Googong Reservoir is a big, still water supply dam a short drive from Queanbeyan, and its reputation among fly anglers rests on one fish: golden perch. In spring they come into the shallows, and the people who write about the dam describe fish you can see and cast to, which is the best reason to make the drive.

It is one body of water rather than a river cut into stretches, so the practical question is where to walk or paddle rather than which section to pick. The shoreline is the answer for most fly anglers. A practitioner blog describes a foot track that circles the full lake, and ACT Parks describes the Googong Foreshores park with its own entrances and tracks on the lake’s shore. That gives you a choice of edges to walk without a boat.

Trip one: spring golden perch. In spring, and best from mid-spring in the sources’ telling, walk the shoreline looking for fish cruising close in. A stand-out day described on one blog involved sight-fishing to golden perch that included two very big fish on fly, and double hook-ups are described as common once you find a patch. Start with a bank walk from the foreshores, keep moving until you see fish, then stay with them.

Trip two: a kayak for the far edges. A practitioner blog describes kayak anglers using the dam, which would put you on water the track does not reach. Check the park’s current page for what is allowed on the water before you launch, and if you run an electric motor, carry paddles and a spare battery as ACT Parks advises.

Trip three: cod as a bonus. Murray cod are stocked, and one blog describes some very large ones here. Treat one as a pleasant surprise on a big fly rather than a reason to come.

Trout are stocked too, but they are a side note on this water; the perch are why you go. Before you leave home, check the current NSW fishing guide and its closed-waters list, because the rules for this dam are the state’s to set and they change.