Headlines: Fishing was excellent over the weekend with some great fish being caught by anglers competing in the Trout Festival and by others just having a fish. Storms have played a bit of havoc some nights last week but the fish have been biting quite readily overall. Eucumbene has continued to fish well for trollers, bait and fly anglers.
With the Lake continuing to rise it is now at 35% plus! 
and the fishing is getting better and better. Some more warm weather will improve the bait and fly fishing further too.
The Yamaha and Freshwater Fishing Australia, Snowy Mountains Trout Festival is underway this week and there have been some great fish caught
Largest Brown up until the end of day three is this 3.270kg caught by David Scarlett on bait.
With the largest Rainbow being caught Spinning by Simon Freebody that tipped the scales at 1.795kg. Great fish indeed. There are still three days to go and anglers will be doing their best to better these fish.
See www.troutfestival.com for daily updates on the competition catches.
Summer Season Store Trading Hours
Mon-Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 7am - 5.30pm
Sunday 8am - 4:30pm
FISHING LICENCES These are available online and you can purchase them directly from the NSW fisheries website with a credit card. Click on this link below.
https://www.licence.nsw.gov.au/gls_eservice/renewals/Application.aspx
Note: We do not have licences available through the store with Cash or EFT. We can do them online with a MasterCard or Visa only.
Flyfishing
Rivers:- Have fished very well over the weekend with the Thredbo and Eucumbene holding good numbers of fish. Both still have had plenty of water and still good numbers of fish. Nymphs and particularly beadhead versions are the pick of flies overall.
Bead head nymphs in black, brown, pheasant tail, copper john, green drake, olive, prince are all great patterns to fish in tandem with a glo bug.
*Brian Mayston from Anglers Reach had a great mid afternoon fish on the Euc river recently with fish rising everywhere to a caddis hatch. He had a ball catching them on an Elk Hair Caddis pattern.
*Kesh Gill from Sydney caught a great conditioned rainbow of 56cm on a dry in the Euc late last week. A truly magic river fish.
With many of the mountain rivers and streams having high flows dry fly fishing has been patchy but as they drop a little, and on warmer days, should see a few hatches and fish taking floating patterns. Try a larger stimulator in the fast water or, on the larger slower pools, an emerger or parachute style dry as these can work very well.
Termites have been falling on a few occasions this week so a brown ant patterns should be in your box in case of a fall of these insects.
The Moonbah, Murrumbidgee, Gungarlin, Eucumbene, Thredbo, Little Thredbo are all great rivers to have a look at over the weekend.
Lake Eucumbene:- Fly reports have been very good with some nice fish in close in many of the flooded bays. While some anglers are struggling to find fish others are turning them up regularly and right in close to shore. Pick the shallow sloping banks with plenty of vegetation and you should be able to find a few. Evening rises have been great when the conditions allow.
Be aware that with the storms some of the tracks are very sticky and boggy and not passable with two wheel drives. Park high and walk to save yourself from getting stuck.
*Stuart Sturgeon has again been on the water more than most over the last week and despite challenging conditions has still managed to catch a few nice rainbows.
The big hat has come out again and is obviously a hit with the rainbows.
Son Harry has also been helping dad land a few and the hat looks better on him too.
*Had a quick fish at the lake myself Saturday morning after a huge storm went through the night before. Water was running out of the hills everywhere and there were a few fish moving early. Managed to hook a nice brown on a foam beetle but lost him just as quick. The lake looks fantastic and Antony had a bit more skill than I landing this great brown below.
Already there are reports of midges moving in the mornings and this should be the start of a great midge year.
Fish have still been on black beetles (around a size 14 or 16) as well as numerous small thistle grubs, stick caddis, midge pupa, and snails one angler even reported a fish full of slugs! It is a great time to be on the lake at present.
Areas to look at are Wangrabelle, Seven Gates, Buckenderra, Braemar, Springwood, Yens and Cobrabald.
Lake Jindabyne:- Jindabyne has been quiet report wise though there are bound to be a few good browns and nice rainbows to be found. Eucumbene may well be a better option being that the lake is rising over grass rather than the mostly rock and sand at Jindabyne.
Sids and Rushes bay, Kalkite are all worth a look as is Hatchery bay, Hayshed bay and Kangaroo bay.
Lake Tantangara :- No reports this week. The lake has risen a little and this should make for some good fishing.
Trolling and Spinning
We have a large range of great trolling and casting lures in stock for the season, including a great colour range of McGrath divers, six blade/vibe stlye lures, New Celtas in rainbow and brown trout, New Metallic Gold Rapalas, Tassies, Lofty's, Sting's, Rebel, Viking, Stumpjumper, Jack's hopper, Flatfish, Strike Pro, TT, Squidgies, Come in and pick our brains on what to use where.
Eucumbene:- Eucumbene trolling has picked up dramatically with some very good reports.
* Ivan Mick and Marinko had a great three days trolling landing sixty fish releasing thirty of these. Most were rainbows but also a few browns to 2.5kg. The rainbows averaged just under a kilo. Early morning flatlines with # 51 lofty's was good but leadcore fished very well too. All the fishing was over by 9am. Ivan also caught five nice fish on fly using green nymphs.
*After their success on the last trip, Ivan took Brett and Aldo up for a fish and caught another fifty fish (released thrity) in the Middilingbank arm. Fenders with Lofty's # 51 was again the pick of the lures. Biggest fish was a 2.7kg brown. These boys are dead set fish magnets at the moment.
*Allen Parks did well catching this personal best brown of 2.5kg at Rainbow Pines recently. The fish ate a black Matuka fly in front of a Lofty's Cobra.
Overall edge fishing in close early has been productive as has the leadcoring and and downrigging out wide during the day.
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.
Attractors with Couta Mudeyes behind them have worked well over the weekend.
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 has produced some nice fish over the weekend with some great fish taken both trolling and spinning.
*Hi guys.
Had a HOT weekend in Jindy. Fished in the Trout Festival with the boys. had a good night Saturday, Chris Hatzis catching 1 brown 1.04kg and the rest of us 9 rainbows all a good size. It was hard work maybe because of the moon. Trolling seemed to be ok. Always a great time.
Arthur Tsoulias
*Jim (Jindabyne Jim to his mates), Tony Hynds from Geelong and Matt Daniel trolled Jindabyne on Saturday for fourteen browns and one rainbow, the browns averaged 1.5kg with a number over 2kg. All were in excellent condition. All fish fell to lures worked in 14 metres of water off the downrigger.
Matt took the photos below.
Hook up and a jumping fish.
Getting closer
In the net
And a happy angler.
Another of the other fine browns taken.
Trolling in the Kalkite and East Jindabyne area is a good place to start at present. Creel bay and the Waste point area is also a great option.
