G’day fishos. What fantastic weather we’ve had this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That drop of rain was needed, and the rest of the week was just beautiful.
This is exactly what we need to get those slippery little suckers to have a crack.
It’s also the time of the year for a fishing comp or two, and we’ve got a couple coming up.
The Leigh Martin Mercury Classic Lake Hume is on again – this year’s dates are October 13 and 14. The yellas were very disappointing last year, but things are starting to look up for this year’s season with a couple showing up already.
It’s always been a very well-run comp, so give it a crack if you haven’t before.
The Dartmouth Trout Trolling Comp hasn’t been going for that long, but good feedback from previous comps has meant its gaining momentum really quickly.
It’s happening from October 19-21, a week after the Lake Hume Classic, and with the weather picking up, those trout should be chewing a bit harder one would hope.
Unfortunately, the Carpathon at Horseshoe Lagoon is also being held on the Sunday of that weekend, but I really think the Carpathon is targeting a different audience anyway.
Lavington Anglers Club is running the Carpathon this year, with the emphasis of the day being on getting individuals, families and kids out to Horseshoe Lagoon to learn more about fishing, educating them on everything fishing.
The NSW Fisheries information van will be there, as well as members from the club helping anyone out with info on knot tying, rigging rods and so on. Should be a great day.
After being away for a few weeks, it was very sad to hear of a great local fisherman passing a week or two back.
Laurie Moretti was a real fishing identity in our area and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I’m sure all readers of this column would like me to pass our condolences on to Laurie’s family and friends.
AT A GLANCE
Dartmouth (89 per cent, pretty much the same last year) – despite the great conditions, only seemed to produce onesies and twosies this week from reports we received.
Lake Hume (52 per cent, was 89 per cent last year) – is still creeping up, and if pictures on Facebook are any indication, the trout are definitely on the improve.
There were quite a few good fish posted this week, with the bulk of them between 60-65cm, which are bloody good fish. Most are in good nick too and by all reports are great fighters.
Pete Chalmers also reported picking up five trout in a session in the Bowna area, but there wasn’t much size to them – two being around the 30cm mark and the others around 25cm. Two were picked up flat lining tassies on top, and the other three were caught on a deep diving Hotlips. There’s also reports of some redfin being picked up, mainly on worms and mainly in that 6-8 metre mark around trees.
Blowering (76 per cent) – has been reasonably kind to cod fishos again this week, with some great fish being angled from the bank and a couple of good fish also reported on lures.
The odd good yella has also been trolled as a bit of a bycatch by cod fishos trolling hard bodies in the 80-100cm range, so they’d be worth targeting now as that water warms up.
Streams – were a bit of a mixed bag last week, with some affected more than others by that rain two days before opening day.
While most fishos still managed to get one here and there, the lucky ones who got onto the upper reaches of a couple of those streams – and didn’t get the worst of it – did OK.
Dave Donnelly and his young son Archie were in the latter category.
Dave was in the Compleat Angler on Friday and picked up a new small stream rod and a couple of lures for Archie, who proceeded to land two lovely 35cm trout the next morning.
Not a bad effort for a seven-year-old.
Most streams cleared and dropped during the week, but Thursday’s rain might just slow things a little again this weekend.
Tantangara (50 per cent, 32 per cent last year) – is still rising and fishing well.
Eucumbene (18 per cent, 36 per cent last year) and Jindabyne (63 per cent, 76 per cent last year) – are both fishing well, with trollers and bank fishos both getting reasonable numbers.
The old technique of walking the banks and tossing metal spoons has made a real comeback.
It has proven to be very successful for some.
Quite a few fishos are mixing it up a bit, with soft plastics also pretty popular in both lakes.
Anyhow, I hope you get the chance to get out this week and land a good catch.