Fishing Lake Jindabyne: the trout, the salmon, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Lake Jindabyne sits at about 920 m in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, next to the town of Jindabyne, a short drive from Cooma and roughly two and a half hours from Canberra. It is a large, deep, cold reservoir on the dammed Snowy River, with steep shorelines, points and bays. The cold, deep water holds trout year-round.

The lake was formed by the Snowy Mountains Scheme, which dammed the Snowy River, so the level rises and falls with the scheme and the season, and the shoreline shifts with it. That matters for the angler: the bays flood grass and drowned timber when the lake fills, and the trout move into that shallow food on the margins at dawn and dusk. The water stays cold and clear, which is why this is a salmonid lake in a country of warm-water natives.

It is an easy lake to reach and to base yourself on. The town of Jindabyne is right on the south shore, with tackle shops, guides, boat hire and accommodation, and it is the gateway to the Kosciuszko ski fields, so it is busy in winter for the snow and quieter for fishing through the warmer half of the year. Kosciuszko Road runs along the northern side past the main access points.

Unlike the trout rivers and streams of the Snowies, the lake is a stocked trout dam, not a stream, so it follows a different rule book: it stays open all year while the streams close for spawning (see licence and rules). The fishery is supported by stocking of all four salmonids from the nearby Gaden Hatchery, which is part of why the lake holds the mix it does (NSW DPI; Snowy Mountains Fishing, as of 5 June 2026).

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Four salmonids share this lake. Rainbow and brown trout are the mainstay, taken trolling or off the shore. Brook trout and Atlantic salmon are the rarer prizes, mostly from a boat. Each holds at a different depth and moves through the year, and the method changes with it. The cards below give you where, when and how for each.

For context. Redfin perch and carp turn up in some Snowy waters, but Jindabyne is managed as a salmonid lake and the four trout and salmon above are the trip. Treat any non-native pest you catch under the NSW rules below.

I have set each species out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how its depth moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes by season

The lake is open all year, which is its defining feature. Spring (from the October long weekend) is the busy opener, with fish in the margins. Summer pushes the trout deep, so you troll deep or fish dawn and dusk. Autumn is the peak for big browns. Winter holds the trophy fish in the lake while the streams close for spawning.

The single rule the strip carries: the lake stays open every month, unlike the streams. Here is the year in plain terms, tied to the depths from the cards above.

• Spring (October to November). The October long weekend is the traditional opener and the busiest. Trout sit in the shallow bays and along the weed edges, feeding hard after winter, so shore fly and spin fish well at dawn and dusk and trolling near the surface is productive. The best all-round shore window of the year.
• Summer (December to February). The surface water warms and the trout drop deeper to find cool water, so the middle of a bright day is slow. Troll deeper with a downrigger to reach them, and fish the shore only in the first and last hours when fish come up into the margins. Early starts pay.
• Autumn (March to May). The peak for larger brown trout as they feed up before spawning, and the temperatures suit shore fishing again. Browns move into the bays near the inflows; polaroiding cruising fish along weed edges in good light is at its best. Often the best window for a big fish.
• Winter (June to September). The state-wide trout stream closure runs through winter, but the lake stays open, and this is when many of the trophy browns are caught as spawning-run fish hold in the lake. It is cold-weather fishing: deep wet flies (Woolly Buggers) worked along the banks, deep trolling, and shore sessions in the low light. The Snowies are a ski town in winter, so plan for the cold.

What you can eat (and what to release)

Trout and Atlantic salmon from Jindabyne are good eating, within the NSW size and bag limits below: a 25 cm minimum and a combined limit of five trout or salmon. There is no consumption ban here. Release of trophy fish, especially big browns, is encouraged so the fishery keeps producing them. Handle anything you return carefully.

This is a clean, cold alpine lake stocked for the table and the sport, so unlike some waters there is no contamination order to work around. What you keep is governed by the size and bag limits in the next section, not by an edibility ban. The fish are fine to eat: pan-sized rainbows are the usual catch for the kitchen, and a fresh trout cooked the day you catch it is one of the reasons people fish here.

The one thing worth saying plainly: the big brown trout are the breeding stock and the trophies that make this lake's name, so most anglers and every guide will tell you to photograph a big fish and put it back. Keep a couple of pan-sized fish if you want a feed, and release the large ones.

Whatever you keep, check the size and bag limits first, handle fish in wet hands, unhook them in the water where you can, and clean and dry your kit between waters so you do not carry weed, pests or disease from one lake to the next (source: NSW DPI freshwater rules, as of 5 June 2026).

Licence and rules

Yes, you need to pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, which covers freshwater and saltwater across the state. Buy it online at NSW DPI Fishing or Service NSW in a few minutes, or from a local tackle shop, and carry the receipt while you fish. The lake stays open all year, with a 25 cm minimum size and a combined limit of five trout or salmon.

What the fee covers. The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is a single payment that covers all your recreational fishing in NSW, freshwater and saltwater, so this one fee covers Jindabyne and any sea fishing you do on the same trip. You must carry proof you have paid (the receipt, on paper or on your phone) whenever you fish (source: NSW DPI, as of 5 June 2026). Limited exemptions apply (for example under-18s and certain concession holders); check the NSW DPI exemptions page if you think one applies to you.

2026 NSW Recreational Fishing Fee (NSW DPI / Service NSW, as of 5 June 2026):

How to get it

• Go to NSW DPI Fishing or Service NSW, and pay the fee for the period you want.
• Save or print the receipt. Carry it (paper or on your phone) while you fish.
• Or buy in person from a local tackle shop or fee agent in Jindabyne or Cooma.

Sizes and bag limits at Jindabyne (a trout dam; source: NSW DPI freshwater bag and size limits, as of 5 June 2026):

• The 25 cm minimum and the combined bag of five apply to all trout and salmon at Lake Jindabyne (it is a trout dam, not an artificial-fly-and-lure-only water). Brown, rainbow and brook trout and Atlantic salmon are counted together toward the five.
• There is no separate per-species size for the salmonids here beyond the 25 cm minimum; confirm any current change in the NSW DPI freshwater guide before you keep a fish.

Seasons and the closure (this is the key Jindabyne rule)

So the headline: the lake is open every day of the year, including through the winter when the surrounding trout streams are shut. That is why winter is a serious option here for trophy browns, and why "the season is closed" never applies to the lake itself. The October long weekend is the traditional start of the prime stretch (source: NSW DPI; closure dates per NSW DPI 2026 notices, as of 5 June 2026).

Other rules that matter

• Clean your kit between waters so you do not move weed, pests or disease (the Snowy lakes share an ecosystem; clean and dry waders, nets and boats).
• Carry your fee receipt while you fish; a fisheries officer can ask for it.
• Release the big browns. Not a legal rule, but the fishery norm; keep pan-sized fish for the table.

Where to fish from the shore

From the shore, the reliable spots are the shallow bays and weed edges where trout cruise at first and last light. Named: Creel Bay and Hatchery Bay near town, Hayshed Bay, Waste Point, Curiosity Rocks, Wollondibby Inlet, and Rushes Bay and The Haven over at East Jindabyne. Fly and spin are the shore methods; dawn and dusk are the windows.

The lake's edges are steep in places and gentle in the bays, and the trout follow the food into the shallows in low light, so the shore game is about being on a good bay at the right hour. These are the access points (source: Snowy Mountains Fishing; FlyLife; Fishing Monthly, as of 5 June 2026):

• Creel Bay. A popular, easy-access bay close to town, known for trout in close at dawn and dusk. A simple first session from the shore.
• Hatchery Bay and Hayshed Bay. Hold rainbows in the shallows early and late in the day; good fly and spin water in the low light.
• Waste Point. A productive shore stretch where fish cruise the margins; a known fly and spin spot.
• Curiosity Rocks (Curiosity Rocks Bay). A good bait and spin mark, with deeper water in reach.
• Wollondibby Inlet. Deeper water in reach of the bank, a favoured bait spot.
• Rushes Bay and The Haven, East Jindabyne. Quieter shore on the eastern side, good bait and spin water away from the town side.

What depth and structure mean for method from the shore

• Shallow bays and weed edges (the margins, in low light): cruising trout. A wet fly or a nymph (a nymph rig or a streamer rig), or a small spoon or inline spinner cast and retrieved.
• Rocky points and steeper margins: fish patrol the drop into deeper water. Spin a spoon or minnow, or fish a fly deep on a sinking presentation.
• Deeper bait spots (Wollondibby, Curiosity Rocks): still-fished bait off the bottom or under a float for the bait angler, in the deeper water the shallow bays do not offer.

From the shore, the rule is the same one the guides repeat: be on the water for the first and last hour of light, when the trout come into the margins. The bright middle of a summer day is slow from the bank.

Shore vs boat, and the time of day

From the shore, target rainbow and brown trout in the bays at first and last light, on fly or spin. From a boat you add consistent fishing through the day and reach the brook trout and Atlantic salmon, by trolling, going deep with a downrigger as the water warms. The middle of a bright day is slow from the shore but the boat keeps fishing by trolling deeper.

Plain version: if you only have the shore, fish the bays for rainbows and browns at dawn and dusk on fly or spin, and pick autumn or a calm winter morning for the best of it. With a boat you keep all of that and add the day-long trolling that reaches the deep brook trout and the open-water Atlantic salmon. Morning and evening beat the middle of the day from the shore; a boat keeps catching by trolling deeper when the sun is high.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the method and the rig.

The boat: guided, hire, or your own

Three ways onto the water. Book a guided trip (the simplest for a first visit; the guides supply the tackle and know the bays and the trolling lines), hire a boat in Jindabyne, or launch your own at the main ramp. The lake's most consistent fishing is trolling, so a boat changes the trip, especially for brook trout and Atlantic salmon. The links below are the ones to book through.

A boat is what opens up the day-long trolling and the deep fish on this lake, so it is worth one even for a short trip. Watch the weather: this is an exposed alpine lake at altitude and the wind can get up quickly, so check the forecast, carry the right safety gear, and stay off the open water when it blows.

Guided (recommended for a first visit)

Local guides take you out, supply the tackle, and cover trolling, fly and spin. Book directly:

• Steve Williamson's Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures – guided trips in all disciplines (fly, lure, bait, trolling), with gear supplied and a tackle shop and tackle hire in town. Half and full day trips. (Shell Service Station, Snowline Caravan Park, Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne; 02 6456 1342.) Full-day rates from about A$620 for one angler, less per head when shared, as of 5 June 2026; confirm current rates and trip lengths when you book. snowymountainsfishing.com.au/steve.
• Eucumbene and Jindabyne Trout Fishing Charters – half and full day trout charters on Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene, for one to six guests. Around A$350 a half day and A$650 a full day on Jindabyne, as of 5 June 2026; confirm current rates and what is included when you book. eucumbenefishingcharters.com.au.

Hire a boat

For your own session, boat hire and gear hire operate out of Jindabyne (tackle shops and operators in town hire boats, motors and fishing gear). Confirm the rate, the motor and whether gear is included when you book; the Snowy Mountains Fishing directory lists current hire operators (snowymountainsfishing.com.au).

Launch your own

The main concrete boat ramp suitable for all boat sizes is alongside the Snowline Caravan Park, behind the Shell Service Station on Kosciuszko Road. There are several other informal launching points for smaller boats depending on the lake level (source: Snowy Mountains Fishing, as of 5 June 2026). Check the lake level and the ramp before you tow.

Where to stay (and buy a licence locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, the town of Jindabyne on the south shore puts you minutes from the lake, the ramp and the tackle shops, with everything from caravan parks to lodges and holiday houses. The Snowline Caravan Park sits right by the main boat ramp. Buy your fishing fee receipt online before you arrive, or in person at a Jindabyne or Cooma tackle shop.

Stay near the water

• Snowline Caravan Park (Jindabyne) – beside the main boat ramp on Kosciuszko Road, so you can stay, launch and fish from one base. Cabins and powered sites.
• Jindabyne town – a wide choice of lodges, motels, holiday apartments and houses on and near the south shore (the town swings between a winter ski base and a quieter warm-season fishing base, so warm-season fishing rates are often better). Book through the town's accommodation operators.
• East Jindabyne – quieter holiday accommodation across the lake, near the Rushes Bay and The Haven shore.

Buy your fee in person at tackle shops and fee agents in Jindabyne (for example Steve Williamson's tackle shop at the Shell Service Station) and in Cooma on the way in, or simply pay online at NSW DPI Fishing before you travel (as of 5 June 2026).

The methods, and the rigs to build them

Two method families cover this lake. Trolling is the boat method and the most consistent way to catch here, reaching every species and the deep fish in summer. The fly rigs (nymph and streamer for the wets, a dry to a riser) are the shore game at first and last light. Spin (spoons and inline spinners) is the simple shore alternative. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a method. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Any of the four species, from a boat, through the day → trolling rig. Pulling lures and spoons behind the boat at the depth the fish are holding: near the surface in the cool months, deeper on a downrigger as summer warms the top. The most consistent method here, and the one that reaches brook trout and Atlantic salmon.
• Trout in the margins, from the shore, sub-surface → nymph rig. A nymph fished under the surface to feeding trout along the weed edges and in the bays at first and last light. The shore fly angler's everyday rig.
• Trout deep or aggressive, shore or trolled fly → streamer rig. A wet fly (a Woolly Bugger) stripped deep along the banks, which is the cold-water method for the big winter browns, and a good searching fly any time.
• Rising trout on a calm evening → dry fly rig. A dry fly to a fish working the surface, for the evening rise when it comes on. Less reliable here than the wets, but the most rewarding when it happens.
• The simple shore option → spin. A small spoon or an inline spinner cast and retrieved from the bays and points takes trout without fly tackle. Tied with the Palomar or an improved clinch.

The knots that tie these together are the improved clinch (tippet to fly, and line to a spin lure), the Palomar (the strong all-rounder for lures and swivels), and the fly leader joins on the fly pages (the surgeon's knot and blood knot for tippet and leader joins, and the perfection loop for the leader loop to the fly line). Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on the shore or in a boat, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. A boat trip is a trolling outfit and a downrigger; a shore trip is a fly outfit or a light spin rod. The full list is below, grouped, with no brands and no prices.

That is the whole list. For a shore trip: a 5 or 6 weight fly outfit with a floating and a sinking line, a box of wet flies and a few dries and nymphs, or a light spin rod with spoons and spinners. For a boat trip: a trolling outfit, a handful of spoons and minnows, and a downrigger for the deep summer fish. Buy generic types; you do not need a named brand to catch a Jindabyne rainbow.

A trip checklist

Before you go: pay the NSW fishing fee and save the receipt, check the weather (it is an exposed alpine lake), decide shore or boat and book the boat or guide, pack the fly or trolling kit and warm layers, and note the 25 cm size and the bag of five. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Pay the fee and carry the receipt. Pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee online at NSW DPI Fishing (the 3-day or 1-month suits most visitors), or buy it in town. Carry the receipt while you fish.
2. Pick your window. The lake is open all year. The October long weekend opens the prime stretch; autumn is best for big browns; winter holds the trophies while the streams are shut; summer means deep trolling or dawn and dusk.
3. Decide shore or boat, and book it. Shore only: fish the bays (Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay, Waste Point) at dawn and dusk on fly or spin. Want day-long fishing, brook trout or Atlantic salmon: book a guide or hire a boat (links above), and check the wind.
4. Pack the kit. Shore: a 5 or 6 weight fly outfit with a floating and a sinking line, or a light spin rod with spoons and spinners. Boat: a trolling outfit and a downrigger. Add polarised sunglasses, a landing net, and warm, waterproof layers. The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list.
5. Note the limits. A 25 cm minimum and five trout or salmon a day, all species combined. Release the big browns. Clean and dry your kit between waters.
6. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: fishing the bright middle of a summer day from the shore, assuming the lake is shut in winter (it is open all year), turning up without polarised glasses or warm gear, expecting brook trout and salmon from the bank, and forgetting to carry the fee receipt. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Fishing the middle of a bright day from the shore. In summer the trout drop deep when the sun is high, so a midday shore session is slow. Fish the first and last hours; troll deep if you want fish through the middle of the day.
• Thinking the lake closes in winter. The trout streams close for spawning from the June long weekend, but the lake is a trout dam and stays open all year. Winter is one of the best times here for a trophy brown.
• Coming without polarised sunglasses. Sight-fishing cruising trout along the weed edges (polaroiding) is a Jindabyne highlight, and you cannot do it without polarised glasses. They also matter for safety on the water and on rocky margins.
• Underestimating the cold and the wind. It is an alpine lake at about 920 m. Dawn and winter are cold, and the wind gets up on the open water. Pack warm, waterproof layers and watch the forecast before you launch.
• Expecting brook trout or Atlantic salmon from the bank. Both are mostly boat fish here, taken trolling. The shore is a rainbow and brown trout game; for the other two, get on the water.
• Not carrying the fee receipt. Paying the NSW fee is not enough; you must carry proof while you fish. Save it to your phone before you go.
• Bringing only a floating fly line. The big browns come to a wet fly fished deep, especially in the cold. Carry a sinking or sink-tip line as well as the floater.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Lake Jindabyne: what is here, the NSW fee, prices, whether it is open all year, the best time, shore versus boat, the shore spots, the boat, the size and bag limits, and the kit.