It's a Keeper: Flyfishing Reports from 2015

Hi There folks! Well haven’t we had a mixed bag of condition over the past month!! From blistering hot days right through to sleet and freezing temperatures up on the higher slopes. But that hasn’t seem to have to had too much negative affect on the fishing.

Both lakes and rivers are fishing very well and there has been a hive of insect activity with Beetles, Mayflies, Caddis, Damsels and Dragonflies just to name a few. If your venturing out to the lake keep a close eye on the edges, especially around the weed beds as the fish are still  patrolling around in close. During the sunnier days the Damsel flies have been out in numbers, and the fish have been feeding rigorously on both the nymphs and adult Damsels (although most of the activity is below the surface). The afternoon and evenings have seen a lot of beetle activity with the fish feeding on them right through to dark. Daytime fishing during the overcast days has been a “little hit or miss” as some days there have been some great Mayfly hatches and other days not much activity at all? Prospecting the water with a Wooly Bugger or other streamer pattern during these times should produce some results, Just remember to work the water efficiently and keep moving if you’re not getting any results.

If you’re heading out on one of the many rivers and streams in the area, there is plenty of dry fly action to be had. Mayflies, Caddisflies, and Beetles are the order of the day. Elk Hair Caddis, Parachute Adams, smaller Stimulators, and Beetle patterns like Red Tags, Humpies, and Great Lakes Beetles should do the trick. On full sun days, Fishing the earlier and later parts of the day are going to be more productive, and working the edges of the banks with your fly will get better results.

The fishing right now is fantastic! So come on down to the Snowy Mountains for a visit and get into the action!!!

If you’re looking for that last minute gift idea we have plenty of goodies to fill those Santa stockings!! 

We also have a great range of Demo Rods and lines that you can try before you buy from TFO, Loop, Airflo, Rio, and Scientific Anglers just to name a few. As well as one of the biggest freshwater fly selections anywhere in Australia!!!

Happy holidays and Happy fishing,

The High Country Outfitters Crew.

The rivers have now been open for the past few weeks and there has been a very mixed bag of weather since then. We have been experiencing some unusually warm weather and just recently some unusually cold weather as well. I wish mother nature would just settle down and provide us with a little consistency. Oh well, there are some things that you just can’t control. Having said that, with the warm weather we have started to see a lot of insect activity during the day with some substantial  hatches of smaller stoneflies, Mayflies, Beetles, some midge during the afternoon and morning, and a couple of good termite falls last week. The fishing on the smaller streams is already starting to turn on some great dry fly fishing. The larger rivers like the Thredbo, Eucumbene, and upper Snowy will be best tackled with a couple of nymphs until the weather stabilizes a little. On the warmer days it would pay to fish a dry and a smaller nymph dropper although most of the better fish are still holding quite deep. The Thredbo has been flowing a little higher and  more coloured than expected for this time of year as the snow melt is in full swing, but this should start to settle down over the next couple of weeks or so.

The big news for trout anglers this season is the release of 150 tagged rainbow trout into Lake Jindabyne. These trout are a part of the Snowy Lakes trout strategy to monitor the breeding and migration cycle of these fish in the system. Most of these fish are about 2 to 3 kilograms with some of these fish now in excess of four and a half kilograms. If your lucky enough to catch on of these fish, be sure to take note of the size, date, and place of capture and get onto www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/forms/fw-fish-tagging  and register your catch. By doing this you will be helping monitor and maintain the trout population here in the Snowy Mountains and may even score yourself a reward!

A tagged rainbow caught in the lower section of the Thredbo River

AirFlo Rod

The last few weeks I have been out on the rivers and lake I have taken a few of our new additions to our fly rod range for a bit of field testing. One of these rods was the Airflo Nemisis 9ft 5weight. This is a sub $300 fly rod (in fact it retails for $249!) it comes in a cloth bag and tube and is packaged with a spare tip. The blank is well finished in an emerald green colour with quality guides and reel seat. It has a nice feel in the hand (although a little heavier than some of the premium priced fly rods available) with a supple tip for throwing some super tight loops, and a stiffer butt section for fighting those bigger fish. I was running an Airflo Superdri elite trout taper 5 weight line through the rod which was a perfect match for this rod. The Nemisis performed as good up close as it did at distance, and was happy casting a double tungsten nymph rig and deadly accurate sending small emergers out to fickle trout.

The rod was an absolute pleasure to fish allowing for great casting, line management, and fish fighting ability.

The Airflo Nemisis is rod that will definitely stand up to other rods in a much higher price point. I was so impressed with this rod that it will be making its way into my stable of personal fly rods!!!

Don’t forget to drop into the store to find out the latest conditions on the rivers and lakes.

Ant.

It’s springtime, and that means its time for a stroll around the lakes!!! The weather over the past couple of weeks has been amazing and the fish know it too! there have been plenty of very healthy browns and rainbows cruising the edges. Well presented smaller nymphs, a stealthy approach, and patience will be the keys to a successful outing. Although the fish are in close , they are still quite wary of anything that might not look quite right, so you might want to put on your ninja suit and approach with caution. As the weather continues to warm and the bugs start hatching more frequently, the fish will become a little more interested in feeding and less concerned about their surroundings. The beauty of sight fishing on the lakes at this time of the year is that you don’t have to be a great distance caster as the fish will generally be no more than 10 to 20 feet away, so its a good idea to practice your short game before you head out.

Things in the shop are starting to feel like fishing season again! With plenty of new stock from Loop, Sage, Scott, Simms, and Reddington just to name a few. Over the coming days I will endeavour to get the products up on the website for all to see! We have one of the largest selection of freshwater flies in Australia with flies from Manic Tackle Projects, Stus Superior flies,  Mick Hall flies, as well as the usual range from Pisces! If you can’t find the fly that you’re looking for then we will try our hardest to track it down or maybe even tie some up for you!

So if you’re in the area or heading down for a fish don’t forget to come on in for a chat and we’ll let you know what’s going on!!! Contact us you can give us a call for any info that you might need! 02 64562989

Have fun and hope we see you soon!

Ant.

With the bitterness of the winter weather almost behind us, now is a great time to start stalking the edges of the one of the many lakes in the region. The days are getting longer and warmer, and the fish will begin to move closer to the shoreline in search of protein. From now until October the lakes will become very productive for the sight fisher. Small flies i.e. unweighted nymphs, small wooly buggers, and even a well presented dry fly are going to be the order of the day. Taking a stealthy approach when walking the edges will help you not “spook” the fish. Be aware that they will very close to shore and searching out the weed beds. Lake Jindabyne is quite low at the moment with the weed beds almost exposed, so finding the fish right now should be a little easier. Just remember if you do spot a fish take your time to set yourself up for the cast as you will probably only get one shot, so make it count!

Don’t forget to come on in to High Country Outfitters before you head out so we can point you in the right direction and you can stock up on any gear you might need.

See you soon,

Ant.

With only a week left to go for the river fishing season, now is the time to get that last minute fix before the winter season!! The rivers around the area are looking great with some awesome fish being caught in both the Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers.  The Eucumbene has once again produced large numbers of very good fish (and with it an influx of anglers!!) with some great catches of trophy browns. If you were brave enough to tackle the crowds and weather over the past few weeks the rewards have been great. The magic combination of glo-bug and tungsten nymph have been doing the trick.

The Thredbo river hasn’t been too shabby either, although the brown run has not been as strong as the Eucumbene there has still been plenty of fish being caught and the crowds have been pretty lean as well. The weather over the next few days should see a mix of wintery snow, light to moderate winds, and some rain along with some very cold nights. So don’t forget to pack warm if you’re thing about heading down.

Over the past couple of weeks we have had some wild and windy days with a mixture of snow and rain, and with that the fish have “turned on” and started to move up the river in some very good numbers and my I say some very large fish at that!!! The Thredbo is fishing very well right now and there’s plenty of room for the angler to enjoy some exceptional fishing for some spawn run browns. The lower section of the river is holding some extra large sized fish. Hooking and landing these fish will take some very precise fishing techniques. If you find that the Glo-bug Nymph combination just not doing the trick, you could try swinging or stripping a big wooly bugger past these bigger fish for a very aggressive take, but hold on because these fish have some extra “poke” but be warned you will also need some “soft” hands to avoid being busted off! I have seen some fish well in excess of 10lb cruising the river.

The Eucumbene river has also been providing the anglers with some non-stop action with plenty of fish being caught. the lake level is quite high right now, so the river section is a little smaller and there are quite a few anglers enjoying the conditions. Just remember that the river is for everyone to enjoy, some common sense and respect for the other anglers will ensure that everyone has a good time. It can be a little like Pitt St during the holiday shopping period on the Eucumbene over the next few weeks, so ensure that along with all your gear you pack your manners as well!!

Don’t forget to drop into the shop for all the information on what’s happening on the rivers and lakes. We also have some great end of season gear specials, so get in quick so you don’t miss out!!

Ant.

After a couple of weeks of wet weather, the sun has finally come out and so have the fish!

Over the next week we should see some good quality Browns start really moving into the river system. There has already been some reports of some great quality fish in the Eucembene and Thredbo rivers. Although they are not in great numbers just yet there are certainly some big fish cruising around. The best method right now to catch some of these guys is with some heavily weighted nymphs like a Hare & Copper or Pheasant Tail with a smaller nymph trailing, or perhaps even a Glo-bug (in the next couple of weeks the Glo-bugs will be the order of the day) with an indicator to detect any action. A good drift will be the key to get some of the bigger fish to “take”, so make sure that you control your line at all times. I’m hoping to get out on the river in the next couple of days so I’ll be able to give a full report on what’s happening by the weekend.

Don’t forget we have just about every type of egg pattern to cover your bases for a successful fishing trip. Come on in for all of your needs!

Next report coming very shortly!!

Ant

What an awesome summer of fishing it’s been so far here in the Snowy Mountains, and it can only get better from here! With the warm wet summer we have had, the insects are out in great numbers which means there has been a plentiful supply of food and the trout are taking advantage of that and literally gorging themselves. This also means that with so much natural food for them to eat it makes catching them a little more difficult, so a delicate presentation with the right fly will give you an advantage. Having said that, there are so many fish in the system ranging from easy to catch minnows right through to some hefty trophy fish that you’re sure to be able to bring one up to the fly.

The dry fly fishing on the rivers is the order of the day with all of the local rivers and streams fishing exceptionally well. Grasshoppers and beetles are out in force, so the bigger flies are doing the trick of fooling these fickle creatures, But make sure that your cast is accurate and your drifts are spot on! As I said there’s a lot of bug life out there so you have to get your fly to look as close to the natural one as possible. The picks of the moving water would be the Thredbo river, Moonbah, Gungahlin, and the upper parts of the Snowy. Our top selling flies for the river have been Stimulators, Parachute Adams, Daves Hoppers, Elk Hair Caddis and Stu’s Deadly Cicada.

The lakes on the other hand are proving to be a little more “hit or miss” for the land based angler, and the boat based fishers being rewarded just that little bit more. The trick in the major lakes is to fish the drop-offs and deeper water with smaller nymphs quite slowly, and streamers from the bottom with the “killer” style of flies probably being the best type of fly to use e.g Hammils Killer, Mrs Simpson in the smaller sizes, and Bead Head Wooly Buggers to fish the deeper water.

The early mornings and evenings are the best times to fish the lakes, and just before a thunderstorm (but don’t get caught out as fishing in these times can be very dangerous considering you’ll be waving around a highly conductive piece of equipment!!) Lake Eucembene has been out-fishing Lake Jindabyne this summer, however I have seen some great catches coming out of Jindabyne particularly around the yabby beds. Don’t forget to take advantage of the windy days, with so many hoppers about they’re sure to get blown onto the water and cause a feeding frenzy for the fish!

So get out there folks and enjoy some of the best fishing we’ve had for years. Don’t forget to check out the “What’s Happening” and “Gear Talk” pages for product reviews and upcoming events.

Happy fishing folks,

The High Country Team.

Happy New Year Folks.

The weather here in Jindabyne over the last few days has been a little wet to say the least, but it hasn’t put a dampener on the fishing! The recent rain has cooled things down a little just making the rivers and streams a bit more comfortable for the trout and the lakes have some more water in them with the fish still feeding close to the edges. So if anything the wet weather has just made things a little better on the fishing front.

The rivers in the area have been and will continue to fish very well with dry flies such as mayfly and caddis patterns. There has also been a few hoppers about, so don’t forget your bigger dry fly patterns. The water levels should drop in the rivers and creeks over the next few days and should really fire up again with this bit of fresh that we just had.

The Lakes have also been fishing quite well with both Lake Eucumbene and Jindabyne producing some very good fish. Fishing the drop offs and deeper water during the day in high sun and the shallow bays during the evening should produce some great fish. Wooly buggers, Damselfly patterns during the day and Mudeye and Beetle patterns just before dusk and evening would be the best flies to use.

We have everything you need for your fly fishing adventure here in store with some fresh new stock arriving all the time. All the best brands at all the best prices and always happy to give you he latest info on the local water.

Looks like the rest of the summer fishing should be fantastic for fishing, so get on down to Jindabyne and come and get into the action.