Lake Kurwongbah Saratoga

[KD]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm wondering if anyone has fished Kurwongbah for saratoga on fly recently. I am going to have my first crack at them over the school holidays and any advice would be really welcome.

Thanks.

[Jords]

Mate be careful, it's bass closed season and kurwongbah is not an exempt dam. I.E. you cannot fish there in closed season like you can NPD, Wivenhoe, Hinze etc etc etc

Also, in winter the toga tend to spawn as well, which turns them right off feeding, as the are mouth brooders and are usually holding live young or eggs in their mouth

[Jords]

PS, I think toga on fly would be amazing, they are an incredible sports fish!!

[rayke1938]

Saratoga have been stocked in kurwongba by the PRFMA at great expense so that a breeding population may establish.

I am fairly certain that they would appreciate them being left alone to breed and multiply.

Even if you practice catch and release there is a possibility of deep hooking a fish and it subsequently dyeing.

My personal view on the subject.

Cheers

Ray

[KD]

THanks for the advice. I'll wait until 1 September. I have had the pleasure of catching one saratoga on fly at Borumba and it was an incredible experience, one of my most memorable. Thanks again.

[KD]

How long ago were they stocked? Do you fish Kurwongbah at all?

[rayke1938]

From the PRFMA website.

Fish Stocking

Lake Kurwongbah has been stocked with native fish since 2008 and is proving to be a very promising fishery. Fish captured from the lake are showing good growth and on track for future projections. The PRFMA Stocking Program has stocked the following species into the lake:

Australian Bass

Yellow Belly (Golden Perch)

Mary River Cod

Snub Nose Gar

Saratoga

The lake also contains Tilapia(a noxious pest fish) and Redclaw yabbies both of which have been are not native to the area and should not be re-released if caught.

Fishing in the Lake

Shore Based Fishing

Shore based angling is accessible via the following two locations:

Mick Hanfling Park is the biggest and most equipped location on Lake Kurwongbah and located on Beeville Rd just passed the Petrie Scout Den. this park has picnic shelters, electric BBQ's a toilet and off street parking available to the public 365 days a year. With mild slopping grassy banks this area is a great spot to take the family and fish.

Kurwongbah Park located on Dayboro is a smaller park area with a Concrete Shelter, picnic area and wood fired BBQ's. there are no public toilets at this park. The area also has gentle sloping grassy banks making fishing fun and easy..

The first years stocking of yellowbelly and bass are now of legal size and quite a few anglers have been targeting the bass on fly earlier this year.

A significant number of fish did go over the wall during the recent flood events but hopefully a lot will remain and the PRFMA are committed to continue with their stocking.

Have a look at the PRFMA website as it has a lot of good information about the History of Lake Kurwongbah.and Lake Sampsonvale ( North Pine Dam }

I do not fish kurwongbah as I prefer to fish from a boat in NPD but quite a few members of this site do fish Kurwongbah and were getting good results before the floods.

If you are interested they would also welcome you as a member of the stocking group.

CHeers

Ray )

[KD]

Thanks Ray, this is great info. I have tried to get to a meeting previously but the timing hasn't worked out. I used to fish NPD before the water levels rose, but it is quite difficult to fish fly from the shore now. I really should apply for one of the boating permits I suppose.

Thanks again for your info.

Ken

[Nog]

Mate be careful, it's bass closed season and kurwongbah is not an exempt dam. I.E. you cannot fish there in closed season like you can NPD, Wivenhoe, Hinze etc etc etc

Also, in winter the toga tend to spawn as well, which turns them right off feeding, as the are mouth brooders and are usually holding live young or eggs in their mouth

Are you sure Jords, I thought they started the mating ritual in late winter early September. Then by early Summer they have young.

But they are in there, and can be caught on fly

[Jords]

"Breeding begins in late winter through spring and, once spawning begins, one parent will carry the eggs in their mouth for six to eight weeks. They will go without feeding for the duration until the fingerlings are 4-6†and are then left to their own. So when targeting saratoga it would be best not to plan your trip during their breeding season. Borumba is the perfect place for fly anglers to hone their skills as saratoga will readily take a sub surface fly cast around the many stumps and overhanging trees. However, I find nothing more exhilarating than the explosive hit from this territorial acrobat as they do their best to destroy top water lures."

Touche mate! Well I guess it's a good time to give them a crack, might be a little bit chilly but no harm in trying!

That's weird, only Time I have ever caught Toga was in the first 3 or 4 days of summer, I guess they must just have finished and were mightily hungry!

[regulated]

Mate be careful, it's bass closed season and kurwongbah is not an exempt dam. I.E. you cannot fish there in closed season like you can NPD, Wivenhoe, Hinze etc etc etc

So is Kurwongbah a closed dam at the moment or do you mean just for bass. Just asking, I'm not going fishing but looking at dropping a couple of pots in if I can find any cheap ones. BCK and Ray's outdoors are sold out at the moment. Don't really want to pay $10 each for them at tackleworld.

BJ

[Jords]

Just fishing fOr bass, pots you will be fine. Possibly best at nod though, they tend to slow down in winter though mate, but you should still get a few

[rayke1938]

Mate be careful, it's bass closed season and kurwongbah is not an exempt dam. I.E. you cannot fish there in closed season like you can NPD, Wivenhoe, Hinze etc etc etc

So is Kurwongbah a closed dam at the moment or do you mean just for bass. Just asking, I'm not going fishing but looking at dropping a couple of pots in if I can find any cheap ones. BCK and Ray's outdoors are sold out at the moment. Don't really want to pay $10 each for them at tackleworld.

BJ

If you place either redclaw or shrimp pots in Kurwongbah please be aware that Kurwongbah is infested with Cabomba weed which is not present in NPD so please ensure that your pots are thoroughly cleaned before using in other waters.

Kmart is the cheapest place to buy opera house pots.

Cheers

Ray