The Central Tablelands has been a Mecca for fly fishers since the late 1940's. Many fly fishers make a bee-line for the streams of the area and often ignore the impoundment's. The still water fishing of this area should not be over looked there's some very good fishing to be had, about a three hour drive west of Sydney.
The area has several large dams, Lake Oberon, Ben Chifley, Lake Wallace, Thompson’s Creek Dam and Lake Lyell and numerous smaller private dams stocked by farmers and anglers. Each dam has its own rules, some do not allow boats so check before you set off, there's plenty of public access points on most dams.
In general the dams have been low for several years due to drought conditions, Oberon Dam last spilled in August 2000, and has a fair way to go before it spills again. However when the water levels do rise again to cover new knee high grass, it will make for great fishing. Don't be put off by low water levels, think about it this way- there's less water and the same number of trout, think positive!

In winter when the streams are closed the dams can produce good fishing as long as you are prepared for possible Siberian conditions. The fishing in winter is usually mid morning to mid afternoon as water conditions hopefully warm a little. Much of the insect life is not available in winter so foods such as snails, small bait fish and yabbies are main food items for the trout. Many dams hold large amounts of snails and the fish feed eagerly on them, particularly on windy days when the snails are dislodged and float sub-surface, it’s almost like dry fly fishing. You can Polaroid trout often less than a rod length of the shoreline. The secret of polaroiding in winter is to wear clothing that blends you in with your surroundings and move very slowwwly. When the trout go deep an intermediate line with a Woolly Bugger or a bead head Mrs. Simpson have brought good trout unstuck. In winter the mature trout that are ready to mate will make their way up the feeder streams looking for cool, fresh water and suitable gravel's to lay their eggs in the redd (nest). Some dams do not have suitable spawning streams. The trout in these dams can be seen close in around the edges trying to mate on windy days in the waves. This is usually not very successful for the fish, but anglers can target them with egg imitations such as Glow Bugs or Red Setters.

Immature fish will try and feed on the eggs so there's often a great deal of aggression from the spawning fish protecting the eggs. These fish are not feeding as their stomachs have shrunk to allow for the eggs in the female and the milt in the male. You can take some very big fish at the peak of their condition.
In summer the dams fish very well early morning and late at night. In mid Summer as dusk falls a dam that for most of the day appeared fish less suddenly erupts with rising fish everywhere. On such evenings I have had success with Mudeye, Chernobyl Ant and beetle patterns. Another productive time for fishing is when you get a good hatch of midges, which often occurs in bays with soaks. The male midges cling to the flying females, when they reach a critical mass they fall onto the water, easy dining for the cruising trout. It's very exciting fishing using a small Midge ball fly similar to a Griffith's Gnat but without the Peacock herl. Midges are one of the few insects that can hatch throughout the year given the right conditions. Observation of what's happening on the day is the key to successful fly fishing.

Don't rush to the waters edge but have a good look around you, you will be surprised what you will see.
The Central Tablelands area is beautiful, I love its seasons. It offers fly fishers a great deal of variety. I recommend catch and release of all stream fish just take the odd one for dinner from a dam, that way we keep the dream alive.
The fishing in winter is usually mid morning to mid afternoon as water conditions hopefully warm a little. Much of the insect life is not available in winter so foods such as snails, small bait fish and yabbies are main food items for the trout. Many dams hold large amounts of snails and the fish feed eagerly on them, particularly on windy days when the snails are dislodged and float sub-surface, it’s almost like dry fly fishing. You can Polaroid trout often less than a rod length of the shoreline.

The secret of polaroiding in winter is to wear clothing that blends you in with your surroundings and move very slowwwly. When the trout go deep an intermediate line with a Woolly Bugger or a bead head Mrs. Simpson have brought good trout unstuck. In winter the mature trout that are ready to mate will make their way up the feeder streams looking for cool, fresh water and suitable gravel's to lay their eggs in the redd (nest). Some dams do not have suitable spawning streams. The trout in these dams can be seen close in around the edges trying to mate on windy days in the waves. This is usually not very successful for the fish, but anglers can target them with egg imitations such as Glow Bugs or Red Setters. Immature fish will try and feed on the eggs so there's often a great deal of aggression from the spawning fish protecting the eggs. These fish are not feeding as their stomachs have shrunk to allow for the eggs in the female and the milt in the male. You can take some very big fish at the peak of their condition.

In summer the dams fish very well early morning and late at night. In mid Summer as dusk falls a dam that for most of the day appeared fish less suddenly erupts with rising fish everywhere. On such evenings I have had success with Mudeye, Chernobyl Ant and beetle patterns. Another productive time for fishing is when you get a good hatch of midges, which often occurs in bays with soaks. The male midges cling to the flying females, when they reach a critical mass they fall onto the water, easy dining for the cruising trout. It's very exciting fishing using a small Midge ball fly similar to a Griffith's Gnat but without the Peacock herl. Midges are one of the few insects that can hatch throughout the year given the right conditions. Observation of what's happening on the day is the key to successful fly fishing.
Don't rush to the waters edge but have a good look around you, you will be surprised what you will see.
The Central Tablelands area is beautiful, I love its seasons. It offers fly fishers a great deal of variety. I recommend catch and release of all stream fish just take the odd one for dinner from a dam, that way we keep the dream alive.