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| article: lake jindabyne trout fishing report by steve williamson |
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Dated: 17 August, 2007
LAKE JINDABYNE TROUT FISHING REPORT
AUGUST 1st 2007
By Steve Williamson
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436
Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
August is an interesting month in the Snowy Mountains because it is not only the peak of the Snow Season but it is also the peak of the polaroiding (spotting cruising trout using Polaroid sunglasses) season. August is when the big browns are mostly back into the lake from their spawning run and other trout and salmon are just in the warmer shallows(on sunny days) looking for something to eat. By carefully walking high up on the bank you can often spot the trout either cruising or laying about in the shallows. By very carefully casting to these fish, carefully so as to not spook them, you can often catch the fish. This method is for the hunters amongst us because you are not going to catch anything by racing down the bank, waving your arms about and throwing large objects into the water with a big splash! If you want to learn more about this method then give us a call and you can book a tour. The art of polaroiding trout is not just for fly anglers, as bait anglers and spin anglers can also catch trout using this method. Out on the lake the boat fishing has been quite good and I had one very enjoyable day on the lake last week in brilliant sunshine and no wind and even managed to catch trout in between snoozes. While the days are now getting longer winter is still not over yet and I am sure we are still in for more snow and cold weather but with spring just about on us, hopefully we should see some of that snow on the mountains melting and hopefully a rise in the lake water levels. Over the last month we have seen Lake Jindabyne’s water level drop slightly to about 47% again as Snowy Hydro pump out water to generate electricity. Lake Eucumbene’s water level has risen very slightly to 10.6% and can do with lot’s more rain and snow to improve the level significantly which is a bit of a worry because the Murray Darling System still hasn’t had enough rain yet and there is a serious chance that they will again be relying on Snowy Mountains water to get them through another dry summer. Where still praying for them and hopefully the next couple of months will see them get that badly needed rain.
LAKE LEVEL and TEMPERATURE
With the cold conditions in the cities the generators have been turned on and so the lake level is dropping slowly and will continue to do so for a while until we get warmer weather to melt some snow or rain. The official level now is 47.3 %. The water temperature is now just about 6 degrees C, so pretty cold!
SNOW REPORT
The snow conditions have continued to improve with 1.35 metres on the ground at Spensors Creek and more snow predicted this week. The snow is dry and the crowds are huge as would be expected for peak season. I am sure the next two weekends are going to be crazy in the mountains, but remember if you want to get away from the crowds, there is practically nobody fishing the lake, so you can sit out on the lake catching trout and watch the traffic jam as it heads into the mountains. If you love your snow play then there is no better time than to head into the mountains, the snow is in great condition and resorts are in full swing.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
TROLLING
The last couple of days have been better than last week and it has been quite pleasant on the water. There is the odd patch of trout that are holding just off the bottom in 25 feet of water, which I can say is not actually normal but they have been active enough to catch on downriggers and the best lure was the yellow wing number 48 Tasmanian Devil. I have found these patches of fish just off the East Jindabyne Islands and just near Lion Island. The Rainbow Trout have been active on the slightly windy days and surface trolling is going a treat using small minnow lures or small 7 gram Tasmanian Devil lures. Lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) to three colours are good also. (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). There is no doubt that lead core lines were catching most of the fish in the middle of the day, over the last week. The best lure over the last week has been number 82 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) The Y48 duel depth is worth a try on dull days or deeper down. Bigger jointed lures, like Rebels and Rapalas in 9cm and 13cm are the best if you want to target the spawning Brown Trout up in the Snowy Arm or Creel Bay at Waist Point. You don’t have to fish these deep at the moment you just have to be in the right place at the right time East Jindabyne islands, Hayshed Bay, Lion and Cub Islands and the South arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (Primarily most rivers and streams in the Snowy Mountains Region are fly and lure only, We recommend that you first check with the Department of Primary Industries (NSW Fishing rules) as to which rivers in the area you can legally bait fish in. IF IN DOUBT DON’T BAITFISH IN RIVERS!) We have enough reports as well as our own experiences to confirm now that the new Berkleys GULP Powerbait is actually catching good size Brown Trout which the old stuff never really did, although it was dynamite on Rainbow Trout and Atlantic Salmon. The new Gulp is in a paste form similar to the old Powerbait and Berkley report it catches 55% more fish. Well I’m not totally convinced about that but it does catch fish and only time will tell if it is any better that the old Powerbaits. Tiger worms or scrub worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and Atlantic Salmon. Scrub worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the Brown Trout. The big secret at the moment is to fish with bail arm open and make sure you grease the line to make sure you keep it out of the slime on the bottom of the lake. Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘The Haven’, ‘Curiosity Rocks’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Waste Point’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
LAKE SPINNING
More Brown Trout are being sighted cruising now, mainly early in the morning. Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout floating Rapala’s are well worth a try. The bigger 11 and 13 cm lures for the more aggressive Brown Trout. Jointed minnows are well worth throwing and working the dropoff for best results. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Tasmanian Devils are catching fish in the deeper water by casting and waiting for the lure to sink a little before a slow retrieve.
Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results later on in the day in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. Don’t stay in one place too long and only put in a couple of casts in each area.
FLY FISHING LAKE
Still not a lot of reports on fish caught but that has a lot to do with not a lot of fly anglers fishing the lake either. I would suggest that Woolley Buggers or larger flies deep down will be best. Strip the flies slowly after letting them sink to the bottom. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in the areas you see Yabby holes.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk. If you sight a fish in the shallows you may be better to cast a smaller fly than a larger fly, something like a green nymph. For visitors to the Snowy’s we have a full range of fishing tackle for hire at my shop and fishing tours are now available.
For more information on the latest fishing conditions, please call into:
STEVE WILLIAMSON’S TACKLE SHOP
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627
Shop – (02) 64 561551 Fax – (02) 64 561342
E-mail: swtrout@airlan.com.au
Web: www.swtroutfishing.com.au
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