High country lakes in early summer can be a good choice.
Merry Festive Season Everyone.
As we slide into the festive season I do my best ba humbug and Grinch impressions and go fishing. No one else is around. Too much work to finish before… too many parties… Xmas shopping… nativity concerts. And it’s as if the fish know. But to get there can sometimes present an unusual set of challenges.
There’s something about holly. Driving through the Cornish countryside, the shiny evergreen dripping with red jewels is an outstanding sight. In the woods, the holly does indeed wear the crown. The countryside rushed past the Paddington train, lakes, rivers, still-green fields in a seemingly never-ending autumn. After an uncomfortable 24 hours in a cigar tube, and I teleported to the Murrumbidgee River above Tantangara Reservoir. I dreamt I was going to snooze off my jet lag before fishing, but Editor Phil got to our meetup point early and we were hiking through tussocks to the river before I had time to say, “Royal Wulff and 6lb tippet”? Then it was off to the high country and a few days whizzing around Lake Eucumbene.
The shoreline of Lake Eucumbene is bristling with small hoppers – among other things!
Lake Eucumbene Dry Fly
The big news has been the amount of dry fly action. After a couple of months where the fish were more or less in hiding, the browns at least are now close to the banks hunting terrestrials; while many of the rainbows are either still in hiding or going through one of their population slumps after the flogging they’ve had over the last two years. We caught a couple, but a mere fraction of the brown trout encounters.
One of the smaller browns taken on a Stimi. (Even the small ones are decent!)
There are gum beetles, hoppers, moths, caddis, ants, termites, and a heap of other bugs being dumped on the lake by the fresh to strong winds. I’m a huge fan of anything made of deer hair when to comes to dry fly prospecting. For example, fishing in NZ on South Island lakes in cicada season you can rely on an Elk Hair Caddis. Why the fish will take one, even when there are cicadas all over the water is a mystery. The first and last trout of the recent Snowy Mountains trip (and most fish in between) were on an Elk Hair Caddis or Stimulator variants. (I believe there’s more to come later in the week on this whole topic from the Editor once he recovers from 8 hour drive ‘car lag’, and gets those pesky pre Christmas jobs done).
A decimated Royal Stimulator after one or two too many fish.
I’ve had a couple of reports from Jindabyne. One colleague had two days there for a fish a day so I think it’s quiet. Tantangara reports have been scarce and don’t suggest it’s brimming with fish.
Snowy Lake Levels
Lake Eucumbene is at 47.8%, 15% down on this time last year, and falling slightly at the time of writing.
Lake Jindabyne is at 58.3%, 10% down on last year and rising steadily over the last month.
Tantangara Reservoir has also been rising for the last month and is at 13.4% – so the Port Phillip Fire Trail from Long Plain road is definitely open.
Boating Safety.
If you’re on a boat, please pay particular attention to submerged hazards as lake levels fluctuate. And wear your bloody lifejacket!
Have a great Xmas!
