rocks in the deeper water near the point.

Some of the best lake fly fishing during the coming months will come as the water cools and the fish start to feed around the edges, and this year with so much weed around the edges of the lake we should see some big fish caught. Try any of the streamer patterns such as Craig’s Night Time or a black Woolley Bugger. Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try. The South Arm, Creel Bay and Hayshed Bay are all great places to try fly fishing. On the rivers there is still a little dry fly fishing on offer yet and it is still a lot of fun if you get a nice day with a few insects about.

The Alpine streams are also still looking OK and plenty of small fish are being caught on dry fly also. Try a small Hopper pattern, Royal Wulff, Royal Humpy or a black cricket if you see fish rising and a caddis moth fly is also not a bad option either.

As the month goes on and more early spawning brown trout move into the Thredbo River you might start trying a black nymph and if we get that heavy rain and a rise in the river we might see a start to use glowbugs and nymphs.

For boat trollers, you may find the best fishing will still be early and late in the day. Fishing later where there are steep drop offs with plenty of rocks for the fish to hang out is a good ploy. Bays like Rushes, Hatchery and Creel Bay all fish well. Again, best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park and Waste Point and the Snowy Arm later in the month.

We will be starting to use pink and orange Tassies later this month as the fish also move into spawning and aggression mode, but for now green and gold Tassies like the 111 Willys Special and maybe the Canberra Killer Tassie will be good. Most of the Rapalas I use at this time of year all have a little orange on them as well.

The best way to attack the fish is top start off the morning by surface trolling lures and maybe a lead line at 2 colours out so the lure is about 3 metres deep. Later in the morning you can still target some of the browns by fishing close to the bottom in deeper water with the aid of downriggers. I find about 20ft of water is a good place to start.

The Tasmanian Devil number Y48, the yellow wing Brown Bomber and the holographic Tasmanian Devil the best overall lures to use on the lakes over the past month, however this is the time of the year that we sometimes start to move into pink or orange colours. It’s also well worth running the Brown Trout, Spotted Dog Rapalas or the Pinkie Rapala as the trout become more aggressive.

Of course, as reported if you are targeting the really big brown trout then you are best using really big lures like 9-13 cm Rapalas and I find the jointer Rapalas best as you can troll them a bit slower and still have good action on the lure. Some of the better trolling areas this month will be Sids Bay through to Rushes Bay. Also try Waste Point or Creel bay for downrigging as there may be a few early spawning brown trout about but they will mostly be deeper at 20ft or so.

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Until next month, hope you catch the big one.