Penrith Lakes
are a man made system of lakes located at the base of the Blue
Mountains. The lakes
are formed by a large quarry that provides sand and gravel for use
throughout
Sydney. Eventually the quarry will close and the lake system will be
completed.
The lakes are filled using water from urban run off, the quarry
operations and
the Nepean River. The first lakes completed are the site of the Sydney
International Regatta Centre and Sydney White Water Stadium. These
facilities
where used to stage events at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
The lakes project part in part designed to mitigate flood waters from
the
Nepean River; however the ability of the lakes to mitigate a medium to
large
flood is very limited. The lakes main use in the future will be for
recreation.
The main reason for the project is to secure the future of the quarry
and to
ensure the holes left by the quarry would not turn into stagnant
wastelands. It
is much cheaper for the quarry developers to turn the site into lakes
than to
fill the holes they have made with soil.
Penrith Lakes can be heavily choked by weed making fishing difficult.
Some harvesting
of the weed takes place before major rowing events and this makes
fishing
easier for a month or two until the weed grows back.
The size of most Bass in the lakes is well below 25cm. Carp have been
caught at
weights of up to 6kg.
Restrictions
Access to the lake is restricted to public visiting hours and special
fishing
restrictions apply. Fishing for native species is catch and release and
is
restricted to Tuesdays from 9am-5pm see www.regattacentre.nsw.gov.au
for details. Fishing with a fishing club on club days is also
permitted.
Fishermen must use barbless hooks. Carp must not be returned to
the
water. Boating is not permitted except with a kayak or canoe. The usual
seasonal closures and bag limits apply for native fish.
Special fishing days are also held throughout the year. More
information can be
obtained from the Regatta
Centre
Website or by calling Penrith Lakes Development Corporation on (02)
4730 6790 or (02) 4729 0044. You can also contact the DPI fisheries
office at
North Sydney on (02) 9439 3148.
Tips The best lures for natives are spinner baits, celters, small
stump jumpers,
floppy's and surface lures such as jitter bugs. Worms and live insects
fished
under a float, to keep your bait out of the weed, works well for bass.
Bait fishing for carp can be a success with just about any bait but
worms,
cheese and corn are the popular choices at the lakes.
Fly fishing with wooley
buggers and other streamer flies works well for both bass and carp.