Lucky inthe mountains

We have been very lucky in the mountains since the last report, with some good rain in late November and early December which saved our rivers from drought – for the time being at least.

With the good rain we should now have some excellent January trout action in the rivers and streams.

In Lake Jindabyne the water levels are still good and we should be in for some good downrigging over the next month or so. Let’s look at what you can expect for the coming weeks.

The best way to troll up a trout has been by surface-fishing Tasmanian Devil lures in gold and green colours early in the morning. Tassie numbers 50 (frog pattern) and 36 (yellow wings) will work best.

Fish the shallow bays early and then move out to deeper water using the same colours and fish lead-core line with three to four colours out or use downriggers at 20 feet as the day brightens up.

Darker-coloured lures work best when fishing deep so try, Tassie No 48 (brown bomber) or the halo colour. Best bays have been Hayshed, Hatchery and Rushes.

Mid-Summer is best for early and late spinning on the lake and the middle of the day is best for the rivers because the lake fish go deep. I like to get up well before sunrise and fish the shallow inlets where the big brown trout come into during the night. By targeting these fish the average size of your catch is increased.

Most lake fly anglers fish only during the night because they know that is when the big fish come in to feed. Smaller spinners are the best during this period – less splash to scare the trout.

For bait fishers, Summer is mudeye time. The mudeye is the nymph of the dragonfly and anglers use them as live bait, hooking them through the wing case to allow them to swim around beneath a float. Early and late in the day are the best times. Again, fish the bays early and move to deeper water as the day brightens up.

This is grasshopper month on the rivers and streams in the mountains and when grasshoppers drop into the water, the trout will not hesitate to take them. There are various grasshopper fly patterns available but just have a look around and see what size and colour the real ones are and find a fly to match.

Keep your eye open for evening hatches of other insects, such as the mayfly. I love the dry-fly fishing at this time of year!

If you are a lake angler, nights are the best time to fish. Dark or black flies like a Woolly Bugger or a Black Phantom are good flies to start with. Craig’s Nighttime is also another Snowy Mountains favourite. With the goldfish also breeding this month, a Williamson’s Goldfish will be worth trying around the creek inlets.

For those looking at learning to fly-fish, we still have vacancies for the February 23/23 beginners’ course. If you already fly-fish and would like to learn more about different fly locations around the Snowy Mountains and how to fish them, we have a Snowy Mountains Fly Fishing weekend on March 15/16.

Give me a call on 0408 024 436 or e-mail me --e-mail address hidden-- for details. Don’t forget to have a look at my website for my latest newsletter. www.fishnet.com.au/snowyfish .