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Lake Lyell
Located
just 10 minutes drive from Lithgow, Lake Lyell
is easily accessible and offers great trout fishing for both boat and
shore based anglers. This lake holds some of the biggest trout found in
the district and can be fished all year round.
General
Info: Lake Lyell is a
lake of substantial capacity which collects water for Delta
Electricity to use at Mt Piper and Wallerawang Power Station’s. The
lake is commonly used for water skiing, swimming, canoeing, bird
watching and fishing.
Water
quality and low lake levels can be
issues faced by lakes users from time to time. Delta electricity pumps
water out of Lake Lyell to
other water storages in the area. As a result it is often the last lake
in the region to reach capacity after long periods of heavy rain. Low
inflows, low water levels and warm summer temperatures often cause
algal blooms.
Rainbow
and brown trout are both common with
trolling the most popular and successful method of fishing. Bait
fishing, spinning and fly fishing also produce good fish. This lake
holds some extremely large trout. Brown trout of more than 6kgs have
been
taken.
Photo:
Lake Lyell
© Tim Williams 2009
Lithgow
council charges a usage fees to
access the boat ramp and some other sections of the lake. Fees should
be paid to the caretaker at
the camping ground near the dam wall. The cost for a car with boat is
$4 per day at the time this was published.
Location:
Less than 10 minutes drive from the township of Lithgow.
Turn off the Great
Western Hwy at the South
Bowenfels Shell
service station onto Magpie
Hollow Road. It is about 6 km to
the lake
from the Great Western
Hwy. You can also access the back of the dam Sir
Thomas Mitchell Rd.
History
& Purpose: Built on the Cox’s
River in 1982 at a capacity of
27,000Ml to supply water for power generation. In 1995 the
dam’s capacity was increased to 34,500Ml. Trout were present
in the lake from the time of constriction and have been regularly
stocked since. Australian Bass have also been stocked. The dam was
built over farming and bush land. When filled the lake disected Sir Thomas Mitchell Rd
which crossed Cox’s River near Farmers Creek. Sir Thomas Mitchell Rd is now a
good access point from either Rydal or South Bowenfels..
River
System:
Cox’s River (Part of the Nepean Catchement)
Additional flows are provided from the Fish River Scheme via pipeline
from Oberon.
Fish Species:
Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Australian Bass, Macquarie Perch &
Goldfish
Fish
Stocking Details: The number of fish
stocked varies from year to
year. An average season would see 40,000 trout released into Lake Lyell. The majority of
fish
stocked are rainbow trout; however when brown trout are available after
a successful breading season the ratio may be closer to half rainbow
and half brown trout. A good period was from 2003 to 2005. During this
period approximately 100,000 browns were released into Lake Lyell, during the same
period
approximately 90,000 rainbow trout were released.
Capacity:
34,500 Ml
Surface
Area:
238ha
Max Water
Depth: 38m
Shore
Access: The
best access points for the main body of the lake
are via Magpie Hollow Rd.
If you have young children the camping ground is a good place to fish.
It has a well maintained boat ramp, a toilet and many other facilities.
For those who want to get the car dirty, there is a series of dirt
tracks which spread from a trail about 500m past the camping ground.
You may need a 4x4 to access this area depending on the conditions. Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive
offers good access to the Farmers Creek arm off Magpie Hollow Rd and the Cox’s
River arm from Rydal.
To access
the lake you are required to pay a
small fee to the caretaker at the camping ground. Check the signs in
the area you intend to visit for details. At the time of publication
the access fee was $4 for a car with a boat trailer. Contact the
camping ground for more info.
Phone: 02
6355 6347.
Boat
Access:
The best boat access is at the camping ground. The bank
is soft in most other places and becomes very muddy after rain and when
the lake level has dropped.
Restrictions:
Boating is not permitted in the vicinity of the dam wall. The council
managed land around the lake is patrolled by rangers from Lithgow
council. They will check to see if you have paid the appropriate access
fee. General trout dam regulations apply.
Water Quality: Algal blooms are a
common problem. Blue Green algae outbreaks are caused by warm water
temperatures and high nutrient run off from local farms. These
outbreaks sometimes close the lake to swimming and boating. Contact the
camping ground or Lithgow Council for information on closures or
restrictions.
Popular
Fishing Methods & Locations:
Bait:
Power
Bait, yabbies, mudeye and scrub worms are the most commonly used baits
in Lake Lyell. Power Bait will
take
trout at any time of the day or night. Yabbies and worms are commonly
used by fisher's targeting browns. Worms generally catch more fish
during the day. Mudeye works well in the warmer months when they are
naturally active. Some fishermen have had success with cheese and corn
kernels. Checkout some popular bait
rigs by
following the link.
Boat:
Trolling is the most popular method of fishing Lake Lyell. Spooned
lures (e.g. Tassie Devil, Alpine Cobra, or Wonder Spoon's), diving
minnows and large hard body lures are best. Flat line trolling works
most of the year, but having a down rigger and sounder can greatly
increase your chances of finding fish, particularly in warm weather.
These tools allow the fisherman to work out where the fish are holding
and get the lure in striking distance. Quite often getting the bomb of
the down rigger at 5 metres will turn a slow day into a day of action
on Lake Lyell. You can also use
led-core line to get your lure down. Three colours of led-core line
works well. Just watch out for snags in shallow water.
Fly:
Wet flies tend to out fish the dries during the day and on cold winter
nights (if you can stand the freezing conditions and frozen rod
tippet). At night use large dark colour streamers and during the day
use lighter/brighter colour streamers or nymphs that will catch the eye
of the fish. Pink, red and yellow colours work well, particularly in
winter.
As the weather warms up insect hatches occur
and offer the best dry fly fishing conditions. Late summer into autumn
is dry fly time. Look for fish rising around the edges. Match the hatch
and you stand a chance of getting a fish. Grass hoppers and white moths
work well when the real things are about.
In summer
look for fish smashing midges on
sunset. The fish will often sit really close to the edge under green
slime all day, when the midgies start to rise on dusk the start to
smash the surface in big numbers. When grass hoppers are in big numbers
try catching a bucket full and using them as burley. You can use a live
hopper on your fly line to catch a fish if your flies are not doing the
trick.
Spinning:
You can spin most areas of the lake. Yellow and pink spoons are the
most popular lures. Yellow winged Tassies seem to catch the most fish
particularly when retrieved slowly. Celter’s, minnows, stump jumpers,
spinner baits and small soft plastics also catch fish in this lake. In
winter large trout patterned minnows will fire up a territorial brown
trout.
As with
fly fishing adjust the colour of
your lure depending on the light conditions. The best place for land
based fishing in the area opposite the boat ramp where there are some
rocky drop offs next to shallower weed beds and near the Farmers Creek
Arm.
Camping
Lake Lyell is a
great camping location. Camping facilities are provided at the camping
ground. There are toilets, fresh water, BBQ’s and more. You can also
free camp in some areas of the lake although restrictions apply.
Contact the camping ground on 02 6355 6347 for more details
Public
Toilet: Yes
at the camping ground provided you have paid the
access fees
For more
info contact Lake Lyell Camp Ground:
Ph: 02
6355 6347
http://lakelyell.com.au/
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