The Hollanders River is small, remote trout water on the edge of Kanangra-Boyd National Park, and the reason to make the effort is simple: it is described as holding many small brown and rainbow trout, and in our experience few people go to the trouble of reaching water this remote.
Think of it as a headwater stream with one clear end. It runs down to a junction with another small river, the Tuglow, and at that meeting the two become the Kowmung. Everything above that junction is the Hollanders.
There is really one trip here, and it is a hard one. The described way in leaves Kanangra Walls Road on a fire trail whose gate may be locked, follows it along the tops, then drops down a spur to the river. Access is described as very limited because the country is rough and remote. Go in the warmer months, when small trout look up, and plan the whole day around the walk out rather than the fishing.
No water-specific rule was found for the Hollanders, so check the current NSW DPIRD freshwater guide for season, bag and licence before you commit to the drive.
If a spur descent for small wild fish sounds like your kind of day, read the access notes below and check current park conditions before you set out.
Water and habitat
This is headwater country: a narrow stream in national park country, gathering itself before it meets the Tuglow. The gradient chart shows how the bed falls along its length. On a stream like this, expect a run of short pools, pocket water behind boulders and shallow riffles rather than long glides. Trout sit at the heads of pools where the current delivers food, tucked against the seam beside the fast water, and under any overhanging bank that gives them shade.
The bank cover chart gives a sense of how closed-in the stream is. Where the timber comes down to the water, expect tight casting and fish that hold close to cover.
Fish and forage
The river is described as holding many small brown and rainbow trout, and brown trout have been recorded here. Fish in a stream this size are opportunists. In our experience they take mayfly and caddis nymphs through the day and anything that falls off the bank in summer: beetles, ants and the occasional grasshopper. That makes fly choice easy. A general-purpose dry and a small nymph cover almost everything, and you rarely need to match a hatch exactly.
When to fish it
The warm months are the obvious window, roughly late spring through early autumn, when small trout feed on the surface and the days are long enough for the walk in and out. Early and late in that window, cooler water tends to keep fish on nymphs through the middle of the day. Whatever the month, check the current NSW DPIRD freshwater guide before you plan a trip for any season that applies.
As on any small mountain stream, stay off it after heavy rain: water like this can rise and colour fast, and a spur descent is no place to be caught by a change in weather.
How to fish it
Travel light and fish upstream. A 7 to 8 foot rod for a 3 or 4 weight line is plenty, with a short leader tapering to 5X or 6X. Wade slowly and keep low, because small-stream fish spook at a shadow before they see a fly.
A good bet is a dry-dropper: a size 12 to 14 high-floating dry with a size 16 beadhead nymph hung a short way below. Put it on the seam at the head of each pool, then the pocket behind every decent rock, and move on after a few casts. In our experience, fish in lightly fished water rarely need a second look. When nothing rises, lose the dry and drift the nymph alone through the deeper water. In summer, a small foam beetle dropped tight under the overhanging banks is worth a try.
Access and safety
The route described by local writers runs from Kanangra Walls Road onto the Mount Emperor Fire Trail. That trail becomes the Ben Lomond Fire Trail, and from there you go down Hughes Spur to the river. The fire trail gate may be locked. Access overall is described as very limited because of the rough, remote terrain. The access card names the sites that are known. None of this is permission to use a particular track; check current closures and conditions with NSW National Parks before you set out.
As on any remote bush river, tell someone your route and your return time, carry water, a map and a way to call for help, and leave enough daylight and energy for the climb back up the spur.
Regulations
No water-specific rule was found for the Hollanders River. Before you fish, check the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development freshwater fishing guide for the trout season, bag and size limits, gear rules and the licence you need.
