Blowering is a large dam on the lower edge of the Snowy Mountains, in the country between Talbingo and Tumut, and it is a Murray cod water. NSW fisheries says it holds some of the largest cod in the country, and anglers travel a long way for them. If you want a chance at a fish of a lifetime on a fly or lure, this is one of the places to try.

It is one big body of water rather than a string of separate pools, and it sits partly inside Kosciuszko National Park. That matters for how you fish it: there is no river reach to walk and no run to read. You are choosing between shorelines, points and bays, and you cover a lot of them. Boat ramps are listed on the water, and a boat gives you reach the bank does not.

The first trip is the one to plan, a cod trip in the warmer months. The fisheries guide says the dam sits low enough to hold a strong native fish population, yet high enough to get the cooler water and snow-melt clarity of the alpine trout dams. The fisheries guide puts visibility at up to about five metres, and it calls the water capable of outstanding sight fishing for Murray cod and other natives. Go quietly, look before you cast, and be ready to spend hours on it. Locals call the dam Lake Disappointment for exactly that reason, and the same guide says the result is worth it.

The second trip is for golden perch, usually called yellowbelly, in spring. Fishing writers describe Blowering as one of the eastern dams that sees more angler traffic after them each spring. Fishing writers say that is when the traffic picks up, so a quiet weekday is a fair bet.

Trout are in the release history too, both rainbow and brown, but they are not the reason to drive here. If trout are what you want, the alpine trout dams higher in the Snowy Mountains are the better bet.

Bring patience, a boat if you can, and the current NSW fishing guide before you leave home.