Lake Mckenzie in Shoalhaven: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake Mckenzie belongs to Shoalhaven, New South Wales. Salt water lies 3.5 km off. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Shoalhaven. Some 6.2 km away sits Sanctuary Point, the nearest settlement. Further out sit Old Erowal Bay (7.3 km) and Sussex Inlet (7.8 km). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lake Mckenzie

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Nearby survey and observation records mention tallegalane mullet, goldlined seabream and white trevally. Take it as evidence of what swims here, not a promise for one session. Treat Lake Mckenzie as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 12°C in July up to 21°C in February. The season runs year-round, with the peak either side of summer. Summer, December to February, brings heat, so fish the early and late hours. Spring, September into November, fishes hardest, with autumn a close second. That is the shape of the year on Lake Mckenzie.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is somewhere to leave the car, 380 m off. There are picnic tables recorded roughly 290 m off. There is a toilet block some 360 m out. For the carp, bait a margin spot and sit on it; corn and bread still work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Sussex is 6.6 km distant. For Lake Mckenzie in particular, ask before you travel.