Chasing my first trout

[OZrevhead]

Hi all, I live in western Sydney and just started reading about trout in the Oberon area so I am keen to have a go at catching my first trout, hopefully at Lake Oberon. So, I have lots of questions:

Is there any time when fishing is restricted?

What is the best time of year to try for trout?

Is there an area I will have a better chance (without giving away secret spots etc)?

I have never fly fished and don't have fly gear, I am interested in fly but maybe another time. I read that powerbait works, is this right? Worth a try? What colour? Or better chances on lure?

Do baits work better at a particular time of day?

What is the best way to rig for trout?

Do I need to go ultra light eg 2kg?

Any spots better than Lake Oberon to try?

Any help with this quest would be greatly appreciated.

😁

[kingie chaser]

Plenty of info out there & also if you do a forum search there were some recent trout topics in here with people asking some similar questions.

https://www.fishraider.com.au/search/?&q=trout&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy

 

These could also help-

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/619931/trout-waters-rec-fishing-guide-northern.pdf

 

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/619929/trout-waters-rec-fishing-guide-central.pdf

 

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/619930/trout-waters-rec-fishing-guide-southern.pdf

 

Good luck.

[Volitan]

9 hours ago, OZrevhead said:

Hi all, I live in western Sydney and just started reading about trout in the Oberon area so I am keen to have a go at catching my first trout, hopefully at Lake Oberon. So, I have lots of questions:

Is there any time when fishing is restricted?

What is the best time of year to try for trout?

Is there an area I will have a better chance (without giving away secret spots etc)?

I have never fly fished and don't have fly gear, I am interested in fly but maybe another time. I read that powerbait works, is this right? Worth a try? What colour? Or better chances on lure?

Do baits work better at a particular time of day?

What is the best way to rig for trout?

Do I need to go ultra light eg 2kg?

Any spots better than Lake Oberon to try?

Any help with this quest would be greatly appreciated.

😁

Q1 - most waterways have closed seasons. You need to check the regulations on fisheries website.

Q2  - for waterways with closed seasons the best time is usually the first couple and last couple of weeks of the open season. For lakes open year round, usually avoid the hot months as trout will be lethargic. Generally early spring and autumn give best catches, but there are exceptions to this rule for which you need local knowledge.

For most trout fishermen, being on the water on opening weekend is a must - in fact some years opening weekend and the next couple of weeks are the only times I fish most streams. After a couple of weeks they’ve gone off.

Q3 - no, Oberon probably produces as well as and more consistently then any other lake in the region.

Q4 - baits work best at dusk and daybreak. In the absence of any local knowledge, early morning and evening are always the best time to try.

Q5 - Power bait is probably the most consistent trout catcher. Fluoro yellow is good as their eyesight is particularly sensitive to that end of the spectrum so it really stands out for them.

You should probably take some lures to chuck around as well, in case the bait isn’t working. If you want to reduce it to just one lure type, I would take Tassie Devils for lakes and small celtas for streams. Celtas work well in streams because the action begins immediately you start the retrieve, which is important when the stream may only be a couple of meters wide.

Q6 - A running sinker rig with single hook about 1 meter below the sinker. Use the lightest sinker you can - I used to use 2 or 3 sugar cubes with holes drilled in the middle as a sinker - the sugar cubes would give you some weight to cast but would dissolve after a few minutes giving you a weightless line. Trout are much less suspicious of a weightless line.

Q7 - Generally trout are wary and take a stationary bait very cautiously. Therefore always go as light as possible. 2kg is not ultralight for trout.

[dirvin21]

worms work really well on trout, make sure you give them some slack line when they pick it up 

[Jiggy]

Some other places you could try are Pejar Dam near Crookwell, Lake Wallace (Wallerawang) and Thompsons Creek Dam at Lithgow. I've caught good trout in all of them. I believe that Wallace now has redfin in it so if the trout aren't biting you can target them instead.

I only use lures so celtas, tassie devils, tiger minnows, soft plastics. All of them work on a given day and trout will totally ignore them on a given day too.

Good Luck

Rob

Edited September 7, 2020 by Jiggy
Misspelling of place name

[OZrevhead]

Thanks for the replies guys, its most appreciated.

Re fishing season, I found this:

Quote

Lake Oberon is open to anglers all year round, but the streams are subject to Freshwater Fishing Regulations. The season for stream fishing opens at the start of October long weekend and closed at the end of the June long weekend.

Does that mean you would expect trout to be more prolific in the dam during the stream season? I suppose it will be crowded during the October long weekend (only a few weeks away now).

👍😄

Edited September 7, 2020 by OZrevhead

[OZrevhead]

Am I better off trying to get up there asap, before the October long weekend? Or after? Do they like colder weather more?

Cheers

[kingie chaser]

Trout are there all the time all year round, you just have to adjust your methods to the time of year whether its stream or lake.

You can even catch fish in the middle of summer but more likely by trolling with a downrigger but even in the cooler times of the day closer to shore.

 

Its all trial & error, you just have to get out there, there are no garantees any time of the year!!

 

[PaddyT]

On 9/7/2020 at 9:44 AM, Jiggy said:

Some other places you could try are Pejar Dam near Crookwell, Lake Wallace (Wallerawang) and Thompsons Creek Dam at Lithgow. I've caught good trout in all of them. I believe that Wallace now has redfin in it so if the trout aren't biting you can target them instead.

I only use lures so celtas, tassie devils, tiger minnows, soft plastics. All of them work on a given day and trout will totally ignore them on a given day too.

Good Luck

Rob

you forgot Lake Lyell (which also has bass and now redfin)-reminder that Thompsons Creek Dam is lure and fly only

[Jiggy]

Yes indeed Lake Lyell; I've not fished it but I want to give it a shot one time. Thanks for that.

Cheers

Rob

[61 crusher]

Regarding Lyell twilight periods or into the dark, look for prominent points into deep water during the day & have a cast with lures that get down eg tassies while soaking a bait, only 2 lines per angler in the fresh

[PaddyT]

yep agree with that-pulled some excellent trout in walking distance from the dam wall off the rocky points

[OZrevhead]

Thanks alot everyone, I will try to get up there soon and hopefully have some results to show.

Cheers

[OZrevhead]

ok so this hasnt happened yet but I have some time off next week so we might go to Oberon then.

Can anyone tell me how the recent and ongoing rain affects fishing at Oberon (and freshwater in general)?

Will the dam be dirty/muddy?

[PaddyT]

2 hours ago, OZrevhead said:

ok so this hasnt happened yet but I have some time off next week so we might go to Oberon then.

Can anyone tell me how the recent and ongoing rain affects fishing at Oberon (and freshwater in general)?

Will the dam be dirty/muddy?

Yep and yep-try some worms off the bank especially if the lake is rising