April is the month that we start to see a reduction in the surface temperature of the lake, which seems to spur a few trout on for an early spawning run. Some trout will start moving into the Thredbo River. You can now really feel the mornings getting cooler and the water temperatures are dropping.

For the lure anglers, the Thredbo River will only improve as the month goes by and the best lures will be jointed minnows, as the brown trout start to become really aggressive and territorial. Other lures like spinners are certainly a must in your lure box.

Spinning on the lake will also improve this month as the water edges cool down. You may find the best spinning will be early and late in the day and fishing will be best around steep drop-offs with plenty of rocks. Bays like Rushes, Hatchery and Creel Bay all fish well. The best areas recently have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park. As the month progresses, Waste Point and the Snowy Arm will start to fire.

We will be starting to use pink and orange lures this month as the fish also move into spawning and aggression mode. For now, green and gold lures will be good. Most of the minnow lures I use at this time of year have a little orange on them as well. In shallow bays I like to use some of the small soft plastics like the Strike Tiger spotted brew colour or vodka and orange. Even pink is a good colour to try.

Flyfishing on the rivers and streams has been nice with the mountain streams still producing lots of small trout on dry fly. This is heaps of fun, especially if you are just getting into the art of flyfishing. Try a small hopper pattern, Royal Wulff or Royal Humpy and a caddis moth fly for some good options.

The Thredbo River still has a little dry flyfishing to offer on some days. We’ll be swinging into the nymphing season very soon. As the month goes on and more early spawning brown trout move into the Thredbo River, you might start trying a black nymph. If we get that heavy rain and a rise in the river we might see a start to glowbugs and nymphs.

Flyfishing on the lake is still best at night. 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.

Overall, fishing on the lake over recent months has continued to be very good. Now that the lake water temperature is cooling into the trout’s comfort zone, the fish are happier to move in close to the edges of the lake. This makes the fishing a little better for anglers that don’t have a boat.

Autumn is a great time to go trout fishing, the trout are feeding up in readiness for winter and are often easier to catch. I would expect that the great shore-based angling will continue right through the winter months like it did last year.

Boat trolling in the shallow water will improve again now that the water temperatures start to reach a comfort zone for the trout. Early morning surface fishing can be quite productive. The best way to attack the fish is to start off the morning by surface trolling lures with a lead line about 3m 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 then.

Bigger minnow lures in brown trout or spotted dog patterns and pink lures will also be worth a try as the trout become more aggressive. Some of the better trolling areas 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. They’ll mostly be deeper at 20ft or so.

• If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly-fishing tuition and lake trolling trips. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours’ duration, and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day. If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, just give me a call on (0264) 561 551 or check out my website at www.swtroutfishing.com.au. You can also see our daily Facebook updates at https://www.facebook.com/LJTFA.

April roundup – the best of the best!