Lake Cooncoolie in Bourke: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bourke, New South Wales, is where Lake Cooncoolie sits. Height above sea level is 103 metres. Roughly 45 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The bank runs about 3.4 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Bourke sits 97 km from here and is the nearest stop. Further out sit Brewarrina (179 km) and Cunnamulla (194 km). It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake Cooncoolie

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On Lake Cooncoolie the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort. Rain running in from a ditch brings food with it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect January near 29°C and July near 12°C on the long-run figures. Winter is simply the pleasant end of an unbroken season. Spring, September into November, and autumn, March into May, are the strong stretches. Summer, December to February, brings heat, so fish early and late. Lake Cooncoolie runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Lake Coonany at 12 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Lake Cooncoolie as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.