THE last couple of years I’ve marked the end of the trout season by fly fishing some tiny alpine creeks with my mate Sooty. It’s a style of fishing where downsizing both gear and waterway size brings maximum fun. At this time of year, especially in the Snowy Mountains, the bigger rivers and popular pools start to become ridiculously crowded as the spawn run gets underway and fly and spin fishers jockey for spots. In contrast, where the fishing took place on these last trips, Sooty and I were the only ones there. It was also within easy walking distance of the busy Snowy Mountains Highway and close to well known snowfields – one creek we fished had ski lifts just above the opposite bank.
Around this time of year the terrain has yet to be blanketed by the white stuff, but the climate can change fast, as we found out. The first day we had mild clear late autumn conditions with a
