Snowy Mountains Fishing Report
8 October 2007

By Tom Baxter of The Alpine Angler, specialising in fly fishing mail-order. Tom is an experienced angler in both fresh and saltwater and is based in the heart of the NSW Snowy Mountains.

Visit the Alpine Angler website here or call 02-6452-5538.

Headlines: We have had some excellent reports this week. The wind was very trying over the last week, but many anglers still persevered and most caught fish. Hopefully with improved conditions the fishing will improve too.

Fly-fishing

Rivers - Now Open!
We have had reports of excellent numbers of rainbows in the lower Eucumbene which have been biting readily, and although some are a little small still provide a ton of fun. Some anglers, however, reported not even seeing a fish above Providence. There is still plenty of river between Anglers Reach and Providence and this appears to be the best area. Any decent rain should push more fish in over the next few weeks too.

The Thredbo has great numbers also and perhaps a slightly better class of fish and bigger numbers. There have been many anglers trying and the key is definitely to get the fly down using either a heavily weighted fly or adding weight to your leader. Standard rig is an indicator with a dual Globug/Nymph fished underneath.

The Murrumbidgee, Moonbah, Gungarlin, are all worth a look. The Eastern Monaro streams have had good rain in the early winter and few fish have been reported.

From Pete and Matt: Hi John and Tom, just thought I would drop you a quick report from our last 2 days fishing on the Eucumbene River (Providence Flats area). Although the howling south westerly basically did not stop, we had 2 great days fishing with both of us picking up 20+ rainbows per day in 1-2 pound range with many more fish dropped or missed on the strike. Best fish of the trip was a 3.5.pound brown taken by Matt Kennedy on a pheasant tail. Standard Glo-bug/nymph rig ruled supreme with plenty of fish sighted as well (some still paired up). There is a moderate head of water for this time of year and despite there being some fishing pressure, the fish were not too reluctant to take a well drifted offering.

David Jones from Sydney fished the Thredbo and the best fish he landed was a 1.75kg rainbow on a Glo-Bug, a top fish in anyone's book.

Lake Eucumbene
Fly reports from Eucumbene suggest not a lot of change, but the fishing has continued to improve, and while not all the fish are huge there have been some better browns lurking around. Woolly Buggers have been the pick of the patterns when searching, as have Tom Jones or a Craigs after dark. Best areas to look are Old Adaminaby, Yens Bay, Seven Gates and the Dam wall.

Lake Jindabyne
Fishing has been great in Jindabyne with both polaroiding and blind searching taking some fish. Warming water has had a few insects hatching on dark too so you will find fish in close of an evening. Midges again have been on the move on dark and fish have been taking them too. Fishing with a midge pupa pattern is usually the best option for taking a few fish. Rocky shorelines have produced for those polaroiding. Some very good rainbows are in these areas and there have been some big browns spotted also. Larger streamers are the go here trying to imitate a large yabby or goldfish. A slow sinking line is good for searching with these patterns. Other areas to look at in Jindabyne are Sid's Bay, Rushes Bay, Kalkite, Creel Bay and Hatchery Bay.

Chris Harding reported catching a beautiful 3kg brown and also two around the 1.5kg mark. These were taken on olive Woolly Buggers. Great Fish!

Lake Tantangara
There have been good numbers of fish on the chew in Tantangara and most of these have been surface feeders. A must look at spot after you fish the rivers in the morning.

Trolling and Spinning

Eucumbene
With the rising water launching will become progressively easier. The banks are hard so the only thing to be careful of is that there is enough water under the motor when launching. For larger boats Old Adaminaby's Ramp is still the best option and as the depth increases will make for less headaches. A 4WD can still be an advantage with the larger boats. Trolling has been at its best late and early in the day.

Most of the reports suggest flat lining in close is the best option. Tassies, Lofty's, and Alpine Cobra's are great for this work. The little RMG Scorpion is another great lure for trolling in close, as is the Rapala F5. With a mixture of these lures trolling becomes a deadly occupation, deadly for the trout that is. Best colours continue to be the yellow wing models in Tassie styles. For the others, rainbow trout, brown trout and the holographic golds in the Scorpion are dynamite. Best areas have been the Dam wall, Old Adaminaby, Grace Lea, and the area off Seven gates.

Andrew Hedges and John Matheson from Newcastle fished the Anglers Reach area in some very blustery conditions but still managed to catch a few. They landed eight browns and four rainbows. Best fish was a 1.5kg brown. Best lures were Crickhoppers in the all yellow and all black colours, Tassies in yellows and pink worms behind Ford Fenders also took a few fish. Nearly all were taken using leadcore or on the downrigger fished at 4-6 metres. 

Jindabyne
With the rising levels the weed beds are the place to troll. Being in close is the key as is an early start. If you really want to catch a fish being on the water as the light starts to improve is essential. If you hit the water at eight o'clock you have missed the peak bite time. Sleep and breakfast? Have that later!

As with Eucumbene, Tassies and shallow running minnows are the go in close. Small Rebel Crickhoppers work well here too. Best spots to troll have been Sids Bay, Creel Bay, Kangaroo Bay, the bank between Sid's and Kalkite and the islands adjacent to the township.

David Jones had a break from fishing the Thredbo and went for a troll on Jindabyne. Just as well because the little CD3 Rapala he was trolling snared a 3.6kg brown. That is a cracker of a fish on such a little lure. Well done DJ.

Talbingo
No reports.

Baitfishing  

Bait fishing has been absolutely outstanding in Eucumbene with good browns and rainbows coming in from the Old Adaminaby area. Powerbait and scrubworms have been the best baits. Stimulate has been an excellent addition to scrubworms and those anglers using it have reported a jump in their catch rates.

African Nightcrawlers have also taken their fair share of fish on the weekend with one angler doing better on these than on Powerbait. Mudeyes have started to work and we hope to have reasonable supply for the weekend. The stocks at present are still a little on the small size so fingers crossed we can find some quantities for the weekend.

Areas to look at in Jindabyne are Kalkite, Hatchery Bay, Creel Bay, Sids Bay, Clay Pits, Stinky Bay and Hayshed Bay. In Eucumbene try the Seven Gates or Old Adaminaby. Best colours in Powerbait have been Lime Twist, Orange, Sherbet and Lemon Twist. The new Gulp Trout Bait is a new 55% stronger scent. Chunky Cheese and Rainbow Candy have been the the pick of the colours. Try the two hook rig below for best results.

Jimmy Savitskey fished Eucumbene for a bag of nine Rainbows and one brown which was the biggest at 1.5kg. The ever popular Lime Twist Powerbait was the best bait.

Powerbait Dropper Rig  

Lake Levels

Eucumbene: 17.2%
Jindabyne: 52.8%
Tantangarra: 7%

Got any reports from the local lakes or rivers?

If so, email them along with pictures to info@alpineangler.com.au  for inclusion in our weekly report.

Cheers, Tom.