Khancoban Pondage is a stocked trout dam beside the township of Khancoban, and the reason to come is simple: the state puts rainbows, browns and Atlantic salmon into it season after season.

Think of it as one body of still water. The line that matters is where any creek meets the backed-up water of the dam. Below that line you are on the dam and its general trout dam listing; above it you are off that listing, so check how the stream is treated in the current NSW guide.

The easiest trip is a boat or a kayak off the listed ramp for stocked rainbows and salmon from spring into early summer. The dam is listed as a general trout dam in the state’s trout and salmon closure notification, but no rule written for this water alone was found, so check the current NSW guide before you go. Start on a windward bank or the drift line off a point and cover water with a slow-stripped wet fly.

The second trip is from the bank for browns in autumn and winter. The listing that covers the dam stops where each creek enters it, so a brown you follow upstream takes you off that listing the moment you step into the stream. Fish the margins at first and last light and stay on the dam.

Murray cod turn up in the release history too. If you want to try for one, check the current NSW guide first, because the trout dam listing tells you nothing about cod. In our experience a trout-focused trip is the better use of your time here.

Check the current NSW DPIRD freshwater guide, pick an access site from the card, and start with the wind in your face.