Wangaratta

WANGARATTA Robbie Alexander

Despite July being possibly the slowest month of the year on the fishing calendar in North East Victoria, I really look forward to

A winter cod caught in Wangaratta on cheese during the height of the pandemic; you can see the author’s coronavirus head sock around his neck. Hopefully we can go fishing without masks on this winter.

it each year. I have my favourite places and favourite types of fishing that I enjoy each July. MURRAY COD

The cod fishing is usually very slow in the Wangaratta region during July. Just downstream at Lake Mulwala is probably the best bet for anglers wanting to target Murray cod, especially with lures. In saying that, Lake

Winter is Murray crayfishing season. It’s a lot of fun, but is also heavily regulated and patrolled by compliance officers. It pays to be up to speed with the regulations.

Mulwala has been drawn down this year so I’m not sure how accessible it will be.

I have usually put my lures away for the season by July, preferring to sit on the bank in the winter sunshine and fish with bait. Often I am rewarded with a cod or two.

The key to catching winter cod around Wangaratta with bait, is perseverance. I won’t go down to the river an hour before sunset and expect to catch two or three cod before it gets dark like I do in summer. Instead, I will put an entire afternoon aside and head out fully prepared to sit for lengthy periods of time without as much as a nibble. Usually, if I wait long enough I will catch something, even in the depths of winter.

I like to bait fish with two rods. One is baited with cheese, specifically for

Murray cod, and the other is baited with worms, which may catch just about anything in the river, from carp to cod and everything in between.

A successful fishing trip in the Ovens River in Wangaratta during winter might consist of me catching one Murray cod and a carp as a by-catch. That’s a slow day in summer, but a successful day in winter.

TROUT

The streams are all closed to trout fishing during July, leaving us with only the lakes to fish. My favourite is Lake William Hovell. I like to sit on the bank up there on cold winter days and angle with bait. Sometimes I catch a trout or two, and occasionally I will catch a small redfin as a by-catch.

Lure fishing can be quite successful at Lake William Hovell during the winter months, with sunrise and sunset being the best times of the day to catch trout. In the crystal-clear water, during the day when the sun is high in the sky, the trout will often move down much deeper. Winged lures such as Tasmanian Devils and Wigstons are always a big hit for people targeting trout in Victorian lakes during winter,

and Lake William Hovell is no exception.

The region’s familyfriendly lakes are all stocked with yearling rainbow trout by July too, which is something that many kids around the area look forward to each year. Stanley Dam, Glenrowan Recreational Reserve, Lake Sambell, Anderson Lake, Tronoh Dredge… these and many more small ponds around the state are stocked with trout that are big enough to catch straight away.

By far the most popular of these small dams in this area is Stanley Dam. In the next area across, the most popular spot is Allans Flat waterhole, which is very popular with Wodonga and Yackandandah kids. REDFIN

Usually by July my catches of redfin are restricted to occasional by-catches while targeting other species, such as trout or carp. I catch the odd redfin at Lake William Hovell each winter while angling for trout off the bank, and I also catch the

odd winter redfin in one of the local creeks that I enjoy fishing for carp in the cooler months. We do not experience great winter redfin in this area, possibly due to being so close to the mountains in the cold climate.

Some dedicated and experienced anglers will catch big redfin at Lake Buffalo each winter, but these people really know what they are doing. The everyday angler will often go home fishless.

Lake Buffalo has produced some phenomenal redfin fishing this autumn,

and I’m really looking forward to taking my regular Lake William Hovell bait fishing techniques to Lake Buffalo this winter to see how I go just angling off the bank up there.

YELLOWBELLY

I never target yellowbelly in the winter months. Just like the redfin, they are an occasional by-catch when targeting other species, usually carp. They are definitely more active in the warmer months; in winter they seem to lay dormant. Although I embrace them

when I catch them, I would not recommend targeting them in the Wangaratta area during winter or you will most likely end up disappointed.

OTHER SPECIES

Crayfish are by far the most popular species to target in this area during winter. They are subject to very strict size and bag limits so you need to make sure you read the Victorian Fisheries Authority rule book, or download their app before you head out.

When Murray crayfishing, it’s not about the harvest, but is more about the enjoyment of standing around a campfire on a winter’s day as well as the excitement and anticipation you feel when lifting the nets to reveal the giant white claws. I absolutely love crayfishing and look forward to it every winter.

One of my other favourite forms of winter fishing is carp fishing at Lake Moodemere, particularly at sunrise. It’s a magical place to be at sunrise, and often produces a few carp throughout winter when many other fishing options are off the cards.

A cold morning at Lake William Hovell. That lake is beautiful, but very cold in winter and has some nice trout and redfin in it.

A sunrise carp caught at Lake Moodemere, one of the author’s favourite winter fishing destinations.