The Molonglo is a stocked brown-trout river that runs out of New South Wales, across the border into the ACT, and on into the Murrumbidgee. Murray cod and redfin have been recorded in it too, so in our read one river can give you a trout morning and a native-fish afternoon.
Before any place name, know this: the border divides the river, and the ACT rules divide the ACT side again. That gives you three waters to think about. Upstream is NSW water under NSW rules. In the ACT, one reach, between the Queanbeyan River junction and the border, is classed as Trout Water. Downstream of where the river meets the border it is Open Water.
The easiest trip is the ACT Open Water, fishing for the redfin and natives recorded in the river. The rules let you fish two rods at once but require you to stay close to your gear with it in sight, which in practice means you fish one spot at a time rather than setting lines and wandering. Start here if you want a relaxed session with a spinning rod.
The better trout trip is the ACT Trout Water reach. It is a classified trout water, which in practice means it is closed through winter: it opens at the start of the October Labour Day long weekend and closes at the end of the June King's Birthday long weekend. Inside that window you fish one rod, with no more than two flies or a single lure, and no bait at all. Go with a fly rod in late spring, when the stocked browns have settled and the bugs are moving.
The NSW water upstream is the one to research before you drive. The access card lists the NSW sites along it. Read the current NSW freshwater guide, including its trout-water and closed-waters lists, before you fish there.
Pick your side of the border, check the season date for that side, then look at the flow card before you leave home.
Water and habitat
The Molonglo is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee, and the gradient chart shows how it falls along its length. The bank cover chart shows how much shade the river gets. In our experience trout in a river like this hold where cover and current meet: undercut banks, the seam below a riffle, the head of a pool where food funnels in. Deeper, slower runs are where a cod or a school of redfin is more likely.
The flow-duration and temperature charts are the ones to study before a trip. They show how often the river runs high or low and how warm it gets through the year. In our experience warm, low water in late summer is hard on trout; that is the time to fish early or late, or to switch to the natives.
Fish and forage
Brown trout are the fish most anglers come for. They are listed for the river by the NSW authorities and have been stocked season after season, as the stocking chart shows. In our read, that steady stocking should mean a run of younger browns most years, with the chance of an older fish that has survived a few seasons. Rainbow trout are listed too, though they turn up in the records less often.
Among the natives, Murray cod have been recorded, and golden perch less reliably. Redfin are recorded often, and so are carp and goldfish. Mountain galaxias have been recorded in the river, and they matter to the fly box: a small, slim streamer imitates a galaxias well. Oriental weatherloach and western carp gudgeon have been recorded too, more reason to carry a small baitfish pattern.
For the trout, carry a range of nymphs (pheasant tail and hare's ear in sizes 14 to 16), a few parachute dries, a caddis, a hopper for summer and a couple of small streamers in olive and brown. For the natives and redfin, a small spinnerblade or soft plastic covers most of it.
When to fish it
- The opening weeks. The ACT trout reach opens on the October long weekend. In our experience early-season water can run high and cold, so fish nymphs deep along the edges of the current.
- Summer. Warmer weather brings mayflies, caddis and terrestrials. Fish dries and hoppers early and late in the day, and give the fish a rest in the heat of a hot afternoon.
- Autumn into early winter. As the water cools, trout feed hard before winter. A streamer through the deeper runs is a good bet. The ACT trout reach closes at the end of the June King's Birthday long weekend.
- Winter. From the end of the King's Birthday long weekend until the October long weekend, the ACT trout reach is closed. Check the current ACT brochure before you fish the Open Water and the NSW guide for the upstream water. If you do fish, redfin will often take a slow lure even in the cold.
How to fish it
On the trout water, walk and look before you cast. Trout in a small river see you long before you see them, so stay low and fish upstream. A dry-dropper rig (a buoyant dry with a nymph beneath it) counts as two flies and is within the ACT limit. Once you find fish rising, cut off the nymph and fish the dry alone.
For natives and redfin in the Open Water, work a lure slowly past snags and through the deeper holes. A cod will usually hold tight to cover and take close to it, so put the lure where you might lose it. Redfin often come in schools: once you catch one, keep casting to the same water.
Keep your tackle light on the trout water: a 4 or 5 weight rod with a 9-foot leader tapering to 5X is enough for most of it.
Access and safety
The access card names the NSW sites along the river. It describes where people get on the water; it does not grant permission. Check who owns the land before you cross it, and keep to tracks and gates as you find them.
As on any river, look at the flow card before you wade and stay out after heavy rain. Wear boots with good grip, and wade with a stick where you cannot see the bottom.
Regulations
The river is fished under two sets of rules, and which one applies depends on where you stand.
ACT Trout Water (the Molonglo between the Queanbeyan River junction and the ACT/NSW border). Open from the start of the October Labour Day long weekend to the end of the June King's Birthday long weekend. Only artificial fly and lure fishing is allowed: bait is banned. You fish with one rod, carrying no more than two flies or one lure. You may have two rods and a landing net in or beside the water, but only one rigged. A handline, a rod rigged for bait or any net other than a landing net is prohibited there.
ACT Open Water (the Molonglo downstream of where it meets the ACT/NSW border). You may use up to two rods or handlines at once, plus a landing net, with no more than two hooks, two flies or one lure on each rod. Stay within 10 metres of your gear and keep it in sight. You may have no more than four rods or handlines with you, and no more than two of them rigged for bait.
Read the current ACT recreational fishing brochure before you go, for licences and anything not covered here.
NSW water upstream. Check the current NSW freshwater fishing guide, including its trout-water and closed-waters lists, before you fish the NSW side.
