Wangaratta

Great fishing in store

WANGARATTA Robbie Alexander

This year I am looking forward to March more than any other year that I can remember. A wet spring and summer has seen the streams hold a healthy flow of water throughout the experiencing an amazing summer of Murray cod fishing, with lure and bait fishers all experiencing some great cod fishing. As we head into March, I expect the cod fishing to start slowing down a little bit as the water cools, and so does their appetite.

I find March to be a bit hit-and-miss with my Murray

Brett Corker with a magnificent trout cod caught recently in Wangaratta.

summer months. The water warmed up a little bit in mid-summer, and the trout have slowed right down which is to be expected. Once the cooler nights of March arrive, and the water temperature drops, I expect the trout fishing to be fantastic. I have got my fingers crossed for a betterthan-average autumn of trout fishing in North East Victoria this year. MURRAY COD

We’re currently

From page 96 medium- sized hardbody lures and spinnerbaits.

Reasonable numbers of Murray cod are also being caught in the Campaspe River. The average size of the cod has been between 55-65cm. The occasional larger cod has been caught, and the majority of these larger fish have been caught on surface lures or swimbaits during reduced light conditions. Small numbers of Murray cod have been caught by anglers trolling the sections of the Campaspe River below Elmore and Rochester.

A few redfin are also being caught in the Campaspe River. These are a great bycatch for those anglers who are practicing catch and release with native fish. If you manage to catch a few nice redfin you can take them home for a feed.

At the time of writing, an environmental flow is being released down the river. These increased flows will see water clarity reduce for a while, and a reduction in water temperatures for a week or two. In the short term these kinds of factors have a negative effect on the fishing, but it’s not long before the fishing fires again in the Campaspe River. cod fishing, particularly when lure fishing. I seem to have much more consistent success with bait in March than I do lures. In saying that, some of my best Murray cod fishing sessions have been in March.

In March the consistency drops away, but if you happen to be casting lures on a good day, you will be glad you went.

Most of the usual techniques should work in March. Surface lures are good during the low light times of the day, and diving/

CAIRN CURRAN

The productivity in the fishing remains very good at this location. Good numbers of golden perch continue to be caught, with an average size of 28-38cm.

A few methods are working well on the golden perch. Reasonable numbers of fish are still being caught by anglers fishing off the banks, and worms and yabbies are good bait options. Fishing around the standing timber is still a good choice, either casting lures to the edge of the timber or bait fishing around the standing trees. This has been producing good numbers of both golden perch and redfin.

Trolling small to medium sized hardbody lures in the 3-5m depth range has been productive on golden perch, Murray cod and redfin. Some good lure choices for this depth range are small StumpJumpers, small Oar-Gee Plows and Custom Crafted BassHunters (shallow bib).

LODDON RIVER

The productivity in the fishing in the Loddon River has remained good, with a mixture of both Murray cod and golden perch being caught. The cod have been taking a wide range of surface lures, with frogs, paddlers, fizzers and poppers all producing sinking lures during the brightest times. TROUT

This is what I am most excited about at the moment – autumn 2022 trout fishing. Without a crystal ball I have no way of knowing what March will bring, but I predict that we will experience some great autumn trout fishing this autumn, beginning in March.

Depending on the weather late in summer, the March bite could start early, or later in March. Given the cooler, damper summer we’ve had, there’s a chance that early March could see some great fishing.

All known trout fishing techniques should work in March. Minnow-shaped lures are a great place to start, and don’t be afraid to tie on a minnow that is much longer than what you would normally use for trout. In the autumn, Lake William Hovell is a very popular spot for kayaking, including kayak fishing in March.

particularly later in autumn, trout can become aggressive as they prepare to spawn, and will hit a larger minnow more out of aggression than hunger.

Fishing with bait can be a very productive way to fish for Murray cod in the Wangaratta area in March.

some reasonable captures. Swimbaits have also been a good option when targeting Murray cod, and spinnerbaits and large lipless crankbaits have been working well too.

The Loddon River has continued to be a good option for those anglers targeting golden perch. Lipless crankbaits and hardbody lures have been producing the goods recently. The water clarity continues to be variable at present, depending on water releases being let down the system. This is often hard to predict as it can change from one week to the next. My advice is if you are fishing the Loddon River at the moment, be flexible on what section of the river you want to fish. If you go to fish the Loddon River below Laanecoorie and the water clarity is poor, try Newbridge area. If that’s no good, try above Bridgewater or Serpentine.

If you go to an area one week and the water clarity is no good, don’t write it off forever. Go back in a couple of weeks and you may be surprised at the improvement in clarity. If an area has been dirty for a while, it has probably received less fishing pressure. If you are one of the first anglers to fish it when the clarity improves, you often can be rewarded with some very good results. biggest lakes in the Ovens River catchment, Lake William Hovell and Lake Buffalo. Both lakes have great numbers of redfin in them. Most fish are small, but there are some larger redfin in both lakes, and if you put the time in, you are more likely to find the bigger fish.

Redfin are a funny fish. Some lakes fish well in spring and summer, and others in autumn. I find both William Hovell and Buffalo are better fished in the autumn, lakes. Drop-shotting with soft plastics brought me quite a lot of success in Lake Buffalo last year. I prefer brighter coloured soft plastics for redfin. The Strike Tiger in banana shock colour is definitely a standout.

YELLOWBELLY

Yellowbelly are usually a bit of a by-catch in the Ovens River system… for now! Recent fish stocking has seen their numbers really increase in the Ovens River to the point that many anglers are picking up a few here and there.

Anything black will be worth a try too. Small, black soft plastics such as the Strike Tiger nymph, a mudeye, a black Celta or a black minnow lure will all be worth trying. March is when we start to see more black crickets getting around, and the trout just love crickets! The fish will be on the lookout for crickets, which are black, hence why I suggest using something black.

Bait fishers should try live crickets or grasshoppers of you can find them. I find worms to be quite ineffective as trout bait during March most years, unless we get a LOT of rain and the streams are high and dirty. REDFIN

March is a great time to target redfin in the two Whatever lure you choose to use in March, black is always a great colour choice. It is the author’s go-to colour in the first half of autumn each year.

starting in March.

Small diving lures like the Halco Crazy Deep are always a great option. I also like the Damiki Disco 38. It’s a very small lure, and it catches a lot of small fish, but bigger fish will also hit them.

Lipless crankbaits and soft plastics are both very effective in both of these

You may encounter a yellowbelly in Lake Buffalo, Lake Sambell (Beechworth) or the Ovens River in March. However, if I was suggesting somewhere to go fishing with the specific goal of catching yellowbelly, I would recommend Lake Nillahcootie or Lake Hume, both of which are only a little bit further away.

OTHER SPECIES

The yabbying usually starts to slow down pretty quickly each March, as soon as the water temperatures start to drop. The small blackfish in the streams usually bite like mad in March, and the region’s carp generally bite well at most times of the year, except in the depths of winter.

Lake Moodemere will be well worth a fish if you wish to tangle with a big carp, and so too will the lagoons that line the banks of the Ovens River.