THE fishing recently has been very good and we can expect the first weeks of January to also be better than average for trout fishing.
Leadcore lines or some other way to get lures down deeper, are necessary for fishing later in the morning.
Downriggers are good as the fish are just starting to thermodine in the middle of the day.
Fly fishing on the rivers has also been good with plenty of fish to be seen rising but with the crowds it ’s harder to find a spot to fish where someone hasn ’t already worked the area over.
With less people about we should also see some better fishing on the rivers as we get through to the middle of January.
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.
The best lure was the plain Tasmanian Devil Yellow wing number 36 however the Y82 is good also. The Steve Williamson red nosed yellowing Tasmanian Devil is out fishing most colours off lead core line and downriggers.
Other Tasmanian Devil lures like the Red Nosed Brown Bombers ’ (number 48) and the Y48 have also been good when trolled a little deeper to 3 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 also good and we have some Rebel Crickhopper lures that are also catching some big fish including a massive 91b brown trout the other week.
The Eucumbene river area, East Jindabyne islands, Sids Bay and the Snowy arm have been fishing very well.
Lake Bait Fishing Local scrubworms are the best bait for catching the bigger brown trout and tiger worms the next best. Mudeyes are just about impossible to get but we do have some Gents ’ (maggots) in stock and these are fantastic for rainbow trout if you fish them exactly the same way as you would a mudeye under a float.
Powerbait in various flavours have been good and Gulp bait will also catch 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 because there isn ’t much water in the creek yet), 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.
Yabby pattern or coloured lures have also been good. 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.
River spinning The best lures have by far been small minnows like the brown trout Rapala (again jointed are best) and small Crickhoppers. Celtas and Gillies spinners for the shallows. Yabby pattern lures are also well worth a try.
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. The fishing on the lake has improved since last report and some of the sheltered weedy bays are alive with rising fish very early in the morning before sun rise.
Use bigger flies like Woolley Buggers ’ at night and Williamson ’s GoldFish at Wollondibby and Widows creeks.
The Eucumbene arm has been fishing very well 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.
For fishing updates please give my shop a call on 6456 1551.
By Steve Williamson
Summit Sun,
Snowy River,Australia.
