Tuggeranong lake

[SWFisho]

Gday Raiders, 

I’ll be down Canberra next weekend staying in Chapman for the weekend which isn’t far from the Tuggeranong lake I’m just wondering what the fishing is like in the area? 
I’m from Sydney and ticking off a cod Redfin or yella with the small window of opportunity I have would be perfect. 
 

if anyone has tips on the area to target the following species I’ll be all ears. 
 

cheers, SWFisho

[Aussie_fisher]

Don’t know much about tuggeranong lake. But I do know lake burley griffin is filled with Redfin, fat carp and some good yella and cod too. I have seen a massive carp and 10+ redfin caught by some fisho at black mountain peninsula last time I went to Canberra. I’d definitely give it a shot

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Tuggeranong, Ginninderra, Yerrabi and LBG all have healthy populations of golden perch and Cod. Each of these lakes have had cod over the 1m mark caught in the last couple of years.

Also plenty of reddies and carp in the lakes.

I'm also planning a trip down that way later this month so I'd be keen to hear how you go.

[Houdini]

Lake Tugga dam wall or Burley Griffen black mountain peninsular park is prolly your best place of concentration for a cod or yella. The water will be as cold as a polar bears a@# so lures that work(wobble/rattle) well at a slow speed could be your best bet

Reddies will be all over the place and are cannibals so lures in perch colour or with a splash of bright red do well. Also pure white stands out in dirty water and can do well.  

 

[big Neil]

On 8/7/2024 at 12:42 PM, SWFisho said:

Gday Raiders, 

I’ll be down Canberra next weekend staying in Chapman for the weekend which isn’t far from the Tuggeranong lake I’m just wondering what the fishing is like in the area? 
I’m from Sydney and ticking off a cod Redfin or yella with the small window of opportunity I have would be perfect. 
 

if anyone has tips on the area to target the following species I’ll be all ears. 
 

cheers, SWFisho

Any of the places mentioned or the Molonglo River. Best gear to use is a 4-8kg rod 4000 reel, 30lb braid and leader. A good lure (not too expensive) would be a 5/8 or 3/4 oz spinnerbait in red/black or purple/black. Cast near to snags, let it sink to the bottom and SLOW retrieve. Cover the area thoroughly, Cod are lazy but they are hungry right now ahead of breeding season.

Outside of that, if you want something a bit more passive, get a carton of worms. 20lb mono, 3/0 suicide hook and a good book.

Good luck...AND RUG UP, it will be bloody freezing.

bn

[SWFisho]

On 8/8/2024 at 12:05 PM, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Tuggeranong, Ginninderra, Yerrabi and LBG all have healthy populations of golden perch and Cod. Each of these lakes have had cod over the 1m mark caught in the last couple of years.

Also plenty of reddies and carp in the lakes.

I'm also planning a trip down that way later this month so I'd be keen to hear how you go.

Thanks for the tip that’s good to know I’ll be having a crack at Tuggeranong I’ll only be throwing some lighter chatters, spinners and vibes around there to try for a bite I’m going on a family holiday so it’ll be ideal if I can get a fish or two out of the Tuggeranong. 
 

Living in Sydney were only really bass fishos when it comes to fresh water so it’ll be good to tick a few freshies off the list I’ll keep my progress posted anyways cheers!!

[SWFisho]

On 8/8/2024 at 3:00 PM, big Neil said:

Any of the places mentioned or the Molonglo River. Best gear to use is a 4-8kg rod 4000 reel, 30lb braid and leader. A good lure (not too expensive) would be a 5/8 or 3/4 oz spinnerbait in red/black or purple/black. Cast near to snags, let it sink to the bottom and SLOW retrieve. Cover the area thoroughly, Cod are lazy but they are hungry right now ahead of breeding season.

Outside of that, if you want something a bit more passive, get a carton of worms. 20lb mono, 3/0 suicide hook and a good book.

Good luck...AND RUG UP, it will be bloody freezing.

bn

I’m going down for a family holiday so I’ll be keeping it light and trying to powerfish the lake Tuggeranong, hopefully I’ll get a few bites in my window I have available!

[SWFisho]

On 8/8/2024 at 1:59 PM, Houdini said:

Lake Tugga dam wall or Burley Griffen black mountain peninsular park is prolly your best place of concentration for a cod or yella. The water will be as cold as a polar bears a@# so lures that work(wobble/rattle) well at a slow speed could be your best bet

Reddies will be all over the place and are cannibals so lures in perch colour or with a splash of bright red do well. Also pure white stands out in dirty water and can do well.  

 

I’ll be having a crack at the Tuggeranong, good to know there’s a healthy population in there of fish I was thinking of giving the dam wall a crack first up looks like the deepest part of the lake, would you have any other spots around the lake you would recommend?

[Ganguddy Goodoo]

Canberra lakes can be a bit of a cold slow grind in winter. I've heard Tuggers is fishing better than other urban lakes at the moment but you often hear conflicting reports on that front. My take on it is that cod, yellas and redfin are caught right through winter but it is the local diehards who know the lakes intimately who get most of the fish.

I live in North Canberra so know Lake G, Yerrabi and LBG much better. I've only fished Tuggers a few times and only picked up a few small redfin so can't offer much specific advice. The following techniques have worked for me in other Canberra lakes in winter.

1) Yellas- I've done best between 10am and 2pm as the sun warms the water. Most fish taken on small metal blades or vibes (TN50). Others seem to swear by SPs on a beetle spin jig head. Most of my fish have come from the kayak around bridge pylons or down rocky drops offs. Maybe up near the spillway at Tuggers would be good on foot.

2) Reddies- could be anywhere. Any point or bank where you can put your lure on the edge of a weedbed or line of reeds puts you in with a shot. I tend to use small curl tailed grubs or small blades. In winter If i'm just prospecting water with unknown structure I'd probably nedrig the sp and either use a super slow retrieve or use a bunch of super long pauses (10-15 seconds) with a hop in between. Places you could try this at Tuggers is the grassy bank up from the Dam wall or the paths/boardwalks on either side of the lake between the spillway and the dam wall.

3) Cod- Most of my local cod have come out of the Bidgee on spinnerbaits. However I've never even got a hit on a spinnerbait in the lakes. All my lake cod have been from trolling hardbodies or bringing vibes (TN70 or doozer) or bigger SPs (10-12cm) up or down drop offs and none of those were in winter. Local reports indicate Tuggers cod can be caught from the dam wall in low light periods. Surprisingly some of the local guns do well on surface lures. That doesn't make sense to me but they are the ones catching them and I'm not.

My son was busted off be a big cod 2 weeks ago in Lake G. ZX 30 on 6lb leader so no chance of landing it. So you are in with a shot and you may actually catch a species you were not actually targeting.

Good luck.

[Ganguddy Goodoo]

Also if there is any rain just before you make it down here try fishing near where stormwater drains/pipes flow into the lake. This will increase your chances of getting onto a yella.

[big Neil]

On 8/11/2024 at 8:38 PM, SWFisho said:

I’m going down for a family holiday so I’ll be keeping it light and trying to powerfish the lake Tuggeranong, hopefully I’ll get a few bites in my window I have available!

Good luck mate.

bn

[SWFisho]

On 8/12/2024 at 11:27 AM, Ganguddy Goodoo said:

Canberra lakes can be a bit of a cold slow grind in winter. I've heard Tuggers is fishing better than other urban lakes at the moment but you often hear conflicting reports on that front. My take on it is that cod, yellas and redfin are caught right through winter but it is the local diehards who know the lakes intimately who get most of the fish.

I live in North Canberra so know Lake G, Yerrabi and LBG much better. I've only fished Tuggers a few times and only picked up a few small redfin so can't offer much specific advice. The following techniques have worked for me in other Canberra lakes in winter.

1) Yellas- I've done best between 10am and 2pm as the sun warms the water. Most fish taken on small metal blades or vibes (TN50). Others seem to swear by SPs on a beetle spin jig head. Most of my fish have come from the kayak around bridge pylons or down rocky drops offs. Maybe up near the spillway at Tuggers would be good on foot.

2) Reddies- could be anywhere. Any point or bank where you can put your lure on the edge of a weedbed or line of reeds puts you in with a shot. I tend to use small curl tailed grubs or small blades. In winter If i'm just prospecting water with unknown structure I'd probably nedrig the sp and either use a super slow retrieve or use a bunch of super long pauses (10-15 seconds) with a hop in between. Places you could try this at Tuggers is the grassy bank up from the Dam wall or the paths/boardwalks on either side of the lake between the spillway and the dam wall.

3) Cod- Most of my local cod have come out of the Bidgee on spinnerbaits. However I've never even got a hit on a spinnerbait in the lakes. All my lake cod have been from trolling hardbodies or bringing vibes (TN70 or doozer) or bigger SPs (10-12cm) up or down drop offs and none of those were in winter. Local reports indicate Tuggers cod can be caught from the dam wall in low light periods. Surprisingly some of the local guns do well on surface lures. That doesn't make sense to me but they are the ones catching them and I'm not.

My son was busted off be a big cod 2 weeks ago in Lake G. ZX 30 on 6lb leader so no chance of landing it. So you are in with a shot and you may actually catch a species you were not actually targeting.

Good luck.

Thanks mate tossing up between LBG and tuggers now, is the landbased fishing at LBG as accessible as tuggers? I’ve heard black mountain peninsular park is the go for a land based fish there 

[big Neil]

Good luck mate. Put the time in and you should get something. Plenty of fish in both locations if they are biting,

bn

[Ganguddy Goodoo]

6 hours ago, SWFisho said:

Thanks mate tossing up between LBG and tuggers now, is the landbased fishing at LBG as accessible as tuggers? I’ve heard black mountain peninsular park is the go for a land based fish there 

LBG- Black Mountain- the steep drop-off holds natives but you have to work hard to find gaps in the vegetation on foot. The shallower flats and point might go ok (warmer shallower water in the arvo might attract active fish). The rockwall further west is a good spot on foot and you have about 500m of good water until you reach the rowing lanes (I've done better in low light outside of winter here). Lennox Gardens would be my pick. Deeper water on the bridge side and good weedbeds as you follow the bike path over towards the bay with the yacht club. Directly across the lake from Lennox Gardens (behind the museum) is always popular ... often bait fishos but people pick up red and yellow on lures too.

Good luck

[SWFisho]

I ended up fishing Tuggeranong for about an hour and abit, no bites or fish activity water seemed fairly clear after a light shower. I fish the stretch near the dam wall around to a shallow beach in front of a skate park. No luck ticking any natives off but was good to get out in unknown territory I’ll be back to tick them off at some point Canberra hasn’t seen the last of me haha