Headlines: The Snowy Mountains Trout Festival was a big success with a heap of very good fish caught. Weather was challenging but those that persisted caught fish.
Overall the reports were very good over the last week with all methods working.
Boat launching in Eucumbene is available at Old Adaminaby, The Dam Wall, Anglers Reach, Buckenderra.
Store Trading Hours
Mon-Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 7am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 4:30pm
Trout Festival Results
Largest fish overall - Brown 3.413kg Roy Jordan
Trolling - Rainbow 1.135kg Lawrence Horsfal / Brown 3.413kg Roy Jordan
Spinning - Rainbow 1.373kg Matt Caldwell / Brown 1.867kg Rudy Jorgensen
Bait - Rainbow 1.242kg Margaret French / Brown 2.850kg David Porter
Fly - Rainbow 1.447kg Mick Couvee / Brown 1.702kg Chris Clarke
Junior - Rainbow 1.009kg Shannon Flanagan / Brown 2.509kg Blake Parkes
Congratulations to all the anglers that fished, caught a fish or just had a good time trying.
Flyfishing
Rivers:- Dry fly fishing has really improved in all the local rivers in the past week. The warmer weather we are experiencing has really got some hatches happening. Beetles are starting to show, caddis are hatching from the streams, and the whole area is going to fire this weekend.
Dry flies to use at the moment are small emergers like Klinkhamers, Blue wing olive parachutes, attractors like Wullfs and Stimulators, along with beetles and ant patterns. A nymph suspended under the dry during the day is a good method to use, but a dry dusk will have beat results.
The Murrumbidgee has produced a few small fish but can turn up good ones on the right day.
The Thredbo still has numbers of rainbows up high and some good fishing can be had there.
Other rivers worth a look early in the season are the Moonbah, Mac, Snowy, Gungarlin, and a few other smaller high country creeks.
Lake Eucumbene:- Has been picking up of late. The water dropped a little but has then risen again since last week. The edges are warming and the Midges are starting to get about in more numbers. Caddis hatches have been big. Evening is the best time to hit the lake for rising fish. Early polaroiding can be very succesful on browns when conditions are good.
Best areas to look are Seven Gates, Buckenderra, Braemar, Cobrabald, Waiunui, Coppermine, Collingwood, Yens, Wangrabelle, Springwood
Night fishing will improve over the next few weeks with the rising water. Dark flies like Craigs, Fuzzies, Phantoms, are the go. Mudeye patterns will account for a few fish in the next week or two.
*Last week I reported on Stuart, Dave,and Ian's trip to Eucumbene. Here is a shot from that trip with Stuart's first trout on fly, taken on his first ever cast of a fly rod. Now that is a good introduction to fly fishing. Well done.
Lake Jindabyne:- The fishing in Jindabyne has still been quite good and better than expected. The dropping water has slowed the polaroiding for some but there are still fish around the edges that are very polaroidable. The river mouth arms seem to be the best areas.
Night time fishing has been good with some nice reports coming in. Muddler Minnows, Sunset flies, Fuzzy Wuzzys, Hammils and Tom Jones work very well at this time of year. Lumos will turn on some nice fish with the dark phase we are in now.
*Dom Rogers took advantage of the Melbourne Cup holiday in the A.C.T and managed these nice browns out of the lake. Great looking fish.
Best areas to look at are Sids Bay, Hatchery Bay, Creel Bay, Kangaroo Bay, and Kalkite.
Lake Tantangara :- Although the dam dropped a little this week it is still more than worth a look at present. The edges will be the place to fish with small wets and nymphs.
Trolling and Spinning
We now have Sting Cobras back in stock.
