Canberra

An in-depth look at ponds

CANBERRA Toby Grundy

I have written about ‘pond hopping’ in Canberra many times over the last few years, but I will cover this idea cruising along the edges in the same pond at dawn and dusk and is yet to be caught. However, this pond is not even one of the better ones to fish in the ACT. LOCAL LAKES/PONDS

Lake Burley Griffin is starting to fish well caught plenty of good-sized yellas and lots of small redfin. Most fish have been fooled into taking a beetle spin with a paddle-tail or grub-tail plastic attached, but a few of the bigger specimens have been caught by anglers using There is also plenty of action up in the shallow area of the lake at Greenway, with redfin and carp attacking plastics on bright, windy afternoons.

Gordon Pond is about 10 minutes from Lake Tuggeranong and fishes well through spring for yellas and redfin. There are some enormous golden perch in the pond, so size up your leader and upgrade the hooks on all lures. I like to fish the Jim Pike Avenue side of the pond because it is a bit deeper in this section and there are fewer snags.

Lake Ginninderra is producing small to medium sized yellas. A lot of fish have been caught by anglers using spinnerbaits and slow rolling these lures almost parallel to the points which lead up to the main bridge. The area immediately

The fish are feeding along the edges. The yellowbelly action has been excellent.

in more detail throughout this month’s report.

There are a number of small, medium and large sized ponds scattered

Lake Ginninderra is a good waterway to try.

throughout Canberra, and most have healthy populations of both native fish and pest species. This is mainly due to anglers and the general public releasing pest and native species into these ponds, which is an illegal practice unless it is approved by the ACT Government. However, it is perfectly legal to fish the majority of these ponds, so while they shouldn’t have been stocked in the first place, these small fisheries do represent a welcome spot to cast a line while Canberra is in lockdown.

One particular pond was stocked with silver perch after a group of high school students took a large number of fingerlings and poured them in. A big Murray cod can be seen again after a long lull in the angling action. Those who have been able to fish the lake in recent weeks (despite the lockdown) have Jackall TN50s fished slow and parallel to the halfsubmerged weeds which line parts of the lake.

Nerang Pool connects to LBG and is a good pond to fish during low light periods when the golden perch population become less wary and venture out from the lily pads. A well-placed fly or soft plastic attached to a 1/16oz jighead fished tight against the bank often results in a bite.

Lake Tuggeranong is proving to be a reliable option and is fishing well. There have been plenty of small to medium sized redfin caught, along with a few big yellas by fishos targeting the edges and working plastics slow. are also a lot of great little ponds to check out in and around the Belconnen area.

Jump on Google Maps and have a look.

Yerrabi Pond is fishing particularly well at the present time. This pond fired in late August and the action hasn’t really slowed down. The yellas are hitting all sorts of offerings, from paddle-tail plastics right through the creative baits fished using a punch rig. The key to a successful Yerrabi session is to fish the lure as close to or even in the weed, and allow for the lure to sit for long periods between winds. The yellas sit right in the thick of the weed and sometimes need plenty of time to view a lure before striking.

There are a few excellent ponds in Coombs which are worth a look, especially as they can be easily fished over an hour or two, and there are some thumping redfin in a number of these ponds. The fish here are fond of plastics, especially in natural colours, and are incredibly fun on light

gear. For pond hopping, I use a 1-3kg spin stick and a 1000 sized reel spooled with 3kg fluorocarbon. This is an ideal outfit if you’re hitting the ponds in and around Coombs as it does maximise the sport.

David Pidcock with a big LBG yella.

behind the college is also worth a look and, as always, the old police jetty and the area directly adjacent can yield massive yellas, especially on days when the wind picks up in the late afternoon. There

Canberra’s ponds are proving to be a good option for anglers during lockdown.