Plan a trip to the Tuglow River, a small Blue Mountains headwater of the Kowmung that holds rainbow and brown trout, from the narrow forest water near Gurnang State Forest to the hard walk-in country near Tuglow Caves.
The Tuglow River is a small trout stream in the Blue Mountains, and the reason to seek it out is its description as holding good numbers of rainbow and brown trout, in water that takes some effort to reach.
It is a headwater. The river starts near Gurnang State Forest, runs down through farmland, and ends where it meets a second stream, the Hollanders, near Tuglow Caves. At that junction the two together become the Kowmung River, on the fringe of Kanangra-Boyd National Park. For an angler that makes three parts: narrow forest water at the top, a farmland middle, and a rugged lower end near the caves.
Start at the top. The upper reaches are in state forest around Gurnang, one of the two places local writers describe getting onto the river, and the water there is narrow and holds mostly small, energetic trout. It is the simplest trip on the river and the place to learn it: a light rod, a handful of dries and nymphs, and a day of working pockets upstream. No water-specific rule was found, which in practice means you check the current NSW fishing guide for any closed season before you plan the trip.
The lower end is the harder trip. The second way in is described near Tuglow Caves, but a 4WD only gets you within a few kilometres through Kanangra-Boyd, and only when the roads are good. From the closest fire trail it is a tough walk with no track. Do it once you know you like the river, not as a first visit.
Leave the middle alone unless you have the landholder’s say-so. It runs through farmland, and nobody describes a way onto the river there.
Check the NSW guide, pick a dry day, and head for the forest water first.