Reel Life | Santa’s fishing gift guide: gear, safety and more

But if you are like me, you will get a couple of lures and some hooks and sinkers.

Whatever Santa leaves, it will be well received, I am sure.

It is a well-known fact that during the off-season, Santa is an angler, so there is not too much that he does not know about the pastime.

But just to make sure, make a list of the things that you will need for Christmas.

There are also practical gifts to consider.

How about a first aid kit?

A green cross container of helpful items such as bandages, Band-Aids, antiseptic creams and liquids, and, if not included, about four large elastic bandages for snake bites and a booklet on the basic treatment of wounds and bites.

Or even a course on basic first aid.

I did a level one first aid course a while ago.

It is holding me in good stead, but an upgrade would be helpful.

Contact your local ambulance station or St John’s for how to either sit a course or locate where you can enrol in one.

First aid kits can be purchased at your local pharmacy, or contact the boys at Trelly’s or a tackle shop for information on something that will serve you well when out fishing or in the bush.

One final idea is to perhaps do an upgrade on safety equipment if you own a boat — life preservers, even electronic location devices, just to name a couple of options.

And don’t forget to upgrade your boat licence, keeping abreast of any changes or upgrades to boating rules.

Well, that just about covers Christmas gifts.

There’s one thing left to say: Happy and safe Christmas to you.

The word on fishing in our region has been good, with anglers reporting decent catches of both cod and yellowbelly in the Goulburn and Murray rivers.

Fishing for redfin has been good.

Both Waranga Basin and Hume Weir are producing redfin, but at the basin, the fish are smaller and there is just an occasional larger fish, while they are a bit bigger at Lake Eildon.

At Lake Eildon, where reddies are being caught among the tree line, the best spots are Peppin Point, Bonnie Doon and Jamieson.

Trout are being caught in the rivers and streams in the north-east, as well as at Dartmouth and the Mitta Mitta.

Yellowbelly and cod are also being caught at Lake Eildon, making it one of the most productive fisheries in Victoria.

The irrigation channels are also worth a try, especially from the basin and towards Rushworth.

Some redfin are being caught, but mainly yellowbelly.

Time to take a look at saltwater fishing.

Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff continues to fill the bags of anglers.

In fact, the day after our visit, he was able to go offshore and get a good haul of snapper.

But later in the week, when the swell picked up again, he went back to fishing for whiting again — with success.

North of the NSW border at Eden, John Liddell reported more snapper and morwong from the inshore reefs.

Meanwhile, at Narooma, Graham Cowley said the fishing was the same, but with good hauls of big flathead too.

At Flinders Island, James Luddington reported flathead and gummy sharks near Lady Barron.

On behalf of John, Rod, Graham, James and myself: merry Christmas and happy fishing to you!