Lake Wallace is a picturesque water storage, located just off the Great Western Highway at Wallerawang (approximately 10 mins drive from Lithgow). The lake is fed by the Cox’s River and topped up with water the Fish River Scheme and Lake Lyell. The lake offers excellent trout fishing all year round, particularly for bait fishermen.

Alternate Names: Wallerawang Dam, Lake Wallerawang or Wang Dam

General Info: Wallace is a lake of moderate capacity which stores water for Wallerawang Power Station. The lake is commonly used for sailing, canoeing, bird watching and fishing.

Unlike other lakes in the area it is always close to capacity due to regular top up pumping from Lake Lyell in order to meet the water needs of the adjacent power station.

Rainbow trout of 37-50cm are the most frequent catch. Power Bait has proven very successful in the deeper sections of the lake, while fly fishing the shallows is a good option during a hatch.

Power boats are not permitted on Lake Wallace.

Location: 10 mins drive north west of Lithgow.

Just off the Great Western Highway, adjacent to the township of Wallerawang.

History & Purpose: Built on the Cox’s River in 1978 to supply water for power generation. Trout were present in the lake from the time of constriction and are regularly stocked. Bass are now present in small numbers since stocking in 1998.

River System: Cox’s River (Additional flows from the Fish River Scheme via lake Lyell). The Cox’s River flows into Warragamba Dam.

Fish Species: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout & Australian Bass

Fish Stocking Details: An average season would see 25,000 trout stocked to the dam. Most of the fish are rainbow trout. Less than 10% of the trout stocked in the past decade have been a mix of brown trout.

Capacity: 4300 Ml.

Surface Area: 125ha

Max Water Depth: 10m

Shore Access: Best access is via the public reserve located opposite Wallerawang Primary School. To get to the reserve take the Wallerawang exit off the Great Western Highway (Barton Ave) and turn right into the reserve just after you pass the Primary School.

Boat Access: Power boats are prohibited. Sailing, canoeing and kayaking is permitted. You can use an electric motor on a canoe or small tinny. The main boat ramp is located at the sailing club.
Regulations: General trout dam regulations apply. Two attended rods permitted. Two hooks per rod.

Bag & Size Limit: 5 Fish, over 25cm.

Restrictions: Access to the lake is not permitted north of the pipeline crossing the lake at the old cemetery. The lake is patrolled by security guards from Delta Electricity. Motor boats are prohibited, however electric motors are permited.

Water Quality: The water quality is generally better than that of Lake Lyell, despite the fact water from Lyell is pumped to Wallace regularly. Large towers of weed rise to the surface across much of the lake. This weed provides great habitat for fish, but can make trolling with your electric motor challenging. Algal blooms occur from time to time.

Popular Fishing Methods & Locations

Bait: This is one of the best bait fishing locations in NSW. Powerbait is the most successful bait for trout although mud eye, corn, worm and cheese are also worth trying. Powerbait will take trout at any time of he day or night. See the standard power bait rig by following the following the link. A floated grass hopper will work well in summer but you may need to throw grass hoppers onto the water as burley to get the fish to come on the bite.

Fly: Insect hatches are common from spring to late autumn. Dragon fly, may fly, midges and moths are common around the lake. There are plenty of mud eye in Lake Wallace so mudeye patterns can work well if they are hatching.  Look for fish rising, match the hatch and you will give yourself every chance of catching a fish. The dam wall area is very popular with fly fishermen, as is the outflow when water is being pumped from Lake Lyell. This is a great lake for novice fly fishermen as there are very few trees and lightly sloped banks so casting is relatively easy. Wet flies such as woolly buggers may catch weed in many sections of this lake however if you persist you can catch good fish, particularly at night.

Spinning: You can spin most areas of the lake, however weed can be an issue. Most locals find spinning is generally one of the least successful method of fishing this lake. Yellow winged, and pink Tassie’s and Cobra’s are most popular lures. Other varieties of spooned lures are also handy as well as, celters, minnows, and small soft plastics. Keep an eye out for fish rising to the surface or moving in the shallow weed beds near the edges. The best catches of fish on lures seem to be when the fish are a bit more territorial and aggressive before spawning. Try dark coloured lures in the evening, night and early morning. Particularly when the fish are feeding on the surface. When spinning on a day with little surface activity try the deeper areas of the lake (anywhere along the old creek line) with spooned and deep diving lures. Get your lure down toward the bottom where the temperature is normally cooler.

Boat: Motor boats are not permitted. Trolling is difficult when paddling canoe or kayak due to heavy weed coverage.

Camping: Camping facilities are not provided although there is a public toilet, showers and BBQ’s available.

Public Toilet: Yes
Map: Click here

For more info contact: Lithgow Tourist Information Centre (02) 6353 1859