Latest Fishing Reports (click here for archived reports)

April/May 08 Fly fishing Report.

Winter isn't far away and the Browns are starting to run the major rivers. As has been the case in the last few years - autumn rain has been a bit wanting. Still April provided some excellent fly fishing opportunities. The highlight was certainly the excellent hopper fishing which kept on going right into May. Usually the hoppers exit with a few frosts and rain. Probably the lack of good rain over the last couple of months accounted for the grasshoppers surviving so long.

Some rain and snow has been falling, but still more is needed to really get fish moving from the lakes into the Eucumbene and Thredbo rivers.
Some fish have already run though and a few have been caught on glow bugs and tungsten bead head nymphs. The rig to use depends on where the fish are lying. Many fish will lay up in the deeper holes during the day only moving upstream at night or during good rain as they search for suitable spawning gravel.

Fish holding in deep water obviously need to be fished for with a fairly heavy rig. The most common set up used is a Glow bug trailing a heavy tungsten bead head nymph. At times, when you feel your still not getting deep enough, a Muppet - which is a lead dumbbell eyed Glow bug is the way to go. You need to get down to these fish - so if you're not occasionally hitting the bottom, you're probably not getting down to the trout. The trailing fly is best tied to the nymph at the bend in the hook. About 2/3rds to a metre will do. Many people use an indicator and if your trying to go deep it should be located well up the leader close to the join with the flyline.

Not all the fish will be in deep water - especially once the spawning run is well under way. Look at any gravel areas near the run out of pools or shallower gravel runs. This is where the fish will spawn. Once fish are spawning fly anglers must not wade/walk on these areas as the trouts eggs can be damaged by doing so - and it's illegal! You may be more successful using just one lighter Glow bug for these trout. A bright Glow bug can usually be seen by the fly fisher and if it disappears - Strike!

It should be remembered that both the Eucumbene and Thredbo rivers are classified as Spawning Rivers from the 30th of April until the seasons close on the June long-weekend. This means they now both have a 1 fish bag limit and that fish must be over 50cm. If you enjoy fly fishing it's a better idea to leave these fish in the system - so they can spawn and guarantee fishing in the future.
In past years the section of the Eucumbene River upstream of the flying fox closed at the end of April. This caused confusion with some anglers and has resulted in Fisheries simplifying the regulations.

The whole of the Eucumbene River is now open until the end of the season.

The big Hydro lakes have been fishing reasonably well and some nice condition Rainbows have been caught - especially in Lake Eucumbene (Approx. 19%). Surface fished mudeye patterns are still working on some fish, as are deep-fished larger yabby type patterns. A gold fish pattern is also handy in Lake Jindabyne (Approx. 59%) at this time of year.

There's only 3 weeks to go in what has been a good season. With a bit of luck in the rainfall and snow department, next season will be even better.

March 08 Fly Fishing Report.

Well, last report I said it looks like summer may be over - wrong! March started out with a few dry weeks and some pretty warm temperatures. For fly fishers this meant lower water and some difficult fishing in the rivers and streams. The fish were still there but needed a careful approach and good presentation for success. Due to the summer like conditions, mayfly hatches were sporadic and most successful anglers found grasshopper and beetle patterns the most productive.

Fortunately the weather has returned to normal and in the days following Easter most parts of the region have received a welcome inch or two of rain. That's the way it goes in the mountains - as some snowfall is also forecast!

The outlook for river and stream fly fishing over the coming weeks is good. The influx of some water and cooler temperatures should see an increase in mayfly hatches. Most common of these at this time are the large Black Spinners and smaller Blue Wing Olive mayflies. If you are really lucky you might also come across a hatch of Kosciusko mayflies - especially in rivers on the western slopes of the Snowy Mountains.
So be sure to carry some a few fly patterns to cover these hatches as trout feeding well in a hatch can ignore flies that don't in some way come close to what their feeding on.

A size 14 Black Spinner and a 12 or 14 size March Brown, Adams or Highland Dun, as well as size 16 BWO (blue winged olive) should be in the fly box. The usual fare of Royal Wullfs, Red tags and Parachute Adams will also be useful and a hopper pattern may still bring results for a week or two yet. When all's quiet on the surface fly fishers should try a nymph below an indicator or a dry fly (in shallower runs). A bead head is a good choice for faster deeper water, while lighter weight nymphs are the go for the shallow stuff - or in the case of trout that simply refuse to look up. Brown, tan or greyish (hare's ear) coloured nymphs in size 14 or smaller should do the job.

Autumn is the trout's last chance to gain some condition before the winter spawning - so fish do want to feed when the opportunity arises, but the generally clear and lower water levels - compared to spring, can still make them tricky. It's also worth noting that the sun is lower in the sky at this time and combined with "softer" light, fish will see the fisher more easily than we would like!

The lakes fished quite well over Easter and this should continue next month. Fly fishers using Mudeye patterns have done well in the late afternoon and into the evening. Lake Eucumbene (19%) has been more productive than Jindabyne (53%) and the condition and growth of the Rainbows has been good - this should also mean a generally larger average size fish in the Eucumbene River at the start of next season. The smaller lakes will also continue to provide some fishing, especially on nice days. Most of these waters always fish well with caddis and beetle type flies. All in all the following weeks should provide some good fly fishing opportunities in what to this point has been a very good season.

January/February 08 Fly fishing Report

Fly fishing throughout the region was generally very good in January, although the hot weather meant fairly high water temperatures in most waters at times. Many streams became too warm (temps over 20 deg.) to fish well on many afternoons. The big hydro lakes were also quite warm and shore fishing was very quiet as most fish stayed in deeper cooler water. Still there were some good times had on the right day.

Rainfall throughout January was again above average and February is also proving to be a wet one - keep it coming! The rain and some cooler conditions have seen all rivers and lakes cool down and begin to fish very well - so long as your not out in a storm of course! As you can imagine water levels are good to occasionally high in most rivers and streams. The Eucumbene and Thredbo continue to fish well although the better fish are not easy. They all received a lot of pressure as always over the Christmas /school holiday break. Long leaders and a careful approach should bring results. Both rivers are carrying a good head of 1/2 to 1 ½ lb. Browns this season and the future looks bright. Occasional larger fish are also present. Don't forget that catch and release will always ensure fishing for the future.

Terrestrial insects are still a major part of the trout's diet. Grasshoppers and beetles are common and imitations of these are working well especially on warmer days. Yellow Stimulators, redtags and the like are the flies of choice at the moment, with Caddis and Mayflys also about some afternoon and evenings. The Mayfly numbers will increase later in February and continue into March and April. There's definitely the feeling of an early autumn this season and summer appears to be almost over - but don't quote me on that!

The large lakes have cooled and are fishing much better from the shore than a few weeks ago. Both have risen a bit with the good rainfalls. Eucumbene is around 22% and Jindabyne is around 58%. Tantangara has also come up a little and is approx. 10% and fishing well, but it can fall rapidly. Mudeyes or yabby fly patterns are working and there are still some midge hatches on the right day. The rain just keeps on coming and for all intensive purposes the big dry is over and the fishery should just keep on improving over coming seasons. Who knows, even the legendary Monaro rivers will return to their former glory in a year or two?

2007 Dec Fly fishing report

This season continues to build to be the best for many years. With less than a week until Christmas rain continues to fall on a regular basis. Great news for those fly fishers heading up to the Snowy's for the Christmas and Now-year period

All mountain rivers and streams are fishing well, although you do need to be out on the right day with all this weather about - some waters have been a little coloured a times.

Dry fly fishing has been particularly good with some excellent hatches of larger mayflies. The most useful patterns have been larger dun and emerger patterns such as Adams and March browns in sizes 12 & 16. Naturally there have also been some good afternoon spinner falls. I favor a spent spinner pattern in these instances as fish can be finicky especially in smoother water. If your only carrying standard patterns you can simply clip the hackle level underneath to get the desired low riding affect. As always with good flows in the rivers the old standby patterns such as Royal Wullf etc. continue to bring results.

When the conditions aren't right for the dry fly, it is worthwhile trying a nymph. A size 14 pheasant tail nymph or tan seals fur nymph with or without a bead head ( this will depend on how deep you wish the fly to go) will do nicely and you can fish this under a dry as an indicator. Personally I've always preferred to use just one fly and a dedicated indicator if I feel the need. Weighted nymphs especially will cause the dry to drag unless the flow is quite hard and therefore tends to defeat the purpose.
Terrestrial time is almost here and I've already noted numerous small hoppers about.

The Christmas period also signals an in crease in beetle numbers - so make sure you at least have some Redtags or Tea Tree beetles in the fly box.. With all this rain the mountains are looking magnificent as most of the trees and shrubs etc. are flowering with more vigor than I've seen for many, many years.

The mountain lakes continue to have a few midge hatches and caddis, ants and beetles are about on many evenings. The lakes are remaining reasonably stable as the rivers continue to flow well. Christmas has always been noted for some good mudeye hatches and I'd expect this season to be a good one.

Tight lines, merry Christmas and happy New-year to all.

November 07 Fly Fishing Report.

Well what a month November has been. The best rain for many, many years in late spring. Virtually all areas of the Snowy Mountains and Monaro have received at least 150 mm. - with some parts getting much more. This looks great for at least the next few months and most forecasters are predicting continued falls.

So hows the fly fishing been? Most of the mountain rivers and streams have been fluctuating between high and sometimes coloured conditions and fantastic spring levels. This means those lucky enough to be out on the right day have had some of the best fishing for some years. Just a few days ago I managed to get out on one of the larger mountain rivers and had fantastic dry fly fishing to Browns and Rainbows ranging from 1 ½ lb. to 3 ½ lb. or so - truly great fun and did they go in the heavy and well oxygenated water conditions! There were a variety of mayflys hatching and dry flies worked well.

Good patterns for these late spring conditions are - Roal Wullfs, Red tags, Elk hair Caddis and Parachute Adams/March Browns in sizes 12 &14. Nymph fishing has also been very productive. Pheasant tail and bead head nymphs are working well when fish are not showing themselves. I'm expecting virtually all mountain rivers and streams will fish well between now and well into the newyear.

The larger mountain lakes are still quietly rising. Jindabyne is at 59% capacity and Eucumbene at 19%. They are both fishing well at times with some very good midge hatches in some shallow bays in Lake Eucumbene especially. A small midge pupa pattern suspended 30cm. bellow a midge ball dry fly works well when fish can be seen bulging for the hatching midges. If the rain and storms continue they will continue to slowly rise and fish well for now.

Many of the smaller mountain impoundments are also worth a look. Island Bend and Threemile Dam have been the best of these, with polaroiding and some beetle hatches being a feature.

With rain and storms expected to continue until at least Christmas the fly fishing should be excellent over the following months.

October 07 Fly Fishing Report.

The first month of the season has past and the outlook for the next couple of months at least is good Although rainfall was light in the first two weeks things picked up well towards the end of the month. I remember driving down from Thredbo in blizzard conditions which kept up to nearly Berridale. Since that time some rain and storms have boosted the waterways and as I write, the forecast for the next few days is for 50-100mm of rainfall throughout the region.

The rainbow trout spawning run saw many good fish caught. A few of these were quite large - up to 6lb. in the Thredbo river. Fish on the Eucumbene side were smaller than usual, with most averaging 1lb. or so. Both rivers carried more fish in their lower reaches. I'd expect many to move up with the recent and expected higher flows. We've had a lot of windy conditions, but if you found yourself out on the right afternoon some good dry fly fishing could be found on most waters. Still, thundery weather means termite hatches and these small insects seem to be irresistible to trout. A good imitation is sometimes needed and remember they are quite small - about #18 or#20. I use a pattern with a natural CDC feather as a wing.

The usual patterns for spring and higher water levels are working well in the rivers and streams. Royal Wullfs and other well-hackled nondescript patterns suffice. You may find fish a little fussier on less boisterous waters where trout have more time to inspect the fly. Various Mayfly, Stonefly and Caddis patterns can make a difference. Bead head nymphs that are weighted to suit the flow are always a good bet if dry fly fishing seems out of the question, but remember in the deeper heavy water you need to be close to the bottom to entice a few fish.

The big lakes - Eucumbene (18%) and Jindabyne (55%) are fishing well for shore based fly anglers. Naturally morning and evening are the best times as can be darker thundery afternoons. As the lakes continue to rise I'd expect to see fish moving into shallow water seeking drowned grubs etc. Midge patterns, Termites, Caddis and beetle patterns are working well for surface feeding fish, while the better wetfly/nymph patterns have been the usual Yabby, Mudeye, midge and Caddis patterns.

The next month should provide some excellent fly fishing for those lucky enough to be in the mountains. Late spring/early summer has always been my favourite time of season. If you manage to be on the water at the right time you can come across some excellent hatches and associated fishing. It's not always easy of course, but visible, feeding trout offer the most exciting and challenging moments in fly fishing.

September 2007 Fly Fishing Report & New Season Outlook.

Well with less than a week till the begining of the 07/08 trout season things are looking good.

I’m expecting a far better season than we had last time. Good late autumn/early winter rain followed by some great early snowfalls will mean far better water conditions this season. Most of the mountain rivers will start out at a much higher level than last season and heavier flies will be needed for the spawning run rainbows. These fish are usually the main target for early season fly fishers and should also stay in the rivers much longer than last year. Some rain is forecast a few days before the opening on Saturday September 29th.

Fortunately the Snowy Mountains and Monaro are part of the 20% of N.S.W. not drought declared and with a bit of luck will remain that way. August rain and snowfalls were not good but September weather has been closer to average. The lower lying Monaro waters will still need another season before they are seriously worth looking at - fish numbers will still be very low. A bit of pressure from fly fishers and local angling groups may be needed before N.S.W. fisheries see the light and resume stocking these legendary waters. Meanwhile if you do manage to find a fish on the Monaro please think of the future and return it to the water.

The large hydro lakes are rising but will take years to get back to pre drought (and perhaps pre cotton/rice) levels. Lets also hope all relevant Govt. bodies soon sort out the mess/fiasco of the Murray darling Basin. Sorry if I sound less than impressed, but when you live in the region and listen to the misinformed Politicians all fighting and suggesting the problem is simply one of better utilisation you can’t help but be cynical. It’s also regularly suggested that Sydney and Canberra’s water supplies can be augmented by taking more water from the snowy lakes - truly strange listening to them divide a pie that is simply not there! Anyway, back to the fishing.

As stated the mountain lakes are rising and will continue to provide some good polaroiding and shore based fly fishing till at least some time in December. Eucumbene is approx. 16%, Jindabyne 50% and most other waters are also on the rise.

As this season progresses I expect things to be quite normal - a far different scenario to last season which deteriorated badly in many ways before Christmas. What a difference some water makes.

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