Tooma Reservoir is a rainbow trout lake, and the reason to drive to it is that New South Wales keeps putting rainbows into it. The stocking chart shows fish going in season after season, so a rainbow is the fish to expect. The NSW trout rules name it Tooma Dam, with Khancoban as the nearest town.
It helps to think of it in two parts. One is the lake: the water held behind the dam wall, out to wherever the backed-up water reaches up each arm. The other is the streams that feed it, which are a separate question for the rules.
The easy trip, and the one we would make first, is the lake from the bank for stocked rainbows. It is listed as a general trout dam and is open to trout fishing all year round, which in practice means a winter trip is on; the bag and size limits and the gear rules are in the current NSW freshwater guide, so read it before you go. Start at one of the three access sites on the card, fish the cool end of the day, and walk the margin with a slow wet fly.
In the cooler months we would fish a lightly weighted Woolly Bugger along the edge on a floating or intermediate line, a few casts in a fan, then ten paces along the bank. In the warmer months a small nymph under an indicator, or a dry on a breezy evening, is a good bet for rainbows cruising the shallows.
The feeder streams are the second trip, and not one to plan blind. Do not assume the lake's rules carry up them; check what the current NSW guide says for those waters before you fish above the lake. We would not drive up for the creeks alone.
Read the NSW freshwater guide, pick a cool morning, and start at an access site on the card.
Water and habitat
Tooma Reservoir is a storage held behind a dam, and its backed-up water reaches up toward the streams that feed it. The water-surface chart shows how much of the lake has held water over the years; a storage like this rises and falls, and the edge you fish one season may be dry bank or deep water the next.
In our experience, rainbows in a lake like this spend a lot of their time on the move along the margins: past points, along drop-offs where the shallows fall away, and into the wind lanes where food collects. Where a feeder stream runs in, the moving water and whatever it carries are worth a long look. On a bright, still day expect the fish to sit deeper and further out; wind, cloud and low light bring them into casting range.
Fish and forage
Rainbow trout are the fish here. They are stocked, and the stocking chart shows the history: fish going in every season, which tells you the fishing rests on hatchery fish being topped up rather than on a wild run.
Stocked rainbows in a lake are rarely fussy once they have settled. In our experience they feed on whatever is in the margins: small nymphs, midge, snails and the odd terrestrial blown off the bank. That points to a short fly box. A Woolly Bugger in olive or black, sizes 8 to 12, a Hare's Ear and a Pheasant Tail in sizes 12 to 16, and a foam hopper or beetle for a warm afternoon.
When to fish it
As a general trout dam the lake is open to trout fishing all year round, so the calendar is about conditions rather than a closed season. Check the current NSW freshwater guide for limits and gear.
Our read is this. Autumn and spring are the most comfortable months for rainbows in a lake, with fish working the edges through more of the day. In winter we would fish the middle of the day and a slow, sunk fly. In summer, the early morning and the last hour of light are the times to be on the bank; in the heat of the day the fish go deep.
On any calm morning, spend the first ten minutes watching the water for rises and cruising fish before you tie anything on.
How to fish it
A five or six weight covers the lake from the bank. Carry a floating line and, if you have one, an intermediate; the intermediate lets you hold a fly at one depth through a slow retrieve.
For the searching fly, tie on a lightly weighted Woolly Bugger, cast along the bank rather than straight out, let it sink for a count, and bring it back with slow pulls and pauses. Fan your casts, then move along. When a fish follows and turns away, go smaller and slower.
For nymphs, fish a Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail on a long leader, either under a small indicator set a little shallower than the depth you think the fish are holding, or on a very slow figure-of-eight retrieve. Watch the line tip; a stocked rainbow's take on a slow nymph is often no more than a tightening.
On a breezy summer evening, a hopper or beetle dropped close to the windward bank and left to sit is worth a try, with a twitch now and then.
Wet your hands before you handle a trout, keep it in the water while you unhook it, and let it go once it holds itself upright if you are not keeping it.
Access and safety
The access card shows three angler access sites. It describes where they are, not whether you may use them on any given day, so follow the signs and any closures you find on the ground.
As on any storage, the margins change with the water level. A bank exposed by a falling lake can be soft underfoot, so test it before you wade and wade only where you can see the bottom. On open water the wind can come up quickly; keep an eye on the sky, carry a warm layer, and tell someone where you are going. Check and dry boots and waders before your next water.
Regulations
NSW DPIRD's southern NSW trout Primefact lists Tooma Reservoir, as Tooma Dam near Khancoban, as a general trout dam that is open to trout fishing all year round.
No water-specific rule was found beyond that listing. The bag and size limits and gear rules that apply to a general trout dam are set out in the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development freshwater fishing guide; check it before you fish, and check separately in that guide for any stream you plan to fish above the lake.
