FlyFishing at Tantangara - Southern NSW

[chris dawson]

Just thought I would post a thread to inform people about the great flyfishing us "Southerners" sometimes experience.
Went to Tantangara Dam, one of the Snowy Mountains Hydro storages last weekend for a loch-style lake drifting session with the fly. Saturday was overcast, raining at times with variable winds. Conditions that seem perfect for this kind of fishing, especially at this time of the year. My boat fishing partner and I were able to catch approximately 30 or so brown and rainbow trout up to about a kilo for the day. Not large trout by any stretch of the imagination but a whole lot of fun nonetheless.

Sunday was a much different story, however with fine sunny, flat calm conditions. I have found that these are very challenging trout fishing conditions at Tantangara. Much more suited to polaroiding at Jindabyne (some 100 or more kms away) or for fishing in a river (the trout fishing season in rivers does not open for a few more weeks). After a lot of moving around in the boat, changing flies and lines, we finally managed four trout in deep water using Di-5 sinking flylines and much smaller flies.

I read about other species of fish and the preferred conditions to catch them and sometimes wonder why I don't move up north to fish in shorts and a t-shirt with the fly! Anyway, just thought I'd give the trouties and/or ex-trouties a bit of a plug.
Cheers,
Daws

[edleigh7]

Good on Daws...any pics??

No doubt you kept a 3lb Rainbow for me and it is Kryvaced and in the post to my house as we speak!!

What fly were you catching them on in the deep mate??

Ed

[chris dawson]

G'Day Edda,
fished deep using a two fly rig, the top fly being a New Zealand tied damsel immitation with a red plastic beaded head and the point fly was a 1/8th tungsten, predominantly black woolly bugger with a considerable amount of flash.

The retrieve varied from a slow roly-poly retrieve to short, sharp strips.

The line used when fishing deep was a Di-5, however, with the flat calm conditions, I could easily have got away with a Di-3 or even a fast intermediate line.

Regardless, a very long leader seemed useful in the bright conditions.

Sorry about not sending up a 3lb rainbow as yet. I think you would probably prefer a brown from the mountain lakes as they are all chock full of yabbies and have a bright red flesh when cleaned. We only kept a couple for the table, as usual, I got carried away with catch and release and forgot about saving one for my mates!

Talk soon buddy,
Daws