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Options fade, others emerge
  |  First Published: July 2006



One of the good things about living on the Central Tablelands are the numbers of fishing options.

As the native fish chances in Lakes Windamere, Burrendong, and Wyangala slow up, the cold-water possibilities such as trout in Lake Lyell, Oberon, and Thompsons Creek Dam are just beginning to fire. Add another cold-water fishery in the redfin of Carcoar and Ben Chifley and you have yourself a pretty diverse fishery.

If you want to stretch your native fish options you can, by the intelligent use of baits such as yabbies and shrimps. If you’re real smart you would have frozen some in the over Summer because they can be harder to get at this time of year.

I am told by those in the know that frozen yabbies, de-frosted and used straight away, work quite well in Windamere when bobbed in and around the trees during Winter.

The worm fishing of the bank for silver perch is also quite good with some real honkers coming in from time to time. On the whole, though, your cold-water chances for trout and redfin offer the most consistent action.

DAMS HOT

With the rivers and creeks closed for trout fishing, all efforts are turned towards our lakes. With brown trout in the throes of spawning and rainbow trout getting ready to spawn, the fishing can be quite good. Anglers just need to be ready to adjust techniques accordingly.

Not all trout spawn at the same time. Rainfall and water temps have a lot to do with when the fish will make a run upstream.

It makes a lot of sense to target areas in the upper reaches of the dams because these are where the majority of trout will be. The last piece of really deep water is a good place to start. The fish will use this as a staging area, waiting for the right time to go upstream.

Quite often you have to trigger an aggressive response from the trout to get them to bite, so use something bright and flashy. Metal spoons are among of my first choices at this time of year. Vary the size and colours and try fishing them at different depths by counting them down.

Another option is to go really small, say a small black or brown nymph, cast with the fly rod. This works well if you have found the fish and caught a few but things have quietened down.

On a finial note I would like to thank the sponsors and organizers of the Pro Fish competition held at Lake Mulwala back in May, it was a great event and one that I will definitely be going back to fish next year.

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