OBERON in central western NSW is ideally situated just on the western side of the Great Dividing Range.
A short drive to the east and there are many small creeks which start on the Divide and tumble down the mountains eventually forming the Kowmung, Cox’s and Wollondilly Rivers – all renowned trout streams .
Oberon Dam has just been officially opened to kayaks, canoes and electric powered vessels. This once jewel in the trout fishing crown was decimated by the introduction of redfin but is showing hopes of retuning to some of its former glory with increasing catches of both rainbow and brown trout.
Recently, over 50 ex-brood stock rainbow trout were liberated into Oberon Dam. Some of these fish were up to 3.6kg in weight and it is hoped they will prey on the redfin young as well as supplying some excellent angling opportunities along with the resident fish.
The Fish River flows out of Oberon Dam and is joined by many creeks steeped in the history of trout angling in the area. Eventually the Fish River Joins the Campbells to form the Macquarie River; the Macquarie River flows through the oldest inland city in Australia, Bathurst, where the cool waters from the mountains begin to warm and make the river less suitable for trout and more suitable for warm water natives.
It was at one of the small creeks on the western side of Oberon that I stood in the early hours of opening day watching a good brown feeding in the bottom glide of a large hole. I watched as the fish worked its beat and tried to gauge the best way to place a small nymph in front of it.
With the first cast of the small nymph the fish charged forward and it looked as if it was a done deal … then it stopped and gave the fly a good eyeball before leisurely swimming slowly back up the hole to the deep water, leaving a good size bow wave to dissipate amongst the tussock.
The centre of the hole had good depth and I had changed to a very small black fur fly and cast it into the shade and let it slowly sink to the bottom.
With a very slow retrieve the fly was taken by a small brown trout about half way back when I had paused the retrieve. My first fish for the 2013/2014 season.
The author’s first trout of the season.
It seemed that most of the large holes in the stream held fish and there were some good ones as well of maybe 4lb plus!
Other gin clear creeks in the area showed no trout life and may have had something to do with what appears to be an impending dry Spring/Summer. Farmers and anglers are both anxiously looking to the sky!
As the sun was about to set on this first day of the season I got my best brown. The first indication that there was a fish there was a slight bulge in the water hard up on the bank. I dropped the small fur fly in front of the bulge and there was an instant bow wave as a good fish tried to eat the fly.
The fish was right at my feet searching for the delicate morsel it had just missed. Waiting until it turned away from me I lifted the fly from the water and placed it back in front of the big brown for an instant reaction. I could see the white of the big hook jaw buck chewing the fly and then I set the hook. The fish made my day, measuring just shy of 62 cm.
Anyone wanting to experience the trout fishing of the Oberon area has many options to explore. The highlands are covered with pine forests giving public access to many “secret“ creeks and streams.
For those who don’t have the time or desire to do the groundwork then there are some great options. Aussie Fly-Fisher Guiding Service offers anglers the best fly fishing in the Central West, NSW. Run by experienced guide, Joshua Hutchins, the service offers a selection of trout rivers and stocked lakes to suit all anglers, from the beginner to the expert. Josh has fished all over the world, but with 15 years’ experience in the Blue Mountains and Central West, this area is his specialty.
Gina Yeon from the US enjoyed a day’s guiding with Josh over the open weekend. She landed five great trout, including a PB rainbow of 57cm. Image: Josh Hutchins
Aussie Fly-Fisher clients are given exclusive access to more than a dozen private properties and day trips from Sydney are available with all food, beverages and equipment provided. For pricing and further details contact Josh at aussieflyfisher@gmail.com or call 0448 760 007.
