Anglers who ignored the misleading weather forecasts last week about gale-force winds, unbelievable low temperatures and the end of civilisation as we know it and fished the big mountain lakes were instead well rewarded. But only if they had the right bait, which on this occasion was a mix of artificial Power Bait and big fat wood grubs.
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At Jindabyne the fish were on the bite at Kalkite for some school holidaymakers as soon as a bait was tossed into the water. The first fish was a 2.5kg brown, which took a wood grub, and the second a 1.9kg rainbow on Power Bait. The group then went on to catch more fish and finished with five rainbows and two browns. They said the weather was cold but bearable and nowhere as extreme as what was forecast.
Eucumbene also fished well. One group at Seven Gates landed four rainbows on Power Bait and one brown on a wood grub. The heaviest fish weighed 1.2kg. Another group at Wangrabelle Bay landed two rainbows on Power Bait and a small brown on a Tasmanian Devil.
Burrinjuck rising
Rain and snowmelt have pushed the water level at Burrinjuck Reservoir to 48 per cent of capacity and it is still rising. Manager Dean Brind reports that visibility is about one metre and the temperature is 12 degrees centigrade.
Angling generally has been quiet. A few undersized Murray cod have been taken by bait anglers fishing with worms and yabbies from the bank but no big fish have been reported. Golden perch are still on the bite. The black Gulp 13cm soft plastics are still catching fish around flooded trees and there has been some good fishing with worms and yabbies off the bank. Night fishing, with a warm fire, has been productive. Recent captures include fish of 2.7kg and 3.6kg on scrub worms and a 43cm fish trolled near Cave Island.
Fishing challenge
Canberra On The Water is arranging a memorial fishing challenge to honour local angler Greg Whitehead who died from brain cancer recently. The event will be staged at Burrinjuck Reservoir on August 21-23 and will feature a host of prizes. All entrants who register before August 9 will receive a free Shimano brag mat and a beanie and there will be prizes for the longest Murray cod, golden perch, carp and redfin. The major prize will be a Native Slayer kayak worth $3300. All proceeds will go to the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. For details email gw.fishing2015@outlook.com.
Fly fishing film festival
The Rise Fly Fishing Film Festival is touring Australia again and will be staged in Canberra on Thursday, August 27. The venue will be the Greater Union Cinema at Manuka and a series of five remarkable films is promised for the night. For details go to www.gin-clear.com.
Adverse weather
Rainstorms and high winds curtailed offshore and some inshore fishing at the coast but estuary fishers managed a few reasonable sessions. Some nice bream came from Conjola and there were small flathead in Tuross. A big school of salmon close in at Wairo Beach provided some good fun for lure tossers and during a brief lull in the weather boaters found medium-sized kingfish chasing bait schools just 300 metres offshore at Ulladulla.
Bluefin are moving up the coast and are now strung out between Eden and Sydney but are a long way out. With fish up to 60 nautical miles offshore boaters will have to be very sure of their craft and the weather conditions before they venture out in search of the fish.
