Toolibin Lake in Wickepin: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Wickepin entry here is Toolibin Lake, in Western Australia. Elevation runs to 304 metres. Roughly 2.99 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are 40 km from Narrogin. Further out sit Wagin (50 km) and Katanning (86 km). Not far off: Dulbining Lake (2 km), Walbyring Lake some 2.3 km off, Taarblin Lake (6.4 km), Ibis Lake some 9.7 km off and Billy Lake (10 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Toolibin Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On Toolibin Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session. A drop in wind often turns the surface quiet and the fishing slow.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 23°C in January and bottom out at 10°C in July. Warm water year-round keeps fish moving through every month. Spring runs September to November and autumn March to May, and both fish well. Winter is cool and quiet, and often the most comfortable time to be out. Toolibin Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. The water borders Toolibin Nature Reserve, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Dulbining Lake is 2 km off. Rules at Toolibin Lake are worth checking on the day.