Canberra

Give Googong a go

CANBERRA

Toby

Grundy Googong Dam is a very interesting proposition in July. Usually by this time of year, most anglers have given up on the place and are looking for cod in other from me – when the weather is at its worst this month, give Googong a crack and it will most likely surprise you. LOCAL LAKES

Lake Burley Griffin continues to produce some decent fish despite all the rain. The redfin are schooling up in the deeper areas of the lake

and are being tailed by native fish in search of an easy meal. It is a case of finding the redfin on the sounder, and then vertically jigging a vibe or blade adjacent to the reddies. More often than not, a hungry cod or golden perch will scoff

the lure, but the larger redfin will also strike with abandon.

For the shore-based anglers, try Nerang Pool. This often-overlooked pond, which feeds into Lake Burley Griffin, is packed full of giant carp that will hit wriggler and paddler style plastics. There are also plenty of redfin in the pond, along with a few yellowbelly. I really like fishing Sullivans Creek through July because it’s sheltered and it’s possible to land carp, redfin and golden perch in the same session using wriggler style plastics and employing a ‘hop and pause’ retrieve.

Lake Ginninderra hasn’t been particularly productive of late. A few lucky anglers have caught cod using spinnerbaits and yellas using plastics, but on the whole the fish have shut down. There is often a lull in the fishing on Lake Ginninderra at this time of year as the natives tend to move deep into the weed beds and can only be coaxed out by a particularly enticing offering. That said, there are plenty of small redfin about, and these fish can be easily targeted using plastics and small divers.

Lake Tuggeranong is

proving to be Canberra’s best big carp fishery. I have seen plenty of monster mud marlin pulled out of the lake over recent weeks by anglers using everything from corn through to wriggler-style plastics fished slow along the bottom near the bridge. The bigger fish tend to fire on clear days, with the spillway another great spot to fish for both carp and redfin. Again, there haven’t been too many natives caught lately but there are a few clever anglers who have worked out the surface bite on the lake, catching some great cod using paddler-style surface lures in a few ‘secret spots’.

The Murrumbidgee is very hit-and-miss. The river has been in constant flux for so long now due to rain that many fishos simply skip ‘the riv’ and focus on the local lakes. However, there are fish on the bite, and by targeting the slower pools, it is possible to land a nice greenfish. Fishing low light periods will also maximise the possibility of catching a cod, as will using lures with plenty of vibration, like a spinnerbait. Cod hold in the strangest places when the river is in flood, so cast at everything including halfsubmerged tussocks and near overhangs. Work the lure as close to the bank as possible because many cod will sit tight to ledges during periods of flooding.

Yerrabi Pond is also worth a look. Though the pond does not fish as well as it once did due to significant angling pressure, there are still plenty of big golden perch in the pond, and they do bite well during the cooler months. A few years ago, most anglers waited until the heavy winter rains to hit the pond, but I don’t. Now, I prefer to fish it a few weeks after the rain, and on days where the wind pushes the floating weed to one end of the pond so I can fish without snagging weed on every cast. My favourite lure to use here is a wriggler-style plastic attached to a 1/8oz jighead. I cast out, wait until the lure hits the bottom, and then I twitch the lure on the spot. This method is a slow way to fish and requires patience, but the fish can’t resist it.

Plastics have been productive lately. Some nice cod are being caught in the river.

locations like Burrinjuck, or even further afield like Copeton. This means that Googong doesn’t get a massive amount of angling pressure (like it does in spring/summer) and quite often, it’s possible to catch Reddies are hitting lures at the moment.

Googong is the go this month.

some big cod and the odd yellowbelly on even the coldest July days. I often leave my kayak at home and just wander the banks of Googong. I’ve caught plenty of nice fish by simply casting out past the sunken shrubs and timber and slow rolling the lure back.

I don’t often use my introduction to my regular fishing report to discuss a specific location, but take it Nerang Pool is worth a look.