Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics

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Nungar Creek

River

29.9 km

Main stem

Access places

A small NSW trout creek that drains to the Murrumbidgee, holding brown and rainbow trout and fished at close range with a short rod, small dries and a light nymph.

Nungar Creek is a small trout creek, and the reason to go is the chance of a good brown trout from water you can almost step across.

It is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River. No reliable read was found on what divides the creek into distinct stretches, so treat it as one piece of water and one trip: walk in from an access point and fish upstream until the day runs out.

The trip is for brown and rainbow trout, both recorded here. FlyLife’s writers describe tight water fished at short range with a short rod, and they write of browns bigger than a creek this size would lead you to expect. In our experience the season to aim for is summer into early autumn, when a small creek runs low and clear and the fish look up. No water-specific rule was found, which in practice means you check the current NSW fishing guide for the licence and any closed season before you go, instead of assuming the creek is open.

Plan it as a light day. A short rod, a box of small dries and a few bead-head nymphs are the whole kit. Start at the first access point the card names, fish every pocket that looks deep enough to hide a fish, and walk past the thin riffles. If the creek is high and coloured when you arrive, it will fish badly, so save it for another day.

Check the NSW fishing guide, pick an entry point from the access card, and go on a settled summer day.

No live gauge

No gauge readings are available for this water.

Season

Access & parking

Driving directions

Water and habitat

Nungar Creek is small water, and FlyLife’s writers describe it that way: close-range fishing where a short rod is an advantage. No detailed survey of the channel was found, so what follows is a guide’s read of water like this.

On a small creek the fish live wherever there is depth or cover, and there is never much of either. Look for the plunge at the head of each pool, the undercut on the outside of a bend, the slot beside a log and the dark water under an overhanging bank. Shallow, even riffles hold little in the middle of the day. Trout in water this small are easily spooked, and they see you long before you see them if you walk the bank upright.

Fish and forage

Brown trout and rainbow trout have both been recorded in the creek. FlyLife’s writers mention browns of a size that makes the creek worth the walk.

No insect survey of the creek was found. In our experience small trout creeks feed on caddis, mayflies and whatever falls in from the bank, with grasshoppers and beetles mattering most in the warm months. That points to a simple box: a caddis dry, a mayfly dry in a few sizes, a hopper for summer afternoons and a couple of small bead-head nymphs.

When to fish it

No month-by-month account of this creek was found, so this is a guide’s read. Small creeks are at their best through summer and into early autumn, when the water is low and clear and the trout take dries readily. Early in the season, a creek can run high and cold after rain or melt, and fishing a nymph in the deeper pockets is the better bet then. On a hot, bright day, the first and last hours of light usually fish best. Check the current NSW fishing guide for any closed season before you pick your dates.

THE YEAR ON THIS WATER

Dry-dropper through the runs

Fly · Nov–Mar

In our experience a small creek like this fishes best once the water is low and clear. A buoyant dry with a small bead-head under it covers both species. Check the current NSW guide for any closed season before you plan the month.

Hoppers off the banks

Food · Dec–Mar

A guide’s read, not a survey. Where a creek runs through grass, hoppers blown onto the water in the warm afternoons are worth imitating.

Evening caddis

Food · Nov–Mar

In our experience caddis are the evening insect on most small trout creeks. Carry an Elk Hair Caddis for the last hour of light.

How to fish it

Take a short rod. A 7 to 7.5 foot 2 or 3 weight with a floating line and a leader of around 7 to 9 feet tapered to 5X or 6X suits the close casting FlyLife’s writers describe. Most of your casts will be a rod length or two, and many will be a flick or a bow-and-arrow cast from under the trees.

Fish upstream, keep low and stay back from the edge. Put the fly into the head of each pool and let it drift down the seam, then move on; two or three good drifts show whether a fish is home. A Royal Wulff or Elk Hair Caddis in size 14 to 16 is a good first fly. If nothing rises, hang a small bead-head Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail under the dry on a short dropper. On warm afternoons, a small hopper tight against the bank is worth a try for the bigger browns.

Access and safety

The access card names the entry points. Treat them as locations, not a statement of permission, and confirm on the ground before you cross any land.

No specific hazard was found for this creek. As on any bush stream, tell someone where you are going and when you will be out, carry water and a first-aid kit, and watch your footing on wet rock and loose banks. Give yourself enough daylight to walk back to the car.

Foot access · National Park · Seasonal road closures may apply · Difficult access

View place

Directions

Regulations

No rule specific to Nungar Creek was found. Check the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recreational fishing guide for the licence, the bag and size limits for trout and any closed season before you fish, and take those from the guide.