Bendigo

Thank cod the season is now finally open!

Great angling opportunities at Bendigo

YARRAWONGA Tony Bennett

codclassic@bigpond.com

When you read my articles, I’m sure you’re looking for an up-to-date report on what’s firing, where, when and how, along with who has caught what in the new season. That’s something I can usually provide, but unfortunately this particular report was put together just before the new cod season opened! I can guarantee next edition’s report will be full of fishing tales, both true and close to it!

One thing that we have on our side here at ‘The Home of the Murray Cod’, Lake Mulwala, is that it is still very fishable and is not subject to flooding, unlike the majority of river, both upstream and downstream.

Looking at the new season, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Murray cod act, as they have seen plenty of water push through Lake Mulwala over the past few months which has dirtied things up a tad. Along with a lake that is currently devoid of weed, fishing conditions will be vastly different from this time 12 months ago. I’m predicting that the bait brigade will see plenty of fish, whilst the lure fishos may do it a bit tougher early in the season. For those who prefer to use lures, larger spinnerbaits with a good-size Colorado blade, mumblers/ chatterbaits or a lure that emits plenty of noise will be your best option.

When it comes to fishing below the weir, it’s very hard to predict what will be going on here because it’s currently in flood and could remain so for some time.

Looking back, November’s yellowbelly action was hit-and-miss Ian and Matt Rogers with a brace of lovely early season Murray cod, measuring 64 and 69cm. compared to previous years. Again, it was great to see many local kids with rod in hand, out on their bikes in search of a yella or two. As I’ve always said, while the kids are out fishing, they are not causing any trouble.

I welcome all anglers visiting Yarrawonga/ Mulwala over the holiday period to pop in and say hello at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp Ski. You can find us at two locations, opposite Mulwala Post Office (the shop has a big Green cod out the front) or at our Yarrawonga store located between Rivers and One Zac in the main street. We are your local tackle specialists and specialise in all things ‘green’. I’m sure we can put you onto fish or two and make your visit to the region a rewarding and memorable one.

I wish everybody all the best for the upcoming season. May all your fish be big and green!

BENDIGO Roger Miles

codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The Bendigo region has experienced some extreme weather conditions over the last few months. While there is still a chance the region may receive more of this extreme weather, I am hopeful that the worst of it is behind us.

The good news is the region has finally started to see some warm weather again. Rising water temperatures associated with improving water clarity and more stable water levels should see anglers experience some exceptional angling opportunities over the next few months.

LAKE EPPALOCK

The water levels continue to remain high at this location. It is unusual to see the water catchments still holding good volumes of moisture at this time of the year. With the current conditions continuing, any significant rainfall is still producing run-off into river systems.

The water clarity has finally started to improve in Lake Eppalock. The water clarity is still quite tannin, but has been improving. The amount of anglers fishing this location has been very high during the weekends, but not too bad if you’re able to fish during the week.

The numbers of golden perch being caught have been increasing over recent weeks. The golden perch fishing in Lake Eppalock was disappointing over the spring months, but this was due to extreme conditions with floods, poor water clarity and cold water temperatures. Now that things have finally started to settle down, we should a good consistent golden perch fishery for the rest of summer and the start of the autumn months.

Productive lure options for the golden perch have been lipless crankbaits, small hardbody lures, soft grubs, blades and spinnerbaits. Bait fishing for the golden perch remains a productive option. The productivity in the redfin fishing has been slowly improving over the last few weeks. By the time you are reading this report the redfin fishing will be BOOMING. So if you enjoy your redfin fishing get out there and have a go while the great angling last. With the current conditions the best concentrations of redfin will continue to be caught in shallower water with the depth range between two and five metres often being the most productive. My advice to anglers is be prepared to move around until you find better size redfin. If you are fishing in an area and you are only catching small redfin don’t stay there to long, keep moving around until you find an area where better quality fish are holding. With the current water conditions, bright fluro colours such as pink, chartreuse and orange can be great colour selections. Good lure options are small hardbody lures, soft plastics, soft lipless crankbaits, and blades. A good tactic if you are catching smaller sized redfin is to up size the profile of the lure you are fishing and this might be the trick to catching that thumper redfin.

CAMPASPE RIVER

There has been some very good fishing in the Campaspe River over recent weeks. The most productive fishing has been in the sections of river directly below the weirs along the Campaspe River. Unfortunately access to the spillway below Lake Eppalock has been limited due to road closures after the flooding. Fishing below the weirs has produced great numbers of golden perch, small numbers of Murray cod and redfin. These locations should remain productive for a while, but when water flows reduce and water levels return to normal the fish will disperse and catch rates will reduce in these areas. At the present time the most productive fishing has been in the shallower sections of the river. Anglers walking the banks are having a great time and are being rewarded with some good numbers of fish. A wide range of lures have been working well. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and hardbody lures are good options. Now the Murray cod season is in full swing increased numbers of Murray cod will be caught on the mentioned lures as well as swimbaits and surface lures added into the lure angler’s arsenal. The numbers of anglers fishing the boat able sections of the Campaspe at Elmore and Rochester has been low. With the conditions now improving in these areas these deeper sections of the river should also fish well over the next few months.

CAIRN CURRAN

The numbers of anglers fishing the lake has been low over the past month and the productivity of the fishing has not been great. This will undoubtedly change this month. With many people enjoying the holiday period, there will be a lot of anglers and other recreational users again on the water at Cairn Curran. Water clarity has been poor, but in recent weeks the water clarity has started to improve. Bait fishing off the bank continues to be a good tactic for anglers fishing this location. Trolling the edges of the lake with hardbody lures has been a good option and will only improve as the water clarity improves. Casting the edges with lipless crankbaits and blades have been good options for the golden perch. Casting soft plastics and soft vibes has been a preferred technique for those anglers chasing a good feed of redfin. While the productivity of the redfin fishing has not been great yet, we should see a dramatic improvement in the redfin fishing during this month as rising water temperatures will push the redfin into a feeding frenzy as they try and make the most of the abundant food which is currently present in the system.

LODDON RIVER

There has been some very good fishing in the Loddon River over the last couple of months. The most productive fishing has been in the sections of river below the weirs, with the most productive areas being below Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie weirs. In these areas it has been common for anglers to catch cricket scores of fish. The highest catch rates have been of golden perch, followed by redfin and Murray cod. The productivity in these areas will reduce as water flows decrease and the rivers return to their normal summer flows.

The sections of the river where you can fish out of a boat at Bridgewater and Serpentine should be productive once the river settles down and the water clarity improves. A word of warning: if you are fishing these sections of the Loddon River out of a boat, do so with caution. There is a lot of new structure in the system due to the floods, and much of the old structure will have been moved around a lot. Take your time and proceed with caution as there will be new boating hazards in the river system.