Tantangara

[Matt]

The prediction for the Snow Season this year is a pretty good one, which is going to be very beneficial for the Alpine water situation but it does mean that some of my favourite places to fish are effectively off limits as they are under a few metres of snow or the SMA closes access gates.

So before the snows came I headed up to the Snowies collected my Dad at Cooma and headed onto the magic Tantangara Reservoir, the headwaters of the might Murrumbidgee River. One of the great things about Tantangara is that the level tends not to drop below about 5% due to it being over the top of a spring. In the lean water times we have this means that unlike its big brothers Eucumbene and Jindabyne it remains stable, at about 7% for the last few months. It also see's less anglers and I am not one for crowds at a Trout Lake.

Early mornings out here are harsh, even before the onset of winter and it was bitter, but also beautiful. No wind meant that it was bearable but casting was made a chore and after 5-6 casts you had to stop and shove the old hands in you pockets. This also had a problem in that the line and guides froze and if you didn't pay attention a lost lure would be the result.

The fishing was fantastic too, a solid 700g Rainbow hitting my first Powerbait within a minute of it hitting the water! In fact, one morning I didn't get to cast a lure for 40 minutes as I was too busy cleaning fish that Dad got on lures or on the Powerbait rods! What a problem hey None of the fish were big, all Rainbows ranging from 500g - 800g but they were plentiful and full of fight. Powerbait, various lures (Minnow Spins, Ecogear VX-35s, Owner Cultivas and Jacksons all caught fish) and I got a couple of home tied Fur Flies.

It is amazing out at Tantangara, it can be so quiet you can hear conversations from miles off. Dad and I listed to a pair of Fly Fisherman that we could barely see on the opposite bank. Drags on the rods were startling when a Trout took a Powerbait and the sound of a jump re-entry shattered the silence in an amazing way. We spent two mornings out at the lake and accounting for 15 Rainbows with many others lost, keeping about half of the fish.

The snows will soon make Tantangara a tough proposition, a shame really as I have been enjoying fishing up there this year and in my opinion has been a more consistent producer of middling size Rainbows that Eucy or Jindy.

I will post up some photo's (not great, from the phone camera as both Dad and I forgot ours!) when I get home this evening.

Cheers

Windy

[nemo1203]

great report mate well done, sounds like u had u mad time.

[Steve07]

Great report on a productive trip up into the alpine's,nice catch of good size rainbows in the harsh

conditions.

Very well done!

Steve