Snowy Mountains Region
Steve Williamson

TROUT FISHING PREDICTIONS FOR
LAKE JINDABYNE

by Steve Williamson

18th MAY 2008

LAST WEEK
The southerly change came through yesterday and dropped a little snow on the tips of the mountains but we never really got as much as predicted and unfortunately no rain at all.
The change did get a few more fish into the Thredbo ion the spawning run and you can find fish in all the usual haunts but the river level is still low and the water very clear.
The forecast for the next week is for more fine weather and cold frosty nights.
With only a few weeks now to the end of the river fishing season, anglers are still praying for some heavy rain so as the brown trout will run the river.
While conditions are tough on the river, the better anglers are still catching some very big fish.
Largest last week was caught by ‘Mr Jindy” Dougy Ivanovic from Melbourne.
Dougy is renown for big fish and his latest 11lb brown trout caught on fly on the Thredbo river was the biggest of Dougys fish so far this trip. Dougy managed fish of 5, 6, 8 and 9lb before this 11lb monster.
Other anglers are also doing well with a variety of nymph and glow bug rigs used mainly on fly rods.
Ther river is still a little low for spin anglers using drift rig techniques however big Rapala lures are also doing well.
The trollers are catching a few fish early in the day but have had trouble getting on the water due to either days of thick fog or else strong winds experienced over the last weekend.
This week we will have frosty mornings and sunny days so a day on the lake will be enjoyable and you might even catch a few big fish.
Gaden Trout Hatchery will release up to 300 Atlantic salmon this week into Lake Jindabyne.
At least 30 of these ex brood fish are over 5kg and you had better bring your big net.
NEXT WEEK
River fishing will be OK if you target the early spawners early and stick to fishing for resident trout on both dry and wet flies during the day.
Bait fishing on the lake will be worth a go and the fishing is definitely improving.
Trolliers will have to put the time in to get results and we will continue to see some big fish caught early.
Don’t forget your thermals as the mornings will be cold.
Just a reminder that in May the Thredbo river rules change to only one fish per day per angler, and that fish must be over 50cm long. Be aware that NSW fisheries officers are out and about so make sure you have your licence on you.
Lake Levels
The levels are still dropping slowly as predicted.
The boat ramp is only just in the water but launching is still no problem.
Water Temperature
13 degrees and about steady at the moment.
REMINDER
At this time of year, these reports are only updated IF the fishing conditions change.

Let’s look at what we should expect with the fishing over the coming weeks.
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 BAIT FISH IN RIVERS!

This month is one of the best months for the bait angler fishing the edges of the lake. Big brown trout are cruising the edges looking for a feed before they head into the rivers on their spawning run. Bardi grubs or local scrub worms are the best baits to catch these big fish but it has to be a well presented bait before you can trick these very wary monsters. The natural oils in the bardi grubs will help it float off the bottom and so they need to be held down with a running sinker. Scrub worms are best fished with no weight at all, just a worm on a hook and tossed into the water preferably with the line greased to help it float off the bottom and out of the weed. If you like you can also use worms under a float over the weed beds.
Worms teamed with an artificial bait like ‘Powerbait’, and fished off the bottom, is a method that is working well at the moment on Lake Jindabyne. The new type of Gulp baits, in jars like the powerbaits, are stated to be 55% more efficient than the older formula and these are well worth a try. winter.
Best areas to try over the next couple of months will be Waste Point at Creel Bay and the Snowy Arm near the pumping station.
RIVER SPINNING
The snow has encouraged a few more early spawning browns into the Thredbo but the river is low and clear and the fish are spooky.
When and if we get rain, minnow lures like the Rapala’s (especially the jointed ones) and the small 3 inch Stumpjumpers’ and the like will be the best choice for big fish. The jointed Rebel lures in the rainbow trout pattern are another that you should have at hand. Jointed lures have a great action and can be worked fast or slow.
Use sinking or deeper diving minnows when the river is high and stick to smaller lures when the water is low and clear. Don’t worry about the size of lures if the river is in flood because you might find that bigger is better. The Thredbo river is my river of choice from now until rivers close in June.
As stated already, there are some early spawners in the river already but they are spooky and the best fishing has been in the dark.
LAKE SPINNING
Now that the water is cooling down the lake spinning has improved. Tasmanian Devil lures in aggression colours like reds, pinks and oranges are starting to work best now. The Red nosed brown bomber has also still been good and will also catch you fish.
Try some bigger jointed Rapalas here as well and 11 and 13 cm are not too big for aggressive brown trout.
On the lake good spinning areas to try are ‘Creel Bay’, ‘Waste Point’, ‘The Snowy Arm’ and for fish still actively feeding try ‘Curiosity Rocks’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ and ‘The Claypits’ area are also best.
TROLLING
Lake trolling is interesting in autumn as some days the fish will strike out of aggression and some days they will be feeding. Knowing what the weather is about to do will help.
When the snow is coming go for aggression lures.
As with spinning on the lake, big jointed lures are well worth a try for big browns.
Tasmanian Devil lures are still well worth a try and this is the time I quite often change to pink or orange coloured lures. These colours seem to work best on the aggressive spawning fish.
‘Tasmanian Devils’ in colours 55 pink or 56 orange are good lures to try for non feeding fish.
The duel depth Tasmanian Devils have been very popular with trollers due to the little extra depth and stronger action.
Even at this time of year the day will often warm up and the fish will still go deeper. ‘Lead core lines’ and ‘Downriggers’ will still be very useful over the coming months. Remember all the photos in the magazines of big fish caught off downriggers with big minnow lures trolled slowly?
‘Duel Depth’ Tasmanian devil lures rigged through the side hole to troll deeper to 4 metres will also help during he middle of the day, but make sure you don’t troll too fast when this lure is rigged in the deep dive hole.
‘East Jindabyne Islands’ and Sid’s Bay always fish well in autumn for rainbow trout and as the brown trout move to the end of the lake ready to spawn, ‘Creel Bay’ and the ‘Snowy River Arm’ are well worth trying.
FLYFISHING
The streams and rivers will still have good days even this late in the season. You will possibly still even fish that fish will still take a well presented dry fly.  Last week one angler did very well using a ‘stimulator’ fly up higher on the Thredbo river.
As the rain comes and more brown trout move into the Thredbo, anglers minds will change to chase big trophy fish and fly anglers will have the best success using ‘glowbugs’ and nymphs. Black and brown nymphs in about a size 10 or 12 are good and make sure you have some weighed flies for when the river is flowing hard, as you need to get the fly down to the fish before you will catch them.
Lake Jindabyne will fish better this month. Water temperatures have a big effect on how close to shore the fish come but it’s cooler now and the fishing is much better and will continue to improve as the water cools even further.
Flies to try over the coming months will be the ‘Purple/Black Woolley Bugger’ and ‘Mrs Simpson’. Don’t forget the ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek inlets during the late evening.
SHOP HOURS
Shop hours will vary until the end of the snow season. If coming through, give us a call and make sure will be open.
While we are short staffed, it may be necessary to close the shop while I attend to guiding.
The shop will be closed for a week, while I take a break, after the long weekend in June.
We will close on Tuesday 10th and reopen on the 17th June.
GUIDING
As the guiding season comes to an end it will be necessary due to staffing levels to make sure you book well ahead. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day.
If  you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions just give me a call on 02 64 561551 or check out my web site at www.swtroutfishing.com.au and I am also starting to build my new web site www.fishingcourses.com.au so have a look at it and I would be grateful for your feedback.
Until next report, hope you catch the big one.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report
21st January 2008

By Steve Williamson

Last weeks fishing in the mountains.
Fishing continues to be very good with excellent boat downrigging. Average catch is 4 fish an hour if you know your stuff. Downriggers are the best way to get accurately where the fish are sitting in 35 feet at a thermocline.
Jigging with soft plastics also at 30 to 40 feet deep is an exciting option at the moment also.
Bait anglers have not been so lucky and the best fishing has been off deep dropoffs very early in the morning.
Fly fishing on the lake has been also restricted to nights and early mornings.
Yesterday we received the best rain for almost a month and this should see the river fishing improve.
Next weeks predictions.
A much cooler week of weather is predicted and even a little more rain. This will help the shore based anglers and will further improve the stream fishing.
Lake Level
Due to the hot weather over the last few weeks, the lake levels have dropped to about 58% and we will continue to see a drop in water levels now that summer is coming to an end.
Lake Water Temperature
With last week we had one day of a hot 40 degrees days the surface warmed up to nearly 24 degrees C but has dropped back a couple of degrees due to the cooler weather and rain.
I can’t see the water getting any warmer now and we should start to see a drop over coming months.
Best methods to catch a trout.
Best method – Trolling using downriggers on the lake.
Best depth- Trolling or jigging at 25 to 35 feet deep.
Best lake lure – Tasmanian Devil in various ‘yellow wing’ designs or my black/gold Tassie Devil.
Best lake area – Deepwater off Lion and Cub Islands.
Best fly method – dry fly – various beetle and hopper patterns
Best river – Thredbo river above The Diggings

Let’s now have a look at how to catch one in a little more detail.
Boat Trolling.
Temperatures have put the fish into a thermocline and the best fishing by far is with downriggers. The fish are heading into deeper water by about 8am and you must be aware of that. Trout are also moving areas with the lake currents and so keep your options open.
Lead line trolling with the aid of a trolling sinker has been the best way to get fish if you don’t have a downrigger. Try three colours (30 metres) early and three colours with a trolling sinker or deep diving lure later in the morning.
The Tasmanian Devil number 82 or 89 have been good and Tasmanian Devil number 36 ‘Yellow wing’ has by far been the best overall lure to use on the lakes over the past month.
My new black/gold Tasmanian Devil has been very good for downrigging.
Some of the better trolling areas this month will be ‘Hatchery Bay’ and ‘Hayshed Bay’. ‘Sid’s Bay’ through to ‘Rushes Bay’ will fish well early in the day for big brown trout.
Lake Spinning
Best lure spinning has been on the lake but fish are still being caught in the Thredbo on small Rapalas in the sinking variety. The best spinning will be early and late in the day and fishing where there are steep drop offs with plenty of rocks will be the best areas. Bays like ‘Creel’, ‘Hatchery’ and the ‘Snowy Arm’ all fish well. As the sun rises, change to a ‘Tassie’ and cast further out over drop offs, letting the lure sink before you retrieve with a slow wind.
Best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park.
River Spinning
On the Thredbo river, a variety of lures will work, but the best will be small bladed spinners, like the Gillies Spina’ or ‘Celtas’ used over the weed beds will be best early. By far floating Rapalas have been best for fishing the slower moving runs and the pools.
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!)
Bait fishing will improve over this month and scrub worms and tiger worms under a float will still be the best baits. Teamed up with power bait will help your catch rate considerably.
Another bait worth suspending under a float is the old faithful grasshopper which is a bait you don’t often seen used much these days but they work a treat and there are plenty about at the moment however you might need the kids with a butterfly net to help you collect the bait.
Best bait fishing areas are ‘Creel Bay’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ and ‘Curiosity Rocks’. Another great area is the bottom of ‘Snowline Caravan Park’ near ‘Widows Creek Inlet’.
Lake Fly Fishing
At the moment the lake fly fishing is best at night.
Some of the best lake fly fishing is during the coming months as the water cools and this year with so much weed around the edges of the lake we should see some big fish caught. Try any of the streamer patterns such as ‘Mrs Simpson’ and ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’. Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try.
The ‘South Arm’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Kangaroo Bay’ are all great.
River Fly Fishing
On the rivers, the Thredbo the hopper fishing season is now in full swing and there is plenty of evening rises and fantastic dry fly fishing.
The Alpine streams are still looking OK and plenty of small fish are being caught on dry fly also.
Fly selection is not too critical in these streams but placement is critical or else you just scare all the fish.
Try a small Royal Wulff or Royal Humpy and a white moth fly is also not a bad option.
Well worth a look at the lower Mowambah near the weir on the Dalgety Road.

NEWS
Don’t forget the Bestons Trout Challenge being held at Snowline Holiday Park on the 16th, 17th and 18th of February, just call Snowline on 02 64562099 to book.
This will be a fun event and plenty of lucky entry prizes even if you can’t catch a trout!
Plenty of lucky draw prizes also for the kids and some fun casting events as well.
Downrigging Course
On the 23rd February I will be holding another one day downrigging course and if you want to learn more then give me a call or e-mail on swtrout@airlan.com.au.
Places are limited and the cost is $100. Call me at the shop on 02 64561551 for bookings
GUIDING
If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly fishing tuition and lake trolling trips. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day.
If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions just give me a call on 02 64 561551 or check out my web site at www.swtroutfishing.com.au and I am also starting to build my new web site www.fishingcourses.com.au so have a look at it and I would be grateful for your feedback.
Until next month, hope you catch the big one.
Steve Williamson
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
For Friday 7th SEPTEMBER 2007
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
This weeks report is going out early because Jindabyne is going to be very busy with Sydney siders getting out of town because of APEC. Accommodation bookings in town are extremely heavy and if coming down you have better organize a bed somewhere first.
The predicted snow never eventuated last week and although we did get a very cold southerly change that made if feel a little bit wintry, the lake remained calm with no wind and actually good fishing conditions.
Another big 14lb brown trout was caught this week by Michael Augustyn from Corowa (see my report on my web site and follow link to recent fish caught for a photo). Michael was trolling at Waste Point working the weedbeds with his secret minnow style lure (we will tell you which one when you come into the shop – maybe).
This is the time of year when all of these big fish start to really feed up and you too could be lucky.
The lake is rising very nicely at the moment and covering new ground. Looking around a couple of creak inlets this morning and the water was boiling with small goldfish as they try to head up the creaks to avoid detection from these big predator brown trout and Atlantic salmon. If your not using goldfish lure and of course the ‘Steve Williamson Goldfish’ fly in these spots you will not catch these monsters.
Please be aware of the new NSW fishing regulations that came into force on the 3rd of September. Call in to my shop for the brochure on the changes.
SNOW REPORT
The predicted snow never made it but colder temperatures were at least good for grooming. The days are expected to warm up in the resorts by the weekend. Perisher resort still has most of it’s lifts operating.
Well worth a play on the snow for the family but remember it is spring and the snow softens fast.
Let’s have a closer look at the fishing.
LAKE LEVEL and TEMPERATURE
The lake level has risen quite a bit over the last week and the boat ramp now has plenty of concrete in the water to enable the launching of any boat. There was a lot of water coming down the Snowy River arm at Waste Point so I would say that Island Bend dam must have been spilling at one stage. This area may be worth a look.
SNOW REPORT
No snow since last report but everyone is hoping that we will get falls maybe in excess of 10cm early next week. The days have been very warm in the resorts but with good grooming and overnight freezes there is some good snow play for all and we must remember the Perisher resort still has 50 lifts operating.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling.
The temperatures were a lot cooler this week but the fishing improved again after the cold change and as stated earlier there were some big fish caught. Surface anglers are doing well just trolling 13 gram Tasmanian Devils early up with possibly pink 55 and number 82 being the best two colours overall.
Lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) to three colours will also be best after the sun comes up. (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 recent weeks.
The best lure over recent weeks have 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.
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.
Jointed Rapalas are well worth a try first up and when trolled in close to the shore and over weed beds there is a good chance of a big brown trout or Atlantic salmon.
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!)
Berkleys GULP Chunky Cheese Powerbait is still 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.
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
To target rainbow trout and brown trout, floating Rapala’s are well worth a try. It’s time now to go back to smaller sizes with 5 and 7 cm floaters being better. Jointed minnows are still well worth throwing and working the dropoff for best results again use the smaller sizes now. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. It is also well worth trying a few small spinners like Celtas or Gillies spinners in the shallows but make sure you keep out of sight and it is better to spot the fish and cast past it bring the lure about a metre or two in front of the fish.
Tasmanian Devils are catching fish in the deeper water by casting and waiting for the lure to sink a little before a slow retrieve. Cast as far out as you can but best results will be when the water is choppy with a little wind.
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
The cooler slightly windy weather made it a little harder to Polaroid fish this last week and fishing in general was a little tougher but that should change by the weekend. Some fish have been caught using Woolley Buggers or larger flies deep down if just prospect casting but if you do spot a fish it might be better to try a small nymph first. 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.

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.

JUNE 22nd 2007
Just a short update on conditions.
Nothing has changed on the fishing front other than the rivers are now closed until October.
After my return from my fishing trip at Narooma the weather has been wet and cold and not many anglers on the lake however the brave that have been on the water are fishing mainly off the bank and doing quite well on bait.
My shop will remain open 7 days a week throughout winter and will be available for charter and fly fishing on the lake weather permitting from July 1st.
SNOW REPORT
The very cold southerly winds have kept the snow on the ground and the base is slowly building up.
This weekend Smiggin Hole and Blue Cow resort as well as Charlotte Pass ski resorts are open so that means that all resorts are now open. With only one weekend to go before the NSW school holidays the ski season is off to a much better start than last season.
Well worth a snow ski at the moment with really good dry snow to ski on.

Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling.
The fishing over the last week has been not too bad with stable weather making for some enjoyable days on the lake.
Atlantic salmon introduced into the lake a couple of weeks ago, are starting to cruise the lake and this makes for interesting times when you hook up.
The last couple of days have been cold with frosty morning down to minus 4 and this has meant that the water is cooling faster now and you can troll in the middle of the day even on the surface but fishing is better if you troll a little deeper at about 15 to 20 feet if sunny.
Bigger jointed Rapalas, in all patterns are still catching the better trophy brown trout or large Atlantic salmon.
The rainbow trout have been friendlier with good catches anywhere from 1 metre to 20 feet deep depending on the day. As usual for this time of year the fish are very moody and some days they hit hard and other days they just nudge the lure.
You have to have your wits about you and on the quite days try deeper trolling and long drop backs of 80 to 100 metres on the surface lines using deeper lures like the duel depth Tasmanian Devils unless you are using braid.
Start with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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 Steve Williamson red nosed Yellow wing on the bright days or the Y48 duel depth is worth a try on dull days.
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!)
Berkleys Powerbait in orange twist or rainbow nuggets have continued to be the best baits over the last week. We do have limited supplies of Lime Twist at the moment.
Tiger 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, 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
The lake spinning will be interesting now the big ex brood Atlantic salmon are cruising the lake edges which is what they will do until they work out where they are. Some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try and try the bigger 11 and 13 cm lures for the more aggressive brown trout. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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
No real change, the last week it has been bloody cold and windy and I haven’t see or heard of one person brave enough to fly fish the lake so the report is the same as the 6th June.
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.

JUNE 6th 2007
NEWS
Firstly thanks much go to all of you that have supported my businesses over the last trout season.
The rivers officially close at midnight Monday 11th June and reopen on the October long weekend.
Of course the lake is open all over winter and we do have some excellent fishing to look forward to over the next few months.
This will be the last report for a few weeks until the end of June at this stage. I am about to take a well deserved break while I do a little research and development (fishing) and I might even get some time to visit family.
When we look at the last river fishing season we can thank the gods for what was some great fishing given the long hot dry summer and the threat of bush fires. Overall we had some great days on the streams and the Thredbo fished very well. All was saved of course by the constant storms especially in February when the rivers are seasonally at their lowest and warmest.
If we look at some of the trout rivers in Victoria they were not so lucky, especially those that were affected by the terrible fires. Again we were very lucky because the fires were heading our way and got within 15 kms of Thredbo and too close for comfort.
Lake levels were also on everyone’s minds and that is still a problem and will be a problem next season if they don’t have major falls in the Murray Darling basin over the winter and spring.
Again we are lucky because Lake Jindabyne still has a water level at about 46% and lots more than most areas.
The levels have been consistent now for the last few months and the lake has actually risen a little over the last week.
You are probably geared up to come and fish the Thredbo River spawn run over the long weekend and while there are fish in the river we could do with rain to get the fish on the bite. There have been quite a few fish caught in the Thredbo over the last week and some big ones at that, but you have to work at it.
More about how to catch them in the report.
The weather report for the long weekend looks good at the moment with maybe some rain late in the week which might just get the Thredbo firing for the weekend.
Anyhow good luck with it all and call into my shop if you need some help.
I will be open on Friday night of the long weekend until about 7pm if there is demand , however if not we should be open as early as 6am on Saturday and 8am on the Sunday and Monday morning.
The shop will be closed the rest of the week from Tuesday 12th, opening again at 8am on Saturday 15th, while all staff have a few days fishing before the long winter months ahead.
We will remain open 7 days a week throughout winter and will be available for charter and fly fishing on the lake weather permitting.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling.
The fishing over the last week has been not too bad with stable weather making for some enjoyable days on the lake.
Atlantic salmon introduced into the lake a couple of weeks ago, are starting to cruise the lake and this makes for interesting times when you hook up.
The last couple of days have been cold with frosty morning down to minus 4 and this has meant that the water is cooling faster now and you can troll in the middle of the day even on the surface but fishing is better if you troll a little deeper at about 15 to 20 feet if sunny.
Bigger jointed Rapalas, in all patterns are still catching the better trophy brown trout or large Atlantic salmon.
The rainbow trout have been friendlier with good catches anywhere from 1 metre to 20 feet deep depending on the day. As usual for this time of year the fish are very moody and some days they hit hard and other days they just nudge the lure.
You have to have your wits about you and on the quite days try deeper trolling and long drop backs of 80 to 100 metres on the surface lines using deeper lures like the duel depth Tasmanian Devils unless you are using braid.
Start with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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 Steve Williamson red nosed Yellow wing on the bright days or the Y48 duel depth is worth a try on dull days.
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!)
Berkleys Powerbait in lemon or orange twist or rainbow nuggets have continued to be the best baits over the last week. We do have limited supplies of Lime Twist at the moment.
Tiger 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, 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
The lake spinning will be interesting now the big ex brood Atlantic salmon are cruising the lake edges which is what they will do until they work out where they are. Some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try and try the bigger 11 and 13 cm lures for the more aggressive brown trout. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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.
River spinning.
With the Thredbo river closing to fishing this weekend it will be interesting to see how much rain we get later in the week. Good rain will mean great spinning for the weekend. No rain and it may be a little slower.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. The gold jointed Rebel lures are also worth a try and the little 3cm Stumpjumper in pink or purple and pink is also catch a few fish now. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them. Also drift rigging with glow bugs and nymphs is worth a try.
Fly Fishing Lake
No real change as the moment with the fishing good on the lake with more fish being taken by fishing Woolley Buggers deep down. With the flies stripped slowly the fish are happy to strike hard.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings also on green nymphs. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in that same area.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River has been fishing OK, but you have to put in the time.
I would expect that the brown trout spawn run be full on once we get a few inches of rain but I guess that is wishful thinking.
Rainbow trout are also moving into the Thredbo and I suspect after the eggs from the spawning brown trout.
There has been a move to nymphs and glowbugs but there is still the occasional resident fish being caught on a dry fly. The streams are a little hard to fish at the moment but worth a try if you want to get away from the crowds on the Thredbo River.


May 28th 2007
NEWS – BIG SALMON RELEASED!
After the cold weather last week we have returned to sunny and warm conditions for the time being at least.
The ski resorts did receive about 10 to 15cm of snow and we did have a little rain in Jindabyne but not enough to change the levels of the rivers or lake.
The cold change did put a few more spawning fish into the Thredbo River, but by the end of the last week they were hard to find and when you did they were very spooky with the low and crystal clear water.
Mind you those hardy anglers that fished the very we small hours of the freezing cold mornings did manage a fish or two. Remember the legal size of trout is now 50cm for the Thredbo River until the river closes to fishing for winter on the 11th of June.
On the lake the most exciting thing is that DPI Fisheries Gaden Trout Hatchery have just started to release about 200 ex brood Atlantic Salmon into the lake. There are a few monsters amongst this lot that will go at least 10kg so be aware and get out the bigger net!

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level was pretty stable again last week only dropping a little, mostly due to evaporation with the strong winds, with the rain having no real effect.
The water temperature is 12 degrees C.
We have moved the marina at Snowline Holiday Park over to beside the boat ramp, (to where the Heli Pontoon was) because Snowy Hydro are still talking about the lake level dropping another metre.
Not sure if this will happen because the lake level has been stable for the last couple of months, but we are prepared for the worse and this area beside the boat ramp is good deep water.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling.
The sunny still conditions are making the fishing a little slow at the moment but with the big Atlantic salmon now introduced into the lake these big fish do make for interesting fishing with the possibility of a monster fish that will get the heart of the hardiest angler beating quickly.
Early morning has been better overall but there has still been some good catches in the middle of the day if you troll a little deeper at about 15 to 20 feet.
The brown trout are still hugging the bottom and trolling lures over the weed beds is still the best way to catch a brown trout. Bigger jointed Rapalas are great for trophy brown trout or large Atlantic salmon.
The rainbow trout have been friendlier with good catches anywhere from the surface to 20 feet deep depending on the day. As usual for this time of year the fish are very moody and some days they hit hard and other days they just nudge the lure.
You have to have your wits about you and on the quite days try deeper trolling and long drop backs of 80 to 100 metres on the surface lines using deeper lures like the duel depth Tasmanian Devils unless you are using braid.
Start with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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.
Downriggers down between 15 to 20 feet were also OK but you needed 20 metre drop backs to the lures and again it was best if you ran attractors 2 metres before the lures. Some days downriggers worked and other days nothing! Longer drop backs were best in the middle of the day!
The best lure over the last week has been number 36 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) The Steve Williamson red nosed Yellow wing on the bright days or the Y48 duel depth is worth a try on dull days.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
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!)
Berkleys Powerbait in lemon or orange twist or rainbow nuggets have continued to be the best baits over the last week. We do have limited supplies of Lime Twist at the moment.
Tiger 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, 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
The lake spinning will be interesting now the big ex brood Atlantic salmon are cruising the lake edges which is what they will do until they work out where they are. Some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try and try the bigger 11 and 13 cm lures for the more aggressive brown trout. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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.
River spinning.
The Thredbo has been a little slower. Smaller rainbows are taking lures but they are usually under the 50cm limit at the moment.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. The gold jointed Rebel lures are also worth a try and the little 3cm Stumpjumper in pin or purple and pink is also catch a few fish now. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
No real change as the moment with the fishing good on the lake with more fish being taken by fishing Woolley Buggers deep down. With the flies stripped slowly the fish are happy to strike hard.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings also on green nymphs. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in that same area.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River has been a little hard but will improve with the next change.
I would expect that the brown trout spawn run be full on once we get a few inches of rain but I guess that is wishful thinking.
Rainbow trout are also moving into the Thredbo and I suspect after the eggs from the spawning brown trout.
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.

May 21st 2007
NEWS
The fishing changes as fast as the weather at this time of the year and you have to be prepared to take the good with the bad.
While some parts of NSW had fantastic rainfall late last week, with some areas getting up to 70mm or more, we were not so lucky in the Snowy Mountains. Last Friday is started raining in the very early morning but it was all over by lunchtime with only light showers in the afternoon.
What rain we received was enough to stir the fish up and there was some good lake trolling.
There was not enough rain to make any real difference to the rivers but a few more early spawning fish did enter the river.
Saturday started off windy but then late in the day it calmed down allowing boats onto the lake. Sunday was a great day but we are now expecting a few cold fronts to pass early in the week with the possibility of our first dusting of snow down as low as 1200 metres.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level was pretty stable again last week only dropping a little with the rain having no real effect.
The water temperature is 13 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Good and bad times (not days) last week with the fish coming on and off the bite at unusual times of the day.
Early morning has been better overall but there has still been some good catches in the middle of the day. The brown trout have been a little harder to catch and look as if they are mainly hugging the bottom and trolling lures over the weed beds is still the best way to catch a brown trout. The rainbow trout have been friendlier with good catches anywhere from the surface to 25 feet deep depending on the day. As usual for this time of year the fish are very moody and some days they hit hard and other days they just nudge the lure.
You have to have your wits about you and on the quite days try deeper trolling and long drop backs of 80 to 100 metres on the surface lines using deeper lures like the duel depth Tasmanian Devils unless you are using braid.
Start with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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.
Downriggers down between 15 to 25 feet were also OK but you needed 20 metre drop backs to the lures and again it was best if you ran attractors 2 metres before the lures. Some days downriggers worked and other days nothing! Longer drop backs were best in the middle of the day!
The best lure over the last week has been number 36 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) The Yellow wing 48 duel depth is also worth a try and the fish are starting to take pink or orange lures.
Rainbow trout and brown trout pattern jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours are catching the better brown trout with Kalkite and Creel Bay, near Waste Point the best areas for the browns.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
Bigger jointed lures, like Rebels and Rapalas in 9cm and 13cm are the best if you want to target the spawning brown trout.
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!)
Berkleys Powerbait in lemon or orange twist or rainbow nuggets have continued to be the best baits over the last week.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, 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
The cooler weather and recent rain has been good for spinners and some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try and try the bigger 11 and 13 cm lures for the more aggressive brown trout. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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.
River spinning.
The Thredbo has improved a little since the rain. A few fish are being caught using drift rigging techniques with glowbugs and nymphs but the fish are mainly taking the nymphs.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. The gold jointed Rebel lures are also worth a try and the little 3cm Stumpjumper in pin or purple and pink is also catch a few fish now. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
No real change as the moment with the fishing good on the lake with more fish being taken by fishing Woolley Buggers deep down. With the flies stripped slowly the fish are happy to strike hard.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings also on green nymphs. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in that same area.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River has improved a little after the rain and I expect there will be an even bigger improvement if the cold change predicted for early this week arrives.
I would expect that the brown trout spawn run will start very soon if we get more rain and this is the time for glow bugs and nymphs.
Rainbow trout are also moving into the Thredbo and I suspect after the eggs from the spawning brown trout.
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.



May 11th 2007
Last weekend we had a cold change come through with a little rain and the fishing was great. Then on Thursday morning another southerly with little wind but very cold and misty. These conditions combined have helped pick the fishing up and we had spectacular fishing with most anglers catching a lot of fish. Yesterday morning I had regular Amanda Walshaw and a friend from France out trolling and what a morning it was with 10 fish in three hours and plenty of time in between spent taking photos.
All fish were caught on mostly yellowing tassies and at all depths. The rainbow trout were up to 3lb and in spectacular condition.
Past Jindabyne resident and now regular visitor Stephen Frisk has been enjoying his two week stay and has decided to stay another week because he has been having a great time bagging out most days either fly fishing or trolling (or both) on the lake.
I can’t emphasise enough that the trout are in spectacular condition at the moment and fighting hard as well.
The cold change on Wednesday has also encouraged some big fish into the Thredbo river and anglers are having a great time at the moment on both lure and fly.
Now the word is out I would imagine that there will be plenty of anglers hitting the river from now until the closure on Monday night June the 12th.
Remember the rule for the Thredbo River is now ONLY one fish over 50cm can be kept until the river closes.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level over the last week actually rose a couple of inches which tells me that the Snowy Hydro might have stopped pumping whilst they remove silt from around the pump intake. At lest we have had a reprieve and it looks doubtful that the lake will drop another metre by the end of May as reported in the press.
The water temperature is still 14degrees degrees which is still higher than normal.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
As reported earlier the trolling has been nothing but spectacular if you get your lures right although while I say that some anglers have been doing exceptionally well trolling worms and bardi grubs behind attractors and regular Jindabyne visitor Terry Richardson (Richo),has been bagging out with flies on leadlines trolled ever so slowly.
Yesterday once again downriggers down between 15 to 25 feet was great will a lot of very active fish shown on the sounder but this was the first day in a while I have seen the fish so active and also stacked up in one area.
The best lure over the last week has been number Y82 and 36 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) The Yellow wing 48 duel depth is also worth a try. The number 48 Red nosed brown bomber is always a good one on the overcast days as well and has produced some of the better fish caught off lead core line.
Bigger brown trout have been caught by trolling rainbow or brown trout pattern jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours.
Kalkite and Creel Bay near Waste Point the best areas for the browns.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
Minnow lures are always good if you want to target the spawning brown trout and if the fish are deep you are best with leadcore lines or downriggers at 25 feet deep.
East Jindabyne islands, Hayshed Bay, Lion and Cub Islands and the South arm have been fishing very well.
Please Note - Keep checking your lures at the moment as there is a lot of slime in the water over the last couple of days.
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!)
Bardi grubs have been good when floated off the bottom so the yabbies can’t eat them. Scrub worms are also going OK and tiger worms under a float have caught rainbows and salmon.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in rainbow paste or orange twist are the best for rainbow trout at the moment. Burley has been helping.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘The Haven’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of Cub Island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
The cooler weather and recent rain has been good for spinners and some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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.
River spinning.
I would say that there have been some big changes on the Thredbo over the last few days as more spawning brown trout move into the river and there are some big fish being caught. With the sunny weather and high pressure system over us for the next few days I would say these fish will become harder to catch and with lot’s of anglers expected to hit the river next weekend the fish will also become very spooky until the next change comes through with a little more rain we hope.
Now that the spawn run has started it will be necessary to toss some bigger minnow style lures about for the best results or else use ‘drift rigging’ methods with glowbugs and nymphs.
Call into my shop and we can show you the best methods to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to fish.
Fly Fishing Lake
Fly fishing has continued to be good on the lake with more fish being taken by fishing Woolley Buggers deep down. With the flies stripped slowly the fish are happy to strike hard.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings also on green nymphs. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in that same area.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Dry flies are still working on the sunnier days and Yellow Humpy and Adams are two flies that you should have ready in case you see fish rising, however the emphasis now will be on the spawning brown trout using glowbugs and nymphs and we have an extensive range of different glowbugs that are guaranteed to catch the fish (erman).
There is still a little stream fishing happening and it’s worth a try if you want to get away from the crowds on the Thredbo River.
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
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 E-mail swtrout@airlan.com.au www.swtroutfishing.com.au
Shop – (02) 64 561551 Fax – (02) 64 561342


MAY 2007 (Updated for May 1st)
NEWS
Well last weekend we had the best falls of rain for a couple of months with some areas getting 50mm and with a promise of more to come late this week, we should see a big improvement in the river and stream fishing Reports are that there are now more spawning brown trout moving into the Thredbo River and they have started to take glowbugs and nymphs.
On the lake we expected the trout to go crazy with the rain but that didn’t happen because of the almost stationery low pressure system over us. As that system moves away we will not experience much of a rise in pressure as there is another front about to hit mid week. As this front approaches we should see some good fishing.
The weather plays an important part in how the fish behave at this time of year and you just have to take the good with the bad.
Over all the condition of the fish that we are catching is spectacular with 3lb rainbows common. There have been a few bigger brown caught but nothing much over 5lb reported in the last week.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level was pretty stable again last week and all the talk so far of the lake dropping dramatically just hasn’t happened. The level is still about 47% and I don’t expect it to drop any further unless they dredge the silt away for the Waste Point intake at the pumping station. If the Snowy Hydro do dredge then the lake could go down another metre. Unfortunately last weeks report in the Summit Sun states that Lake Eucumbene will continue to drop. The worse thing is that Terry Charlton, Snowy Hydro CEO, stated they are looking at ways of dropping lake Eucumbene to below minimum operational level (MOL). This apparently can be done by gravity feed which is not possible in Lake Jindabyne.
Again we are all looking forward to more rain and good snow falls over winter.
The water temperature is still a high 15 degrees which is still about 3 degrees higher than normal.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
A little more surface activity last week with some nice bug fat rainbow trout caught early up in the day.
Start with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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.
Downriggers down between 15 to 25 feet were also OK but you needed 20 metre drop backs to the lures and again it was best if you ran attractors 2 metres before the lures. Some days downriggers worked and other days nothing!
The best lure over the last week has been number Y82 and 36 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) The Yellow wing 48 duel depth is also worth a try. The number 48 Red nosed brown bomber is always a good one on the overcast days as well and has produced some of the better fish caught off lead core line.
Rainbow trout and brown trout pattern jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours are catching the better brown trout with Kalkite and Creel Bay near Waste Point the best areas for the browns.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
Minnow lures are always good if you want to target the spawning brown trout and if the fish are deep you are best with leadcore lines or downriggers at 25 feet deep.
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!)
Scrub worms and of course the ever popular Berkleys Powerbait have continued to be the best baits over the last week. Bardi grubs have been best for the bigger brown trout. Mudeye season has now finished!
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in rainbow paste or orange twist are the best for rainbow trout at the moment. Burley has been helping.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of Cub Island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
The cooler weather and recent rain has been good for spinners and some good brown trout are being caught early in the morning or late evening. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try. Less rainbows seen cruising last week and it could be the fish have gone deeper.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
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.
River spinning.
The Thredbo has improved since the rain. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
Fly fishing has continued to be good on the lake with more fish being taken by fishing Woolley Buggers deep down. With the flies stripped slowly the fish are happy to strike hard.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings also on green nymphs. Yabby patterns are also worth a try in that same area.
Craigs Night time and Williamson’s Goldfish have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River has improved after the rain and I expect there will be an even bigger improvement if we get more of the rain predicted for later this week. Dry flies are still working on the sunnier days and Yellow Humpy and Adams are two flies that you should have ready in case you see fish rising.
I would expect that the brown trout spawn run will start very soon if we get more rain and this is the time for glow bugs and nymphs. The Mowambah should also improve over the next week as the there is more water now and the water is colder.

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.

APRIL 2007 (Updated for the 20th April)
Mild conditions continue, this morning it was already 12 degrees at 6.30 am. I am still to see the first frost on the boat for the season.
We worry still about the lack of rain and things are starting to look dry again.
Overall the lake has been fishing quite well and it has been fantastic to be out on it with very little wind and perfect weather. Some days the fishing has been harder than others and then you get a surprise.
Last week one afternoon we caught 7 fish between 1pm and 3pm so again it proves if you don’t spend time on the water you will often miss the bite time for the day.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level was pretty stable again last week and all the talk so far of the lake dropping dramatically jus hasn’t happened. The level is still about 47%.
The water temperature is still a high 15 to 16 degrees which is about 3 degrees higher than normal.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
The trolling settled down after the Easter rush and it’s back to normal pretty much. Attractors like Cowbells, Ford Fenders and other flashers have again helped with catches.
Start the day with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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 over the last week.
Downriggers down between 15 to 25 feet were also OK but you needed 20 metre drop backs to the lures and again it was best if you ran attractors 2 metres before the lures.
The best lure over the last week has been number 36 yellow wing Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) and the Yellow wing 48 duel depth is also worth a try. The number 48 Red nosed brown bomber is always a good one on the overcast days as well and has produced some of the better fish caught off lead core line.
Rainbow trout and brown trout pattern jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours are catching the better brown trout with Kalkite and Creel Bay near Waste Point the best areas for the browns.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
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!)
Worms and of course the ever popular Berkleys Powerbait have continued to be the best baits over the last week.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in rainbow paste or orange twist are the best for rainbow trout at the moment. Burley has been helping.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of Cub Island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
No change in the last week although we are seeing more fish cruising the edges at the moment still probably due to the recently released trout fingerlings. Rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots. Try some of the River to Sea goldfish like minnows that we have in the shop at the moment.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops. If you know where the yabby beds are you can always find small yabbies by turning over small rocks.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams haven’t fished as well over the last week due to water levels.
River spinning.
The Thredbo needs rain as the fish are spooky. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
As reported earlier there are also small schools of fingerling trout cruising around the edges Williamson’s Gold fish fly was again a winner last week.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
Black Woolley Buggers and Craigs Night time have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River is still low and the fish are spooky. Dry flies are still OK and we have had plenty of strikes on a Royal Humpy and a couple of strikes on small bead head nymphs in the faster runs. The Mowambah is still a little quite and we need more water before that fishes any better.
The river valleys are getting cold and frosty over night now. I am not sure how much longer we will be able to fish the alpine streams but the Thredbo above the Village is still fishing quite good.

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.

APRIL 2007 (Updated for the 10th April)
NEWS
Good Friday started out mild but early on a cold southerly change came through with light drizzle and it was cold, very cold on the water. This was good for fishing and there was not a lot of boat traffic on the lake, however Saturday morning it was cold but fine and by mid morning the lake was very busy with at least 50 trailers at the boat ramp. Sunday it was busy again and the day ended up a very warm 25 degrees and Monday it was even warmer. The heavy traffic and warm, sunny and still conditions did make the fishing a little slower than we have been experiencing over the previous week. The Thredbo river also saw lots of anglers and the fish were very lure shy by Monday afternoon although I did see a couple of brown trout caught that were well over 2 kg. As stated in my last report there are some early spawning brown trout in the river although the water is very low and clear making them very spooky.
With the Easter rush now over we can get back to normal and with a lot less traffic on the lake the fishing should improve. The weather over the next week looks to remain warm and sunny so we may need another cold change and a little rain to help get the fishing back to it’s best, but at the moment you just can’t beat the fantastic autumn weather we are experiencing and the rest of the NSW school holidays should be great.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level possibly dropped about 50mm over the last week is now still about 47%.
There is talk that it may go lower and that is going to happen anyway with evaporation of about 25mm a week unless we get rain.
The water temperature is still a high 16 to 17 degrees which is about 3 degrees higher than normal.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
The trolling slowed over the weekend with so much traffic on the lake and warm still conditions. Most anglers had best results from using attractors to get the fish biting. Cowbells, Ford Fenders and some of the newer ‘Norstream’ attracters resulted in better catches. I am not sure if there was any lure better than another as we heard of so many different combinations of lures catching fish over the Easter break.
Start the day with surface lures and lead core lines at two colours (20 metres) and then put the lead core line down to three colours later as the sun rises. (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 over the last week.
Downriggers down to 25 feet were also OK but you needed 20 metre drop backs to the lures and again it was best if you ran attractors 2 metres before the lures.
The best lure over the last week has been number 82 Tasmanian Devil preferably in Duel Depth (20 gram) and the Y48 duel depth is also worth a try.
Rainbow trout and brown trout pattern jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours are catching the better brown trout with Kalkite and Creel Bay near Waste Point the best areas for the browns. Pink lures did work well on the cold days last week all over the lake.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
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!)
With the cooling water there are more trout being taken on bait at the moment. Mudeyes are all but impossible to get now so I would say the season has finished.
Bardi grubs, worms and of course the ever popular Berkleys Powerbait have continued to be the best baits over the last week.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in rainbow paste or orange twist are the best for rainbow trout at the moment. Burley has been helping.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of Cub Island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
The fishing was best early and late in the day last week when the fish were closer to the edges. When the sun was high it was difficult spinning on the lake.
The trout are still chasing recently released trout fingerlings that can be seen cruising the edges so rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try.
There are still lots of goldfish in the weedy inlets and you will see the shags (cormorants) and pelicans working these spots.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops. If you know where the yabby beds are you can always find small yabbies by turning over small rocks.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams haven’t fished as well over the last week due to water levels.
River spinning.
The Thredbo as explained earlier was a busy spot over Easter and it will take a little for the fish to settle back down again. The best thing that can happen at the moment would be for some rain to freshen the rivers and streams up. In my shop I have weighed in a couple of good browns caught from the river over the last few days so the fish are about. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
As reported earlier there are also small schools of fingerling trout cruising around the edges Williamson’s Gold fish fly was again a winner last week.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
Black Woolley Buggers and Craigs Night time have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River was hammered over the Easter break but surprisingly some very goof fish to 2kg were caught in the river. Glen and clients fished the Thredbo on both Saturday and Sunday and had plenty of strikes on a Royal Humpy and a couple of strikes on small bead head nymphs in the faster runs. The Mowambah is still a little quite and we need more water before that fishes any better.
The river valleys are getting cold and frosty over night now. I am not sure how much longer we will be able to fish the alpine streams but the Thredbo above the Village is still fishing quite good.

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.

APRIL 2007 (Updated for the 2nd April)
NEWS
Last week we saw a couple of cold fronts and a little dusting of snow on the mountain peaks.
Unfortunately very little rain to talk about but with Easter coming up we may have another slight change by Thursday but the Easter weekend looks like being fine at the time of this report.
At the moment we are in typical Autumn conditions with sunny days and cool to cold nights. Great for trout fishing and traditionally Easter is a great time to catch trout as the water is cooling down enough to get a few more fish off the surface and the bait fishing improves as well.
SHOP NEWS
Steve Williamson’s Tackle Shop will have its Easter Sale from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Most items have great discounts with some at cost price. We have an extra special of buy 5 Tasmanian Devil lures for $22.50 and get a tackle box with a value of $22 absolutely FREE. (limited numbers).
Severe price cuts on all fly fishing combos with some starting at only $60.
PLEASE NOTE
The one day downrigging course on Saturday the 28th April is booked out so there will be another course on the Sunday 29th. The cost of the course is $100. We will be using the Walker Strikevision Downrigger with underwater camera, so we can see lures working and maybe even film a fish being caught. It should be an exciting day but you will need to book early by phoning my shop.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level last week remained reasonably stable and the level is now still about 47%.
Whether or not the lake goes down any more will be a result of Morris Iemma’s promise to immediately increase the flow of the Snowy River should he win the state election, which he did! We will wait and see!
Snowy Hydro say that the lake will be at Minimum Operational Level (MOL) by mid April and will be kept that way if we get rain. If we don’t get rain the lake will go lower due to evaporation. (or Morris Iemma’s promise of more water down the lower Snowy)
The water temperature has dropped a little to about 18 degrees C which is still higher than normal for this time in March but with cooler nights should drop further this week ahead.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
The trolling continued to be good last week due to the cooler conditions and it was cool with that little bit of snow falling the other day. There are more fish on the surface but I wouldn’t say they were feeding off the surface as there has been very little insect activity.
We are still catching a few rainbows later in the morning on downriggers to 30 feet. You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out and some days we have had to use 20 to 30 metre drop backs from the downrigger bomb and speed up to 4 kph.
Try surface for a while then put down a lead core line using two to three colours (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson lime green yellow wing Tasmanian Devil and number 82 is also worth a try. The number 48 or Y48 has been good on the downrigger and the brown trout are starting to take jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours. Pink lures did work well on the cold days last week.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
Worms trolled slowly behind attractors has again produced some good trout to 2kg.
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!)
Supplies of mudeyes have all but dried up for the season so bait now turns to bardi grubs, worms and of course the ever popular Berleys Powerbait.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in rainbow paste or sherbet are the best for rainbow trout at the moment. Burley has been helping.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of Cub island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures. Plenty of snags about for the fish to hide in. I also suspect that the fish are chasing recently released trout fingerlings that can be seen cruising the edges so rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops. If you know where the yabby beds are you can always find small yabbies by turning over small rocks.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams haven’t fished as well over the last week due to water levels.
River spinning.
More fish are being seen now in the Thredbo River after last weeks cold and wet conditions which must have stirred the early spawners up a little but the water is still low and clear and the fish hard to catch. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing Lake
As reported earlier there are also small schools of recently released trout cruising around the edges of some of the bays and so bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at Wollondibby (very muddy) and Widows creeks area are worth a try. Williamson’s Gold fish fly was again a winner last week.
The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
Black Woolley Buggers and Craigs Night time have been two flies well worth using at dawn and dusk.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River fished a little slower last week with the cooler conditions with most fish that were caught on wet flies. At the moment we are using small green or black nymphs in the faster runs to get fish. The Mowambah is still a little quite and the higher Alpine streams have been too windy or wet to fish.
I would suspect that with a return to warmer weather this week we might see a little more dry fly but we will have to wait and see. The river valleys are getting cold and frosty over night now.

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.

MARCH 2007 (Updated for the 26th March)
NEWS
After a little rain earlier in the week, by Wednesday we experienced above average temperatures ranging from 15 degrees to 31 degrees C (Friday) in the afternoons, very unusually hot for this time of year.
Saturday saw a very windy start, a bit of rain and another cold change come through, followed by fabulous fishing on the lake on Sunday.
The weather this week is predicted to be fine up until Wednesday when another cold front will come through, again dropping temperatures. This pattern should continue and we will see some cooler conditions continue and with a bit of rain maybe an early start to the spawning run. It MAY be an interesting Easter ahead for the river anglers?
April is usually the transition time for trout when they slowly change from feeding into their spawning mode.
Brown trout are first to spawn at the start of winter followed by the rainbow trout in the second half of winter.
During the transition time the fish can become very territorial and aggressive towards each other and this is when we start to use larger minnow style lures to troll and spin for trout. Remember all trout do not go into the river to spawn at the same time so it is still worth while fishing the lake for late spawners. Big brown trout are often caught on well presented bardi grubs and local scrub worms at this time of year.
PLEASE NOTE
Due to popular demand I have decided to hold a one day downrigging course on Saturday the 28th April and there is a chance we might also hold another that Sunday. The cost of the course is $100. We will be using the Walker Strikevision Downrigger with underwater camera, so we can see lures working and maybe even film a fish being caught. It should be an exciting day but you will need to book early by phoning my shop.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
PLEASE NOTE
My e-mail address is now swtrout@airlan.com.au you will no longer get me on sw-trout@snowy.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level last week remained reasonably stable and the level is now still about 47%.
The water temperature has also been steady at about 19 degrees C which is higher than normal for this time in March but with cooler nights should drop further this week ahead.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
The trolling continued to be good last week with fish being caught by surface trolling early and leadlines later in the morning. We are still getting some good results later in the morning on downriggers to 35 feet. The fish are definitely changing from day to day and you do need to keep your wits about you.
Surface trolling has been good from about 6.30 to 7.30 am on most days and then the fish start to go deeper. Try surface for a while but we have had mornings when there was not a fish rise anywhere to be seen and on these days we have been using two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out and some days we have had to use 20 to 30 metre drop backs from the downrigger bomb and speed up to 4 kph.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil and number 82 is also worth a try. The SW Lime Green Yellowwing was good on the downrigger and the brown trout are starting to take jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours. I get the feeling that pink lures will also start to produce fish shortly, I tried a couple out last week and caught fish on the cloudy cool days on them.
Rebel crickhoppers are also now worth trolling slowly at the edge of the weed beds.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. 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!)
Still no mudeyes available at the moment, but the bigger fish have been taken on bardi grubs anyway.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in orange twist or rainbow paste is the best for rainbow trout.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of cub island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Pretty much a repeat of last week, as we actually haven’t a lot to report. Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures. Plenty of snags about for the fish to hide in. I also suspect that the fish are chasing recently released trout fingerlings that can be seen cruising the edges so rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops. If you know where the yabby beds are you can always find small yabbies by turning over small rocks.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams are well worth a try also at the moment.
River spinning.
River levels have dropped again and the water is very clear, but with rain expected again that might just change.
More fish are being seen now in the Thredbo as the water is cooling fast with overnight temperatures dropping. Reports are that there may be a few early spawners in the runs that are catch able early in the morning. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
Judging by the amount of cormorants working around the weed at the moment and the bobbing up and down of a lonely pelican, they all seem to be catching a lot of goldfish. The Williamson’s Gold Fish fly would have to be worth considering at the moment. As reported earlier there are also small schools of recently released trout cruising around the edges of some of the bays and so bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at Wollondibby (very muddy) and Widows creeks area are worth a try. The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
There are a few more fish lower down in the Thredbo at the moment and it’s worth a try still on dry fly hopper patterns as there are still plenty of grasshoppers about. At the moment we are using small nymphs in the faster runs to get fish. The Mowambah is still a little quite and the upper Snowy River is the same story however Island Bend Dam is worth a look if up that way. Perisher creek still has a lot of small fish if you want to test you reflexes out.
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.


MARCH 2007 (Updated for the 19th March)
NEWS
Saturday saw a cold change come through with fabulous fishing on the lake but by Sunday it was back to warm sunny conditions, but still good lake fishing with some more brown trout being caught and one reported at over 12lb caught on the fly at Hatchery Bay. Rain is predicted for late Monday and showers Tuesday and that should be good for both the lake and river fishing.
Not a lot of changes with the fishing over the last week, the methods are the same and not a lot of changes with bait or lures either.
Due to popular demand I have decided to hold a one day downrigging course on Saturday the 28th April and there is a chance we might also hold another that Sunday. The cost of the course is $100. We will be using the Walker Strikevision Downrigger with underwater camera, so we can see lures working and maybe even film a fish being caught. It should be an exciting day but you will need to book early by phoning my shop.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
PLEASE NOTE
My e-mail address is now swtrout@airlan.com.au you will no longer get me on sw-trout@snowy.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level last week remained reasonably stable and the level is now still about 47%.
The water temperature has also been steady at about 19 degrees C which is higher than normal for mid March but with cooler nights should drop further this week ahead.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
The trolling continued to be good last week with fish being caught by surface trolling early and leadlines later in the morning. We are still getting some good results later in the morning on downriggers to 35 feet. The fish are definitely changing from day to day and you do need to keep your wits about you.
Surface trolling has been good from about 6.30 to 7.30 am on most days and then the fish start to go deeper. Try surface for a while but we have had mornings when there was not a fish rise anywhere to be seen and on these days we have been using two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out and some days we have had to use 20 to 30 metre drop backs from the downrigger bomb and speed up to 4 kph.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil and number 82 is also worth a try. The SW Lime Green Yellowwing was good on the downrigger and the brown trout are starting to take jointed Rapala’s off the downrigger and lead line at 3 colours. I get the feeling that pink lures will also start to produce fish shortly, I tried a couple out last week and caught fish on the cloudy cool days on them.
Rebel crickhoppers are also now worth trolling slowly at the edge of the weed beds.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. 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!)
Still no mudeyes available at the moment, but the bigger fish have been taken on bardi grubs anyway.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in orange twist or rainbow paste is the best for rainbow trout.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station. I also fished off the township side of cub island the other day and the bait fishing was very good just at the edge of the weed bed in about 10 feet of water.
Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Pretty much a repeat of last week, as we actually haven’t a lot to report. Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures. Plenty of snags about for the fish to hide in. I also suspect that the fish are chasing recently released trout fingerlings that can be seen cruising the edges so rainbow trout and brown trout Rapala’s are well worth a try. Any trout pattern lure should be worth a try.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops. If you know where the yabby beds are you can always find small yabbies by turning over small rocks.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams are well worth a try also at the moment.
River spinning.
River levels have dropped again and the water is very clear, but with rain expected again that might just change.
More fish are being seen now in the Thredbo as the water is cooling fast with overnight temperatures dropping. Reports are that there may be a few early spawners in the runs that are catch able early in the morning. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
Judging by the amount of cormorants working around the weed at the moment and the bobbing up and down of a lonely pelican, they all seem to be catching a lot of goldfish. The Williamson’s Gold Fish fly would have to be worth considering at the moment. As reported earlier there are also small schools of recently released trout cruising around the edges of some of the bays and so bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at Wollondibby (very muddy) and Widows creeks area are worth a try. The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
There are a few more fish lower down in the Thredbo at the moment and it’s worth a try still on dry fly hopper patterns as there are still plenty of grasshoppers about. At the moment we are using small nymphs in the faster runs to get fish. The Mowambah is still a little quite and the upper Snowy River is the same story however Island Bend Dam is worth a look if up that way. Perisher creek still has a lot of small fish if you want to test you reflexes out.
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.


MARCH 2007 (Updated for the 13th March)
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Last week was a week of changes with both the river and lake fishing. The nights are getting a lot cooler now and the days a little milder however last weekend was very warm and a very low barometer of 1004. On Sunday afternoon the low barometer warned us of an approaching cold front and predicted showers for early this week which didn’t happen and instead it looks like nice weather until at least Friday.
Last Saturday the fishing was quite good, but on Sunday with the low barometer anglers struggled a little but as always after a cold change the fishing always picks up and by mid week it should be good once again.
A storm last week again added a little water to the rivers and streams but they are now low and clear again and the water is certainly a lot cooler with the lower overnight temperatures.
It won’t be long before we start to see a few more bigger fish caught in the Thredbo as a few more move up from the lake.
All in all it’s good news for anglers this week and we will continue to have good and bad days on the lake as we continue with the seasonal transition of the fish from the deeper and cooler water back to feeding a little more on the surface.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
PLEASE NOTE
My e-mail address is now swtrout@airlan.com.au you will no longer get me on sw-trout@snowy.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
There was little drop again in the water level last week and the level is now about 47%.
The water temperature is now about 19 degrees C and will drop further this week ahead.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Last weekend was quite warm and all reports were that although the fish were scattered the best results were coming later in the morning on downriggers to 35 feet. The fish are definitely changing from day to day and you do need to keep your wits about you.
Surface trolling has been good from about 6.30 to 7.30 am on most days and then the fish start to go deeper. Try surface for a while but we have had mornings when there was not a fish rise anywhere to be seen and on these days we have been using two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out and some days we have had to use 20 to 30 metre drop backs from the downrigger bomb and speed up to 4 kph.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil, the next best if you can’t get one of those would be the number 36. Number 82 is also worth a try.
Holographic and Y48 have been the best lures if surface trolling early in the morning.
Rebel crickhoppers are also now worth trolling slowly at the edge of the weed beds.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. 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!)
Still no mudeyes available at the moment, but the bigger fish have been taken on bardi grubs anyway.
Tiger worms under a float have been doing very well for rainbows and small Atlantic salmon.
Powerbait in orange twist or rainbow paste is the best for rainbow trout.
Fish with 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’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Snowy Arm and East Jindabyne pumping station.
Remember, at the moment there is a lot of weed around the edges of the lake and while this is very good for the fish to find food in and hide it makes it a little harder to fish some areas and I wouldn’t recommend bottom fishing in these locations. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Pretty much a repeat of last week, as we actually haven’t a lot to report. Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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. Island Bend and Guthega Dams are well worth a try also at the moment.
River spinning.
River levels have dropped again and the water is very clear so you have to be careful not to spook the trout.
More fish are being seen in the Thredbo as the water is cooling fast with overnight temperatures dropping.
There have even been a few frosts up high in the mountains. A few fish are being caught again on Celtas mainly in gold or red and gold.
Floating minnow lures were still the best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
Judging by the amount of cormorants working around the weed at the moment and the bobbing up and down of a lonely pelican, they all seam to be catching a lot of goldfish. The Williamson’s Gold Fish fly would have to be worth considering at the moment. Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at Wollondibby (very muddy) and Widows creeks area, but fish over at the sailing club side of the lake for better results and you are better to wade out a bit. The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
There are a few more fish lower down in the Thredbo at the moment and it’s worth a try still on dry fly hopper patterns as there are still plenty of grasshoppers about. At the moment we are using small nymphs in the faster runs to get fish. The Mowambah is still a little quite and the upper Snowy River is the same story however Island Bend Dam is worth a look if up that way. Perisher creek still has a lot of small fish if you want to test you reflexes out.
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.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
MARCH 2007 (Updated for the 4th March)
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
After another stormy week in the mountains there is still plenty of water laying around and the rivers and streams are looking good. More rain and storms are predicted for next week after a cooler change Sunday.
As soon as the 1st of March hit, it was like summer was over (since it officially was I guess) and there was a coolness early and late in the day and I think Autumn is definitely in the air, but yesterday we had one last hot day in the 30’s.
On Lake Jindabyne the water level has remained steady and it’s still no problem launching boats with the Snowy River Shire Council adding a little gravel into the water.
You do need to be careful driving around the banks of the lake after the heavy rainfall as it is very slippery in areas.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
PLEASE NOTE
My e-mail address is now swtrout@airlan.com.au you will no longer get me on sw-trout@snowy.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
As previous there has been no change in water levels over the last week.
The water temperature is now about 20 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
It was a strange week last week and day to day the fish changed their preferences. Surface trolling has been good from about 6.30 to 7.30 am on most days and then the fish start to go deeper. Try surface for a while but we have had mornings when there was not a fish rise anywhere to be seen and on these days we have been using two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres). After that on some days it has been downriggers to 35 feet again before we can get fish.
You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out and some days we have had to use 20 to 30 metre drop backs from the downrigger bomb and speed up to 4 kph.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil, the next best if you can’t get one of those would be the number 36. Number 82 is also worth a try.
Holographic and Y48 have been the best lures if surface trolling early in the morning.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. 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!)
Powerbait in orange twist is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. It’s very hard to get mudeyes anywhere at the moment. Since the rain the farm dams where they often collect mudeyes are now full again, making it impossible to collect the mudeyes for bait.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Dam wall area and East Jindabyne pumping station.
Remember, at the moment there is a lot of weed around the edges of the lake and while this is very good for the fish to find food in and hide it makes it a little harder to fish some areas and I wouldn’t recommend bottom fishing in these locations. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Pretty much a repeat of last week, as we actually haven’t a lot to report. Since the rain there are more fish close to the edges and the best places to fish are around the mouths of the creeks that run into the lake. Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The fishing has picked up again and with the slightly discoloured water more trout are being caught now on lures. Glen fished the upper Thredbo on a couple of afternoons and had good results fishing the faster runs with Celtas. Floating minnow lures were best in the pools and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best. Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment around the lake and you need waders because of the mud after the rain. Nights are fishing better but we have been stormed out 2 out or 3 nights so there is not a lot to report.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ and Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby (very muddy) and Widows creeks area, but fish over at the sailing club side of the lake for better results and you are better to wade out a bit. The deeper drop offs at the Snowy River Arm has been producing a few good brown trout in the early mornings on green nymphs.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Last week was hard fishing with constant storms in the area. There is a lot of water in the rivers at the moment but at least the Thredbo drains quickly. At the moment we are using small nymphs but that will change in the next few days with a return to dry fly.
The Thredbo river will be the first to clean up and that will be the best place to fish for the next week, depending on how much rain we get over the next few days. The cooler conditions predicted for early next week might change the conditions so call us if you want a further update.
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.


FEBRUARY 2007 (Updated for the 26th Feb)
NEWS
It’s been a stormy week in the mountains with rain every day and sometimes quite heavy which has added a lot of water into the rivers and streams and those that had almost stopped flowing are now running quite heavy and the water lower down is quite coloured. More rain and storms are predicted well into next week.
This of course is goon news for the fishing over coming weeks and it looks like we have been saved from the drought conditions that we have been experiencing.
On Lake Jindabyne the water level has remained steady and it’s still no problem launching boats with the Snowy River Shire Council adding a little gravel into the water.
You do need to be careful driving around the banks of the lake after the heavy rainfall as it is very slippery in areas.
Looks like good news for coming weeks and with some great fishing as well.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
As previous there has been no change in water levels over the last week.
The water temperature is now about 21 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Surface trolling has been good from about 5.50 to 7am and then the fish start to go deeper when it will be necessary to use two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres).
Will all the rain the fish are spread out a little more and it’s been a little harder to find patches for downrigging however while we are not seeing as many fish on the sounder we are still catching them between 25 and 35 feet deep.
You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil, the next best if you can’t get one of those would be the number 36. Number 82 is also worth a try.
Holographic and Y48 have been the best lures if surface trolling early in the morning.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. Soft Plastics behind attractors has also been working very well with a couple of anglers having to release fish because they are catching so many. Some anglers are doing well trolling the Berkley Gulp nymphs.
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!)
Powerbait in orange twist is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. It’s very hard to get mudeyes anywhere at the moment. Since the rain the farm dams where they often collect mudeyes are now full again, making it impossible to collect the mudeyes for bait.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Dam wall area and East Jindabyne pumping station.
Remember, at the moment there is a lot of weed around the edges of the lake and while this is very good for the fish to find food in and hide it makes it a little harder to fish some areas and I wouldn’t recommend bottom fishing in these locations. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
Since the rain there are more fish close to the edges and the best places to fish are around the mouths of the creeks that run into the lake. Curiosity Rocks area is one place that has been fishing well on lures.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The fishing has picked up again and with the slightly discoloured water more trout are being caught now on lures.
Mainly floating minnow lures are best and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best.
Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
Find an area where there is a little weed and fish early and late in the day with a small fly and fish it very slow.
Don’t cast too much as you will only scare away the fish. Cast and leave the line in the water with a little twitch occasionally.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
With all the storms and rain the fishing has now changed completely and I would expect that as soon as levels drop a little and the water cleans up we should have some good fly fishing. At the moment we are using small nymphs but that will change in the next few days with a return to dry fly.
The Thredbo river will be the first to clean up and that will be the best place to fish for the next week, depending on how much rain we get over the next few days.

FEBRUARY 2007 (Updated for the 19th Feb)
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
At present the fishing has been very good although there are a lot of fish holding out at about 35 feet deep and making for some interesting downrigging at the moment.
For that reason I will be holding a one day ‘How to Downrigg course’ on the Saturday of March the 3rd.
I will be operating my ‘Walker Strike Vision Downrigger with underwater camera’ so you will be able to see what really happens down at 35 feet.
Numbers for the course are very limited as I will only take 6 people on my boat. The cost is $150 so if you’re interested give me a call at the shop to book. If we book out on Saturday I might do another course on Sunday.
There has not been a lot of change to the fishing conditions over the last week but please read on-

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The level has dropped again and it would dean that we are not too far off the minimum level at the moment although the official Snowy level states we are 48%.
I would say that we have about 25cm left before we are at our lowest level, or I should say 25cm before it’s at the lowest I have ever seen the lake.
The boat ramp is at a level where the end is just in the water and your trailer would be on the gravel although you car might be on concrete however the level can drop overnight.
Next weekend is the High Altitude Surf Carnival in Jindabyne and we have lots of boats coming to town from all up and down the coast and this event will also bring a lot of media to the lake so I would imagine that the Snowy River Shire will make certain that the boat ramp is in good condition by then.
The water temperature is now about 21 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Surface trolling has been good from about 5.50 to 7am and then the fish start to go deeper when it will be necessary to use two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres).
Over the last week the downrigging has been great and some big rainbows are being caught at about 35 to 40 feet. The bigger fish are definitely deeper down. It may be necessary on some days to even go as seep as 45 feet and that is where it is good to have a good depth sounder like a Lowrance so as you can actually see the fish move as the sun gets higher in the sky. You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out. The fish are also moving around the lake a little this year and they are holding up in the deeper sections of the lake.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil, the next best if you can’t get one of those would be the number 36.
Number 82 Tasmanian Devil or Holographic, and Y48 have been the best lures if surface trolling early in the morning.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. Soft Plastics behind attractors has also been working very well with a couple of anglers having to release fish because they are catching so many. Some anglers are doing well trolling the Berkley Gulp nymphs.
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!)
Powerbait in orange twist is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Hatchery Bay’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, The Dam wall area and East Jindabyne pumping station.
Remember, at the moment there is a lot of weed around the edges of the lake and while this is very good for the fish to find food in and hide it makes it a little harder to fish some areas and I wouldn’t recommend bottom fishing in these locations. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly floating minnow lures are best and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best.
Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
Find an area where there is a little weed and fish early and late in the day with a small fly and fish it very slow.
Don’t cast too much as you will only scare away the fish. Cast and leave the line in the water with a little twitch occasionally.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
As the summer progresses and the water levels drop, so the fishing gets a little harder.
Plenty of insects about and a real smorgasbord for the trout so fly selection is very critical to certain fish as we all know how selective they can get when there is plenty of food about.
The higher Alpine streams are better and the Mowambah is a difficult piece of water to fish due to its low level. Leave it to the experts and if you can’t cast well you are better to remain on the Thredbo with areas up higher near Thredbo Village being the place to fish.

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
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au

FEBRUARY 2007 (Updated on 10th Feb)
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Over the last week the fishing has again been very good, especially on the lake.
Mid weeks have been very quite with not a lot of people about at the moment so you just about get the lake to yourself.
Boat fishing has been excellent especially if you have downriggers and lead lines.
On the rivers and streams the fishing has been a little harder but the fish are there to be caught if your careful enough not to spook them. You have to remember that in February and March the rivers are at the lowest levels and the water is at it’s seasonally warmest and this makes the fish a little skittish and you need to stalk them very carefully.
Fly on the rivers are better than lures, if you do use lures then they need to be small so as not to create too much splash.
All in all there have been plenty of fish caught and most anglers have gone home happy.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level has continued to drop a little each week and the level is getting to the lowest it can be pumped to. The boat ramp is still in the water and launching of boats is still no problem.
The level the lake is at is normal for winter but not so normal for summer. I would expect that the lake level will remain the same as it is now until we get the snow melt in spring.
With a constant lake level over the next 6 months I would expect the fishing to be excellent especially as we move towards winter.
The water temperature is now about 21 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Surface trolling has been good from about 5.50 to 7am and then the fish start to go deeper when it will be necessary to use two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres).
Over the last week the downrigging has been great and some big rainbows are being caught at about 25 to 35 feet. The bigger fish are definitely deeper down. It may be necessary on some days to even go as seep as 45 feet and that is where it is good to have a good depth sounder like a Lowrance so as you can actually see the fish move as the sun gets higher in the sky. You need to make sure the lures are about 1 to 2 metres above where the fish are holding out. The fish are also moving around the lake a little this year and they are holding up in the deeper sections of the lake.
The best lure over the last week has been the Steve Williamson red nosed yellow wing Tasmanian Devil, the next best if you can’t get one of those would be the number 36.
Number 82 Tasmanian Devil or Holographic, and Y48 have been the best lures if surface trolling early in the morning.
Large jointed Rapalas are still very good when downrigging and some very big fish have been caught on them lately, their expensive but worth the price if you catch a trophy fish on one. Rebel lures in black and gold and brown trout patterns are also catching some excellent trout. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. Soft Plastics behind attractors has also been working very well with a couple of anglers having to release fish because they are catching so many.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy 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!)
Mudeyes are still catching a lot of fish and there are still stocks available. I have been trying the Powerbait 1 inch nymphs and have been having success using them under a float so at lest we will have a substitute for the real thing when you can’t get mudeyes any more.
Powerbait in orange, lime or lemon twist, is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Rainbow nuggets have also been very good.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Remember, at the moment there is a lot of weed around the edges of the lake and while this is very good for the fish to find food in and hide it makes it a little harder to fish some areas and I wouldn’t recommend bottom fishing in these locations. Baits suspended under a float are a more productive method early and late in the day.
Lake Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly floating minnow lures are best and the brown trout and rainbow trout pattern Rapala’s are best.
Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
Find an area where there is a little weed and fish early and late in the day with a small fly and fish it very slow.
Don’t cast too much as you will only scare away the fish. Cast and leave the line in the water with a little twitch occasionally.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
As the summer progresses and the water levels drop, so the fishing gets a little harder.
Plenty of insects about and a real smorgasbord for the trout so fly selection is very critical to certain fish as we all know how selective they can get when there is plenty of food about.
The higher Alpine streams are better and the Mowambah is a difficult piece of water to fish due to its low level. Leave it to the experts and if you can’t cast well you are better to remain on the Thredbo with areas up higher near Thredbo Village being the place to fish.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
Updated for 24th January 2007

NEWS
What a week it was, last week with the fires threatening Thredbo Village resulting in the evacuation of all visitors. Unfortunately not only Thredbo but Jindabyne was left without any holiday makers and businesses are now suffering again.
As of today, the Alpine Way is open and Thredbo and Jindabyne are in full swing. (except for people).
Funny thing is that we haven’t even experienced any smoke! Nothing but clear blue skies and beautiful weather with the rest of the week and into the Australia Day long weekend, with temperatures expected to be up in the mid 30’s again. (not good bushfire weather).
Only a few boats on the lake in the last few days but I can assure you that the fishing has been great, however the tolling is now deep with the fish holding up at 35 to 45 feet but with downriggers easy to catch.
With a little rain the mountain streams are also looking good and the fishing there should also be great although because of the threat of fires no one has been out trying.
Anyhow we look like we have a great holiday weekend ahead so if your got some time off now is your chance to come on down and experience some great fishing. There is plenty of accommodation available.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
A little bit of a drop over the last week but Snowy Hydro’s web site is still saying we are above 50%.
The water temperature is now about 22 degrees C on top.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Surface trolling and lead core lines are two to three colours is the way to go early and make sure you concentrate on the protected bays were the fish are feeding in amongst the weed beds. There are plenty of yabbies in these areas and the brown trout are gobbling them down, making the fish nice and fat.
Yabby coloured lures are best with Tasmanian Devil colours like number 48 or Halo.
Brown yabby patterns and even brown trout pattern minnow lure like the jointed Rapalas are doing nicely for the bigger browns but remember this is only for the first hour of light before the fish go deep.
Over the last week the downrigging is starting to return as good as last year and I have been able to catch fish in the middle of the day without too much trouble once you locate the fish and work out exactly the depth they are holding at, which can change from day to day.
The best lure was the Steve Williamson Lime Green Yellowwing or the other colour that is close is the Yellowwing Freddo. ‘My red nosed Yellow Wing Tasmanian Devil is also very good.
Trolling jointed Rapalas are still very good and well worth a try for the bigger fish.
Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. Soft Plastics behind attractors has also been working very well with a couple of anglers having to release fish because they are catching so many.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy 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!)
Mudeyes are still catching a lot of fish and there are still stocks available. I have been trying the Powerbait 1 inch nymphs and have been having success using them under a float so at lest we will have a substitute for the real thing when you can’t get mudeyes any more.
Powerbait in orange, lime or lemon twist, is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Rainbow nuggets have also been very good.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
Not too much change on the spinning front in the lake and while there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
Again not too much change and if anything the fish are getting harder to catch with the rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Maybe you would like to look at spinning with a bubble float and a fly?
Fly Fishing
With the fish moving into deeper water the best fly fishing on the lake is now out of a boat.
Fish the first half hour of light if land based and then move to the streams. Fish caught in the lake shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges. No area is fishing any better than another but Waste Point and East Jindabyne would be my pick of the better areas.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
At the moment the best casters are having no trouble catching trout while the average casters are having trouble. Don’t cast too much just get the fly on the water and leave it there the fish are too spooky to be false casting fly lines back and forth all day.
There are lots of grasshoppers about at the moment and so you can guess what flies are working best.
Plenty beetles around and there have been some caddis and mayfly hatches, so some days you need a good selection of flies. The lower Thredbo river has been OK. Some good fishing on Rainbow Lake early in the morning and the alpine streams are worth a try. The Mowambah has been a little harder last week and could do with a little rain to freshen it up.
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
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
BUSHFIRE UPDATE

Thursday 18th January 2007

Yesterday the village of Thredbo was evacuated due to the approach of bushfires now only 12 kilometres away.
Overnight rain and cooler conditions have eased the emergency in the mountains.

The Alpine Way is closed at Ski Tube.

Only the top of the Thredbo above ski tube is unfishable because of the road closure.
All other rivers and streams on the Jindabyne side of the mountain are unaffected and it's fishing as normal.
Lake Jindabyne is fishing well and there is only a slight smoke haze over the lake today.

Jindabyne businesses are operating as normal and there is NO immediate danger.
Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be very hot, with a change due on Sunday night.
The weekend will determine just how Thredbo Village will be effected.

January 2007 (Updated for 14th January)
NEWS
Last week we experienced some very hot weather and that has changed the fishing slightly.
The lake water temperatures are still slightly cooler than last year so the bank fishing is not too bad.
Last week we had the Australian Water Ski Championships held in Jindabyne but a change to the race course down near the South Arm and Dam Wall has left our best fishing spots alone and that has been a good thing.
With an increase in water activities over the first half of January combined with the lower lake level, boat have chopped up a bit of weed and so when you fish the wind lanes from a boat you just need to keep an eye on the lure in case it picks up weed.
Using downriggers and lead core lines and the problem is reduced, it’s mainly surface trolling lures that will pick up the floating weed.
Not all areas are affected and it depends on what the wind direction is to just where the weed is located.
The boat trolling has actually improved the last couple of days and there have been some hard fighting rainbow trout up to 3lb caught at about 15 to 20 feet down.
Lack of rain over the last week has meant that the river levels are now low again and we are looking forward to a bit more rain to freshen things up again.
All in all there have been plenty of fish caught and most anglers have gone home happy.

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
Over the last month the level has pretty much remained stable and all is looking great for late January trout fishing. If anything evaporation may have dropped the water level an inch only.
The water temperature is now about 20 degrees C.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Surface trolling has been OK for the first hour of light but then it has been better using two to three colours of lead core line (20 to 30 metres of line out will get your lure down an extra 2 to 3 metres)
Over the last week the downrigging is starting to really ‘hot up’ and some big rainbows are being caught at about 25 to 35 feet. The bigger fish are definitely deeper down.
The best lure was the Steve Williamson Lime Green Yellowwing or the other colour that is close is the Yellowwing Freddo.
Number 82, Holographic, or Y48 as well as the red nosed yellowing Tasmanian Devil have been the next best lures.
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 has been great in the first hour of lights and it’s been better when used off two colours of lead core line.
Today there have been good reports of anglers ‘bagging out’ in a couple of hours so things are on the improve.
Jointed Rapalas are still very good and some very big fish have been caught on them lately, their expensive but worth the price if you catch a trophy fish on one. Rebel lures in black and gold and brown trout patterns are also catching some excellent trout. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times. Soft Plastics behind attractors has also been working very well with a couple of anglers having to release fish because they are catching so many.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeyes are still catching a lot of fish and there are still stocks available. I have been trying the Powerbait 1 inch nymphs and have been having success using them under a float so at lest we will have a substitute for the real thing when you can’t get mudeyes any more.
Powerbait in orange, lime or lemon twist, is the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Rainbow nuggets have also been very good.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout. Bardi Grubs and local scrubbies are still best for the big 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water because there isn’t any water in the creek any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Call into my shop and we can show you some other great floating lures to use in the river and we can tell you the best way to use them.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
There are lots of grasshoppers about at the moment and so you can guess what flies are working best.
Plenty beetles around and there have been some caddis and mayfly hatches, so some days you need a good selection of flies.
The lake has also been fly fishing very well at night with some bigger brown trout caught on purple and black Woolley Buggers and Mrs Simpson’s
No area is fishing any better than another but Waste Point and East Jindabyne would be my pick of the better areas.
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.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
For Christmas and New Year 2006/7
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Firstly all the best for Christmas and the New Year and hope you catch a few fish over the holiday period.
Our business will be in full swing with the shop open 7am till 7pm every day except Christmas Day.
Guided trips will also be available by booking at the shop or calling the shop on 64561551 BH.
Boat trolling trips are available in the 6.1 metre Marlin Broadbill with the Polycraft also in operation for single or two share bookings.
Lake sightseeing trips will operate at 1pm each day where will be able to take people out to the old St Columkillie’s site on Church Island. Here you will be able to explore the old church foundations. I have already had the privilege of taking people out that were married in the Church many years ago and they were able to stand on the church steps and have their photo taken.
The fishing has been pretty good over the last few weeks and the weather hasn’t been too bad with some cool days helping out the fishing. The streams are low but the dry fly fishing has been very good.
Over January the fishing trips will only be updated should conditions change.

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
Over the last couple of weeks the level has pretty much remained stable and all is looking great for January trout fishing.
I would expect that with no rain the level may drop again but this may not happen until February.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next few weeks.
Trolling
Most fish are being caught by simple trolling methods on the surface early in the morning but you do need to fish deeper later as the morning progresses. Over the last week the downrigging is starting to really ‘hot up’ and some big rainbows are being caught at about 35 feet.
The best lure was the Y82 or the red nosed yellowing Tasmanian Devil but fish are also being taken on the number 36 yellow wing and also my lime green yellowing. (Red nosed yellowing available from my shop or mail order)
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 has been great in the first hour of lights and it’s been better when used off two colours of lead core line. Number Y82 and 36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Jointed Rapalas are good and some very big fish have been caught on them lately, their expensive but worth the price if you catch a trophy fish on one. Rebel lures in black and gold and brown trout patterns are also catching some excellent trout. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeyes are still catching a lot of fish but they are going to be hard to come by shortly. I have been trying the Powerbait 1 inch nymphs and have been having success using them under a float so at lest we will have a substitute for the real thing when you can’t get mudeyes any more.
Powerbait was the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Lemon or orange twist being the favorite for anglers but rainbow nuggets have also been very good.
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water because theer isn’t any water in the creak any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Dry flies are now good and a lot of fun in the alpine streams with very feisty little trout.
There are lots of grasshoppers about at the moment and so you can guess what flies are working best.
Plenty beetles around and there have been some caddis and mayfly hatches, so some days you need a good selection of flies.
The lake has also been fly fishing very well at night with some bigger brown trout caught on purple and black Woolley Buggers and Mrs Simpson’s
No area is fishing any better than another but Waste Point and East Jindabyne would be my pick of the better areas.
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
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au www.fishnet.com.au/snowyfish
Shop – (02) 64 561551 Fax – (02) 64 561342

SHOP SPECIALS

We have a range of specials at the moment with some good buys on ex-hire rod and reel combos.
I have also a range of lures available at reduced rates and even half price when you spend $20 or more on other tackle.
Remember we also have a range of boating accessories and plenty of boat bungs and fuel fitting should you need them.
CAR AUTO ACCESSORIES
Over the public holidays we will also be looking after the spare part shop at Kosciuszko Auto so if you need a spark plug or battery for your car or boat we can also help out there as well.

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
12th December 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
After a weeks break down at Pambula (doing some research and development) I have now had a chance to spend some time back fly fishing the streams in the Snowy’s and can report that all is going well although there is still a need for rain.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level has continued to fall but like Lake Eucumbene the fishing has been fantastic.
Not many boats or anglers about at the moment so the fish are not so spooky.
Even Paddy’s Corner on the Thredbo River is fishing well at the moment with some pretty big fish seen cruising.
Today we are about to get a little bit of a cooler change and there has been a few showers in the mountains which is better than nothing.
The mountains like every where else is very dry and there will not be any open fires allowed from now on over the summer months as the fire danger is now just too great.
Walking into Rainbow Lake last Saturday through an area which was badly burnt out in the 2003 fires makes you realize just how much dead timber there is still on the ground or just in the remaining dead trees.
The fact is we could easily have another major fire at any time.
Well let’s hope we get some more rain from the approaching front and things may just turn a shade of green again in time for Christmas.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The lake has still been dropping and I would guess it will continue until it reaches minimum operational level which is only about another metre of water.
You can still launch boats at the ramp but it is getting a little shallow and you need to back the car into the water if you have a bigger boat.
I would say that by Christmas the lake will be at the lowest summer level that I can ever remember in my 35 years of fishing Jindabyne, however while it’s low it is nowhere near as bad as others in the region.
Where lucky that the fishing is still fantastic!
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
Most fish are being caught by simple trolling methods on the surface early in the morning but you do need to fish deeper later as the morning progresses. Over the last week we have experienced temperatures up to 35 degrees and so the downrigging is starting to really ‘hot up’ and some big rainbows are being caught at about 35 feet.
The best lure was the Y82 or the red nosed yellowing Tasmanian Devil but fish are also being taken on the number 36 yellow wing and also my lime green yellowing. (Red nosed yellowing available from my shop or mail order)
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 has been great in the first hour of lights and it’s been better when used off two colours of lead core line. Number Y82 and 36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Jointed Rapalas are good and we have some Rebel lures that are also catching some big fish including last week a massive 12 lb Atlantic salmon. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeyes are still catching a lot of fish but they are going to be hard to come by shortly. I have been trying the Powerbait 1 inch nymphs and have been having success using them under a float so at lest we will have a substitute for the real thing when you cant get mudeyes any more.
Powerbait was the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Lemon or orange twist being the favorite for anglers.
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water because theer isn’t any water in the creak any more), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay on the northern side’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
Yabby pattern lures have also been good as the real live yabbies have had to retreat from their homes as the lake water level drops.
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.
River spinning.
The rivers are still clear and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Dry flies are now good and a lot of fun in the alpine streams with very feisty little trout.
Call into my shop for the best flies as they change faster than the weather lately.
The lake has also been fly fishing very well at night with some bigger brown trout caught on purple and black Woolley Buggers and Mrs Simpson’s
No area is fishing any better than another but Waste Point and East Jindabyne would be my pick of the better areas.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

For week starting 1st December 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Last weekends ‘Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge’ was a huge success and everyone enjoyed themselves in the perfect fishing conditions.
For results go to www.troutchallenge.com.au
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The talk at the moment at present is of course the lake levels and at the moment all lake levels are dropping and there is talk that by the end of summer all will be operating at minimum operational level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne at the moment is dropping slowly, but you must remember that the minimum level of Jindabyne is not all that bad as they can only pump out so much from the top end of the lake at the Snowy river pumping station.
It still hasn’t reached it’s normal winter low level yet with about a metre and a half of water still over the boat ramp. I suspect that things will still be OK until at least the end of January and maybe with a little rain it will last longer before we have to extend the boat ramp.
Snowline Holiday Park have moved their hire boat marina from the bottom of the park to just beside where the sailing boats are, as if they left it where it normally is they would not have been able to move it when the lake level drops as the gap in the creek is too narrow to maneuver the marina.
The water temperature rose slightly and is now about 19 degrees.
I will be off on a one week holiday next week, so the fishing report will not be updated until after my return and I have had a few days fishing to check out the conditions.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
We have now had a week of warm to hot weather and there are now plenty of fish down deep for those that like to downrig.
Most fish are being caught by simple trolling methods on the surface early but you do need to fish deeper later as the morning progresses. The best lure was the Y82 or the red nosed yellowing Tasmanian Devil. (Red nosed yellowing available from my shop or mail order)
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number 94 is also doing very well early in the day and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and 36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Steve Williamson’s lime green yellowing Tassie Devil is starting to catch a lot of fish down deep and off the surface. (Look out now for the special ‘Steve Williamson Tassie 4 Pack’ now available in updated colours.
Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Jointed Rapalas are good and we have some Rebel lures that are also catching some big fish including last week a massive 12 lb Atlantic salmon. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
We have some mudeyes in stock at the moment and yesterday whilst on tour we bait fished for 4 hours when it got too windy to troll. Between 10am and 2pm we managed 4 brown trout to 4lb all on mudeyes fished off the back of Lion and Cub islands. Who says you can’t catch fish in the middle of the day!
Powerbait was the best for rainbow trout over the last few days. Lemon or orange twist being the favorite for anglers.
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
Over all the river last week fished a little slower with clear water and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
No rain expected for at least a few days.
Fly Fishing
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp. The fishing hasn’t been easy at the moment.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
There has now been some dry fly action but fish are still being caught on nymphs out of the faster runs.
On the alpine streams small trout have been caught on a variety of patterns.
Call into my shop for the best flies as they change faster than the weather lately.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
Next weekend is the ‘Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge’ to help celebrate 100 years of the Snowy River Shire Council. The competition is held on the waters of Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and is open to all methods of trout fishing. The competition is for all anglers of all ages and is promoted as a family friendly event.
There is a major prize of the ‘Centenary Cup’ for the heaviest fish caught, which will be presented by Mayor Richard Wallace. There will also be show bags for the first 50 children (under 14) that enter as well as lots of lucky entry prizes and secret weights. Anyone can be a winner!
Registration is at ‘Steve Williamson’s Tackle Shop’ on Saturday with fishing permitted from 12 noon.
Entry fee is $30 adults and $15 children.
Weigh-in is at Banjo Patterson Park from 12pm on Sunday 26th and all fish must be weighed in by 2pm.
Presentation is at 3pm and there will be local bands playing throughout the afternoon to entertain the crowds. Jindabyne Lions Club will be there with their BBQ to feed hungry anglers.
The committee would like to tank the many sponsors of the event including – ‘Shimano’, Snowline Holiday Park’, ‘Clarksons Imports’, ‘Steve Williamson’s Trout Fishing’, Steve Tooley Graphics’, ‘Snowy River Shire Council’, ‘Wigston Lures’, ‘Hueys Lures’, ‘Freshwater Fishing Magazine’ as well as the many other supporters.
For rules and conditions go to www.troutchallenge.com.au

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne was stable over the last week due to 3 inches of rain in the mountains before it started snowing. The run off kept up with the water that was being pumped out for irrigation. The water temperature dropped slightly and is now about 17 degrees.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Weather
Crazy weather again last week with snow down to Jindabyne and freezing temperatures.
This weekend is expected to be sunny and warm and little to know winds. Storms and showers are expected early next week.
Trolling
Cold weather saw an improvement in the surface trolling but there are also plenty of fish down deep.
While it was cold and snowing on the lake the fishing was fantastic if you were brave enough to be out there. Most were caught by simple trolling methods on the surface. The best lure was the Y82 Tasmanian Devil.
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 is also doing very well early in the day and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and Y36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Steve Williamson’s lime green yellowing Tassie Devil is starting to catch a lot of fish down deep and off the surface. (Look out now for the special ‘Steve Williamson Tassie 4 Pack’ now available in updated colours.
Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Jointed Rapalas are good and we have some Rebel lures that are also catching some big fish including last week a massive 12 lb Atlantic salmon. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Powerbait was the best over the last few days. Lemon or orange twist being the favorite for anglers.
Scrubbies are still catching some very big brown trout but again how long before they are also to hard to get we will have to wait and see, so that basically leaves us with compost worms or artificial bait because mudeyes are hard to get at the moment..
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
Before the snow the mountains experienced up to 3 inches of rain which gave the rivers a bit of a flush out.
The water was dirty but is now clearing quickly. Most fish are at the lake end at the moment.
Over all the river last week fished a little slower with clear water and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
There are fewer trout cruising very close to the edges of the lake now but the polaroiding is not over yet.
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Most trout are still taken on nymphs however there has been days with a little dry fly action.
A little dry fly action last week but that ended with the cold change but should be back in action as the weather warms.
Hoppers are about in the upper reaches of the Thredbo River so summer is not far off and with that comes some great dry fly fishing.
On the alpine streams the cold change slowed the fishing right down but that should change as the weather warms up again. The rain will help so it should be good fishing for the next weekend.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

*********************

13th November 2006
Well the Snowy Mountains Trout Festival held over the last week was great and all anglers enjoyed themselves in the good weather we experienced. Most years we seem to get the off snow flurry or two which can make it uncomfortable however according to the weather bureau we might just see a few flakes of snow in the mountains this week coming. You never put your winter gear away here in the mountains. Today we have experienced about 10mm of rain in the mountains so far and we as everyone else can do with a lot more yet.
There were plenty of fish caught over the last week with most anglers that knew how to trout fishing doing all right however I did hear the odd person complain they had a hard time catching trout and I guess that will always be the case and even professionals like myself cam miss out on certain days.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne has been dropping a little over the last week and is now about 48%. The water temperature dropped slightly and is now about 16 degrees.
NEWS
The Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge is set down for the 25th and 26th November is shaping up well should also be a great family event. The competition will be held on both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and is a 24 hour event. Registration is from 8am to 6pm on Saturday at Snowline Centre, Jindabyne. I can now announce that the entry fee will be $30 for an adult and $15 for a child.
The presentation is at 3pm in Banjo Patterson Park on the Sunday 26th and bands will play throughout the afternoon and catering by the Jindabyne Lions.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
Cold weather saw an improvement in the surface trolling but there are also plenty of fish down deep.
Today we experienced something very rare and that was fishing in the rain! The weather was great and the first fish hooked up before I put the rod into the holder. Action was a plenty and proves just how much the weather has to do with our trout fishing. Because last night was windy and stormy, most anglers slept in but by the time we hit the water the conditions were perfect and the cloud cover and showers brought the fish on. The best lure today was the Y82 Tasmanian Devil.
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 is also doing very well early in the day and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and Y36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Steve Williamson’s lime green yellowing Tassie Devil is starting to catch a lot of fish down deep and off the surface. (Look out now for the special ‘Steve Williamson Tassie 4 Pack’ now available in updated colours.
Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Jointed Rapalas are good and we have some Rebel lures that are also catching some big fish including last week a massive 12 lb Atlantic salmon. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeye’s did very well last week but mudeyes are hard to get this year with the drought continuing, I will go as far as to say that there will be no mudeyes available after late November maybe December and if there is you will pay up to $2 each as they are so hard to get.
Scrubbies are still catching some very big brown trout but again how long before they are also to hard to get we will have to wait and see, so that basically leaves us with compost worms or artificial bait.
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
With the cold change it has been reported that there are a few more late spawning rainbow trout in the Thredbo River. Most fish are at the lake end at the moment.
Over all the river last week fished a little slower with clear water and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
There are fewer trout cruising very close to the edges of the lake now but the polaroiding is not over yet.
The water level is dropping slowly and that brings the weed beds close to shore.
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Most trout are still taken on nymphs however there has been days with a little dry fly action.
A little dry fly action last week but that ended with the cold change but should be back in action as the weather warms.
Hoppers are about in the upper reaches of the Thredbo River so summer is not far off and with that comes some great dry fly fishing.
On the alpine streams the cold change slowed the fishing right down but that should change as the weather warms up again. The rain will help so it should be good fishing for the next weekend.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

1st November Report
This report sounds like a repeat of the last one as the weather has been just as crazy. After all of the hot weather, we again froze last weekend with a very cold change and even snow in Jindabyne on Saturday.
A return now to cool nights and sunny days, should see some better lake fishing this week and maybe even some good river fishing with reports that the cold change once again brought up some very late spawning rainbow trout into the Thredbo River.
The Snowy Mountains Trout Festival starts this weekend and it looks like we will have some good fishing if the weather holds, but those that regularly fish the festival know that anything can happen and you had better be prepared.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne has been dropping a little over the last week and is now about 48%. The water temperature dropped slightly and is now about 16 degrees.
NEWS
The Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge is set down for the 25th and 26th November is shaping up well should also be a great family event. The competition will be held on both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and is a 24 hour event. Registration is from 8am to 6pm on Saturday at Snowline Centre, Jindabyne. I can now announce that the entry fee will be $30 for an adult and $15 for a child.
The presentation is at 3pm in Banjo Patterson Park on the Sunday 26th and bands will play throughout the afternoon and catering by the Jindabyne Lions.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
Cold weather saw an improvement in the surface trolling but there are also plenty of fish down deep.
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 is doing very well early in the day and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and Y36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours. Steve Williamson’s lime green yellowing Tassie Davil is starting to catch a lot of fish down deep and off the surface. (Look out now for the special ‘Steve Williamson Tassie 4 Pack’ now available in updated colours.
Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Given that it is a crazy year for the spawn run, those anglers chasing the big fish for the Trout Festival would be best to still persist with big jointed lures trolled deeper off lead lines and downriggers. Jointed Rapalas are good and we have some Rebel lures that are also catching some big fish including last week a massive 12 lb Atlantic salmon. Attractors will also help on the slower days with ‘Dodgers’ and ‘Cowbells’ a must at times.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeye’s did very well last week but mudeyes are hard to get this year with the drought continuing. I would also expect the price of mudeyes to rise sharply for that reason. Scrubbies are still catching some very big brown trout.
Fish with 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 Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
With the cold change it has been reported that there are a few more late spawning rainbow trout in the Thredbo River. Most fish are at the lake end at the moment.
Over all the river last week fished a little slower with clear water and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
There are fewer trout cruising very close to the edges of the lake now but the polaroiding is not over yet.
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well at the moment with a lot of big brown trout cruising along the edges.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Most trout are still taken on nymphs however there has been days with a little dry fly action. Glowbugs were still worth a try very early at first light, and last weekend most fish were still taken on the glowbug. This action may continue while we still have a few late spawners in the Thredbo river.
A little dry fly action last week but that ended with the cold change on Saturday but should be back in action as the weather warms and we are even predicting some showers on Thursday which may rise the humidity and we may even have a termite or ant hatch which should excite the trout into rising.
Hoppers are about in the upper reaches of the Thredbo River so summer is not far off and with that comes some great dry fly fishing.
On the alpine streams the cold change slowed the fishing right down but that should change as the weather warms up again.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

For week starting 23rd OCTOBER 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
After all of the hot weather, we froze last weekend with a very cold change, snow in the mountains and even a flutter in Jindabyne and would you believe Sunday morning it was minus 7 degrees in Cooma.
Just a reminder that you always need to have the winter woollies on hand when visiting the mountains.
Last Saturday even the bravest of anglers came off the water complaining they have never been so cold and while it was painful, the few that braved the boat trolling conditions managed some good trout.
With so many boaters getting off the water because of the cold, more reports of good bait fishing was also common with some anglers ‘bagging out’ in a session.
A return now to cool nights and sunny days, should see some better lake fishing this week and maybe even some good river fishing with reports that the cold change had brought up some very late spawning rainbow trout into the Thredbo River.
With only two weeks now to the start of the Snowy Mountains Trout Festival on the 4th November, reports are looking good for both Lake Jindabyne and Eucumbene.
Of course anything can happen in two weeks but what we would really like now is rain!
BEGINNERS FLY FISHING COURSE
I have a couple of vacancies for my Gillies Beginners Fly Fishing Course to be held at Snowline Holiday Park next weekend the 28th and 29th. This is 16 hours of tuition and a fun weekend for all. Please contact me if your interested on 64 561551.
Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne has again steadied and is now just below 50%. The water temperature dropped slightly and is now about 15 degrees.
NEWS
The Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge is set down for the 25th and 26th November and should also be a great family event. The competition will be held on both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and is a 24 hour event. Registration is from 8am to 6pm on Saturday at Snowline Centre, Jindabyne.
The presentation is at 3pm in Banjo Patterson Park on the Sunday 26th and bands will play throughout the afternoon and catering by the Jindabyne Lions.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
After the very cold days we have seen an improvement in the surface trolling but there are also plenty of fish down deep.
The new Tasmanian Devil lure number Y94 is doing very well early in the day and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and Y36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours.
Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have been best when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeye’s did very well last week but mudeyes are hard to get this year with the drought continuing. I would also expect the price of mudeyes to rise sharply for that reason.
Scrubbies are still catching some very big brown trout.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘The Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
With the cold change it has been reported that there are a few more late spawning rainbow trout in the Thredbo River. Without rain that probable will not stay there long though.
Over all the river last week fished a little slower with clear water and very spooky fish, however if you are careful and are prepared to walk a bit away from the more popular fishing spots you will get some trout.
Mainly minnow lures are best and the brown trout Rapala is best.
Fly Fishing
There are fewer trout cruising very close to the edges of the lake now but the polaroiding is not over yet.
At the moment on the lake, it is still best to use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
Most trout are still taken on nymphs. Glowbugs were still worth a try very early at first light while we still have a few late spawners in the Thredbo river.
A little dry fly action last week but that ended with the cold change on Saturday.
Hoppers are about in the upper reaches of the Thredbo River so summer is not far off and with that comes some great dry fly fishing.
On the alpine streams the cold change slowed the fishing right down but that should change as the weather warms up again.
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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

For more information on the latest fishing conditions, please call into –
STEVE WILLIAMSON’S TACKLE SHOP
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au www.fishnet.com.au/snowyfish
Shop – (02) 64 561551 Fax – (02) 64 561342

For week starting 17th OCTOBER 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Last week was a mixed bag of weather conditions with the fishing about the same.
Like everywhere in the state we experienced temperatures well above average with one morning being 22 degrees and 6am with a daily high of 32 degrees.
A little rain and cooler conditions on late Saturday made a big difference and anglers recorded good catches of trout on Sunday morning.
Early Monday was cool with the 6am temperature only 5 degrees and a cool wind from the south east.
The fishing again improved with boat trolling in particular much better than over previous weeks.
There are still plenty of rainbow trout in the Thredbo River and even a little dry fly action brought on by last weeks hot weather and more insect hatches.

Lake Jindabyne’s water level.
The water level in Lake Jindabyne has again steadied and is now just below 50%. The water temperature rose slightly after the hot weather and is now about 15 degrees.
NEWS
The Snowy Mountains Trout Festival next month is looking good and Lake Eucumbene and Lake Jindabyne both fishing well. Friday 4th November is the time to register and the Presentation in Berridale on the following Friday.
The Snowy River Centenary Trout Challenge is also set down for the 25th and 26th November and should also be a great family event. The competition will be held on both Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and is a 24 hour event.
The presentation will be in Banjo Patterson Park on the Sunday 26th and bands will play throughout the afternoon and catering by the Jindabyne Lions.
Let’s have a look at what the fishing is going to be like over the next week.
Trolling
After a couple of cooler mornings the weather is going to warm up as the week goes on, so let’s hope the same can be said for the trolling.
The trolling has improved a lot since the last report with trout caught on the surface as well as deep.
Darker coloured lures early in the day has still been the better way to go and as the sun rises change to yellow wing Tasmanian Devil lures. Number Y82 and Y36 Tasmanian Devils have been the best sunny day colours.
Tasmanian Devil lures like the ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 have been best when trolled a little deeper to3 metres for the bigger brown trout. ‘Holo’ has also been a good colour to try. Use the same dark colours when it is cloudy.
Yesterday, I noticed a lot of fish starting to school up in the deep water at about 35 feet, so I can only say it looks like an early downrigging season about to start. I will keep you up to date with what happens.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Snowy area, only on the lakes)
Mudeye’s are starting to catch a few trout now but mudeyes will be hard to get this year with the drought continuing. I would also expect the price of mudeyes to rise sharply for that reason.
‘Powerbait’ teamed up with a scrub worm is the method that is STILL catching most of the fish. ‘Lemon Twist Powerbait’ again has been going very well. Lemon and orange ‘twist’ are the best flavors. Local scrubbies are still catching some very big brown trout.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day for the brown trout.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘The Boat Ramp’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘The Haven’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
While there are still a few fish close to the edges the better fishing is now in deeper water after about sunrise.
Tasmanian Devil lures are now catching more fish with the yellow and gold colours better.
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.
River spinning.
I mentioned the river before and the fishing was good for most spin methods. ‘Driftrigging’ is still very successful and so was spinning with jointed ‘Rapalas’ and Rebel’ lures.
In the shallows, trout were talking ‘Celtas’ and ‘Gillies Spinners’ in both silver and green and red and gold.
The water in the Thredbo is very clear and you need to be careful not to spook the fish.
Fly Fishing
There are fewer trout cruising very close to the edges of the lake now but the polaroiding is not over yet.
No dry fly action as yet although there have been a few ant hatches and a few rises to them last week on the hot days.
Bright days use small green nymphs under an indicator and fish it very slow. Fish caught in the shallows have been full of small shrimp.
Bigger flies like ‘Woolley Buggers’ at night. Williamson’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
River and stream Fly Fishing.
The Thredbo River picked up a little over the last few days, with the rain helping a little.
The hot days of last week even provided a little dry fly action in the evenings.
Most trout were however still taken on nymphs. Glowbugs were still worth a try very early at first light.
On the alpine streams, the ‘Mowambah river’ is still the best and it will not be too long before the dry fly action starts. The best nymph was olive but some fish are coming in on Flashback bead heads in the faster runs.

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 any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

For more information on the latest fishing conditions, please call into –
STEVE WILLIAMSON’S TACKLE SHOP
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies
P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au www.fishnet.com.au/snowyfish
Shop – (02) 64 561551 Fax – (02) 64 561342

Lake Jindabyne Trout
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
29th June 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
The past week has been sunny and cold with very low overnight temperatures making early morning fishing only for the brave. It has however been great for a walk along the bank trying to spot and cast to the cruising fish.
This method called ‘Polaroiding’ is common for winter but June is a little early in the season with most fish still waiting for rain so as they can head into the rivers to spawn.
The few anglers about that have been polaroiding, state that the few fish they have seen are a little spooky and the best fishing has been ‘blind casting’ into deeper water.
Fly anglers are having best luck using large flies and spin anglers have had most luck with minnow style lures in trout patterns.
Best fishing has been from bait with artificial ‘Berkleys powerbait’ and worms being the best.
This weekend we are in store for some snowy weather and this may stir the fish up a little and we look forward to better fishing next week after the change.
The water temperature is now well below 8 degrees celcius. Lake Jindabyne’s water level is steady
Let’s have a look at what to expect over the next week.
Trolling
With a weather change due, we should see an improvement in the lake boat trolling. A strong wind always help to stir up the trout.Be very careful if out in a boat the coming weekend as the winds do pick up very quickly.
Trout are still being caught on a variety of minnow style lures usually in brown and black colours and the occasional hot pink. Tasmanian Devil lures have also been good for surface trolling and you will need to slow the boat right down now as the fish are a little sluggish in the colder conditions. Pink number 55 Tassie Devils and number 72 are another couple of lures worth a try. The ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 You will need to use 2 colours of lead core line after the sun get higher in the sky as the fish will go a little deeper in the bright conditions. have been best for using on lead core line and are probably the most consistent lure for the week.
You may need to stir the fish up on certain days and this is the time of the year it is important to use flashers and dodgers for extra action and attraction.
Better fishing has still been down at the township end of the lake. East Jindabyne islands have been worth trolling.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Most anglers are reporting good catches and again some big brown trout have been caught. Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day.
Worms are best teamed up with orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Creel bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Taylors’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
Spinning on the lake has been OK and fish have been feeding over the weed beds in the sheltered bays early in the morning. 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.
The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and pink sparkler Tassie Devil or plain pink number 55. The larger Rapala X Rap is also worth trying on the lake.
Fly Fishing
The lake has been fishing a little slow in the bright conditions and the fish are a little spooky.
Larger flies are now best when fishing the lake you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Hammils Killer’.
Try adding a glow bead in front of the lure to help with fringe light fishing.
NEWS
For visitors to the Snowy’s we have a full range of fishing tackle for hire at my shop and fishing tours will be back in operation from the start of the school holidays.
For any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

Predictions for week starting 22nd MAY 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
The latest cool change arrived over the last weekend, however once again it was a dry one and this has not done anything to improve the river fishing.
The fish that are in the rivers at the moment are very spooky with the clear water the fish can see you coming a mile away, so you have to be very careful about the way you cast and you need to use very light tackle..
On the lake the fishing has been good and bad with the trout feeding at different times on different days depending on the weather t the time.
Lake trolling has had good days and bad days with the best fishing quite often in the middle of the day when you least expect it.
The bank fishing has been great for those that put the hours in with excellent catches and a lot bigger fish caught over the last week. Some nice big brown trout are now being caught on bait with fish recorded from 4 to 6lb.
Please be aware of some rule changes from the 1st May for the Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers.
NSW Fisheries would like to advise that only one fish over 50 cm can be kept from now until the end of the long weekend when all rivers close to fishing completely until the October long weekend.
The ‘controversial’ one fish over 50cm rule was introduced some years ago to help protect the early spawning brown trout and we must respect that rule by releasing ALL undersize trout whether they are brown trout or rainbow trout.

Let’s have a look at what to expect over the next week.
Trolling
The colder mornings can be very productive with the fish cruising on the top couple of metres of water, so surface trolling lures can be very productive. The fishing in the middle of the day has even been productive over the last couple of days due to the cloudy conditions the fish have stayed on the surface longer.
You will need to use 2 colours of lead core line early and then 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later in the morning when the fish go deeper. The best fish last week were caught on lead lines.
Pink number 55 Tassie Devils and number 72 have been going well. Various orange colours have also been catching fish. The ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 Yellow wing Brown Bomber Tasmanian Devils have been best for using on lead core line
Trollers targeting the pre spawning brown trout will find the bigger ‘minnow style’ lures best and the larger ‘Rapalas’ will of course be a favorite. Colours will depend on the day but you can’t go past brown trout and rainbow trout patterns.
The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled off lead core line or downriggers.
You may need to stir the fish up on certain days and this is the time of the year it is important to use flashers and dodgers for extra action and attraction.
The fish holding up at ‘Creel Bay’ and in the ‘Snowy Arm’ were at their usual ‘hard to catch mood’ last week but they did come on the bite for a while yesterday when the cold front and snow hit.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Again last week the fishing on the foreshore of the lake improved. Most anglers are reporting good catches.
More brown trout have been caught last week and a few more salmon are turning up as well.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day.
Bardi grubs with a powerbait dropper for extra attraction, for big brown trout would be my choice at the moment.
Both Bardi Grubs and worms are best teamed up with orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Creel bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Taylors’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
No rain and clear water means you have to be careful not to spook the fish, if you keep hidden away, you should have a lot of fun. There are a few ‘paired’ up spawners about but they too are also spooky.
Best lures are Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the rainbow trout or brown trout patterns.
Anglers have also been reporting good catches using larger ‘Nilsmaster’ lures in various colours.
Spinning on the lake has improved and fish have been feeding over the weed beds in the sheltered bays early in the morning. 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.
The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and pink sparkler Tassie Devil or plain pink number 55. Orange lures have again also been working well.
Fly Fishing
Again the water is very clear and the fish spooky. We have actually had a little dry fly fishing over the last week in the middle of the day. Small ‘Adams’ dry flies have been the best however a couple of fish were caught on caddis patterns.
Black and olive green nymphs in various patters are all getting the odd fish or two on the rivers for the time being.
The lake has been fishing a little better in the morning and late night fishing has also improved.
Larger flies are now best when fishing the lake you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Hammils Killer’.
There are still lots of small goldfish about and the rainbows are also feeding on them, the ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays has been doing very well. You can see these little goldfish breaking the surface in the early mornings, so you get to know where they are.
Fish are being caught at the base of Snowline Holiday Park near Widows Creek and also in Woolondibby Inlet.
NEWS
For any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

15 may 2006

NEWS
Please be aware of some rule changes from the 1st May for the Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers.
NSW Fisheries would like to advise that only one fish over 50 cm can be kept from now until the end of the long weekend when all rivers close to fishing completely until the October long weekend.
The ‘controversial’ one fish over 50cm rule was introduced some years ago to help protect the early spawning brown trout and we must respect that rule by releasing ALL undersize trout whether they are brown trout or rainbow trout.
After the recent snow and rain over the last week, there are now some brown trout in the rivers getting ready to spawn. There are however, more rainbow trout moving into the river as well, possibly hoping to get a feed of caviar. The rainbows are a little more active than the brown trout and so the river fishing has improved a lot over the last few days.
We are going to have to get a lot more rain before the brown trout spawning run really happens but at least we are catching more fish now.
On the lake there has been a big improvement over the last few days and you could argue that was because of the full moon. I am sure however that while we are under the influence of a high pressure system it will be nice weather for going fishing, even if you don’t catch fish.
The best lake fishing has been on bait but lake boat trollers have also experience some good mornings.
Let’s have a look at what to expect over the next week.
Trolling
The colder mornings can be very productive with the fish cruising on the top couple of metres of water, so surface trolling lures can be very productive. The fishing in the middle of the day in the beautiful sunshine has even been productive over the last couple of days.
You will need to use 2 colours of lead core line early and then 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later in the morning when the fish go deeper.
Pink number 55 Tassie Devils and number 72 have been going well. Various orange colours have also been catching fish. The ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 Yellow wing Brown Bomber Tasmanian Devils have been best for using on lead core line
Trollers targeting the pre spawning brown trout will find the bigger ‘minnow style’ lures best and the larger ‘Rapalas’ will of course be a favorite. Colours will depend on the day but you can’t go past brown trout and rainbow trout patterns.
The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled off lead core line or downriggers.
You may need to stir the fish up on certain days and this is the time of the year it is important to use flashers and dodgers for extra action and attraction.
We stock a great range of new dodgers and wait until you see the new ‘aeroplane troll’ Mylar Plastic wing flashers. These attractors will be a ‘must’ when the fish are ‘shut down’ as often happens pre spawning time.
The fish holding up at ‘Creel Bay’ and in the ‘Snowy Arm’ were at their usual ‘hard to catch mood’ last week but they did come on the bite for a while yesterday when the cold front and snow hit.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Again last week the fishing on the foreshore of the lake improved. Most anglers are reporting good catches.
One angler yesterday reported 7 trout caught on orange ‘Powerbait’ in just two hours of fishing.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day.
Bardi grubs with a powerbait dropper for extra attraction, for big brown trout would be my choice at the moment.
Both Bardi Grubs and worms are best teamed up with orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Creel bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Taylors’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
Spinning on the rivers has improved after the rain and I would expect that so long as you are careful not to spook the fish in the clear water, you should have a lot of fun.
Best lures are Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the rainbow trout or brown trout patterns.
Anglers have also been reporting good catches using larger ‘Nilsmaster’ lures in various colours.
Spinning on the lake has improved and fish have been feeding over the weed beds in the sheltered bays early in the morning. 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.
The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and pink sparkler Tassie Devil or plain pink number 55. Orange lures have again also been working well.
Fly Fishing
The extra water in the rivers will start off a bit of an early spawning run and most fish now ill be taken on nymphs and ‘glowbugs’ especially once a few fish start to lay eggs.
Black and olive green nymphs in various patters are all getting the odd fish or two on the rivers for the time being.
However over the next week on the sunnier days it still might be worth trying a large dry fly with a nymph dropper as there are a few resident fish still taking dry flies.
‘Black spinners’ and ‘Adams’ are another couple of flies worth while trying in the late evening on the river.
The lake has been fishing a little better in the morning and late night fishing has also improved.
Larger flies are now best when fishing the lake you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Hammils Killer’.
There are still lots of small goldfish about and the rainbows are also feeding on them, the ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays has been doing very well. You can see these little goldfish breaking the surface in the early mornings, so you get to know where they are.
Fish are being caught at the base of Snowline Holiday Park near Widows Creek and also in Woolondibby Inlet.
NEWS
For any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
April School Holidays 2006
By Steve Williamson. –
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
A little more snow and rain over the Easter period has put a little extra water in the rivers and with more cold weather predicted (maybe rain) we might even see a few more spawning brown trout move into the rivers.
The Thredbo River in particular has improved for the spin anglers and fly anglers are doing a little better using wet flies rather than dry flies.
The colder conditions have definitely improved the land based fishing on Lake Jindabyne with more anglers catching fish especially early and late in the day.
The boat trollers have experienced changeable fishing conditions with the trout some days near the surface and other days a little deeper.
The trout are also moving around the lake now, making it harder some days to find them. There are more brown trout around the river mouths waiting for rain and the start of the spawning run.
The water temperatures on the lake have again dropped significantly over the last week and the water in the rivers is now cold after the recent snow and the subsequent melt over the last few days.
Let’s have a look at what to expect over the next couple of weeks, but keep you options open.
Trolling
After the last cold change, surface trolling improved slightly with the best fishing very early. The sky is light enough to hit the water now at 6 am and if you want the best surface activity this is the best time.
The mornings are now cold and we have had a few good frosts over the last couple of weeks with morning temps into the minuses.
Over the last couple of days there have been very few fish rising on the lake and so lead core lines have started to catch a lot more fish. I suspect the fish are holding out just about 3 to 4 metres under the surface.
You will need to use 2 colours of lead core line early and then 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later in the morning when the fish go deeper.
Lure colours are changing from day to day at the moment and as predicted pink 55 Tassie Devils have started to catch a few fish. Orange is also working on the overcast days.
The ‘Yellowwing’ Tasmanian Devil lures in the various patterns are best when the weather is bright with Y89 also good.
Keep a few ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and the Y48 Yellowwing Brown Bomber is excellent and so is the orange/ black ‘Special SW Tassie’ (see my shop for details on that one).
Over the next month or so the best lures for bigger fish, will be brown trout or black and gold patterns and trollers will start to move to bigger lures to attract the bigger spawning brown trout.
I should have a new range of bigger ‘minnow style’ lure in stock very soon, so call in and talk to me about what is best on the day.
The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled off lead core line or downriggers.
If you’re a troller you will also be very excited by the new range of ‘Norstream Attractors’ that are now in stock.
A great range of new dodgers and wait until you see the new ‘aeroplane troll’ Mylar Plastic wing flashers. These attractors will be a ‘must’ when the fish are ‘shut down’ as often happens pre spawning run time.
Best trolling areas at the moment have been up near the river mouths in areas like the Eucumbene arm, the Snowy Arm and at Creel Bay near the mouth of the Thredbo River.
Hayshed bay hasn’t been too bad early in the morning and there are plenty of rainbows over in the East Jindabyne islands area.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
The fish are feeding up now before winter and Mudeye fishing has improved slightly and is well worth a try.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day.
Bardi grubs with a powerbait dropper for extra attraction, for big brown trout would be my choice at the moment.
Both Bardi Grubs and worms are best teamed up with orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Creel bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Taylors’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
The snow melt, a little rain and the cooler water has brought a few more fish move back into the Thredbo river and I have had daily reports of good fish being caught in the lower stretches of the River.
Best lures are Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the rainbow trout or brown trout patterns. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange, yellow (grasshopper) or black and gold colours.
Spinning on the lake has improved and fish have been feeding over the weed beds in the sheltered bays early in the morning. 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.
The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 36 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing’ 23 sparkler and pink sparkler Tassie Devil.
Fly Fishing
The colder nights have certainly changed the fishing conditions for fly anglers.
The fish are biting better in the middle of the day now that the water is colder and the sun is less intense.
Flies have changed a lot with nymphs now out fishing dry flies.
Black and olive green nymphs in various patters are all getting the odd fish or two on the rivers.
The best combo however has been a large dry fly with a nymph dropper.
Hopper patterns are still good but best teamed up again with a nymph dropper.
The smaller streams have improved with small fish feeding up before winter closes in again a small brown or black nymph fished into running water is best.
Other dry flies worth having are ‘Royal Wulff’’, ‘Red or Yellow Humpy’, Caddis Patterns and various hopper patterns. ‘Black spinners’ and ‘Adams’ are another couple of flies worth while trying.
The lake has been fishing a little better in the morning and late night fishing has also improved.
Best flies have been green/olive nymphs, yabby or shrimp patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Hammils Killer’.
With lots of small goldfish about and the rainbows feeding on them, the ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays has been doing very well. You can see these little goldfish breaking the surface in the early mornings, so you get to know where they are.
Fish are being caught at the base of Snowline Holiday Park near Widows Creek and also in Woolondibby Inlet.
We can only hope that we get some rain shortly and the river fishing will improve.
NEWS
I will be away in Sydney at the Caravan and Camping Show at Rosehill Gardens until the end of April.
There will be no boat tours available while I am away.
Hope to see you at the show if you are in the area.
The next fishing report will be in early May.
For any fishing updates in the mean time please give my shop a call on 64 561551

6th MARCH 2006
By Steve Williamson. - Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures. 0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
With Easter on our doorstep there is great interest in what’s happening with the trout fishing on Lake Jindabyne.
Unfortunately the fishing will be hard to predict as we are going through the transition stage from summer fishing into winter fishing and the fish are moving about a bit.
Last weekend saw the first of the significant weather changes, and after a long hot and dry summer, we had a little snow on the mountains.
This weather change has dropped the lake water temperatures about 2 degrees to 17 C, and with the now much cooler nights we should continue to see the temperatures drop.
One morning this week the air temperature was very close to 0 degrees C, so bring you overcoat with you and maybe a beenie as well.
After a couple of days on nice weather earlier this week, we are about to be hit by another cold front and more predicted snow for the higher mountains before a return to good weather for the weekend.
With the surface water temperatures of the lake dropping, fish are starting to spread out and are feeding longer around the edges. This has almost put a stop to the fantastic ‘downrigging’ we have been having over the last few months.
The fishing would be what I would class as almost normal now.
There really has been some unrealistic catches of trout over the last few months by boat trollers using downriggers.
I think our best tour was about 24 fish landed and about the same lost in just 3 hours. Just the other morning we had landed 10 fish in just ½ an hour. Now that just is ridiculous trout fishing and just who knows when the fishing will be as good as that again.
Anyhow with a more normal fishing pattern now, it will become easier for land base anglers to catch a fish over Easter.
Let’s have a look at what to expect over the next week, but keep you options open. As I stated earlier the fish are changing their moods as fast as the weather and how it will fish over the Easter period will depend entirely on whether we get rain or now over the coming week.
We might even see a start to the brown trout spawning run if we get a few inches of rain, but don’t hold your breath for the rain.
Trolling
Last week we were still using downriggers at about 40 to 50 feet but there are very few fish about compared to a couple of weeks ago. After the last cold change, surface trolling improved slightly with the best fishing very early. The sky is light enough to hit the water now at 6 am and if you want the best surface activity this is the best time.
Lead core lines have started to catch a few more fish, and I suspect it is because the nights are cooler now. You will need to use 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later in the morning when the fish move into deeper cooler water.
Lure colours are changing from day to day at the moment, however ‘Yellowwing’ Tasmanian Devil lures in the various patterns are the best at the moment. Number 36 or Y82 is still the best.
Keep a few ‘Red Nosed Brown Bombers’ (number 48) and a few pink 55 Tassies just in case the weather is bad.
Over the next month or so the best lures for bigger fish, will be brown trout or black and gold patterns and trollers will start to move to bigger lures to attract the bigger spawning brown trout.
I should have a new range of bigger ‘minnow style’ lure in stock very soon, so call in and talk to me about what is best on the day.
The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled off lead core line or downriggers.
If you’re a troller you will also be very excited by the new range of ‘Norstream Attractors’ that are now in stock.
A great range of new dodgers and wait until you see the new ‘aeroplane troll’ Mylar Plastic wing flashers.
Best trolling areas at the moment have been deep off ‘Lion and Cub Islands’ and as the water cools we should see a few more fish coming from the Creel Bay area on the lake.
Hayshed bay hasn’t been too bad early in the morning.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Mudeye fishing has continued to be hard and I don’t think we will end the season any better than it has been over the last month.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day.
Bardi grubs for big brown trout would be my choice at the moment.
Both Bardi Grubs and worms are best teamed up with orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Stinky Bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
Over the last few weeks, the river spinning has been hard work with the low water levels and spooky fish. However that is changing now that the water temperatures are quickly dropping and a few more fish move back into the river.
After wading the river last week, my toes were starting to get cold very quickly so it’s time for warmer socks.
Best lures are Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the perch pattern. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange or yellow colours.
Spinning on the lake hasn’t been too bad but one fish in a morning session is about all you can expect. It is best to fish early in the day. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results during in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 26 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing 23 sparkler Tassie Devil.
Fly Fishing
The colder nights have certainly changed the fishing conditions for fly anglers, but unfortunately with still no rain the rivers are low and the fish still a little spooky.
The fish are biting better in the middle of the day now that the water is colder and the sun is less intense.
Hopper patterns are still good bet but you need to fish them with care so as not to spook the fish.
The smaller streams have improved with small fish feeding up before winter closes in.
Other dry flies worth having are ‘Royal Wulff’’, ‘Red or Yellow Humpy’, Caddis Patterns and various hopper patterns. ‘Black spinners’ and ‘Adams’ are another couple of flies worth while trying.
The lake has been fishing a little better in the morning and late night fishing has also improved.
Best flies have been green/olive nymphs, yabby or shrimp patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Hammils Killer’.
With lots of small goldfish about and the rainbows feeding on them, the ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays has been doing very well. You can see these little goldfish breaking the surface in the early mornings, so you get to know where they are.
We can only hope that we get some rain shortly and the river fishing will improv

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
17th March 2006
By Steve Williamson. - Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures. 0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Over the last few weeks there has been very little change in the local fishing conditions.
The warm dry weather has continued and only yesterday did we see a little rain and slightly cooler conditions.
Even then the temperatures were in the high 20’s with moderate to strong winds occasional and showers between sunny breaks.
The nights have been slightly cooler which has allowed the surface water temperature on the lake to drop a couple of degrees to 20C which is still a lot higher compared to most years.
The leaves on some trees are starting to turn which means that Autumn must not be too far away.
On the lake the trout have been a little reluctant to come into the shallows with the edges still very warm and this has made it a little harder for the bait anglers.
The boat trolling has been good with most fish are still being caught on downriggers at 30 to 40 feet but I would expect that to end soon as the water cools.
There is no doubt that is has been one of the most spectacular downrigging seasons ever with two anglers fishing with me yesterday landing nearly 30 fish in 5 hours. They only kept one fish each for tea with all fish being released as quickly as we could after a photo. Today the downrigging was not so good with only 5 fish in three hours.
As the month goes by the lake’s water will start to cool a little and we should see a further improvement in the surface and leadline trolling.
The level of the lake fell slightly over the last week and is now about 55%.
The small bit of rain that we have received hasn’t really done anything for the rivers and the water levels are low and the fish still spooky.
FISHING REPORT.
Trolling
The bigger fish are still on downriggers at about 30 to 40 feet and surface trolling is very hard unless you are out on the water very, very early. 6 am is about light enough to see with the sun up at about 7am.
‘Yellowwing number 36 and green coloured lures have been the best for rainbow trout to 1kg plus.
My new ‘exclusive’ Tassie colour, the red nosed yellowing is another great lure and is out fishing the normal number 36.
Lead core lines have started to catch a few more fish, and I suspect it is because the nights are cooler now.
You will need to use 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) as the fish are deeper in the cooler water.
Best lures for bigger fish, have been those in both brown trout or black and gold patterns.
The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled off lead core line or downriggers.
Best trolling areas at the moment have been deep off ‘Lion and Cub Islands’ and as the water cools we should see a few more fish coming from the Creel Bay area on the lake.
Hayshed bay hasn’t been too bad early in the morning.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
No change since last report and you just have to put in the time to get fish.
Fish with worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day. Bardi grubs are also good. Mudeyes will catch fish when fished early in the morning.
The orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’ have been the best flavors however the rainbow nuggets have also been good.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Stinky Bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Rushes Bay’.
Spinning
The river spinning has been hard work with the low water levels and spooky fish.
Best lures are Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the perch pattern. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange or yellow colours.
Spinning on the lake hasn’t been too bad but one fish in a morning session is about all you can expect. It is best to fish early in the day. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results during in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 26 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing 23 sparkler Tassie Devil.
Fly Fishing
You can catch fish on fly in the rivers if you fish light enough and are patient enough.
Hopper patterns are still the best bet but you need to fish them with care.
The middle of the day fishing has been harder with all the hot weather and mostly only small fish are being caught at this time.
The smaller streams are very testing in the hot weather in the middle of the days and you need to place a fly in the shady spots for better results.
The lake has been fishing a little slow and late night fishing has been best. Best flies have been green/olive nymphs or stick caddis patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays.
We can only hope that we get some rain shortly and the river fishing will improve.

NEWS

With Easter fast approaching I would expect that by then the fishing around the lake to improve and the lake trolling should be a little easier with fish moving more to the surface.
It won’t take long for the cool nights to lower the water temperatures.
If coming down to fish over Easter, make sure you bring some warm clothes for the cooler mornings.

I will be operating tours over the Easter period so if you would like to book a tour I would recommend that you book early to avoid disappointment.
See you soon.
Steve Williamson

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
20th JANUARY 2006
By Steve Williamson. - Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures. 0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Well the January rush is over and things have quitened down to a much better pace after the Christmas New Year rush.
Today it is a lot cooler and storms of the last few days have settled the dust and with less activity on the lake there should now be an improvement in land based angling.
On my boat trolling trips, the downrigging has been nothing but spectacular with many fish caught on every trip.
The secret has been locating the fish on the sounder and then getting lures down to them.
The rivers were low with most large fish in hiding due to the heat but cooler conditions and more water should see an improvement over the next few days.
Have a read of a more indepth report below and I hope to see you soon in Jindabyne.
LAKE LEVEL.
The level of the lake fell slightly over the last week and the water temperature on the lake is now 22 degrees celcius on the surface.
FISHING REPORT.
Trolling
The bigger fish are now on downriggers at about 30 to 40 feet. In fact as stated earlier it has been fantastic with 3 lb rainbows almost normal. Yabby coloured lures like Tassie Devil Holographic or the number 48 Tasmanian Devil have been best for brown trout while ‘Yellowwing number 36 and number 82 have been the best of the lures for rainbow trout to 1kg plus.
Surface trolling has been hard but with ‘Yellowwing’ tassies you at least have half a chance. Number 50 ‘Frog pattern handy as well especially the yellowwing freddo. The yellow and green ‘Crickhopper’ has also been great and the best way to use these lures is to remove the front treble altogether and replace the rear treble with a larger size 6.
I can’t emphasise that Lead core lines are a necessity over the warmer months if you want to catch trout. Fish 2 colours (20 metres) of line early and then to 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later as the fish go deeper into cooler water.
Best lures for bigger fish, have been those in both brown trout or black and gold patterns. Rapalas and Crickhoppers in black and gold as well as ‘Huey’s Lures’ in spotted dog patterns have been very good. The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled of lead core line of downriggers.
Anglers that usually troll ‘mudeyes’ behind ford fenders are still doing better using soft plastics like the ‘Powerbait’ micro nymphs in either ‘toad’ or olive shad colours.
The trick is to use copper or gold ford fenders early (and brighter colours like silver later) and to troll them very slowly so as the blades just tick over.
Best trolling areas at the moment are ‘Waist Point’ and ‘Snowy River Arm’. Deep off Lion and Cub Islands and over at Rainbow Beach and Rushes Bay areas near East Jindabyne.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day. Bardi grubs are also good. Mudeyes haven’t been too bad if you fish in the night.
The orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’ have been the best flavors however the rainbow nuggets have also been good.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Stinky Bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Rushes Bay’. The ‘Claypits’ is still fishing well also.
Spinning
The rivers and streams have low water at the moment and the fish are very spooky the storms have put a little more colour into the Thredbo River so that might improve over the next week.
Best spinning is now on the lakes and even Island Bend pondage and Guthega pondage have been fishing OK.
Minnow lures are still the favorite with anglers at the moment. Rainbow and brown trout patterns are always favorite colours in the following lure brands but these other colours are also worth trying. Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the perch pattern. Legends in any colour that has red and orange in it. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange or yellow colours.
Spinning on the lake, it is best to fish early in the day. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results during in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 26 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing 23 sparkler Tassie Devil.
Minnow lures are also producing some nice big brown trout but you will need to find the yabby banks to get these fish. The best lures have been Rainbow trout and the Black and gold Rapala.
Those of you that fish Lake Jindabyne will know that there are some small ‘goldfish’ in the lake and if you ever catch big brown trout you can also bet that they are often eating the goldfish. The goldfish start to breed over the next month and so the trout will be on the look out for these little fish. The ‘River to Sea Baby Vibe 35’ is a good imitation and the colours that are best are the HA09 or the HA12. Well worth spinning with these lures especially in bays like ‘Wollondibby Inlet’, ‘Widows Creek’ and ‘Mill Creek Inlet’ and ‘Rushes Bay’ to name a few.
Fly Fishing
Dry fly action on the warmer evenings has been good with Mayfly, beetles, white moths and hoppers about in abundance the last couple of days. Middle of the day fishing has been harder with all the hot weather.
Nymphs fished through the faster runs in the middle of the ‘hotter days’ is producing some small rainbows and browns but the trick with fly fishing in the faster water is to make sure the fly is on the bottom and you may need weighted flies or maybe even a sinking leader. There is also a big advantage in using a sinking ‘flurocarbon’ leader at least.
The smaller streams have been hard with the low water level and some of the better fishing has been on the lower Mowambah (Moonbah) river early or late in the day. The streams are very testing in the hot weather in the middle of the days.
Up in the high country when fishing the alpine streams, small size 12 yellow ‘Humpies’ have been excellent and ‘White Wulff’, hopper and beetle patterns are also flies worth having on hand.
The lake has been fishing well and the early morning and late night fishing has been best. Best flies have been green/olive nymphs or stick caddis patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays. Try adding a little ‘glow bead’ in front of the fly when fishing nights but don’t forget to ‘charge up’ the bead with a torch as the fluorescence will help attract the fish to your fly.
For more information on the latest fishing conditions, please call into –
STEVE WILLIAMSON’S TACKLE SHOP
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies

Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Report.
3RD JANUARY 2006
By Steve Williamson. - Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures. 0408 024436 Shop -02 64561551
NEWS
Happy New Year to all and I hope you have a great 2006.
The Christmas to New Year period in Jindabyne was very hot with temperatures in the high 30’s on New Years Day, in fact at 7.30 am it was already 34 degrees and by 10am it was hot and windy before a late evening change.
This morning it was almost cold on the lake although by lunchtime it was almost 30 degrees again.
In actual fact, despite the very hot dry conditions it has been very good fishing on the lake with even the less experienced ‘tourists’catching some nice fish from both the lake foreshore as well as out in the boats.
Best fishing has of course been early in the morning before the day heats up.
Weather predictions for the rest of the week look like being warm to hot again.
Trolling has been good with some ‘hot bites’ between 5am and 7 am every morning, before the fishing tapers off as the trout go into deeper water. This is when we have been downrigging to almost 40 feet to get the bigger rainbow trout over 1kg and brown trout up to 2 kg.
Best bait fishing has been sunrise and the same for lake spinning.
Fly fishing has been very good also with the early morning being the best on the lake and late evening on the rivers.
The water levels on the rivers has receded again and are now quite low.
Most reports on the Thredbo River have been that there are plenty of fish but they are a little spooky.
The streams are better in the late evening for about an hour around sunset. It has been just too hot for middle of the day fishing.
Have a look at the more detailed report below -
LAKE LEVEL.
The level of the lake fell slightly over the last week due mainly to hot dry winds I think, but the level is still about one metre lower than at this time last year. The water temperature on the lake is now approaching 22 degrees celcius on the surface.
FISHING REPORT.
Trolling
There has been some excellent surface and lead line trolling very early in the morning with the best fishing coming from the sheltered weedy bays like Hatchery and Hayshed bay.
Talking about weed, the high winds this week have blown a lot of ‘tumble weed’ into the lake which has been playing havoc with our surface trolling.
Over the last week or so we have now started to get the bigger fish on downriggers at about 30 to 40 feet. Yabby coloured lures like Tassie Devil Holographic or the number 48 Tasmanian Devil have been best for brown trout while ‘Yellowwing number 36 and number 82 have been the best of the lures for rainbow trout to 1kg.
Most of the ‘Yellowwing’ Tassies have also been very good and you must also keep a number 50 ‘Frog pattern handy as well especially the yellowwing freddo. The yellow and green ‘Crickhopper’ has also been great and the best way to use these lures is to remove the front treble altogether and replace the rear treble with a larger size 6.
I can’t emphasise that Lead core lines are a necessity over the warmer months if you want to catch trout. Fish 2 colours (20 metres) of line early and then to 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later as the fish go deeper into cooler water.
Best lures for bigger fish, have been those in both brown trout or black and gold patterns. Rapalas and Crickhoppers in black and gold as well as ‘Huey’s Lures’ in spotted dog patterns have been very good. The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled of lead core line of downriggers.
Anglers that usually troll ‘mudeyes’ behind ford fenders have been reporting fantastic success using the ‘Powerbait’ micro nymphs in either ‘toad’ or olive shad colours. There is something about the artificial that the trout just love and I suspect it is the smell of these small artificials. The trick is to use copper or gold ford fenders early (and brighter colours like silver later) and to troll them very slowly so as the blades just tick over.
Remember it is holiday time in the mountains and there are a lot of boats on the lake. A lot of speedboats as well and the rowing sculls are again starting to turn up.
I believe the water ski races are on again on 10th, but have no official confirmation as the ACT Water Ski Association have again decided not to let anyone know what is happening. I also must point out that I have heard nothing from Snowy River Shire Council NOR Waterways (Now NSW Maritime) and these government bodies are the ones that are supposed to consult commercial operators before they give final approval for the event.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day. Bardi grubs are also good. Mudeyes are becoming hard to get again but with the hot weather they are probably not the best bait at the moment anyway as the fish are feeding in the deeper water.
The orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’ have been the best flavors however the rainbow nuggets have also been good.
There are also a few new ‘Powerbait’ nymphs and yabby patterns that are also excellent especially used under a float where you can move the float to give the bait a little action. Ask my shop staff for some help on the best type to use and rigging methods.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Stinky Bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Rushes Bay’. The ‘Claypits’ is still fishing well also.
Spinning
The rivers and streams have low water at the moment and the fish are very spooky. Best spinning is now on the lakes and even Island Bend pondage and Guthega pondage have been fishing OK.
Minnow lures are a favorite with anglers at the moment. Rainbow and brown trout patterns are always favorite colours in the following lure brands but these other colours are also worth trying. Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the perch pattern. Legends in any colour that has red and orange in it. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange or yellow colours.
Spinning on the lake, it is best to fish early in the day. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results during in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 26 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing 23 sparkler Tassie Devil.
Minnow lures are also producing some nice big brown trout but you will need to find the yabby banks to get these fish. The best lures have been Rainbow trout and the Black and gold Rapala.
Those of you that fish Lake Jindabyne will know that there are some small ‘goldfish’ in the lake and if you ever catch big brown trout you can also bet that they are often eating the goldfish. The goldfish start to breed over the next month and so the trout will be on the look out for these little fish. The ‘River to Sea Baby Vibe 35’ is a good imitation and the colours that are best are the HA09 or the HA12. Well worth spinning with these lures especially in bays like ‘Wollondibby Inlet’, ‘Widows Creek’ and ‘Mill Creek Inlet’ and ‘Rushes Bay’ to name a few.
Fly Fishing
Dry fly action on the warmer evenings has been good with Mayfly, beetles, white moths and hoppers about in abundance the last couple of days.
Nymphs fished through the faster runs in the middle of the ‘hotter days’ is producing some good size rainbows and browns but the trick with fly fishing in the faster water is to make sure the fly is on the bottom and you may need weighted flies or maybe even a sinking leader. There is also a big advantage in using a sinking ‘flurocarbon’ leader at least.
The smaller streams have now started to fish better with some excellent dry fly action on the lower Mowambah (Moonbah) river if you are early or late in the day. The streams are very testing in the hot weather in the middle of the days.
Up in the high country when fishing the alpine streams, small size 12 yellow ‘Humpies’ have been excellent and ‘White Wulff’, hopper and beetle patterns are also flies worth having on hand.
The lake has been fishing well and the early morning and late night fishing has been best. Best flies have been green/olive nymphs or stick caddis patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays. Try adding a little ‘glow bead’ in front of the fly when fishing nights but don’t forget to ‘charge up’ the bead with a torch as the fluorescence will help attract the fish to your fly.
For more information on the latest fishing conditions, please call into –
STEVE WILLIAMSON’S TACKLE SHOP
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies

NEWS 16 December
This is my last report before Christmas so firstly I would like to with all the very best for the Christmas / New Year holiday period and I hope to see you in Jindabyne soon.
My guiding business operates every day except Christmas day and the shop will also remain open 7 days a week from 7 am till 7pm for at least the first two weeks of January.
All booking for tours are done through the shop but you can call me on my mobile if you have any enquiries.
Over all it looks as if we will have some great trout fishing over the next month at least.
Last week on the lake, the fishing has been very good with trolling especially good with some ‘hot bites’ between 5am and 7 am every morning, before the fishing tapers off as the trout go into deeper water.
Best bait fishing has been sunrise and sunset and the same for lake spinning.
Fly fishing has been very good also with the early morning being the best.
The water levels of the rivers has receded again and are not fishing too bad at all. In fact most reports on the Thredbo River have been that there are plenty of fish and size is way above average compared to previous years.
The streams also look as if they will also fish well from at least now to April.
There are plenty of insects about for the trout to eat, but there are also plenty to eat us as well, so make sure you cover up and have a good layer of ‘Bushman’ on to repel the little bities.
A hat with a mozzie net is a wise investment to keep the flies away from the face and we have plenty on sale in our shop for under $10.
Have a look at the more detailed report below and once again have a great Christmas.
LAKE LEVEL.
The level of the lake fell slightly over the last week due to work on the dam wall, but the level is still about the same as it was at this time last year. The water temperature on the lake is now approaching 19 degrees celcius.
FISHING REPORT.
Trolling
There has been some excellent surface and lead line trolling very early in the morning with the best fishing coming from the sheltered weedy bays like Hatchery and Hayshed bay. Over the last week or so we have now started to get a few brown trout on downriggers at about 20 to 30 feet. The larger Atlantic salmon are now being caught less frequently however smaller fish are coming in with regularity. Yabby coloured lures like Tassie Devil Holographic or the number 48 Tasmanian Devil
have been catching a few brown trout off the downriggers. The other lure that has been most successful has been the number 36 Tasmanian Devil. Most of the ‘Yellowwing’ Tassies have also been very good and you must also keep a number 50 ‘Frog pattern handy as well. There are a couple of others that have been working but check with the shop first to see what is best for the day. Remember bright colours on bright days and dark colours when it is dark.
I can’t emphasise that Lead core lines are a necessity over the warmer months if you want to catch trout. Fish 2 colours (20 metres) of line early and then to 3 to 4 colours (30 to 40 metres) later as the fish go deeper into cooler water.
Best lures for bigger fish, have been those in both brown trout or black and gold patterns. Rapalas in black and gold as well as ‘Huey’s Lures’ in spotted dog patterns have been very good. The ‘River to Sea’ black and gold 40mm minnows have been a new success for Jindabyne especially when trolled of lead core line of downriggers. The Rebel ‘Crickhopper’ has also been great in the black and gold colour and the ‘Baby Merlins’ in BM5 and BM6 are also very good. Remember 6am is too late for most of the big browns when trolling although you will still get rainbows and salmon well into the morning. Early afternoon has been OK for deep trolling, with some unusually good fishing happening between noon and 2pm. This may or may not continue over the next few weeks.
Anglers that usually troll ‘mudeyes’ behind ford fenders have been reporting fantastic success using the ‘Powerbait’ micro nymphs in either ‘toad’ or olive shad colours. There is something about the artificial that the trout just love and I suspect it is the smell of these small artificials. The trick is to use copper or gold ford fenders early (and brighter colours like silver later) and to troll them very slowly so as the blades just tick over.
Rainbows and salmon are moving about the lake quite a bit at the moment and you might find that best areas to fish have been around Rushes Bay, Hatchery Bay, Hayshed Bay and over near ‘Rainbow Beach Estate’ at east Jindabyne.
Keep you wits about you, as you might also have to move around from place to place with the fish.
Lake Bait Fishing (No river bait fishing is allowed in the Jindabyne area, only on the lakes)
Worms off the bottom and a power bait dropper will be the best middle of the day method with mudeyes best used early and late in the day. On certain days the fish have been a little picky, so at this time it is best to use some line grease to help the fishing line float and restrict line drag. This method is always best when mudeye fishing.
Worms under a float has still been producing some good size Atlantic Salmon and rainbow trout.
The orange, lemon and lime twist ‘Powerbait’ have been the best flavors however the rainbow nuggets have also been good.
There are also a few new ‘Powerbait’ nymphs and yabby patterns that are also excellent especially used under a float where you can move the float to give the bait a little action. Ask my shop staff for some help on the best type to use and rigging methods.
Best areas for bait fishing at the moment have been, ‘Stinky Bay’, ‘Wollondibby Inlet’ (deeper water), ‘Curiosity Rocks bay’, ‘Creel Bay’ and ‘Rushes Bay’. The ‘Claypits’ is still fishing well also.
Spinning
Consistant rain and storms over the last month has meant there is still plenty of water in the rivers and streams at the moment. Whatever you use you will have to get the lure close to the bottom for the best results.
Minnow lures are a favorite with anglers at the moment. Rainbow and brown trout patterns are always favorite colours in the following lure brands but these other colours are also worth trying. Baby Merlins in BM5, 6 and 18. Sinking Rapalas in the perch pattern. Legends in any colour that has red and orange in it. Stump jumpers in colours 42 and 43. Rebel Crickhopper in orange or yellow colours. A new lure on the market, similar to the Rebel Crickhopper is the ‘Juro Mimic Bait Hopper’, and there is some excellent colours in this range that I am sure will also be successful on trout. Soft plastics have been very slow to take off in trout waters however they are producing some excellent trout and are worth a try in the rivers. If rigged correctly these can be almost snag free if rigged correctly allowing you to fish them along the bottom for amazing results. It takes a little practice but when you get the hang of using them in fast flowing rivers they can be deadly to the late spawning rainbow trout.
One new soft plastic that is proving to be very productive is the ‘Powerbait Blade Dancer’ and this lure is almost snag free when used. I have found that if worked along the bottom in the faster runs, this one can be deadly on the trout.
Spinning on the lake, it is best to fish early and late in the day. Spin close around rocky outcrops for best results during in the day and use smaller lures like ‘Celtas’ or ‘Gillies Spinners’ around the shallow bays after dark. The best lake lures have been ‘Tasmanian Devils’ in number 48 ‘Brown Bomber’ and number 26 ‘Yellowwings’ as well as the ‘yellowwing 23 sparkler Tassie Devil.
Minnow lures are also producing some nice big brown trout. The best lures have been the gold Stump jumpers and the Black and gold Rapala. It is best to stalk the fish during the day be spotting them with ‘Polaroid’s’ and then gently casting past the fish bringing the lure back to it.
Those of you that fish Lake Jindabyne will know that there are some small ‘goldfish’ in the lake and if you ever catch big brown trout you can also bet that they are often eating the goldfish. Well new on the market is a lure that so closely resembles the goldfish you will be amazed. This lure is the ‘River to Sea Baby Vibe 35’ and the colours that are best are the HA09 or the HA12. Well worth spinning with these lures especially in bays like ‘Wollondibby Inlet’, ‘Widows Creek’ and ‘Mill Creek Inlet’ and ‘Rushes Bay’ to name a few.
Fly Fishing
Dry fly action on the warmer evenings has been good with Mayfly, Caddis and flying black ants about in abundance the last couple of days. There are also plenty of tea tree beetles and so with a ‘trout smorgasbord’ happening it will be necessary to have a good supply of flies for all occasions.
Nymphs fished through the faster runs in the middle of the ‘hotter days’ is producing some good size rainbows and browns but the trick with fly fishing in the faster water is to make sure the fly is on the bottom and you may need weighted flies or maybe even a sinking leader. There is also a big advantage in using a sinking ‘flurocarbon’ leader at least.
The smaller streams have now started to fish better with some excellent dry fly action on the lower Mowambah (Moonbah) river and for small trout and plenty of action you can’t go past the higher alpine streams like ‘Perisher and Betts creeks and ‘Spensors creek’ is also worth a look.
Up there in the high country, small size 12 yellow ‘Humpies’ have been excellent and ‘White Wulff’, hopper and beetle patterns are also flies worth having on hand. The lake has been fishing well and the early morning and late evening fishing has been best. Best flies have been green/olive nymphs or stick caddis patterns in the shallows early and late and if fishing into the night, you can’t go past a black Woolley Bugger or a ‘Williamson’s Gold Fish’ around the creek mouths and shallow bays. Try adding a little ‘glow bead’ in front of the fly when fishing nights but don’t forget to ‘charge up’ the bead with a torch as the fluorescence will help attract the fish to your fly. A non traditional way is to also add a little ‘Powerbait’ garlic or roe scent to the fly as this also helps the fish find and more importantly hold onto the fly a little longer.

Previous Reports

FISHING REPORT FROM
Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures
Steve Williamson

Steve Williamson:
0408 024436

Steve Williamson's Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures.
Phone: 0408 024436

*******
Steve Williamson’s
TACKLE STORE
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627.

Shop – (02) 64 561551
Fax – (02) 64 561342

Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies

P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627
E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au
Shop – (02) 64 561551
Fax – (02) 64 561342

*******

Steve Williamson’s
TACKLE STORE
Shop 1 Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne 2627
Fishing Charters – Bait and Tackle Supplies- Marine Supplies

P.M.B. 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627
E-mail sw-trout@snowy.net.au
Shop – (02) 64 561551
Fax – (02) 64 561342

Steve Williamson's Lake Jindabyne
Trout Fishing Adventures.
Phone: 0408 024436