Anglers at Lake Eucumbene last weekend were pleasantly surprised to find good numbers of rainbows feeding around the shoreline during the day and at night.
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The fish appeared to be one- and two-year-olds, in excellent condition, and were taken mostly on PowerBait and scrub worms.
Particularly good catches were reported from Seven Gates and Yens Bay.
Zelko Brozic had an exceptionally good day at Yens Bay. He landed a 69-centimetre brown weighing 4.2 kilograms 15 minutes after his arrival, and that was followed by four rainbows.
It's an excellent time of the year to polaroid browns in Eucumbene and especially Jindabyne.
The technique is simple: walk the bank slowly with polarised glasses, looking for fish in the shallows. The technique can be very productive, especially early in the morning before the wind gets up.
Rain spoils fishing
Heavy rain and high winds have disrupted lake, beach and rock fishing over the past few weeks.
Rock fishing was simply too dangerous and beaches too rough to fish, while estuaries were flooded, discoloured and mostly unproductive.
On the positive, many new gutters have developed on the beaches and fishing should improve dramatically as the weather eases.
Many lakes, including the little-known Meroo, have opened to the sea for the first time in several years, providing opportunities for a big interchange of fish and other aquatic life, to help sustain the ecology of the waterways.
Burrinjuck proves productive
Burrinjuck is still fishing well. The Murray cod season is closed until December but a good number of fish have been accidentally caught, then released, by anglers looking for golden perch.
Perch were caught on scrub worms and live yabbies fished from the shore, particularly in Macy's Bay in the Murrumbidgee arm. Some were trolled on smaller spinnerbaits and hard-bodied minnows. Redfin still have not shown in any number.
A few small golden perch have been caught on scrub worms in Ginninderra and Burley Griffin.
At Googong the redfin are active, and some large specimens have been taken from boats and from the bank. The best lures have been the Smak Golden Child and Hogback.
Kids' workshop and casting lessons
NSW Fisheries is holding two fishing workshops for children at Gaden hatchery at Jindabyne on October 3 and 4.
The classes run from 10am to 2pm and are suitable for eight- to 14-year-olds. The cost is $40 and each participant gets a rod and reel combination, shirt, hat, tackle box and show bag, all to take home.
Bookings are essential, by emailing stephen.thurston@dpi.nsw.gov.au or calling 04 3824 5190.
A reminder, too, that the first of the three free pre-season fly-casting classes presented by the Canberra Anglers Association was held last Sunday. More classes will be held on September 14 and 21 before the trout season opens on October 4.
The location is the lawns in front of Old Parliament House, near the Treasury building, and classes run from 10am to noon.
