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Fresh start for our freshwater TOOWOOMBA
Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com
Where do I start after what we received at the end of February? The relentless rain in Queensland’s South East had to be seen to be believed. Even up on the hill near Toowoomba it didn’t let up for days. As I write, dams are overflowing and rivers are still in flood. It’s almost a month on but this report will be a little different this month as we discuss what’s going on, what to expect and look at some of the best options for April and in the future. With hundreds of millimetres of rain widespread between the coast to the range from the Burnett through to Northern NSW, big changes have taken place in the lakes and rivers. The major flooding has dirtied up our waterways to the point it will be some time before they become productive again. Often a rise in level in the lakes is a good thing
and can fire fish up, or at least give them new feeding areas over freshly flooded ground. This time round, it has just been too much water. The dirty water will have stained all our lakes to the point they will be tough to fish with lures. If you are into bait fishing or just want to get out for a day fishing off the bank, you are in luck. The fish will need to adapt to their new environment and flooded banks provide a lot of new food for them and the smaller fish they feed on. This will see good numbers of fish move up closer to the edges where they can be caught on baits fished from the shoreline. Usually I would say live shrimp are the best bait but under these circumstances, even worms are effective. Think what they would be feeding on as they explore this flooded country. The edges do get quieter as the flooded grasses and vegetation die off, the water is less attractive. There is only a brief window left to get into this action. Look for the areas with less dying
vegetation. With such intense flooding causing dams to spill or be released, fish can escape or at least try. Some will be lucky enough to have a safe ride to the water below the dam wall but others will not make it alive. It’s sad to see these fish get out after all the work done by stocking groups but try to take a positive look at this and consider all the new great fisheries it will create. Fishing the creeks and rivers below the dams will be red hot. Be sure to stay safe and follow the rules. Stay out of restricted zones and don’t go where you are not allowed. Making the effort to gain access to private property can give you some of the best access points. The dirty water will slow down lure fishing for a while but we are likely to see some of the systems below the dam clear up enough this month; more on that later. If you don’t want to worry about heavily affected waters this month, there are still spots around the edges of the flooded
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areas and beyond that are fishable. Warwick was on the edge of the rain band and initial reports right after the rain were very positive. Good numbers of fish were caught last month. Glenlyon missed the bulk of the rain so is worth considering if you want to head away for a golden perch or cod fish. To the north, Monduran had a slight rise. Boondooma only had a small inflow and Waruma and Cania missed out. If you’re spot is inside that big semicircle there’s a pretty good chance it was smashed with water. I’ll cover some good options towards the end of this report. So how long will it take for the fishing to come good? This will change for each spot based on the amount of suspended sediment in the water brought down from the catchments. The sandier or heavier soils will settle faster. As soon as visibility reaches 30cm the fish will be catchable on lures and will only improve as it gets better. While the waters are stained, flashy and vibrating lures are a good option. Hopping blade baits close to the bottom and in front of fish is a good way to get a response. Lighter blades around 1/4 or 3/8oz are perfect for this as they are easier for the fish to find as they pulsate through the water and fall a bit slower than heavier blades. Another good lure option is a spinnerbait. These lures are great for peppering the edges of the dams around flooded grasses, trees and bushes. Usually smaller spinnerbaits work well but I don’t mind something with more size when the water is dirty. The extra flash and vibration will
Syd Collins landed this 51cm golden perch at Boondooma Dam while trolling a golden Smak lure at around 3m. make the fish aware of its presence and they are quite willing to feed on bigger foraging bait fish for the same reason. Spinnerbaits in the 1/2 and 5/8oz weights are well suited to the job when fished on 10-20lb braided line. I won’t cover the South East Queensland lakes in this month’s report but some of the first to be ready to fish will be Maroon, Somerset, Cressbrook, Leslie, Borumba and Gregory. Keep an eye on these lakes as they should be producing fish as you read this. If lures aren’t
pulling them, bait will be. As much as the floods damage what is in their path, they bring life back to these systems. The flush of nutrients will kick off the food chain including algae and planktons for smaller fishes and crustaceans to feed on. This smorgasbord kick starts their breeding and soon there will be ridiculous amounts of new food for the bigger fish. We are now set for many years of great fishing to come. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel.
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APRIL 2022
Adam and Joan Krautz teamed up to lure this Callide barramundi on a trolled soft plastic swimbait.
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