Fishing Reports for Victoria, Westernport and Port Phillip Bay

Many of the local stocked lakes have been producing trout over the past few weeks with Karkarook, Pakenham, Emerald and Rowville all worth a shot. Fishing coarse methods (maggots and berley in short) has been the most effective way to catch one of these yearling rainbows. If you do want to learn more about ways in which you can make the most of these fisheries then pop into the store, like customer Joszef did. Joszef picked up a few coarse fishing essentials and took off, and came back to the shop about an hour later - he had already landed a couple of nice rainbows and a crucian carp from Emerald lake. 

 

Customer Jordan has also been making the most of the feisty urban lake rainbows recently. Being a 'trout-nut' and not having any rivers to fish, Jordan has been catching the rainbows on fly to keep his casting arm nice and loose. Jordan has found that small damsel or dragonfly nymph patterns have been the most effective lately. These fish will also take small lures such as bullet minnows or micro soft plastics for the spin fisherman.

Melbourne's local freshwater fishing has been good over the past month, as we've finally gotten some rain! Many of the creeks have been running low, and the water storage dams have also been down on capacity. We have however started t o get some of our winter rain which has breathed a bit of life back into the system, and in the annual timeline of a trout - prompted them to start their spawn run. Many of the larger rivers around the region have seen congregations of fish pushing their way up to their spawning grounds. While these fish at times can be annoyingly frustrating to try and catch, they will swat a precisely placed lure on their way up river.

Many of the trout rivers within 2 hours drive from the CBD have been producing fish of late as well. The Goulburn river has been running at a low environmental level which if anything has concentrated the fish a bit more. Rainbows to around 800g have been the norm for bait, lure and fly anglers lately. The smaller streams such as Rubicon, Acheron and also the Yarra have been producing fish for all methods too. Straight after a solid downpour a small bunch of scrubbies or troutworms drifted down river is a pretty good way to go. For the lure angler, hardbodies in the 60mm size range are perfect, with high flash golds and aggressive colour schemes working well. Just a reminder that the 2016 trout season closes at midnight on Monday 13th June, up until midnight Friday 2nd September. Trout can still be taken in designated 'sea run' streams and lakes, with all details being found through the following link:

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide/catch-limits-and-closed-seasons/freshwater-scale-fish/rainbow-trout/trout-and-salmon-regulations

For the holiday makers heading to any of the states' northern impoundments, the native fish are about as active as they will get over the summer months. Water temperatures in all but the coldest regions have warmed dramatically and this has sent species like Murray cod, yellowbelly and bass into overdrive.

Customers Jordan and Jinsu have done some work on the yellowbelly in recent weeks, and have caught fish to around 45cm in length. While yellas can take a bit of searching to find where they are holed up, normally once one is caught there is a good chance that a few more will be close by. Jordan and Jinsu found small profile vibes like the Daiwa 47S to be effective when hopped around likely rock ledges and fallen timber.

Customer Zoran also chased the yellas up towards Eildon with a mate and found some nice fish. Using modern sounder technology, the yellowbelly were able to be pinpointed and targeted using small plastics around fallen timber. Most of the fish were in the 45 - 55cm range which are chunky little fish.

The next couple of months should see the yellowbelly plateau off somewhat, with themselves and Murray cod still a good option for summer freshwater fisherman.  

With the school holidays coming up next week, DEPI Victoria have stocked a number of local suburban lakes with yearling rainbow trout so that kids of all ages can access some decent fun fishing that is close to home. For a complete list of lakes that have been stocked please follow the link below.

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/fish-stocking/school-holiday-trout-stocking

While these trout may be small and feisty and can be caught lure, fly and bait-fishing; they aren't complete knockovers, especially if you are using the wrong gear or methods. The single most effective method for catching these fish is 'simplified coarse fishing'. The use of specific berley mixtures, rigs and baits will just about ensure success at any location. If you're unsure about any of the methods used we can show you in store as without proper explanation it can sound confusing. 

Staff member George and his mate Pero used this 'simplified' method of coarse fishing down at Karkarook Park Lake just recently to land their 10 trout in a short time. George said that the fish would bite very timidly and any resistance against them would force them to drop the bait and move off. In this scenario very light tipped 'feeder' style rods and the most effective tool for hooking these type of subtle biting fish. 

Staff member Don also took his young twins down to Karkarook Park Lake for a bit of fun on the trout this week, and using the same light line method of fishing the twins were unstoppable. Even a 2lb carp came along and took one of the baits, which became soup for one of Don's European friends.

In a suburban wetland not too far away, fishing nut Jordan has been honing his skills and tactics on some redfin while the weather has been average. Jordan has been using a variety of methods including weedless soft plastic rigs to entice the reddies from out of the reeds and grass. The good thing about this form of fishing is that virtually every wetland or suburban lake around Melbourne will have these fish in them. A good way to practice your skills close to home  

 

The freshwater fishing around the Murray has been good for holiday anglers, providing some nice fish for them before heading back to work. Customer Hendrik fished with a mate on lake Mulwala just recently in search of a few cod casting lures off a newly purchased baitcasting outfit. Hendrik caught quite a few cod in the high 60cm size range using mainly spinnerbaits. Some cod were caught along crossed up timber while others came from weed edges only the old riverbed.

Customer Mick had never fished for Murray cod before and after stocking up on suggesting lures at the shop he was off. Mick was camping along the river in the Cobram area with friends and most of his friends were baitfishing. Mick started casting a few of the lures he purchased and as soon as he got a cast in the strike zone he was on. Mick was rapt as he landed his first ever Murray cod at 67cm. Mick found the 1/2oz Icon Carnage spinnerbait in yellow perch was the go. 

Over towards Rochester customer Hendrik also fished the Campaspe River towards the end of the Summer break. Using a mixture of methods Hendrik landed some nice yellowbelly for the area. Hendrik found that trolling deep diving Oargee lures worked the best, with the red head grub colour being the standout.

 

On the trout scene, the Goulburn River has been fishing well despite running at around 5000Mg/day. Anglers targeting the fish sitting in backwaters have done the best, with these fish normally being larger than standard size fish. Small shallow running minnows fished among the flooded ground have been good, along with lightly weighted scrubworms. Customer Daniel fished the region over the weekend with the fly rod and while he didn't spend as much time on the Goulburn, he did try a few of the smaller rivers for good results. Typical stream sized trout came out and ate small dries in slower glides and pools. Customer Morgan also did well with a selection of small dry flies that he had tied up. Morgan fished the upper Yarra recently for a couple of afternoon sessions and found that his orange spinner works a treat.

 

There has still been some good freshwater fishing despite the hot weather around Melbourne, with some of the cooler trout streams and lakes producing along with local urban lakes. Customer Peter took his daughter Kristina down to Emerald Lake to fish for the rainbow trout and she was rapt in catching one of her own. The nice rainbow took a Powerbait nugget in Rainbow colour fished on the bottom. Staff member Kozi has been fishing some of the locally stocked lakes for redfin recently, and while most of the fish have been fairly small there has been no shortage of them to catch. Kozi has found Karkarook to be one of the better ones recently, with soft plastics working well. 2.5 inch Zman grubs in the bloodworm colour have caught most of his fish when fished on a 1/20th jighead.

 

Up around Eildon the Goulburn River has been fishing ok for trout but water levels are fairly high and the are well spread out. Jason from bullet lures has been catching a few nice browns in the river up around Alexandra on the redfin coloured bullet lure. Customer Daniel spent a few days on Lake Eildon in search of yellowbelly, but with lots of boat activity that plan was soon out the window. A backup plan of his was to search for feeding carp and present flies to them. Around some of the calmer bays and points the carp were active enough to cast wets like wooly buggers and matukas in front of them with good success. Using a #7 outfit to combat the wind, carp to around 6kg were caught and dispatched.

Many local lakes have received stockings of rainbow trout prior to the school holidays, and have been producing these trout for the last few weeks. While most of these fish are around 200g in size, they have been responding to baits like powerbait and maggots. A bit further afield the Yarra River around Warburton has also been producing brown trout to 350g on a variety of methods. Customer Jordan has been flyfishing the river and has found the fish to respond to small bead headed nymphs fished under an indicator. Dark brown and black bead heads in around size 12 have been excellent. Baits of maggots and scrubworm have also been good when left to drift through runs and into deeper pools. 

Further up around Eildon, the pondage has been producing some quality trout but is still hit and miss. The Goulburn River is running at 3500MLD which is very high, and almost unfishable in some areas. Staff member George went and fished the pondage with a few mates earlier in the week in tough conditions where they managed a couple of smaller fish. George found anglers fishing without berley did not catch any fish, as a fine grit/pellet mix is key to keeping the fish around. George found the best rigs comprised of feeder cages filled with berley mix, and baits of maggots and powerbait fished on both trebles and size 12 mosquito hooks. 

There is some decent trout fishing close enough to Melbourne for anglers not wanting to drive too far. Many urban lakes have been stocked with trout within the last few weeks, which is perfect timing for school holidays. A few good options are Karkarook Park in Moorabbin, along with Devilsbend Reservoir on the Mornington Peninsula. Both lakes have redfin and trout in them, but most anglers target the trout. Young customer Callen fished with his Dad down at Devilsbend just recently, where the guys threw all sorts of lures out. With fish frustratingly following all the way to the banks, Callen changed to one of his lures that he made himself. Within 2 casts Calen was on, and he ended up landing a nice rainbow of around 700g.

There are some streams within around the same distance from the suburbs that carry small numbers of wild trout for anglers to trick and trick on lure or fly. These streams are only small, and aren't so much suited to bait fishing - but can be fun on lure and fly. Staff member Dylan went out over the weekend for a quick session on some local rivers to try and entice a fish on the fly. With plenty of water pushing down the streams the fishing was fairly tough, but a few small rainbows were caught fishing small nymphs through the runs. Dylan found that black bead head nymphs were the most productive.

Customer Jordan also fished for trout on the fly on the weekend, with the Yarra River his intended destination. Jordan found the river running fairly well but not as discoloured as it's usual self. Jordan fished out above Warburton in search of a trout and in a short time he landed a few smaller fish and had a better size brown jump off. Jordan fished a small nymph under an indicator and found this got their attention. 

For anglers wanting to catch a few trout locally there have been some good options. With school holidays coming up, most of the 'family fishing lakes' have been topped up with rainbow trout. Lakes like Casey Fields, Karkarook Park and Caulfield Lake are fairly close to the suburbs and an easy drive for families to go and enjoy the sun. Staff member George has been fishing some of the local stocked lakes recently, and has found that the fish are biting well. George has caught plenty of rainbow trout on specialist rigs in these lakes, with bait and berley selection being crucial. Powerbait has been super effective when fished on small trebles on the lake floor, in conjunction with a berley mixture. Fine grit berley and trout specialist pellets have been excellent in keeping the fish around the bait, especially when thrown out and also mixed into feeder cages. 

For a short drive out of the suburbs, most of the local rivers and creeks have been producing small trout for lure and fly anglers. Customer Jordan has been hunting around in some fairly local streams in search of trout on the fly and few fish have been about. Jordan has found some nicely marked brown trout in deeper runs and pools of the rivers, with small dark coloured nymphs getting the results. 

For anglers who enjoy a relaxing spot of bait fishing, most of South East Melbourne's suburban lakes are filled with fish that will take a well presented bait. Trout, redfin, carp and roach are all good targets for coarse angling.

Customers Vito and Zoran headed down to their local lake where they berleyed up with some fine grain breadcrumb mixture berley and a short while later some nice roach were caught. Baits of maggot suspended under a float worked best with the berley trail.