Headlines: The fishing has been improving dramatically in the lakes with some great reports.  The rivers are set to open very soon also have good water and plenty of nice fish to be caught in a couple of weeks.

We have received a large order of Columbia shirts, hats and pants this week in preperation for the season.  Now is a good time to buy with plenty of sizes and colours to choose from.

Lake Eucumbene continues to rise and is now at 26% plus!  This the highest it has been for three years and the lake has already started to fish well for bank anglers and should get better and better with time.   

As you can see the lake is already starting to cover new ground.

We are predicting that the fishing will be an absolute bonanza as the water warms over the next few weeks.  Watch this space.

The Yamaha and Freshwater Fishing Australia, Snowy Mountains Trout Festival is on again this year.

Dates are Saturday the 31st of October - Friday 6th of November 2009

This year sees the addition of a new 'soft plastics' category.   Once againg there is the chance to win a Quintrex boat, Yamaha Outboard Motor, Minn Kota electric motor and Humminbird sounder all on a trailer ready to go.

See www.troutfestival.com for more competition details

Store Trading Hours

Mon-Thursday  9am - 5:30pm

Friday       9am - 7pm

Saturday  8am - 5.30pm

Sunday     9am - 3:30pm

Flyfishing

Rivers:-   Reopen Saturday the 3rd of October.  There has been some great rain over recent weeks and some good snow melt to come so the streams of the mountains will be a great place to be for the opening weekend.

Glo bugs and beadhead nymphs will be the optimum patterns for the Euc and Thredbo rivers.  We have a good stock of beadhead copper johns in now too and these are little killers on the rainbows. The way it is warming up termite falls might be a bit earlier this year so a few of those could be handy as well.

Lake Eucumbene:-  Fly reports have picked up with some nice fish being taken off the bank in several areas.  Evenings and first light on a morning have been the best though you can polaroid the dam wall area for good results at this time of year. 

Wind has played havoc with anglers on several days over the past week but the fishing has still be good for those who have kept fishing.

Already there are reports of midges moving in the mornings and this should be the start of a great midge year.  Fish have been found to have lots of pin head sized black beetles as well as numerous small grubs in them.  These have been drowned with the rapidly rising water.  It is a great time to be on the lake at present.

The lake has plenty of non muddy bank access at and with the continuing rise of the lake will be this way for most of the season. 

*Pictured below is Annette from Canberra with her first Rainbow on fly. At 51cm it is a great fish and was taken on the weekend.  She used flies as per our fishing report from last week.

Other anglers have reported some good boat based fly fishing as well.  The lake is really starting to fish well drifting and loch style fishing.

Try a Scruffy, Hamils, Simpson, Bugger, Fuzzy Wuzzy in likely looking spots with a bit of a drop off or soak and you should be able to hook up on a couple.

Midge pupa and other small size 14 and 16 wets and nymphs should do well in the shallow margins early and late also.

Areas to look at are Wangrabelle,  Seven Gates, Buckenderra, Braemar, Springwood, Yens and Cobrabald.

Lake Jindabyne:-  Jindabyne has picked up a little with a couple of quality fish caught by polaroiders recently.  The lake has risen a fair amount but the fish don't seem to be worried by it at this stage.

Searching with a woolly bugger will produce a few nice ones or just wander the bank looking for fish and cast a small wet or nymph at any fish found cruising.  There is still a heap of weed in many of the bays that is drawing the fish in to the food that it holds.

Try Bushy's horror, gold ribbed hares ear, stick caddis and midge pupa.

Try the Eastern side during the morning and Western side in the early afternoon.

Sids and Rushes bay, Kalkite are all worth a look as is Hatchery bay, Hayshed bay and Kangaroo bay.

Lake Tantangara :-  No reports.

Trolling and Spinning 

Eucumbene:-  Eucumbene reports have been varied with wind playing havoc on the weekends. Deep trolling and drifting and casting lures around the river mouth would be one the best methods at the moment. 

Flat line trolling in very close in the shallower bays has produced some nice fish and the fish will move into shallow water early looking for food.  Drifting and casting small minnows or plastics will turn up some good rainbows and the odd brown in the hour or so around sunrise.  Look for any of the soaks and channels that have filled up with the rising level and work these areas over carefully.

Vibe stlye lures are starting to come into their own either flat lined or on leadcore, They are very versatile little lures and should rack up some nice fish for you on the lake this season.

Boat Launching is available in many areas.  Anglers Reach, Buckenderra, Old Adaminaby, Dam wall.  

Best areas to try would be Anglers Reach, Dam Wall, and Buckenderra.

Jindabyne:- Jindabyne trolling reports have been quiet this week.

Baitfishing :- 

After a long period of nil supply we now have wood grubs back in stock.  They make a great winter trout bait in the lakes.

Baitfishing in Eucumbene has been excellent with the dam wall being a very good spot to try.  Some middle of the day sessions have been good in this area with Powerbait being the most consistent. 

*Ken Caine from Berridale had a very good session Friday night in the Buckenderra area.  He hooked eight fish, landed six and missed another three on the take.  Best fish were a 1.5 kg brown and a 1.4kg rainbow.  Baits used were scrub worms and orange pulp Gulp and sherbert Powerbait.  The fish were full of drowned insects and the brown had lots of immature mudeyes in its stomach. 

*Mad keen bait fisher Johnny scrubworm took friend Tanya out for a fish in the Buckenderra arm on the weekend and despite the howling gale they still managed to get some very nice rainbows.  Tanya lost a cracker of a rainbow but made up for it with two very nice fish shortly after.  Scrubworms were the best bait. 

Wood grubs and scrub worms have been very good and make great combo baits fished in conjunction with Powerbait on a dropper rig.  Cocktailing grubs and Powerbait on the one hook is also a dynamite way to catch the fantastic rainbows that are cruising around the edges during the day.

Try Hatchery Bay, Curiosity rocks, Claypits, Stinky Bay, and Kalkite in Jindabyne.

Lake Levels

Jindabyne    51.4%  

Tantangara     12.4%

Cheers Tom

Got any reports from the local lakes or rivers?

If so, email them along with pictures to info@alpineangler.com.au  for inclusion in our weekly report.