A beautiful spring day at Buckenderra. Last year's high water mark of 51% doesn't seem too far away, but I reckon it will take more than snowmelt to get there.
Lake Eucumbene: first boat fish of spring
Spring in the Snowy Mountains can be a bit of a weather lottery. I can pretty much guarantee you won't be out there in a T-shirt; the question is more whether it's just going to be merely cold and windy... or a blizzard. But pick your day right, and you'll at least need a touch of sunscreen.
This was my first lake trip since getting back from the Northern Hemisphere summer, and it began meeting up with Rod Allen at the Buckenderra boat ramp. A strong southerly was chopping up the lake a bit, but the wind was forecast to drop, and late in the day to swing round to the west. Rod had been fishing at Middlingbank so we headed there straight away, finding three to four metres of water in Tri-Villa inlet. We worked that general area for almost two hours for one good bump, before heading north to fish the bays opposite Buckenderra, and the Rushy Plains arm headland rocks.
About to get back on the big lake at last!
A small bay south of the headland gave us our first action, a double hook-up of 2lbers, Rod a rainbow, me a brown. For those who subscribe to such notions, fishing for two hours before the first catch seemed like an acceptable time to be made to wait, before the metaphoric tap was turned on. But with the exception of one small brown, and a few solid "meets but misses" we finished the day without really getting into them. Of course, we talked too much, had a non-working lunch with coffee (thank you, boat person Kat), and were off the water just as the sun was being beaten by the chill coming off the snow-lined mountains to our west - all of which reduced our chances considerably.
Over-wintered rainbow in excellent condition.
Overall, a ripper day. We used big flies right through, me the black and gold Woolly Bugger, and Rod a black Manic Kellers She Demon. We spent the first half of the day fishing with floating lines, then Rod changed to a sink tip, whilst I put on a fast sinker and dredged through the mud.
Rod's successful She Demon.
Lake Eucumbene has been rising quickly. After some excellent winter fishing as the lake dropped, mobilising the yabbies and bringing the browns in very close, the water is now rising over barren ground, and the fish are feeding in deeper water. If you want to find the fish, a fast sinking line over boulders or clay on deep water edges would be my advice. During the day we saw a lot of beetles on the water, presumably being picked up by the rising tide. We didn't see one fish rise to them, but it's only a matter of time before they find them. Most of what we saw would be imitated by a size 12 or 14 brown beetle pattern or a Red Tag.
Lake Jindabyne brown trout fishing is hot!
I've had several reports of excellent brown trout fishing on Lake Jindabyne. Whilst the rainbows are still missing, including from the hatchery trap, which at the start of spring had still not reached double figures for the season, brown trout are both plentiful, and in close. The lake is now higher than it's been since August 2023. It's rising over ground that is full of bugs and worms. I've had excellent reports from Kalkite all the way to the main town and back to Waste Point and the Snowy Arm. Big flies fished very deep and more or less static, on or near the bottom, with the occasional twitch.
A sample of the superb early spring browns showing up at Eucumbene (top) and Jindabyne (bottom).
Snowy Lake Levels
Lake Eucumbene is at 40% and rising, compared with 47% this time last year. I know we've had a good snow season; however I suspect the remaining snowmelt will not be enough on its own to pass the 51.5% high water mark of last year. To get there, we’ll need more significant rain, plus no heatwaves or cold spells – both of which increase electricity demand, thereby triggering mass hydro generation, and lake water disappearing into turbines.
Lake Jindabyne is at 75% and rising, compared with 63% this time last year. Hopefully, that will keep going until I get there to sample the goods on offer!
Tantangara Reservoir is at 21% and dropping. I don't have any fishing reports, but I'm planning to get there before Christmas.
River opening
The October long weekend is the NSW river season opening. I'll tear myself away from the lake for a session or two on Saturday 4 October, and maybe meet up with a big lake fish too lazy to find its way back to the lake yet!
