kyuss

Southern Highlands - so roughly the area bordered by (the plateau above) Kangaroo Valley, Bundanoon, Wombeyan Caves, Robertson.

Ah - I know that area well after a fair bit of exploration myself several years ago. The trout populations are very slim in the little creeks that host them. The catchment of each is also very limited so it doesn't take much to dent the populations. Only one of the streams sees any stocking (not regularly) and the others are self sustaining which has always surprised me. Definitely a catch and release area to be protected.

Definitely looks like Euastacus Spinifer. I spent a good few years in high school exploring every likely habitat looking for different species between Wollongong and Sydney. What I tended to find was a distinction between the streams draining west and those draining to the coast. I never found Euastacus Spinifer in a coastal draining stream north of Wollongong - these tended to have a smaller and greener species (I cant remember the name). The ones draining west were normally dominated by Euastacus Spinifer (which grew to large sizes) and the smaller but very impressive black and red coloured Euastacus Australasiensis. South of the Illawarra I did find Spinifer very close to the coast so it's not a hard and fast rule - that was just my experience from many years ago. I'd love to revisit some of those streams but most were Water Board and the fines aren't worth it.

That's awesome - thanks Nik.

Has anybody been down to the Cox (below Jenolan) or any of the tributaries this winter? I went in a couple of years ago and the winter fishing was good (not as good as I've seen it but still worth the walk). Reports have been fairly negative over the last couple of years despite decent rain. Worth checking out again??

I fished there up until 4-5 years ago and could normally pull a decent Bass (up to 42/43cm) but always had to work for it. Rattling Jackal type lures seemed to work best. Every now and then managed a rainbow (typically 40cm and healthy) but they were very few and far between. The consistent size of the fish and tough fishing had me thinking that the water probably wasn't well stocked - so the fish that were in it did well. Those fish have probably had their day and I doubt there would be any natural recruitment (certainly not for the Bass and unlikely for the trout looking at the quality of the small feeder streams). Best to check with fisheries and the local club to see if there has been any stocking in the last 5 years. There are several highlands streams to fish for trout (other than the Wollondilly) but you need to do the work to find them. That's half the fun so I wont spoil it for you by sharing those spots .

Looks a little like a southern highlands stream I know but too much water to be it. I've fished Moffat Falls, it's not that. Yeh, not helpful at all!

Warning - The place is very 'snakey' and has a reputation for browns. Having said that, I didnt see one last time I was there but worth being aware of with the kids.

Thanks for the report. The Cotter is one of my favs. Well worth the effort to treck in to the more inaccessible places (or MTB). Nice to hear of 40cm fish, I was convinced that 35 was about the limit for the stream.

Thanks all.

Nice work - glad you're getting amongst it. Are there any camping options on the Fish or does it just run through private properties? I dont mind if a walk is involved.

Love it, keep them coming. The stream looks like one of my little favourites (although it's hard to pick)... does it happen to run into a river starting with W? Very solid brown for the area if it's the one I'm thinking of.

Hey Dean, Yeh easy enough. It's not much of a track but there are no junctions. Once you hit Breakfast creek you can't go wrong as the track pretty much follows this the rest of the way apart from a couple of shortcuts over little ridges to cut out a bend or two of the creek. If you cant find good track notes on the net PM me and ill send through some notes. Jenolan - I only fished up 1km or so, nice area. Good Luck.

There were two groups of campers on the Cox (both packing up when I got in at 9:30). I didnt see anyone else as I fished upstream. I reckon there would normally be a couple of fisherman about most weekends but plenty of river to share (downstream / upstream and Jenolan... lots of options).

More pics...

Having had my camping trip postponed this weekend I was itching to get out so decided to drive up to Carlons Farm (Blueies) and check out lower Jenolan Creek (accessed via Carlons and Breakfast cks), something I've been meaning to do for a couple of years. I'd heard that there maaaaay be the chance of some early spawners so that was a big incentive. Long story short - not a spawning fish to be seen (in the Cox's or Jenolan). Long story a little less short - Took off from the car park at 7:30am (having left Sydney at 5:30am). The instructions I had were pretty good and I easily found the trail and began jogging in so I had more time to fish. This was good for all of 1km. The next 7-8km to the Cox's were abit dangerous to run due to slippery and uneven ground. Not much to comment on re: the walk in, apart from some nice red tailed black cockatoos, afew little rainbows in Breakfast ck and a thousand creek crossings which were tedius... my poor ankles were tired by the bottom. Breakfast creek had a decent flow of water and so quite different to photos I'd seen of it before. Hit the Cox's in just under 2 hours, which left me with 4 hours to fish to be safe on light getting back. I made my way up the Cox's but it was fairly quiet. Caught maybe 3-4 little rainbows before the Jenolan junction. Jenolan was quieter again but I did manage a nice little brown which was beautifully coloured for its size. On the way back i hooked a much better rainbow wich I had pegged for about 45-48cm but it threw the hook before I got a good look it. I got back to Breakfast ck with 4 hours of daylight left. Was not looking forward to the walk but felt fine. Unfortuntely a slightly sore hip turned into a sore knee which turned into a very tight inner thigh and a very buckled me. The last few km really really sucked and as I write this I cant walk down even a step without support! I'll be right in the morning but spent right now. Conclusion - Next time camp.

Hey Dean, It was probably the emptiest I've seen in terms of rainbows. Catch was 50/50 whereas normally it would be about 80/20 in favour of rainbows.

Good luck! Let me know how you get on.

Hey Geoff, Wollongong local?! I'm from Figtree originally. Yep the dogs let out a drawn out whiny howl. It was hard to tell how close they really were as the valley is steep and I'm sure the noise carries. I'll be heading in to the lower Cox in 3 weeks to see how things are shaping up. Hopefully a good dump of rain will come through the week leading in. I'll post a report afterward (sooner than my last one).

Long overdue post form Spring 2011. Headed to Nanook's favourite little spot for a couple days fishing with two mates. We managed about 10 trout between us on our main fishing day. The feature though was the snakes. We saw 10 red belly blacks in total, including 3 within 20m of camp during breakfast. Normally I only see a couple each time when I head in here so something was up, breeding season? The pick of the fish was a nice 52cm brown taken about 5km upstream of camp. I'd put a lure past the nose of this fish about 15 times and gave up. As I sat eating lunch my mate Fed couldnt help himself and tenacity won out and he caught the fish (released unharmed). That night we had one or two dingoes or wild dogs howling from the ridge on the other side of the creek, a first for me. Great trip as always. Saw alot of flowering orchids on the walk in/out which is always nice.

Sounds like ravens although I wouldnt rule out a lace monitor. I've had my camp ransacked most times down there and caught the lizard in the act on one occasion. Their sense of smell is amazing and they arent shy - once we were settled back in camp the big guy just wandered around us, picking at scraps and trying to get into our packs (respectfully gently I thought). Isnt it great that it could have been pigs, wild dogs, a prehistoric looking lizard or wild birds and they arent even the things to be worried about out there! Got to love the Australian bush.

For anyone interested - pics were taken using a $300 lumix point and shoot (and in the wrong setting most of the time!). The lumix is waterproof to 3m which allows for some great pics underwater. If it wasn't so damned cold I would have taken more. A good option for trips like this.

Awesome trip. Thanks Matt! Some highlights: - Not dying of dehydration during the final hour on the way in (for a change) - Seeing some improvements to Camp Nanook including a seat and the thunderbox. - Proving to Matt that it isnt so bad wading in sneakers... once you lose feeling in your feet it's tolerable - Relief that my new tent worked as intended - tent and mat well under 1kg! - The taste of my two mocked oranges (and yes - the garlic bread) - Getting to watch movies in the middle of nowhere - The fishing was alright too

Hey, Ive fished this abit from the bank. As some have replied - there is only a couple hundred metres but that's enough. I'd say every third trip on average I've scored a decent bass or rainbow trout using a range of jackal/spoon style lures. The bass all went 38-44cm and the rainbows (only two) were each about 43cm and fat. Ive never fished for Carp but based on what ive seen being lugged out of there, there are plenty of them if that's what you're after. I've seen some guys persist with fly but I dont think I'd bother given their lack of success. The dam is open for fishing all year. Good luck!

You picked the catchment. I was a little further downstream and on a feeder stream but ive caught trout in the main river before - they are few and far between in summer though - best to try in the spawning months or head up into the head waters where the water is cooler and the conditions better.