The Alpine Angler

Gday Trouties..
Just a quick report to touch base with you...The 3 main storages have continued to fish well through September.A slowly rising Eucumbene keeps giving up exceptional wild brown trout to all methods.Jindabyne is also creeping up in level and providing great sport to most anglers.Browns roaming the extreme edge have captured the attention of us fly fishos whilst the huge Salmon and Rainbows are in the minds of trollers and spin enthusiasts.Powerbaits in chunky cheese and fluro orange taking plenty of rainbows while the scrubworm and grub being the best for the wily browns.Tantangarra has been slowly receding due to the portal being open,but the fishing has not been affected and remains good.Flat line trolling bullets,rapalas,tassies and strike pro flatz minnows doing the job.Bait,shore based spinning and prospecting soaks on the western shore with wet fly either dawn,dusk and overcast days has been productive.The frogs are starting to become active on most of our waterways as they prepare to spawn and you can bet your bottom dollar that they,along with their larvae will be the next highlight of the edge fishermans calender and its not to far away.Fishing tadpole type flies and spawning frog patterns such as the mark 2 wooly bugger in and around the soaks during low light periods should be on our minds now and for the next month or so.Now that we are deeper into spring and the days have a stronger U.V count,the top dams of Kosciuszko N.P will be starting to fire as the bugs start to become abundant.Island Bend,Guthega,Rainbow lake,Sponars and Diggers creek dam are nestled in the higher altitudes of the mountains and can offer respite from the heat on the warmer days and offer excellent dry fly fishing to rises or sighted fish.Spin fishing these lakes can be rewarding but you will need to use a subtle approach with little lures like #1 celtas,3cm bullets,rapalas or plastics.
Rivers.
Recent rain pushed the main rivers like thredbo,upper bidgee and Eucumbene up to the high water marks and made fishing a bit tricky and technical tactics were necessary to engage with a trout.The need to have fly or lure ticking the bottom was paramount as fish held in undercuts,clutches,nooks and crannies of the river bed.Smaller tribs were a bit kinder and settled quicker to allow for more comventional and comfortable tactics.Little thredbo,cascades and moonbah provide sport to lure and fly and on the Euc side,Alpine creek,bullocks head and upper kiandra were worthy options.The monaro got a much needed flush which made sight fishing and dry fly dificult at times,but it was great to see these fragile creeks have a bit of flow.Lots of the monaro creeks flow through private property,so a knock on a door and asking for permission to cross private property is greatly appreciated and usually results in a friendship made and good access.The snowy between Jindabyne and Dalgety produced nice browns,but was not easy fishing with higher than normal flows due to a scheduled environmental release from Jindabyne.Murrumbidgee below Tantangarra has been on 1 day and slow the next and most likely needs a bit more of this spring weather to generate some bug life and get the fish looking up a bit more consistenly.Dont forget the 45th annual snowy mountains trout festival commences on the 3rd of November and finishes on the 9th. With good boat launching at Old Adaminiby,Buckenderra and the Dams wall,and $30,000 in prizes on up for grabs,aswell as excellent fishing,its sure to be another great event.For more info or to register go to www.troutfestival.com.au
For anymore reports,advice,help or to top up your tackle, either call us on 02 6452 5538 ,message us on FB or drop in to the shop at 647 Snowy Mountains Hwy Cooma.