The annual closure started on Tuesday, June 14, and re-opens in time for the October long weekend on Saturday, October 1, 2016. It is an offence to fish in trout streams during the closed season. Fisheries officers will be patrolling waterways across the State to ensure that fishers are adhering to the closure. The closure allows brown, rainbow and brook trout to breed uninterrupted during their annual spawning run. Anglers can continue to target trout during the annual closure, without breaking the rules, in trout dams including Jindabyne and Eucumbene in the Snowies, Oberon Dam near Bathurst, Tantangara and Talbingo Dams near Tumut and Lake Wallace and Thompsons Creek Dam near Lithgow. A combined bag limit of five and a size limit of 25cm applies for trout or salmon in all trout dams except Thompsons Creek Dam and Black Lake where the bag limit is two. Detailed information on trout fishing rules can be found at www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au or in the 2016-17 NSW Freshwater Fishing Guide, available free from DPI Fisheries offices and most bait and tackle stores.