One of these has been renowned for redfin — it’s been nearly as good as the Hume Weir.
I’m referring to Lake Eppalock.
A storage close to Bendigo, Lake Eppalock is partially fed by the Goulburn River.
It has been up and down due to its catchment, but when full, it is one of Victoria’s prime redfin fisheries — not only in numbers but also in the size of fish that are caught there.
However, like all redfin areas, fish might be in one spot today but somewhere else tomorrow.
Most fish have been taken using live bait such as small yabbies and shrimp — if you can get some this late in the season.
They also take well to ice jigs and hard-body lures in red and purple.
However, the common denominator is to keep the bait and lures moving.
The same goes for when fishing for redfin in the Hume and also in Waranga Basin.
One major difference between those three locations and Lake Eildon — another hotspot for redfin — is the trees at Eildon.
You fish around the tree line, but at the Basin and Eppalock, there are no trees, and the fish are where you find them.
At Eildon and the Hume, you’ll also find other species such as yellowbelly and cod, but these are uncommon catches at Eppalock.
While the hunt for redfin continues, cod fishing is still the main focus for most anglers who fish fresh water.
Both the Goulburn and Murray rivers are at the top of the list for catching cod.
Don’t forget Eildon — while the rivers have a closed season, Eildon does not.
You can fish for cod all year round at Eildon, but the usual size and bag limits still apply.
Yellowbelly is also a targeted species at Eildon.
There is no closed season for them in rivers and other waterways, but there are size and bag limits.
Details are available in the Recreational Anglers Handbook, which is free at most tackle shops.
Speaking of the handbook — make sure you have a current fishing licence if required.
While it can be obtained online, I like to get mine from Trelly’s Tackle Shop, where you can also find valuable information like where the fish are biting and what bait to use.
Just remember that if you boat or fish in the Murray River, you’ll need a boating and fishing licence for the state of NSW.
Now, turning to saltwater fishing, down south at Queenscliff, Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters has been bagging plenty of fish both inside the heads and offshore, off Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.
Inside the heads, whiting are still being caught among the grass beds between Swan Bay and St Leonards.
The trick to catching whiting is to cast your bait on to the open sandy patches and not among the grass.
Also, keep your bait fresh — don’t let it go rubbery.
Whiting can also be found on the Portsea side of the bay.
In the rip, you can catch salmon on the run-out tide.
Look for birds diving on the bait or fish breaking the surface.
Outside the heads, fish the reefs for snapper and the sandy bottom for flathead.
You’ll need a fish finder to locate the rocky bottoms or have a good knowledge of the marks to fish.
North of the border along the NSW south coast, the weather hasn’t been as good as it has here, and consequently, neither has the fishing.
John Liddell at Eden reported patchy fishing along the coast.
At Narooma further north, Graham Cowley said it was much the same.
He mentioned that the fishing was better around the oyster leases in the lake inside the bar.
Well, folks, that’s all. Stay safe and good fishing.
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