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Rivers, lakes fishing well
  |  First Published: November 2007



With the lakes still rising a little, we can expect some great fishing on Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene during the Snowy Mountains Trout Festival early this month.

The opening of the river season last month was great with the Thredbo River fishing extremely well. After the onslaught of anglers over the long weekend the fish went a little shy but they have now recovered and the action remains very good.

Spinning has been good and the dry fly fishing is constantly improving as the weather warms and the insects hatch.

TROLLING

In the lake, yellow wing Tasmanian Devils are still the favoured lures but you need to fish them at different depths depending on the conditions. Y94 is doing very well early and as the sun rises many anglers change to No 36. Y82 and my red-nosed yellow wing have been the best sunny-day colours.

My lime green yellow wing Tassie is starting to catch a lot of fish down deep. This is a great lure off downriggers or three colours of lead core line and there’s now a special Steve Williamson Tassie Four-Pack in updated colours.

Jointed Rapalas are still good and some jointed Rebel lures are also catching big fish including some hefty Atlantic salmon. Expect more of these Atlantics caught over the trout festival week.

Attractors like dodgers and cowbells help on the slower and some anglers are having good success trolling worms, soft plastics and even flies behind these. I prefer to use the smaller School of Minnow attractors with soft plastics and flies.

The Eucumbene River area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy Arm have been fishing very well.

For bait anglers, mudeyes are hard to get because of the drought but worms fished off the bottom with a PowerBait dropper work on the brown trout in the middle of the day. Fish with bail arm open and make sure you grease the line to make sure you keep it out of the slime on the bottom. Local scrub worms are also catching some good browns.

Berkley Gulps are going well but you might have to try different colours because what worked one day doesn’t always work the next. Best areas for bait fishing have been the boat ramp, Wollondibby Inlet in the deeper water, Curiosity Rocks Bay, The Haven and Rushes Bay.

SPINNING

While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise. Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours best.

Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results later the day in the day and use smaller lures like Celtas or Gillies Spinners around the shallow bays after dark. Don’t stay in one place too long and put in only a couple of casts in each area.

Berkley Gulp 2” Minnow Grubs have been working well around the trees, with pumpkinseed and smoke the best colours. The top end of the lake is still spinning best with Waste Point not a bad option.

The Thredbo River has been a little slower with less flow now and clear so the fish have been spooky. But if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular spots you will get some trout. Minnow lures are best and the 5cm or 7cm brown trout or rainbow trout Rapalas are doing very well.

FLY FISHING

There are fewer trout cruising close to the lake edges now but the polaroiding is not over yet. The water level is good and when you get the good weather, the fish are easy to spot.

It is still best to use small Green Nymphs under an indicator and fished very slowly. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. Bigger flies like Woolly Buggers at night and Williamson’s Goldfish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks have worked.

These creeks haven’t seen water for some time and with the lake rising the fish are cruising the inundated grass. It makes them harder to land but it’s a lot of fun trying. You will also notice the large schools of goldfish in these areas that the trout are feeding on.

The Eucumbene Arm has been fishing very well with a lot of big browns cruising the edges. You need a boat to get up there and fishing from the boat into the edges is the best way to go.

In the rivers and streams, most trout are still taken on nymphs but there have been days with a little dry-fly action. Glo Bugs were still worth a try very early at first light fishing into the faster runs but the season is all but over now until May.

Even the Alpine streams are looking good at the moment for small fish. Hoppers are about in the upper reaches of the Thredbo River so Summer is not far off and with that comes some great dry-fly fishing.

I am running a two-day trolling clinic on November 3 and 4 so you can hone your skills for the trout festival. Call my shop on 02 6456 1551 or visit www.swtroutfishing.com.au for more information. We have a full range of fishing tackle for hire and fishing tours are now available.

FESTIVAL

Each November all the local buzz is about the annual Snowy Mountains Trout Festival, this year from November 3 to 9. For all the latest news on the competition you can go to www.troutfestival.com .

The event is held over the whole of the Snowy Mountains with most fishing taking place on Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene. Weigh-in stations are throughout the area and there are some great prizes including a Quintrex 385 Explorer boat, 20hp Yamaha motor and trailer valued at over $7000.

The Snowline Holiday Park will be a different place this year with new managers Sean and Samantha very keen anglers so they will be out there talking trout with their guests. The Snowline is also a festival weigh station. Sean and Samantha have some great accommodation deals and I offer discounted tackle for Snowline guests during the festival.

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