Freshwater

FRESHWATER Peter Fragomeni

With the weather warming nicely throughout this month, freshwater anglers should find gigalitres), Windemere (369 gigalitres) and Wyangala Dam (1200 gigaliters). The largest I visited was Lake Eucumbene, which has a whopping capacity of 4700 gigalitres, although the lake was only half full that surprised me was the behaviour of the campers, both young and old, with a whole night’s sleep possible without being woken by rowdy music and wheelspinning hoons like we have here in the wild west.

DAMS Waroona Dam

At Waroona a few ex-brood trout are being caught throughout the day, with the shallow bays holding some nice fish of an evening. Anglers casting small lures or throwing a fly around have had success on occasions.

Redfin numbers have varied, with a few still coming from the deeper sections. Casting lures or plastics from a boat is the preferred method, although trolling is still popular with some anglers.

Drakesbrook Weir

Local angler Jonah Chiera has filled me in on the latest conditions of this little water, and reports that it’s overflowing nicely. The fishing has been slow, with only a few rainbow trout and some nice redfin turning up occasionally. Still, there will be some good stocking at this year’s Troutfest in early October, and it should fish well until the heat sets

Good water levels in our streams and rivers should result in reasonable trout fishing through until Christmas.

many opportunities to locate trout and redfin in our waters.

LESSONS FROM THE EAST COAST

I actually haven’t fished Western Australian freshwater for some time because I spend a good part of August and September chasing Aussie natives on the east coast of Australia. Now, I’m no stranger to fishing this part of the country because my first visit was way back in the spring of 1980, chasing trout in the high country. Back then, fishing for native species was less desirable as not a lot of stocking took place, so targeting natives was a bit hit-and-miss. The one thing that astounded me was the size of the impoundments they have compared to ours. Just a quick comparison of the water they have is that the whole lot of our dams in the southwest of WA only hold around 1000 gigalitres when full – and this is including our drinking water catchments that are off limits to fishing. Some of the ones I visited over on the east coast were Glenbawn Dam (749 when I visited. Looking at these numbers, it just goes to show that we lack any real adequate recreational water for our population, as Harvey Dam is only 56 gigalitres when full.

Another thing I noticed was the well-catered camping facilities they have, with both paid and free sites available right on the water. Another thing

The level of fish stocking was also impressive, and I take my hat off to their Fisheries departments for providing such a diverse range of species to fish for. In one dam we had six stocked species to fish for, including trout, Murray cod and golden perch (yellowbelly), with redfin and carp also available.

To finish on the subject, I’m not sure where to go with our freshwater fishery over here. With the short season we have due to high water temperatures in summer, and now the tough situation of restricting our demersal saltwater fishery to just a couple of months of the year, it’s tough for local anglers. It’s almost gotten to the point where resettlement to the east coast could be a serious option for serious WA anglers. in around November.

Logue Brook Dam

Unfortunately this water will be full of ski boat and jet-ski activity as the water warms this month, making fishing hazardous if you are fishing from a kayak or boat. Some quiet bays are your best bet, but I choose to fish other waters at this time of the year. Harvey Dam

The fishing at Harvey Dam has been very disappointing lately, according to some reports coming through. A lot of fish were taken up the main creek by some individuals that chose to fish illegally, which is disappointing. Fisheries have stepped up patrols, but they can’t be there all the time so it’s up to all of us to keep an eye on it and call Fishwatch (1800 815 507) if we see any suspicious-looking activity. You can also report it online by going to www.wa.gov.au and typing ‘illegal fishing’ in the search box.

The decision to close some of the access and enforce the no-camping policy by Watercorp has angered many anglers, with

You don’t need to be too fussy when selecting a lure to use in our dams. Just keep changing the profile and size until you find what is working on the day. Some nice brown trout can be caught on occasions near Pemberton. John Gavin was happy with this excellent specimen from a nearby stream.

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS FOR SOUTH WEST

The overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities is currently 73.9%, as of the end of August. This is up from 72.8% at the same time last year. With good rain falling over August, the dams have come up more than predicted, which is great news after a slow start to the season. WAROONA DAM 77 % DRAKESBROOK WEIR 100 % LOGUE BROOK DAM 84 % HARVEY DAM 95 % WELLINGTON DAM 85 % GLEN MERVYN DAM 90 % BIG BROOK DAM 100 %

most choosing to fish other areas. The refusal to issue a 1-night camping permit for the Harvey Bash organisers is a big loss to the local community, and resulted in the cancellation of the biggest freshwater fishing competition in the state. Wellington Dam

By all reports, trout have been hard to locate at Wellington Dam, which is disappointing. That said, not a lot of Perth people are willing to drive so far to fish, and the locals tend to keep tight-lipped about captures.

Redfin seem to have multiplied compared to recent years, with some anglers bagging up to 50 in one day. Long days and lots of legwork is required by those using kayaks, and using deep diving lures is preferred. If you happen to have an electric motor on your vessel, it will make light work of getting around this larger water.

Glen Mervyn Dam

Not many trout are being caught at Glen Mervyn, so do we need to look at lifting the stocking rate as only 200 yearlings go in annually.

Redfin are still showing up, with some nice ones getting caught on all the popular methods. Big Brook Dam

Some of the boys from WATFAA fished this little scenic water just out of Pemberton, and reported some nice trout coming out recently. This is not surprising as it gets a large stocking per acre of water compared to other WA dams. You might happen to land a few nice redfin, with the dam wall being a good place to start using small plastics and spinners on a light rod. A Harvey Dam ex-brood rainbow caught flicking lures in a quiet bay. These stocked fish offer reasonable fishing for a short time in spring before the heat sets in around mid-November on most years.

One of the hundreds of free camping spots on the banks of an east coast dam. This storage is not only used for irrigation but is also used for drinking water for local towns.

East coast anglers have an array of freshwater species in their impoundments. Introducing bass like this one, caught fly-fishing at Glenbawn Dam in NSW, would cater to fly anglers throughout our hot summer, when trout are less active.

Lure casters are best off using small spinners or floating hardbodied lures, but soft plastics are a good way to entice these fish as well. Donnelly River

I have heard a report of a large brown trout being caught by a local in the Donnelly River, which is encouraging, but unfortunately he decided the current situation we have where the government is trying to implement a 9-month ban on saltwater demersal species, then they should compensate with a loosening of the translocation laws that prohibit these great sportfish from being stocked into some of our dams, which are already infested with redfin perch.

been a bit high in recent months, but October is the time to explore this river as the water is at a better level. Some redfin are still coming out of the slower pools that dot this largish river. Northern Jarrah streams

Some nice trout came out through winter by those anglers putting in long days and suffering leg pain for their efforts. Most of the trout have retreated back to the dams, although some residents still remain. A stealthy approach is required for success on these fish.

Collie River below

Wellington Dam

Not many reports, however this water kicks off when the irrigation season starts in late spring.

Collie River above

Wellington Dam

There have been rumours circulating of some trout being caught just above the dam, but I can’t confirm this. I would imagine they were up there on a spawning run, if that was the case.

Good redfin are coming from the area around the town, and things should get better throughout this month.

Blackwood River

It has been very hard to get constant reports from Blackwood River because most anglers drive past on their way to the Pemberton area. Perhaps we should we re-examine why so many fish are stocked into this water if anglers avoid the area. Warren River

This is the month that this river really starts to fire. The trout move into the faster runs and are more vulnerable to anglers casting a array of lures or weighted flies. If the flow is hard, I recommend getting your gear down deep into the water. Conversely, if it’s flowing slow, then fish lighter. Lefroy Brook

October is one of the best months to fish this little stream. Whether you’re fishing from the mouth downstream or up near Big Brook Dam, there are always nice rainbow trout and brown trout there for the taking.

If you are into fly fishing, this is the stream for you. Casting small dry flies into the gentle rapids is a fun way to catch these spirited fighters. to keep it. Whilst you are perfectly entitled to keep brown trout, they seem to prey on the redfin that have somehow found their way into the system.

A few rainbows are showing up well upstream so it’s worth a look if you happen to be in the area. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

As can be seen, we have a limited trout fishery over here compared to other states, but the redfin fishing can compare on occasions. The introduction of a number of east coast native freshwater species would improve the scope of our fishery ten-fold, and with