YZ250

Hi Repb7, I dont have the marks as I didnt mark them up and dont have that sounder anymore - but the fish on this trip came from the deeper part of the lake near sanctuary point. Its all pretty consistent around that 9m to 9.5m mark and it was just a matter of drifting til fish started biting. I have been back to that area a couple of times since though without luck on the snapper (caught flatties though).

Hi Jon, Those dolphins saved my uncles session at North Bar beach a week or so ago. He could see salmon but they were beyond reach in the waves, then the dolphins moved in and pushed the salmon inshore and he got 5 stonkers in quick succession. Great photos.

The same thing they'll do to the Tantangara, Jindabyne and Eucumbene when Snowy Hydro 2.0 is finished. : (

Thanks Hoods, that’s great advice.

Hi All, thanks very much for the replies. Some excellent advice there. definitely keen for a boat show and also to get out to in as many craft as I can to get a feel. paddy thanks very much for the weather info. It’s just what I was after. I had a laugh at this bit: “you can fish in a large long period swell if you have the stomach to cope“ My sea legs are a bit suss. I’m absolutely fine underway and never feel remotely ill, but the green goblins a definite possibility If I’m bobbing around in shit and trying to tie rigs and stuff. If I can keep my head up and move the boat every 20 or 30 mins Im normally fine. re wind - how much warning to you get when it’s about to go to shit? For instance If a southerlys about to roll in. Is it a matter of watching BOM carefully or do you get other clues? Don

Hi Crusher, yep thermals and beanie for sure! Although the thermals weren’t much chop on closing weekend when i got distracted and walked in too deep and flooded my thigh waders! Christ that was cold.

Hi All, I am new to boating and currently fish estuaries and lakes in my 3.5m tinny. One day (hopefully relatively soon) I will upgrade to a 5m boat to poke outside in. I am mainly interested in flathead drifting, fishing Montague Island and heading out to the Fads. I am keen on some advice on what the sea states are usually like around the south coast of NSW at various times of the year as this is where I will be putting in 90 percent of the time (JB, Batemans Bay, Narooma - possibly Eden). I understand that under 1m is considered a very small swell - but how often does this happen? Is it common? What is an average sea state or swell size around the South coast and what is a bad sea and how often do these occur? I know there is a million variable to consider like season and weather but I am just trying to get an idea of what these areas are like and how I could use that to narrow down the search for my next boat. Also - I have heard that 90hp as a good starting point in a 5m boat to head out like I want to do. Is that about right? Again - apologies as I know there are many variables but I am starting from zero knowledge base so would be grateful for any input. Don

Trout fishing is what got me hooked on fishing so to speak, well over 20 years ago now. However I had actually never fished one of the famed snowy mountain spawning runs until this year when I had my first hit out in the Jindabyne region. The weather forecast was dismal, and I nearly didn’t pack the rod until a colleague from work pointed out that the forecast squalls and storms would likely only fire the fish up. I was principally in town to visit family following easing of Covid restrictions, so fishing was a secondary objective based around that. A window came up late on Saturday afternoon and I took it, heading out to the Thredbo river at Gaden Hatchery to try my luck. Right as I got there, a good old fashioned thunderstorm hit and I sat in the car for a full thirty minutes to wait it out. It eventually eased enough for me to head out and start quite a decent walk through rain to the water you are allowed to fish above the hatchery. I hadn’t been at it long when a stonking brown hit my lure in quite skinny water. He made a good account for himself and I was absolutely stoked to get him in. He was a PB for me, and came in just under 50cms long. Quite skinny though – and was soon on his way. Apologies for the poor photo – I was by myself and didn’t have time to frame it. I fished for another thirty mins after this and had a couple of hits, and also landed a small 30cm brown who wasn’t pictured. By this stage my hands were so cold I was starting to have trouble reeling in, so I decided it was time to go home. The weather was freezing, still raining and I was the only mug out there! So I went home for a hot shower and a beer. The next day was beautiful, It was Sunday and we were heading home but my partner was keen for a bit of a drive and some light fishing. We set our sights on Guthega as she wanted to show me the area, and we stopped at the snowy river along the way. Before long I was onto another stunning male brown. This one was about 42cms but with beautiful markings. He had a great fight and was released and on his way to carry on his spawning efforts. 15 minutes and one dropped trout after that, I landed my fourth fish for the weekend. This one was very dark and in better condition, although the photo doesn't really show it. He came in around 45cms and put up a raging fight. He was also released and I folded the rod up to carry on driving – 2 beauties landed and one dropped between 12 noon and 1pm. We hit Guthega and by this stage I knew the fish were on. I saw the dam completely surrounded by snow and nearly chickened out – however I suspected I would regret not trying my arm. I trudged down to the water (which took longer than expected) and carefully approached the edge. The water was ridiculously clear – impossible to describe. You could see meters and meters through it. Sure enough, there was a lovely small brown holding beyond a rock. I made three casts at him and thought he wasn’t going to take it – and then on the fourth he belted my lure. Following this it started snowing lightly but I fished on. I had another hookup on a stunning brown, the colours on him were incredible. He was around that 40cm mark and got off at my rod tip. I fished for another 15 or 20 minutes and had a follow in from a horse that looked about six inches across his back – but he didn’t strike. By now it was below zero and my partner was patiently waiting up at the car so I thought I better head home after an unforgettable snow fishing session. And the cold? I wasn’t just referring to the weather – this weekend just gone I hit up the same areas with the same techniques for a big fat donut. Didn’t get a bump! But that’s trout fishing and that’s what keeps us coming back.

Thanks everyone. I should have added that this trip was really improved by the people at fishraider. I read some old posts that were spot on re advice and also got further advice from helpful members. i have been fishing for over 20 years but virtually all of that has been chasing trout in stream or from the bank. I’m lucky I have a partner who loves being on the water (sailing background) and is keen on leaning to fish. So at the moment I just love quantity over quality as we both get excited boating new species (this was both our first ever tailor and snapper). When is the best time to fish St George’s basin? I understand winter is a bit tougher - when do the fish really chew?

Hi All, I was tossing up where to fish on the long weekend and decided that the 22 degrees of St Georges basin beat the hell out of the brass monkey weather forecast for Lake Eucumbene, so I packed the boat and headed down for a couple of nights there with my partner. I have only recently purchased this boat (my first) and am still setting it up the way I like it so this trip was a good chance to evaluate some trim adjustments I made to the motor recently. Of course fishing was a primary consideration too, particularly putting my partner onto some fish as she has almost no experience fishing at all. We didn’t get down there until mid-afternoon on Saturday and by the time we got to the boat ramp it must have been 330pm or so. I was filled with confidence when I saw a guy at the fish tables cleaning a nice bag of snapper and one big flathead. He was very helpful too and willingly gave me some tips and a spot to try drifting for Snapper. We headed out to the middle of the lake and were only drifting (in 9m of water) for around for about 5 minutes when my partners rod went off. Mine went not long after and thus continued the pattern for the next hour and a half. In the end we boated about 10 fish (and lost half that again) comprising 8 snapper (one keeper) and 2 Tailor (one legal but released, one small). The next day was forecast to be a cracker and we were on the water by 11 and headed over to the bay in front of Sussex Inlet to have a dig. The wind and chop was up and we were drifting much quicker than the day before (at about 1.5kmh). After about 10 minutes I was starting to feel a bit green when suddenly both rods went off. I pulled up a 38cm flatty but my partner got chewed off by what I would wager was a flatty too. By rights we should have returned to that drift and kept at it but my partner wanted to explore sussex inlet so we did that instead. It was beautiful down in there and we spent two hours exploring including seeing heaps of luderick and Garfish. I was tempted to have a go at them but couldn’t be bothered re-rigging as I wanted to get back to the flathead spot for the incoming tide. By this stage it was about 2pm I think and the wind was mostly gone. There were HEAPS of boats out there, and I chose a spot to pull up and drop the trusty prawn over the side again (the only bait used all weekend). We fished for thirty of forty minutes without getting a bite. Suddenly I realised we were alone! ALL the boats had buggered off. So I took the hint and left too – upstream to chase bream in the feeder creek. This proved to be a fun but fruitless exercise so we decided to go back to the Snapper spot from the day before. By now it was probably close to four pm and the lake was glass. I really enjoyed pinning the 9.8hp two stroke and rushing to the Snapper spot at full noise. The boat was going heaps better since adjusting the TRIM – holding over 30kmh with ease whereas before it was only good for 25 or 26kmh. When we arrived it felt a bit quiet and I wasn’t seeing much on the sounder. The drift was almost motionless at an imperceptible .2kmh. Just as I was beginning to think we wouldn’t get a thing the bites started. Some of them felt much bigger than the day prior, and I was eventually busted off by something that was definitely big – even my partner could tell just by seeing the bow in the rod. Shortly after I was on again, and I could tell it was a better fish. I got this one up – it was 40cms and about a kilo and it went straight into the esky. We stayed out there until right on dark, by which point bait was busting on the surface next to our boat which was very exciting. Unfortunately whatever was doing this wouldn’t take my lure which was frustrating as the sounder was showing some big fish lurking about. All in all it was a fantastic visit and we both are very keen to head back there again. Having done some initial surveys and had some luck we are both very keen to return soon with revised tactics and some more changes to the boat. Brendan

Thanks Green Hornet! Looks like Palm Beach have availability. Booderee all booked out!

Hi All, I was hoping to put the boat in on St Georges basin this long weekend. Can anyone recommend places to camp that are nearby (30 or 40 min drive max)? I just want to roll out the swag and don't need too much amenity, would consider anything from a caravan park to a national park spot but am struggling to find anything. Brendan

Hi Gordo, Nice report and in actual fact that's pretty good fishing comparted to what many up there had over Easter and towards the end of April. I was out on the lake for 4 hours resulting in just the one 38cm rainbow on Saturday 27th and someone I met at the boat ramp reckoned it was the only fish he had seen caught that week. Its not like they weren't there either - we picked up HUNDREDS of them on the sounder out between the islands near the claypits. They spanned the full depth of the water column but wouldn't touch a bloody thing we threw at them. Looking forwards to getting back out there in June /July when hopefully they start coming back from spawning and are hungry.

Thanks Gordo! I agree re the Alpine Angler. Its my favorite tackle store I reckon! I have actually booked in for a guided session with Steve so that I can learn all of his tips and tricks. I decided to start out on the right foot with some good demonstration and advice from one of the best. I will take a look at your other reports now too. Brendan

Yeah I now have family in Jindy which is why I am keen to focus on this lake. I was always under the impression that it was harder to fish than Eucumbene, but the fish were better quality. We will find out soon I guess. I tell you what though - its bloody unreal to be able to fish a snowy lake and then retire to a pub or a warm house (for free!) at the end of the day.

Fantastic report - it has whet my appetite as after being a dedicated Eucumbene fisherman for some time I have decided this is the year to hit Jindy. The humble tassie devil...So long as you get the colour right I reckon it still takes 10 times the fish that any other lure does.....and at a fraction of the price.

Hi Gents, Apologies for the delay in responding - I missed then notification on this thread. Thanks very much for the suggestions re sidescan settings - i'll definitely take a look at those. Re looking out the side to see fish - Lake Gininderra is a bit of a swamp and on a good day the vis might be 50cms. On most days its actually much less! So I couldn't see anything except the green murky depths. I have been out with the sounder a few times since. I grabbed this shot of something big in the same lake a month ago, consensus around here is it was probably a large cod. I did notice on the weekend when using my sounder with a petrol motor for the first time that I am losing the bottom when up on the plane. I think its because the transducers coming out of the water so i'll have to take a look at that. Thanks again.

Hi All, I have attached some screen shots from my first trip out with my new sounder. Its a Lowrance Hook2 7x, and its the first sounder I have ever owned. The shots were from a trip to lake Gininnderra which is an ornamental lake in Canberra which is full of carp and redfin and also stocked with Golden Perch and Murray Cod. I have marked up some questions on the screenshots regarding what the sounder is picking up. I installed it myself, and followed Lowrance's instructions. Grateful for any assistance and advice re what I am seeing and tuning or adjustment if you think its required. Brendan