I’m not sure why I’ve had a couple of restless nights. Maybe it was the very large brown that ate my indicator having ignored two perfectly tasty-looking flies. Or maybe it was the silver Nissan Patrol on Easter Sunday, travelling way too fast and top heavy with a rack full of camping gear on the Bobeyan Road between Canberra and Adaminaby that fishtailed out of control and slid straight towards me. I could see everyone in the Patrol screaming and bracing as I swerved off the gravel road, before I somehow ended up back on the road stationary, upright, and having avoided the collision.

Thankfully, it appears I’d remembered to press the teleport button just in the nick of time – there is no other explanation. As my good friend Holmes once said, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” To the Nissan driver, who ended up in a ditch, but then reversed out at speed before heading off in a cloud of dust, I say there is a special place reserved for you in the next life.

Lake Reports

Anyway, the fishing remains generally challenging. The water has cooled down a bit, but the fish are still deep, with hardly an evening rise. A report from Buckenderra is that the Black and Gold has been working its magic. Even in full sun, a deep bank, a long leader, a ‘good minute’ of sink time, and a virtually static retrieve, has caught plenty of fish.

The top of the lake has attracted plenty of trollers at the prospect of the browns starting to move up the lake before entering the river. However, apart from one or two vague and slightly wishful-thinking reports, that all seems quiet – although this weekend’s rain will send a solid signal for the fish to get going, and if that doesn’t work, the high country snow forecast for mid next week will certainly do the job.

Meanwhile at Lake Jindabyne, anywhere you might expect to see a cruising fish is likely to deliver opportunities. The lake has been steadily falling after being high for a long time. As the yabbies retreat, the browns in particular are in close in and on the lookout, although my informants tell me they are a bit spooky. Top spots are anywhere from Hatchery Bay to the Thredbo and Snowy River arms.

Tantangara is falling, with the portal into Lake Eucumbene open. A friend of mine said this week, “Oh, it really is called a portal.” having just seen the sign, previously assuming I had named it such based on my obsession with Doctor Who… as if the water just appeared out of the mountain by magic. Although one thing I can confidently speculate on is that if you found your way into the Providence Portal, you would probably never return. I have no fishing reports from Tantangara, it appears to be no one’s favourite spot at the moment.

High country lakes and rivers, above all the dams, have special fish in them. With a short growing season and the coldest water on the mainland, they are a certain kind of perfection. I know I carry on a bit about why we allow fish to be killed on the Eucumbene River and the Thredbo River, but in the high country, fish like this are so unique and so beautiful, so why do I have to see fish frames on the bank? Are these people starving?

Lake Levels.

Lake Eucumbene is at 56% falling steadily from 62% in mid-January, and 10% lower than this time last year.

Lake Jindabyne is at 67%, falling steadily and down 17% on this time last year.

Tantangara Reservoir is at 25%, falling steadily, disgorging all that opaque ‘green’ water into Lake Eucumbene.

Winter’s coming

So yes, this week there is snow forecast for Mount Kosciusko. My friends in Jindabyne are already complaining about lost fishing time as they build up their firewood piles. I’m not saying you can put away the midge pupa and caddis in favour of your extra-large bugger box, but it’s getting close to that time. Having said that, I’ve read lots about winter midge fishing, it’s just never worked all that often for me.