What the Snowy lakes are capable of producing at the moment. (Rod Allen pic.)
Seasonal changes mean different tactics
Winter is nearly here. The mountain lakes brown trout spawn run is well underway, so to those feeling the urge, please play nicely, release your fish carefully, and don't fish the redds. Disturbing the redds (those very clearly distinguishable areas of river bed where the gravel has been polished clean by feverish fish feverishly laying and fertilising their eggs to support our future fishery) is of course illegal. So definitely no wading across the redds.
Fishing the lakes during late autumn can be a bit of a lottery, but for anyone willing to walk the right banks and hunt for their fish, it can also be very rewarding. Big browns are hungry, either making a last minute effort to put on condition before spawning, or returning soldiers, starving after a couple of weeks of hard work in the river. Either way, they are not in a position to be too fussy. Long gone are the lazy summer days of carefully presenting flies to fussy fish refusing the best offerings. Big food flies, with tungsten for action and fished in deeper water close to banks are a good choice right now, and throughout the winter.
Lake Eucumbene under clear May skies. A week later, it was snowing! (Rod Allen pic.)
Rod Allen reports that blue skies and calm conditions at Lake Eucumbene earlier in the month led to a fear his recent lucky streak was coming to an end as he tried to squeeze a session in between other commitments. Expecting a 'donut day' he'd resorted to targeting small rainbows with small midge patterns, when he spotted a better fish cruising the margins. A prospecting cast way ahead of the fish immediately got it's attention and he was soon connected to a 6lb brown. Shortly after, he dropped a similar fish, before rushing off to another annoying commitment!
Worth the short session!
Rod's favourite winter flies are the Sex Dungeon and the She Demon - whatever happened to normal fly names? Mum still hasn't got used to me talking about Woolly Buggers! I'm not sure how she'd respond to me explaining Rod's been catching donkeys on a Sex Dungeon.
Lake levels
Lake Eucumbene has been level at 40.6% for the last 6 weeks. Fish love this: they learn bankside beats where they can expect to find food, so expect them to be close in. The lake is now slightly higher than this time last year and if they keep the portal from Tantangara open, plus add a bit of early winter rain, it may start to kick up. (Just in the last couple of day, there have been increased Snowy Lakes flows into the Murray system, so fingers crossed this potential to drop Eucumbene is just temporary...)
Lake Jindabyne is at 65.6%, more or less stable for the past 6 weeks, and up 15% from this time last year.
Tantantgara Reservoir is at 7.32%. Who knew it could go that low! No doubt something to do with the Snowy 2.0 money pit.
The lakes in winter
Winter doesn't have to be just a time for fly-tying and online tackle shopping. Book a week on the lakes, enjoy the evenings in front of a log fire and days walking and hunting the banks. The Snowy lakes are always worth a look, and whilst I'll miss my winter trip with editor Weigall this year, I will still be thinking about the many great winter days we've had on Snowy Lakes over the past 25 years... as I expire in the tropical heat!
Don't put the fly rod away: trout like this are still on the prowl, and will be right through the coming months. (Rod Allen pic.)
