The Snowy Mountains are looking amazing. It was once common to see November snow on the mountains to the west of Old Adaminaby but it’s been a long time since there was this much. The first week of November is a big week for trout fishing with the annual trout festival kicking off this Saturday http://troutfestival.com.au/ Traditionally seen as an event for trolling and bait fishing, there is a growing participation of fly fishers. This is a great event for the local community and there are some great prizes, topped by a Quintrex/Yamaha boat package.

Catch and kill competitions can be tough from an ethical perspective and the organisers have really worked hard over the years to stay on top of this.  First, it’s a prize “draw” so bringing your tame 10 lb’er to the weigh in won’t win you the big prize.  You get one entry for each fish you weigh in during the week, but to keep it sensible you can only weigh in one rainbow and one brown each day. And the minimum size for weigh in is 35 cm – not the size limit of 25 cm. Which of course begs the question why is the legal size limit so low; more on that (perhaps) in the next edition of Flystream magazine. The comp also provides some of the best (only) long term catch and effort data for the Snowies, which I have to say shows what a dedicated and committed bunch of anglers we are and what we will put up with for the chance of an occasional trout. If we had to work that hard for a flathead, blackfish or tailor, we’d give it away.

Lake levels are awesome. Eucumbene is at 57% and rising; Tantangara at 71% and steady; Jindabyne at 84%. There are plenty of fish for the hard workers. A Friday evening session got me three rainbows on a carrot fly. And we worked hard yesterday, Col and I on the boat and bank fishing Wooly Buggers and nymphs. High bank Polaroiding should be better than it is but we suspect the fish are finding plenty of food in deep water where it’s safer. Give it another 3 or 4 weeks and that will change. We fished Providence flats from the boat and gave it a good work out. There were very few fish on the surface despite perfect spotting conditions (we saw one rise all session), and only landed one 3 lb brown. A few hot-spot soaks weren’t that much better with a single rainbow.

Hearsay from Tantangara is that there are some big browns in the river channels around the Nungar Creek entrance; and around Currango Creek – way up past the Port Philip fire trail. The tracks are now open so go explore; probably a once in a lifetime chance to see the lake that high.

The portal from Tantangara to Eucumbene is just keeping pace with river inflows at the moment and I think it’ll be dropping again very soon.

I fished the Murrumbidgee downstream of Tantangar with David. The water flow was high and we brought up several fish on dries despite the fast deep water, which was excellent. I waded into a hole and filled my waders with ice – too cool!

There is very little insect activity. Last week’s midge action seems to have died down with the cooler southerly but it’ll be back tonight I hope. Intel from right the way across the south east of Australia and Tasmania is that everything is 2 to 3 weeks behind; I’m calling it, it’s a late spring. I wish someone had told my plums and cherries in Adaminaby all of which blossomed but have now been smashed by a series of frosts. No sour cherry pie for my birthday this year!

That’s all from me for a few weeks. PNG, Tonga, and a boat refit in Forster are keeping me away until December.

Tight tippets all

Steve (Snowy Lake fly fishing charters www.nakedtrout.com.au/stuff/charter/)