WA
Trout top the target list FRESHWATER
Peter Fragomeni
It was good to see a number of trout being caught throughout the southwest in early autumn. These fish were presumably from last year’s stockings or natural
their aim being to free up pond space and bulk up some of the yearlings to catchable size in autumn. The good news on the freshwater trout scene is that the government has pledged around $300,000 for a study into improving the freshwater fishing in this state, which includes a major
figures for our rivers in the May edition. AUSSIE NATIVES Not a lot to report in this issue with most anglers refusing to come forward with information on their fishing. There was a nice cod taken in the Albany region that was once home
The author’s first ever Wellington Dam rainbow caught on fly. This well-conditioned fish was only stocked last year as a yearling and has done well in what was previously a redfin dam.
Redfin perch are widespread in the South West dams, however they have a tendency to overpopulate and stunt. Our Fisheries department suggest you don’t return them even if they are small. Wendy was happy with this larger specimen. recruits, as no trout from the hatchery made their way to our waters until May because the Translocation certificates were delayed, even though plenty of time was given this time to avoid the delays of previous years. I can’t understand why this would be an issue as
upgrade to our Pemberton Hatchery. I believe this is a positive for us WA freshwater fishers, however, questions are being raised on why so much money is being spent on a study and why a better suited species are not being considered to supplement the existing trout program, as climate
of the biggest Murray cod population in WA back prior to the 1950s. Silver perch are still being caught in private locations but bass seem to be harder to locate recently. DAMS Waroona Dam Big numbers of redfin were caught over early
Winter nights can be cold on our inland dams so sitting around a good camp fire with a nice red is relaxing after a hard day on the water. most of the dams and rivers have been on the same list for a number of decades, and only the numbers get altered with possibly an edition of brown trout being added to the list in recent years. This puts unwanted stress on the staff at the hatchery with 116
JUNE 2022
change is a real concern in the near future. For those of you that missed all the dam stocking figures of both yearlings and x-broods for this year and would like a comprehensive list, then view the April edition, I also listed all the stocking
autumn, however size was on the small side. Trout are still hard to locate but expect better fishing when the larger hatchery fish go in. Drakesbrook Weir It appears the size of the redfin have increased of late with good numbers coming
from the bank, as well as from the deeper water near the middle. A few trout in both yearling and fish over 40cm have shown up prior to any stocking. These fish were in good condition considering that we experienced a very hot summer. I believe it may be attributed to the cool water coming down from Waroona Dam further up the valley, which can be as cold as 14ºC when it’s let out of the bottom. Logue Brook Dam This dam continues to frustrate some with its tendency to shut down from one day to the next. Some good trout can be had by those that persist in times of low ski boat and jet-ski activity. Harvey Dam Reports of good trout have come through with some of the x- brood rainbows making their way to both boat and shore. The best areas seem to be Quarry Bay, Browns Bay and the flats along the Cattle yards with trolling hard bodied lures being the most successful method. Redfin have been active with nice numbers of medium sized fish falling to those using soft plastics fished deep. I normally troll lures and when I find the schools hit
Big majestic karri trees line the streams and rivers around Pemberton, offering a tranquil setting for both visiting and local anglers that chase trout in their tea coloured waters. Photo courtesy of Simon Holland.
PREDICTED DAM LEVELS FOR SW WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 64.6 % as of end of April 2022 compared to 31.9 % at the same time last year. Lower than average rainfall fell over our catchment dams in March and April, however, this was not the case in other areas with Perth city recording its wettest April in 6 years. The Esperance region also recorded a massive amount of rain, unfortunately, none of our stocked waters are in that area. WAROONA DAM 47% DRAKESBROOK WEIR 82% LOGUE BROOK DAM 69% HARVEY DAM 58% WELLINGTON DAM 79% GLEN MERVYN DAM 46% BIG BROOK DAM 67%
the spot-lock on my Minn Kota and drop plastics down to where they are sitting. Glen Mervyn Dam Some big redfin turned up in autumn however, things have slowed down of late. A small number of trout have been caught by those that put in the effort. Wellington Dam I spent the Easter weekend here and tried out my new Stacer Crossfire using the trolling motor only. It was sad to see a number of petrol powered boats and even a couple of jet-skis on
