RHYS' TOP 3 SECRETS FOR WINDAMERE
Tips for fishing windamere dam
Tips for fishing windamere dam
By Rhys Creed | Published Jul
We had an epic trip to Lake Windamere this year and even in mixed conditions we managed to find some Golden Perch. The lake has recently risen this year and has just hit 100% for the second time in history! Prior to this year the lake has been below 60% for over 19 years and the fishing was very different.
Now that the lake has risen we find ourselves fishing a COMPLETELY new lake!
The edges are covered in flooded grass, thick blackberry bushes, flooded sapling trees and there is stacks of food for the yellas. They are feeding up in ways they haven't been able to for a very long time. I even had one fish spit up 50 worms at the boat.
Windamere Dam is 100% worth fishing this year, in fact you don't want to miss out! In saying that we found the fish to be tricky to work out, so I wanted to share our 'Top 3 Lessons' that we learnt from our 5 day trip.
Here they are:
Keep Moving to Find Active Fish
There are many things to get right, but if you only remember one thing it would be this first lesson (and this also applies to chasing yellas anywhere). You need to continually move until you find two things.
First, you want to find fish. No point working a bank that doesn’t hold fish. So, every 10-15 minutes, if you’ve worked the key part of the bank and you aren’t seeing many fish. Keep moving.
Second, is you want to find active fish (this is the big key). And this is where many people get stuck chasing inactive fish. In Windamere especially, there are so many fish that you can get caught working along a bank with fish that are inactive.
Here’s an example from our recent trip.
On the final morning we struggled to find fish as they had slowed down from the previous day due to the poor weather change. We moved from bank to bank, and we were finding fish, but they wouldn’t chew.
But instead of getting stuck on fish that were inactive (because we knew they wouldn’t bite) we left them and kept on moving. Eventually we came across a point where we landed 12 fish from 18 hits in less than 2 hours! During the morning we only landed 2 fish in 7 hours and then completely turned the session around with an epic bite. Because we kept moving, we got onto the hottest bite periods of the trip.
And most other boats had headed in for the day because the fishing was ‘tough’.
So, if you’re heading to Windamere Dam, make sure you continue to move spots. Don’t give up when the fishing is tough, because there will be a school of fish biting somewhere.
The Retrieve (this is critical)
I know I said about that moving was the number one thing, but this one comes in a very close second place. We tried a range of different retrieves but there was only one that worked. I’ll explain how important it was to get this retrieve right.
We landed 41 fish for the trip; Dan and I landed 37 fish and Dillan and Jono landed 4 between them. Why was their such a difference? Both Dan and I did do a bit more fishing, but the biggest factor was the retrieve. You had to get it right!
This retrieve that worked for us was a shaking retrieve, where we flick the rod tip to make the lure hop of the bottom like a yabby. If you get this retrieve right, it’ll trigger fish to bite. This works well with most lures and for us using it with soft plastic curl tail grubs landed majority of the fish.
We’ve filmed a detailed demo video on this shaking retrieve which is available inside the SF Membership for all members, you can join here.
You Must Use Scent
If you didn’t use scent, you caught less fish. We used the Gulp Minnow Grubs which have an infused scent and come in the Gulp juice. These are ideal as they stink, and the fish love the smell. When using anything else like jerk baits, hardbodys, ZX blades or soft vibes – you need to make sure you’re applying scent.
Most scents work well and just make sure you rub it on every 20-30 minutes. I run the Gulp scent, but S Factor is another popular option.
Those are my top three tips, but we share lots more in the podcast episode from our Windamere trip. I’ve got the podcast episode below for you to listen to.
listen to the windamere Dam podcast
Click below to start listening to the podcast episode that is loaded with tips on fishing Lake Windamere!
Want More Videos, Content and Tips
for your Windamere Trip?
We have heaps more videos and tips for Windamere Dam. Here is a list of resources you’ll want to checkout once you’re inside the SF Membership Platform.
1. Windamere Dam Trip Report 2022
After our trip we published a massive 6,000 word Trip Report which COVERS everything we learnt on the trip. This includes:
- Key Structure we fished and how to fish it
- Spots we fished (links to pins on the SF Maps)
- Details about the go-to retrieve that worked.
Plus so much more! This Trip Report has helped so many of our members catch fish on their recent trips to Windamere.
2. Windamere Video – Trip Recap, Lessons, Techniques & Key Fishing Spots
On our last night before we headed home Dan and I sat down and filmed a detailed Trip Recap video that explains each day, how we went about our session, our thought process and how we break a part a trip. This goes hand in hand with the Trip Report above.
3. Our New Windamere Film
THE NEW WINDAMERE: A Golden Icon Lives On (FILM)
During our 5 day trip we created an epic film that showcases a newly filled Windamere Dam and we go on the hunt to see if the fishery will continue to be the icon it's known to be. We bring you this story and highlight Windamere through amazing cinematography!
Full film available to all SF Members!
4. In-Depth Demo of the Shaking Retrieve for Yellas | Plastics & Vibes (Demo)
This is the shaking retrieve I was talking about in the tips above. In this video we run through the four steps to getting the shake right, along with detailed insight into the three variations and when to use each one.
This is a must watch demo on a killer retrieve for spring yellas (especially at Windamere).
5. Technique: Fishing the Flooded Edges since the Rise at Windamere (Demo)
While I was at Windamere I filmed this demo video showing the EXACT technique we used to cast the edges. The banks we picked, how we worked the edge, where we hold the boat and more.
6. Check Out The Windamere Dam SF Map!
After you've read and watched all the content above, the last thing to do is jump inside the SF Maps for Windamere Dam. In here you can research all the key banks we fished on our recent trip. Plus you'll have access to photos of these key spots so you can plan your trip in advance.
PLUS you can checkout all the other maps while you're there.
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Click the button below!
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