Lake Skinner

[LADS]

Walked up to Lake skinner today with my wife Kim. Found the track up through the wet eucalypt forest a bit treacherous as far as footing goes! Wet slippery roots and rocks everywhere,but hey,does'nt that just make it a little more exciting!
Was glad thou to finally reach the plateau before the last uphill scramble to the lake itself,which we thought was absolutely stunning!
Saw fishing signs at the start of the track and have decided to head back there and maybe camp a couple of nights when the Trout season opens again.
Has anyone got any info on the fishing up there,would be much appreciated?
Lads.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hi. Lake Skinner has small Rainbow trout in it. Under 30cm. I believe they are fairly easy to catch

[BarryJ]

I have never fished Skinner so I can't help with any information about flies or lures to use etc but I can tell you that as a classified rainbow trout water the season won't open until 2nd October 2010 whereas most other waters (classified as brown trout waters) will open on 7th August. The difference in opening dates (and also closing dates at the other end of the season) is due to the different spawning periods of the two species. When you buy a permit for inland waters, you will receive a small information booklet with all the relevant dates.

The current one (i.e. 2009/2020) can be found here:
http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/ifs/goingfish ... 009-10.pdf

[stepbystep]

Hi Lads,
3 forum members were up at Skinner yesterday returning from climbing Snowy South, I'm sure we chatted briefly.
Welcome to Tassie from another ex-Sandgroper!

[Taurë-rana]

On the 8th of June, the stars aligned to give 3 Southern Strollers a free day with a window in the weather. I wasn't totally convinced that climbing a peak as high as Snowy South with a front looming ominously was all that sensible, but Hughey smiled on us and we got up and back mainly in sunshine, although the wind at times was bitterly cold, especially up on the plateau and on the top where we didn't hang around despite the fantastic views.
We picked the right mountain to go up - Nevada Peak just across the saddle remained under cloud for the day.
It was a delightful walk, first up through the forest, then into more open country before reaching Lake Skinner. We didn't linger there too long but huddled under the big sheltering rock for a quick bite to eat as the wind howled over the top. Heading up towards the ridge above the Lake we had relief from the wind, but had to be careful of the icy patches on the rocks.

Once on top we started to get good views back across the Huon Valley which was mainly under fog, but not foggy enough to hide the extensive logging scars. Somewhere across the plateau we lost the track and headed round towards the right hand side of the peak where the wind was absolutely freezing, but the ice formations on the bushes sparkling in the sun and the appearance of more and more peaks made up for the cold. This route led us up through large, icy boulders which kept us very wary about how we place our feet, but fortunately the ice was covered by a thin layer of snow and wasn't as slippery as it might have been. We finally got to the summit with spectacular views to mountains all around. Mt Weld was being coy under a mantle of cloud just across the valley, but other mountains like Wedge and Hartz were happy to show themselves and we would have been happy to stay there for some time absorbing the scene if we hadn't been slowly freezing.

Making our way down the other side of the peak towards some small tarns was more sheltered and easier walking than the route up, and we stopped at the tarns for lunch. I boiled a billy for a cuppa which I very much appreciated, but sbs managed to get rather chilled while waiting for me. Some people just need to learn to come better prepared . There's nothing like a hot drink when the weather's freezing.

Coming back down the hill towards Lake Skinner we were able to appreciate the views over the Lake - it's worth climbing up to the top here even if you don't go on to climb Snowy South itself. Back at the Lake we met Lads and Kim, and spent a bit of time enjoying the scenery at the Lake as it was a lot warmer than earlier. Heading down the track at a good pace we got back to the car just as it started to rain, and made for an obligatory cup of coffee in Huonville.

I found the walk quite hard because of the cold - I was getting over a cold and struggled to breathe in the icy wind up on top, and was very relieved when we reached the summit. My leg muscles also hurt because of the cold. It really is a different ball game to walking in the summer, and makes you realise just how dangerous it would be getting caught out up there. On the other hand, in winter you can enjoy the ice sculptures on the rocks and plants and the ever changing cloudscapes.

Thanks sbs and pazzar for a good day's walk.

Photos are here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4191

[stepbystep]

Just to add a bit more info on this walk, I was surprised to see Fagus on the lake shore near the big rock shelter.
I would be interested to know how much Fagus is up there and if pads exist all the way around the lake.
The limited time we spent there I could see fishermans pads in both directions for some distance, also interested if there are descent campsites somewhere - couldn't see anything too enticing where we were.
I thought the track through the forest was pretty good with evidence of quite a bit of chainsaw work and not much in the way of mud on the ground.

[Bap]

I was up there in the first week of June and was also Surprised to see Fagus, It looked as if there were pockets of Fagus along the northern Ridge of Lake Skinner.

I thought it would be a really good round trip if you could come back around the southern side of lake skinner on the ridgeline after climbing snowy south.

I didn't have a good look but just below lake Skinner there were a number of pads going off to the south to some flat areas which could make solid campsites in the dry. this proberly won't help much sorry.

[abowen]

Hi sbs,
There are no pads that circumnavigate the lake, apart from the pads that fan out from the outlet creek. They eventually peter out as the shoreline gets steeper. The only decent camping is on the lower side of the outfall. You walk walk past these before reaching the outfall creek.
There are also some small cleared spots up on the eastern ridge which are ok, but tight.
There is better camping at Wooley's Tarn in the middle of the Snowy Range or higher at Snowdrift Tarns.
Cheers
Andrew

[ILUVSWTAS]

I have camped at the snowdrifts twice. It is a fantastic place for a tent. Sunsets from Nevada Peak are awesome!!

[abowen]

It would be great in the snow on a bright clear winter's day. A short scramble to the peak to watch the sunset and the following morning a nice sunrise hitting the tent early in the morning.