Colombo Creek is a lowland NSW creek that feeds Billabong Creek, and the reason to fish it is the chance of a Murray cod or golden perch on a fly rod.
It is one stream, so treat it as one piece of water and fish the deep, snaggy parts of it.
The trip to make is a warm-weather evening or early morning with a streamer. Pick an access point from the access card, walk the bank and cast to timber and undercut edges. Take any closed season from the current NSW fishing guide before you settle on a date.
Carry a small-fly option for the redfin as well.
Water and habitat
A slow, lowland creek is mostly about structure. In our experience the fish sit tight to fallen timber, undercut banks and the deeper bends, and leave the shallow, open runs alone. Murray cod and golden perch both like a place to hide with current close enough to bring food to them. Water clarity and colour change quickly after rain, so what you can fish on one visit may look nothing like the next.
Fish and forage
Murray cod, golden perch, freshwater catfish and redfin are the fish worth targeting. Murray cod are the prize. Small native fish such as Australian smelt, rainbowfish, hardyhead and gudgeons are recorded too, and they are the forage that makes a small baitfish-style streamer a good bet. European carp, goldfish, eastern gambusia and oriental weatherloach are also recorded; they are pests and not a fly-fishing target.
When to fish it
Settle the rules first: take any closed season from the current NSW fishing guide. Within what it allows, warm water is the best bet for cod and golden perch, from spring through to early autumn, and the low-light hours at each end of the day are usually the best of it. In cold water fish are slower and less willing to chase, so slow a streamer right down or leave it for another month. After heavy rain, give the creek a day or two to settle.
How to fish it
Use a 7 or 8 weight, a sinking or intermediate line and a short, strong leader; cod and snags punish light tippets. Cast a Woolly Bugger or a similar weighted streamer tight to timber, let it sink, then strip it with pauses and hold on. Fish each snag from a few angles before moving. In summer, a hopper landed against a grassy bank can bring a surface take, and it is worth a few casts on the way between snags. Handle any cod and golden perch you are going to release quickly and wetly.
Access and safety
The access card names the access points. Treat them as locations, not a statement of permission, and respect any fence or sign you meet on the ground.
As on any bush creek, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, carry water, and watch your footing on soft, undercut banks. Avoid wading into water you cannot see the bottom of, and keep an eye on the sky when rain is about.
Regulations
No water-specific rule was found. Before you fish, read the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fishing guide, check its closed-waters information and native-fish rules for Murray cod and golden perch, and take any season, bag and size limits and licence requirements from it.
