There are just a few times every few years when Tantangara Reservoir in the Snowy Mountains has enough water in it to let boaties get to the backed up waters – right into the gorges leading to Nungar Creek and the Murrumbidgee River.

Col had a day off from the shop so we managed a trip up there a few days ago.  The portal from Tantangara into Eucumbene was open and already it was easy to spot the high tide mark on the lake shore several metres from the edge. It looked like about a metre of vertical drop in a week or so.

Beware that when the lake is high, the turning circle at the boat ramp is underwater so the reverse down the hill is about a kilometre which is a bit of a drudge. And there are a lot of very shallow banks and just-under-the-surface islands.

It was one of those days when I thought we were going to fill the boat with fish but it wasn’t to be, and it was left pretty much to Col to save the day with a blingy brown Woolly Bugger.

Thankfully I had already managed to get a fish from Eucumbene, a nice chunky rainbow from the long bay opposite Anglers Reach in a howling nor-westerly gale so it wasn’t a complete blank weekend.

 

In general there are a lot of midge starting to show. All three lakes are rising. The portal is still running but Tantangara is back up at 47% (so in-flows are beating the portal’s output at the moment); Eucumbene is at 47%; and Jindabyne is at 82%.

 

Another month and the river season will be in full swing and Lake Eucumbene is going to love all the freshly covered ground – which has grassed up nicely.

Tight tippets

Steve (Snowy Lake (sight seeing) Charters)