While the Goulburn is very fishable, the Murray above Mulwala is at a minor flood level as water is released from the Hume Dam.
However, reports from below Mulwala have been good so far. Same as the Goulburn, there should be a rise in the downstream section of the Murray in the next few weeks.
So far, anglers have been bagging quite a few juvenile fish, with an occasional keeper among the catch.
Because the rivers have been flowing higher than normal for this time of year, most fish have been falling to bait — cheese, chicken, worms, yabbies, shrimp.
Anglers fishing around snags and fallen timber have been getting the best results. The old adage of fishing a spot for 10 to 15 minutes and, if no bites, move to another spot still applies.
I don’t need to tell you how to fish for cod or what gear to use — most of us have been fishing for cod for years. Big baits and big gear adds up to big fish, so good luck. I have a feeling we are in for a good season.
Also around the region, trout have started to become active in most rivers and streams in the highlands, as well as in Eildon and Lake Dartmouth. Best time to fish is early morning in the cool. During the heat of the day the fish go deeper, so special gear such as down-riggers, lead-line and paravanes are needed to reach the fish.
Lures such as Tassie devils and hard-body diving lures are getting results, as well as a bunch of worms or a mud-eye trolled behind a Ford fender. Cow bell is still worth a try, but they need to be deep during the day.
Redfin are also biting. Try Eildon, the Hume or Waranga Basin with lures. Shrimp, small yabbies and scrub worms are all getting good results. You might even like to try soft plastic lures once you locate a school of fish. At the basin, most fish have been caught by anglers bouncing a diving lure along the bottom. Others drift with a bait dragging along the bottom as well. Most fish are small but some bigger fish are among them. At Eildon, fishing the tree lines is the best method. Drop a bait alongside a likely tree, down to 10m or 12m, and if no action in 10 to 15 minutes, move to another tree.
Yellowbelly are also on the bite. They can be found in the same places as cod and tend to be a fussy biter. If they feel extra weight, they will not take the bait so a running sinker is recommended.
For saltwater anglers, it is all snapper according to Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff. Rod has been fishing the early morning tide and has been bagging out on a mixture of pinky-size and jumbo-sized snapper. He has been using a mixture of different baits including squid, salmon, pilchards and even soft plastics.
Rod said he was catching snapper inside and outside the heads as far up the bay as St Leonards and Mornington. Outside, he fishes off Ocean Grove and the bluff at Barwon Heads. Rod said around the dive wrecks he had also been catching good-sized gummy shark and flathead.
He said he saw one of the biggest silver trevally caught last week. A monster 78cm fish. Silvers are normally around the 40 to 50cm mark, so this one must have been on a good diet. Western Port is coming alive with snapper. The rubble beds off Hastings and either edge of the shipping lane, as well as the steel works, are top spots.
The locals say gummy shark are biting on dusk off Phillip Island on the run-out tide. Fresh fillets of salmon and whole pilchards are the best bait.
Up north at Eildon, John Liddell said the crew from Freedom Charters was bagging out on snapper and morwong on the inshore reefs. As far south as Green Cape, with flathead biting on the sandy bottom, John said schools of salmon were along the sandy surf beaches and also inside Twofold Bay.
Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said his son Nicholas, who is a pro fisherman, was catching kingfish and snapper and other reef fish around Montague Island.
Well, keep working on that Christmas list and stay safe, as we go through another variant of COVID-19. Wear a mask, sanitise and keep your distance.
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