So much water and so little time to fish it! This dilemma faces many anglers when venturing into new territory and the only way to seriously maximise your fishing experience is to draw on local knowledge. Literally out on a limb on the Tumut River Australia truly is blessed when it comes to fishing. The vast choice of locations and species make it arguably one of the best destinations on earth. Every now and then we have the opportunity to fish a new location and in rare moments of brilliance it can completely take our breath away. While trophy fish are sought by many, more often than not it is the overwhelming number of choices that can totally blow our minds. Tumut in NSW is one such location. Situated at the very northwestern border of the Snowy Mountains it unassumingly becomes the gateway to an angler’s paradise. It is also reasonably central to many well-known townships like Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Albury and our nation’s capital Canberra. Tumut, a name derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "a quiet resting place by the river" is literally surrounded by fishable water in every direction. The Tumut River flows northward along the east side of town and is fed by the Blowering Reservoir spillway just 10 km to the south. To the east lies the Goobarragandra or Little River as it is known by some. To the west, the Gilmore Creek eventually flows into the Tumut River just 1 km north of town. The furthermost distance for an angler to reach any of these locations would be 15 km, yet there are practically hundreds of kilometres of water to fish. One of Phil’s 1 kg tiddlers with the smiled wiped off his face Apart from the fishing opportunities close to the township there are also many other prime waterways within a reasonable drive. Jounama Pondage, Talbingo Reservoir, Tumut pond, Lake Eucumbene, Lake Jindabyne and Khancoban Pondage to the south, Burrinjuck Dam, the Murrumbidgee River to the north and innumerable rivers and streams in between. It would take 3 lifetimes to even come close to covering the region in any satisfactory manner. Tumut was one area I had longed to fish and when Britz Campervans were kind enough to supply one of their top of the range vehicles it was only a matter of who to take along. Andy Moore, fishing buddy and one of Fishnet’s regulars was quick to snap up the opportunity. Fishing in the area Using Tumut as the base for all of our excursions it was simply a matter of where to start. With so much water to choose from and only a week to fish it, we sought the assistance of a Pro Guide and resident expert Phil Brumby. Phil has consistently fished this area for more than 33 years and his experience and passion for angling was clear from the onset. We were also fortunate to have Phil’s angling buddy Geoff Naylor along from time to time. Geoff is an extremely affable and accomplished angler having been an official at the World Fly Fishing Championships held at the Snowy Mountains in Nov/Dec 1999. In addition he represented Australia in the previous World Fly Fishing Championships held at Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the USA. Armed with all of this talent, local knowledge and determination the week promised to be a memorable one indeed.Tumut River. Another trout caught in pristine waters. The Tumut is an incredible river, continually subjected to fluctuating water levels as a result of agricultural demands downstream. While this is not an uncommon occurrence with our major river systems I fail to understand why the appropriate water authorities cannot at keep the flow at a steady level for reasonable period. In the 5 days we were in Tumut the water levels fluctuated on 4 separate occasions. Yet with this unstable environment it was incredible to witness the size and number of fish that populate this waterway. I attribute this predominantly to the efforts of the Tumut Acclimatisation Society that dedicate a substantial amount of their own time and money to perpetuate the fishery. Phil Brumby took us to a location on the Tumut River not far from the base of the Blowering spillway. Needless to say I was amazed to see a single pool with almost a dozen trout up to 3.5 kg feeding in crystal clear water. We climbed up into a rather large willow tree and watched these remarkable fish contesting each other for the runs and glides where the tastiest morsels of food were swept out into the current. Phil quickly prepared his fly rod and with the patience and determination of the hardiest angler commenced to cast a few flies at the fish. This small Freshwater Cray will tell you how big the fish was that got away. After a number of fly changes and tentative swipes at a fly, he finally hooked into what he classified as a "tiddler" 1kg rainbow trout. Going totally ballistic it launched itself 2 metres clear of the water’s surface and put on a magnificent display. While the fish itself was not too long in body it had an ample stomach that Santa himself would have been proud of!We continued to fish into the afternoon catching up with Geoff Naylor targeting a few more trout. Again the number and size of fish in this river were amazing. Trout to 4kg were slowly sipping insects from the water’s surface with consummate ease. Trout to at least 2.5kg could be seen every 100 to 200 metres. Hooking up was a challenge, getting busted off on the snags below was another story entirely. It was never really necessary to cast great distances to target a fish. The best technique was to approach the river with caution and polaroid the water for any movement beneath the surface. The majority of fish are more often than not extremely close to the riverbank. Techniques The type of fly gear used on the Tumut and surrounding rivers and streams are fairly standard. A 4-5 or 5-6 wgt rod with similar weighted floating fly line is appropriate. A 2.7 m (9ft) tapered leader with a 2 to 3 kg tippet. Some of the locals prefer to use extended leaders because of the clear water, but it comes down to personal preference. Another plump rainbow. I strongly recommended the use of a double fly rig when fishing throughout the region. Using a dry fly as an indicator and a beaded nymph as a point fly about 60 cm below. The best colours to use throughout the open season are brown, green, black or grey. Which colour depends entirely on the hatch of the day and this can be determined by asking one of the local tackle store owners or simply by examining the insect hatch when you are there. If there are 2 of you fishing a section of a river simultaneously then it is a good idea to alternate on fly colours. For example, while one angler uses 2 fly’s (1 brown, 1 green) ensure the second angler uses 2 fly’s with alternate colours (1 black, 1 grey). Using this technique will reduce the time taken to identify which is the more successful fly at that exact moment.If intending to toss a lure around, a light to medium spinning outfit with 3 kg line is quite adequate. Some of the best lures to use are the naturally coloured ones. Small minnow styles, retrieved slowly and fished mid water should do reasonably well. The 5 to 7 cm sinking Rapala’s in a Brown or Rainbow Trout pattern will always catch fish. It must be said however that there are some brilliant Australian made lures around that will perform exceptionally well. One of the locals uses Tassie Devils with a great deal of success and others like the Knol’s minnows should be a part of any lure junkies collection. Because of the swift nature of the Tumut River I strongly recommend the use of lures that have a broad retrieval speed. Some lures just cannot cope with fast water and have a tendency to wash out and spin. This can become quite frustrating if you have the incorrect gear. I also suggest that you swap any blunt or defective hooks for chemically sharpened ones. You can almost guarantee that any fish hooked will test you and your tackle to the limit. To lose a substantial fish through neglect of your gear will prove to be your folly. When fishing with bait use what is readily available at that time of year. Crickets & hoppers should be used when plentiful. Drifting unweighted yabbies under the cover of some willow trees should see the rod tip buckle under some decent fish. Use hooks that are appropriate to the bait. Remember you want the bait to conceal all but the point of the hook. It doesn’t get any better than this! Long shanks and huge protruding curves will not seem natural to the fish nor will they be palatable.Regardless of your fishing technique be prepared for some dynamite action. During the warm summer months the cooler waters of the Tumut will suit many Brown and Rainbow Trout. The smaller more shallow streams like the Goobarragandra have a tendency to warm up more quickly and dissipate the heat more slowly. When fishing the smaller streams in warm weather target the fish first thing in the morning. These waterways will then have had time to cool down over night and return the fish to their comfort zone ready for a quick feed. One last note, when fishing the many rivers and streams in the area always keep eye open for snakes. While generally quite timid they can and do strike when startled. Wear trousers or waders when possible and give them a wide berth if spotted. Taking risks and jeopardising you fishing pleasure just isn’t worth it. Blowering Reservoir Fishing the rivers around Tumut for some large trout was something to be experienced. Yet as they say, "variety is the spice of life" and I knew full well that there were some BIG Golden Perch and even BIGGER Murray Cod just waiting to be caught in Blowering Reservoir. Prior to our arrival Phil had organised a boating trip on Blowering with one of the local Tackle Store owners Greg Smith. Greg owns and runs the very popular Bakes One Stop Shop / Fishing Den on the main road into Tumut. He is a very likeable and generous individual who like many in this area, is passionate about his fishing. We were fortunate enough for Greg to take us out on 2 separate occasions. In both instances we trolled the northern half of the reservoir and there always seemed to be action in some way shape or form. Blowering contains a very healthy population of Golden Perch, Murray Cod, Redfin and the occasional trophy sized Trout. The Golden’s seem to start at around 2.5 kg and the Cod 8 kg. Redfin are so plentiful literally hundreds of fish can be seen schooling around the boat ramp. Even before launching a boat throwing lure out and retrieving it will see hundreds of fish chasing it with gusto. The clarity of the water had to be seen to be believed! Casting toward any structure and retrieving the lure saw at least 1 dozen Redfin to 1 kg jostle into position like a bunch of footballers tackling the ball. All of this action was clearly visible in 5 metres of water.When intending to troll any waterway it is essential that a good quality sounder be used. Trolling without purpose over water devoid of fish is a common mistake that many anglers make. A good sounder will assist in identifying fish and repetitive runs over a disinterested fish varying the lure colours and types can produce some exceptional results. While they are a dime a dozen, we were able to identify a school of Redfin, count to 3, then experience double and sometimes triple hookups. It is simply a matter of persistence and other fish species are no different, just more cautious. Medium rods with 3 to 6 kg line are adequate. Numerous lures worked well during our trips, Knols minnows and natives, Dee Bobs, deep diving Merlins, and a newer lure on the market "Strike zone – Cicadas" proved fruitful. Virtually anything with a decent action brought us success. Bait fishing was not conducted during our sessions but a number of nice Golden Perch were caught toward the southern part of Blowering on yabbies around the minimally treed sections. I am sad to say we did not land a large Golden or Cod but there were 2 distinct occasions when rods bent parallel with the gunnels of the boat and retrieved lures bore the tooth marks of some pretty aggressive fish. Our Britz We used Britz top of the range the Regent Motorhome. At 6.2 metres long and around 2.5 metres wide it was designed to sleep 6 adults. It boasts many features not found in the many cabins of some caravan parks. A fridge, gas stove, microwave, hot and cold water, TV, Video, shower and toilet, air conditioning and if needed, a couple of mountain bikes. Powered by a 4.3 diesel engine and 4 speed automatic transmission with power steering it wasn’t any Ferrari but reasonably comfortable and easy to drive. Our Britz Regent Motorhome provided a great mobile base for our fishing expedition into the Snowy Mountains. Conclusion Tumut and its amazing diverse fishery have left an indelible imprint on my mind. All fish regardless of species attacked with a tenacity that has to be experienced. The people in Tumut are warm and friendly and go out of their way to help. In fact, I was so impressed with the region and its people that I have already made plans to return at least 3 more times this year. Fact box: Accomodation The Britz Regent Motorhome provided a roof over our heads and provided all the necessary functions whilst we stayed at the pleasant Riverglade Caravan Park literally on the banks of the Tumut River. Contact the management Brian & Elizabeth Craven or Aaron & Jane Bennett on (02) 6947 2528. Tackle Stores Greg’s Fishing Den (Bake’s One Stop Shop) 46 Adelong Rd, Tumut, NSW 2720 Ph: (02) 6947 1965 Email: g_smith@dragnet.com.au Tumut’s Fishing, Camping & Outdoor Store, 56 – 58 Wynyard St, Tumut, NSW 2720 Ph: (02) 6947 1100 Angling Guide Phil Brumby Home: (02) 6946 6244 Mobile: 0438 466 244 Information Tumut Visitors Centre 5 Adelong Road, Tumut, NSW 2720 Ph: (02) 6947 7025 Email: tumutrvc@npws.nsw.gov.au Tourism NSW http://www.visitnsw.com.au/ (Riverina district) Maps AFN Fishing Map - #16 Auslig Maps - #8525 Kosciusko, #8626 Tantangara, # 8526 Yarrangobillycaptions