MORE than 500 huge rainbow trout have been released by DPI into key inland lakes to provide anglers with a better chance of landing a trophy fish.
Staff from DPI’s Gaden and Dutton trout hatcheries, along with Fish Care volunteers and anglers from local clubs, recently released ex-brood stock rainbows into Lake Jindabyne, Carcoar Dam near Blayney and Lake Wallerawang at Lithgow.
The fish, most of which weighed more than 3kg along with a few monsters in excess of 5kg, were raised in the hatcheries to contribute to DPI stocking programs. Having done their duty, the big rainbows have been set free to provide anglers with trophy fishing opportunities.
The trout stocked in Lake Jindabyne had a non-toxic compound injected under the skin behind their left eyes. This permanent mark shows as a yellow line and will allow identification of the hatchery-reared fish from the existing rainbow trout population in the lake.
If you catch one of these marked fish in Jindabyne, Fisheries has advised that you are free to take it home for dinner or carefully release it so another angler can enjoy the experience of catching a trophy-sized trout. There’s no need for you to inform DPI of its capture.
Note that all notified trout streams are currently closed until the October long weekend, however trout lakes including Jindabyne, Wallerawang and Carcoar remain open year round.
