Canberra Fishing Report | March 14, 2023

Canberra Local

The Local lakes continue produce good catches of Redfin with large schools often found.

Ecogear ZX Blades have been very successful, as they’re such a versatile searching option for covering a wide range of water depths.

The occasional Golden Perch have also fallen victim to the ZX blades.
Places to try are around the Yacht Club and Yarralumla Bay on Lake Burley Griffin.

There continues to be some XL Murray Cod caught in the Murrumbidgee with the river levels dropping over the last few weeks.

Some fish over the magic metre mark have been caught on the 7” & 9” Irukandji Soft Plastics, rigged with weedless hooks.

Evening surface action has also been good on the Kingfisher range of topwater lures including the NEW Olympus 116 Paddler.

The water clarity is good and as a result, cod on fly is a worthwhile option.

 

Snowy Mountains

Lake Eucumbene continues to be the standout with some of the best fishing we’ve seen in decades!

Some solid Rainbows have been caught around the edges on the Southern shoreline of the lake.

Buckenderra, Middlingbank, Rushy’s & Frying Pan have been the standout locations.

Small beadhead Nymphs like the Manic Nosebleed, Pheasant Tail & Kryptonite Caddis Nymphs have been very successful.

Other patterns like Muz’s Sticky Caddis, Hot Snail & Crystal Chironomid have also accounted for some good fish.

The night fishing continues to improve with Mudeye hatches being reported.

The Manic ‘Deepwater Dragon’ and ‘Mooching Mudeye’ have been amongst the best Mudeye patterns available in recent years.

Fished slow in the surface film and slightly deeper has been the most successful technique.

Some large Brown Trout have also been reported around Providence Portal & Braemar Bay which is a good sign leading into Winter.

Hopper fishing has dominated the mountain streams and rivers with an abundance of them in the tussocks amongst the riverbanks.

Flies like the Manic ‘Hennebury Hopper’ & ‘Donkey Kong Hopper’ amongst the most realistic imitations available.

Fish a small trailing bead head nymph underneath for added success.

South Coast

Fishing along the coast has been very good with strong, warm currents bringing all sorts of pelagic activity to inshore and offshore waters.

Bonito have been in abundance from rock ledges and trolling in close. Some have been very small and will make great baits for bigger kingfish which are bound to show up at any time.

There have also been numbers of salmon and some tiny mackerel tuna and frigate mackerel showing up. Watson’s leaping bonito have also been caught recently, an uncommon species this far south. Light spinning and saltwater fly anglers have been enjoying the current run of fish and should continue to do so for weeks to come.

Every chance of a longtail or mackerel tuna showing up over the next few weeks with a couple of sightings and captures already in recent times.

Offshore lure trolling and live baiting has been good for billfish when conditions have allowed. There have been some very solid yellowfin caught in the past few weeks and with reports of wahoo and cobia. It is a real species lottery at present in the offshore scene.

Bream fishing has been productive in the estuaries with some solid flathead also showing up for some.

Beach fishing for salmon has been good though some areas have been better than others.