Fishing Lake Ball in Flinders Ranges, South Australia

• Overview

  Set in Flinders Ranges, Lake Ball is a South Australia water. Elevation runs to 13 metres. Around 75 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Supplies mean a trip to Broken Hill, 235 km off. For a city, Adelaide is 523 km off. Close by you also have: 33 km out stands Lake Cootabarlow, Lake Frome some 38 km off, 43 km out stands Lake Pundalpa, Lake Coontayunta some 44 km off and 47 km out stands Lake Elder. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ball

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Lake Ball gives up its fish to patience rather than distance. Overhanging branches shade fish that would otherwise sit deeper.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect January near 29°C and July near 12°C on the long-run figures. The whole calendar is open, with dawn and dusk the productive hours in summer. Summer, December to February, brings heat, so fish the early and late hours. The shoulder seasons either side of summer are the ones to aim for. That is the shape of the year on Lake Ball.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Lake Cootabarlow, 33 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lake Ball in particular, ask before you travel.