Lake Barlee in Menzies: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Menzies, Western Australia, this is Lake Barlee. Dry rangeland runs right down to the water. Compared with other Western Australia water on our list, it sits high. The closest town, Leinster, is 177 km distant. After that come Leonora at 183 km and Hannans at 264 km. Within a short drive: Lake Noondie 54 km away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Barlee

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On Lake Barlee the obvious spot is not always the productive one. Keep back from the edge where the water runs clear.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 12°C to 29°C. There is no cold season worth the name. The shoulder seasons either side of summer are the ones to aim for. Spring, September into November, fishes hardest, with autumn a close second. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lake Barlee. Water temperature lags the air by a week or so.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lake Noondie, 54 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Lake Barlee is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.