The Barrington is a NSW river where rainbow trout are stocked, and the reason to drive up is small-water dry-fly fishing that asks for accuracy more than distance.
Think of it as two kinds of water. At the top, small tributary creeks feed the upper river. Below them the river gathers into one channel and runs down to join a larger stream, the Gloucester River.
The first trip, and the easier one to plan, is the main river. Pick a way in from the access card, walk upstream and fish each pool with a buoyant dry, dropping a small nymph beneath it when nothing rises. In our experience the warmer months are the time to come. The rainbows here are stocked, so the fishing leans on those releases, and before you go read the current NSW guide, including its trout-water and closed-water lists, because that is what decides whether you can fish here on your dates.
The second trip is the small upper creeks, and it is the one to save for when you have fished tight water before. FlyLife's writers describe these tributaries as weedy, with weed lanes that can leave you narrow gaps to fish at normal flow, and they describe Scotch broom along much of the river crowding the bank behind you. Bring a short rod, a roll cast and patience. The same trout-water check applies up here too.
If you only have a day, fish the main river and treat the creeks as a scouting walk. Carry a few sizes of the same dry rather than a box of patterns: on water this tight, getting the drift right matters more than the fly, and a fly you can see in broken light is worth more than an exact match.
Check the live card for the river level, read the NSW guide, and pack a small box of dries.
Water and habitat
The gradient chart shows how the Barrington falls along its length. On a stream of this size, in our experience, the steeper water sorts itself into runs, pockets and short pools rather than long glides. Trout sit where the current brings food past and gives them a break from it: the head of a pool where a run spills in, the seam beside a rock, the slower water under a cut bank.
On the small upper creeks, FlyLife's writers describe weed growth that can take up much of the channel at normal flow, leaving the fish in the clear lanes between. They describe a preference for a flow that sits a few inches over the weed, which gives a dry more room to drift. The live card shows how the river is running before you commit to the drive, and the flow chart shows its usual range through the year.
The bank cover chart gives you a sense of how much of the river runs under vegetation. FlyLife's writers describe Scotch broom thickets along much of the Barrington, which is the practical problem: the scrub behind you, not the water in front, is what limits your cast.
Fish and forage
Rainbow trout are the fish to target. They are stocked here, and the stocking chart shows the releases season by season. In our experience a stocked fishery means the fish you meet are likely to be young and willing, and it is worth planning around the stocking history rather than assuming a head of large, old fish.
Australian smelt, Cox's gudgeon and longfin eels are also recorded in the river. The smelt and gudgeon are small fish that a trout will eat, which is the case for carrying a slim streamer.
For a fly box, in our experience you want buoyant, visible dries in sizes 12 to 16, such as a Royal Wulff, an Adams or an Elk Hair Caddis; a beadhead Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail in 14 to 16 to hang beneath; and a small dark Woolly Bugger for the deeper pools. In high summer a hopper is a good bet where grass meets the water.
When to fish it
Start with the NSW guide, not the calendar, because the trout rules decide which months are open to you on this river.
Within whatever window the rules allow, the warmer months are the time we would choose. In our experience spring brings trout up to feed as the water warms, and from late spring through summer a dry fly does most of the work. In high summer, fish early and late, when the light is off the water and the fish are less wary. Autumn can be good on the main river as the flow settles, and a nymph or small streamer comes into its own as the water cools.
On the upper creeks, watch the level. FlyLife's writers describe the fishing as best when the flow lifts the water over the weed, so in our read a steady level, not a flood, is the window to look for.
How to fish it
Fish upstream. On small water the trout face into the current, so approaching from below keeps you behind them. Move slowly, keep low, and fish the near water before you wade into it.
A short three- or four-weight rod with a floating line and a long, fine leader suits the upper water; step up to a five-weight on the main river. Most casts will be short. Where scrub closes in behind you, use a roll cast rather than fighting the broom on every back cast.
On the weedy creeks, drop the fly at the top of a clear lane and let it drift down its length. The weed will catch anything that drags, so keep the drift short and lift before it reaches the weed. When fish are not rising, a dry-dropper rig lets the dry act as an indicator for a nymph a short way beneath it.
Access and safety
The access card lists the sites where you can reach the water. Treat each as a way in, not as permission to cross the land beside it; where a track runs through private property, ask first.
As on any mountain stream, rocks in fast water are slippery and a small river can rise quickly after rain in the hills. Wade slowly, feel your footing, and check the live card before you set out. Where broom crowds the bank, look for an open line along it before you commit to a long walk.
Regulations
Read the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fishing guide before you fish the Barrington, and check its trout-water and closed-water lists for the river and its creeks, including any seasons and bag or size limits that apply to trout.
Open the current NSW fishing rules and regulations before you leave.
