Lake Lyell is easily located on the map, found just west of the Blue Mountains near the City of Greater Lithgow. This close proximity to Sydney and its sprawling western suburbs is rendering the dam as a primary freshwater start point for many anglers wishing to sample excellent sweet water angling.
Despite its well patronized waters, Lyell continues to yield a good annual harvest of trout that fall to many different techniques, but it is the consistency of the fishery that brings many anglers back for a second and third time.

These two nice Lyell rainbows were caught in the unmistakable web of John Knols Spider wire boat.

BOAT FISHING TECHNIQUES.

Lake Lyell has proved to be a year round proposition for the angler. Winter in and around Lithgow can seem to go on forever some years but it is this fact that is part of the key to Lyells abundant trout. For those willing to bare the brunt of these alpine conditions the rewards can be well worth it in the form both rainbow and brown trout. Controlled depth fishing is gaining in popularity at Lake lyell. Techniques such as down-rigging are racking up points on the board, showing their worth not only during the cooler months but also when fish seek the cooler depths during summer. Down rigging can be practiced throughout most of the dam, as Lyells plan is rather narrow and deep as it snakes its way from the main feeder Cox's river up to the open and deep main basin near the wall. With the intelligent use of a sounder anglers will find little trouble following a depth contour for the almost the complete length of the dam as there are few timber or rock snags on which to hang lures or down-rigger bombs. The main basin in front of the launching ramp and other facilities is quite deep, reaching depth of upwards of thirty meters, a perfect area to look for trout in the thermoclime. When the dam was being built and indeed during a recent up grade of the dam wall all trees that were below the top water mark were cut down and removed. Although this has taken away potential fish holding structure, it has enhanced down rigging opportunities. Down rigging is mainly practiced during the cooler months when surface water temperatures plummet to single digits figures and trout look for a thermocline for more comfort. Popular depths to search are the ten to fifteen meter marks. The key being watch your sounder and act on the information it is giving you, if your not catching fish try a different lure or depth, mix things up a bit.

Rob Green caught this rainbow using flat-lining techniques and a small minnow style lure.

Flat lining is the most popular method of trolling on Lake Lyell. This is simply towing lures around behind a boat. Lures choice for this method is a personal one but for the visiting angler here is a short list that will get you started, Tassies and their various clones, various spoons, Knols Minnow, Tilsan Minnow and Bass,McGrath deep Minnow and of coarse the indelible Rapala minnow range, these are some of my personal favourites no doubt you will have your own to add to the list. Trolling minnows can be a little mind numbing at times when fish are scattered throughout the dam's water but as the rainbows start to move out of the dam they seem to become more concentrated and become very aggressive. This behaviour begins in late June depending on local rainfall, needless to say fishing at such times can be a fast and furious affair. Moving your boat into the more narrow, shallow sections where the water actually necks in to form the river itself is also a good ploy at this time of year. Such areas lend themselves to methodically casting lures, searching for migrating fish as they move upstream. While the ethics of such techniques are debatable the results are often not, with the possible chance at a trophy fish thrown in.

Look for the steeper banks for lure casting and fish you lures deep. Tassie Devils, Hirsts Harassers and various spoons are all good choices.

CATCHING FISH FROM THE BANK.

Casting lures from the bank works well at Lyell due to it steeply sloping banks that can be found right around the shore line. While Tassie devils are an industry standard on impoundment trout in Australia, and for good reason, I will stick my neck out and remind anglers of the effectiveness of the many metal spoons available. Spoons work exceptionally well but unfortunately don't have the following they once did. Look for brands from Gibbs, Halco and Landa for a start. Other lures that have stood the test of time are the large Jensen insect in black and orange plus the ever popular Baltic Minnow if you can still find them and more recently Hirsts Harassers.
When casting lures from the bank at Lyell use its depth by implementing the countdown method, this will ensure that the full water column is covered over a series of casts. It makes sense to be as mobile as possible when casting from the bank, offering further opportunities as the anglers travels along searching new water as he or she goes.

BAIT FISHING:

This early spring rainbow fell to a Berkely Power nugget bait. Late winter through to spring is prime bait fishing time at Lake Lyell.

The biggest surprise for me in recent years is the effectiveness of bait fishing at Lake Lyell. Fishing with such bait as the range from Berkley (power nuggets) have turned bait fishing from a slow, sedentary form of angling into a fast and exciting method of catching fish. Towards the end of the trout river season good catches of rainbows can be taken using Powerbait or by simply ledgering some worms up in the Coxes river arm and also the Farmer Creek arm of the dam. Another bait that is supremely popular during the summer months are mudeyes. Mudeyes fished close to the surface with the aid of a quill or bubble float have no peer as a trout bait. Fish them during the change of light period and after dark. Mudeye can be gathered from the dam itself during the warmer months, probing the waters edge with a torch light should provide bait as you need it. With the advent of spring and water temperatures starting to climb, the fishing often keeps its momentum and perhaps even accelerates a little. Trolling cowbells or ford fenders can be an extremely effective method of catching trout, with bag limits often accounted for in a single session by those who have mastered the technique (unlike myself). The secret is to travel as slow as you can just keeping the blades spinning. The anglers that I have spoken to have emphasized that baits such as worms are favoured rather than running a lure behind the rig. I think that the lures fail due to the slow pace at which the attractors, be they cow bells or ford fenders, are towed. This method shines particularly well after good spring rains.

The Author with a healthy rainbow caught up the Farmers Creek arm of the dam, casting a black Matuka fly on a sinking line.

FLY FISHING

Fly fishing was once for the enthusiast but today many anglers are finding the joys of casting a fly. At Lake Lyell most banks including the main camping area all fish well from dusk onwards. Successful fly patterns include most of the traditional wets such as Mrs. Simpsons, Craig's Night Time and Hamills Killer ¾ all of which are favoured by the local fly fishing fraternity. As spring turns to summer, its not just the weather that heats up but the fishing also. Fly fishing balmy evenings near stands of eucalypts can see spectacular rises of trout to swarming beetles that are feeding on the trees near the water. Trout can become frustratingly selective during the warmer months of December, January and February, feeding on such items as gudgeon, beetles termites and ants or other abundant food forms. During these selective periods the angler must be very attentive to his or her selection of bait, lure or fly. It is illegal to use live fish for trout in NSW so if the trout seem to be smelting on gudgeon, try trolling small light coloured minnows through the backs of sheltered bays. If bank casting, use very small chrome slicer style lures or lures such as the Hirst Harrassers, these require a little more pace than other lures and replicate a fleeing baitfish very well. Flies that similarly represent the food form can work equally as well when fish on a sinking line with a fast strip retrieve. Calm clear mornings have revealed some premium polaroiding opportunities along some of the banks in the middle reaches of the dam. Autumn can often be big fish time at lake Lyell. After a season of feeding in the rich waters fish are in peak condition for their length and full of fight, and in response to dropping water temperatures can become quite aggressive. This behavior probably has something to do with the nearing of the spawning period and leaner pickings of the approaching winter interval. Most methods work well at this time of year, although fly anglers will start to work harder for a result. For those purists that just can't let go of the long wand try a HI D or sink tip line with patterns such as the Matuka, Stonka, or a muddler minnow. Fly fishing with these sinking lines is easier from a boat, just fish the back of one of the deeper more protected bays, allowing the boat to drift across, casting as you go. This method can produce some surprising sport., while a little unorthodox if you stick with this methods results will follow. Trolling with down riggers should work well as should baits fished close to the bottom, particularly up towards the back waters where fish should begin to congregate, as mentioned previously rain will often dictate fish movement and behavior at this time of year.

Late season fishing can yield fine specimens such as this big brown caught by Mason Alexander.

Although Lyell is predominantly a rainbow fishery, mainly due to extensive stocking by the local acclimatization society, there are plenty of brown trout caught and at times, for reasons unknown, feature regularly in anglers' catches so don't be surprised if you end up with a couple in your creel for the day.

Lake Lyell is part of the Cox's River water supply scheme that is made up of three dams, all of which are predominantly supplied by the famous Cox' River either directly or indirectly. The other two dams are Lake Wallace and Thompsons Creek Dam, both of which offer excellent fishing. Lithgow Council has appointed a full time caretaker come manager for Lake Lyell. This move has shown to be a positive step in the upkeep of the surrounding grounds and promises further upgrading of current camping facilities. The boat ramp is very serviceable, being suitable for all size boats. Current cost are three dollars per vehicle for day-trippers launching a boat or not and five dollars per vehicle per night for camping.

Lake Lyell, like most dams, has many moods, but its popularity with travelling anglers bares testimony to its reputation to yield good catches of trout. So should you find yourself thinking of a new place for a fish, why not try Lake Lyell. You may well be pleasantly surprised.