VIC
Luring up some tasty redfin at Lake Elingamite CRATER LAKES
Rod Shepherd
Autumn has been mostly warm and mild, with the right amount of rainfall to keep our rivers and lakes ticking along nicely. As we enter the winter months, the transition to cooler, potentially wetter weather has been gradual to say the least. As I write this, no bitter, cold fronts that signal winter at its worst has struck us...yet. Of course, this weather pattern could well be tied in with our climate change crisis. Plus, the scientific boffins inform us that we have left La Niña behind, and are now entering a period of El Niño, which means dryer, warmer weather should be expected for some time. Lake Elingamite has been reliable for trout and redfin, with most anglers casting or trolling minnow
Some plump Elingamite redfin are engulfing medium divers such as this Damiki trolled or cast close to the weed beds. lures. The redfin have been averaging around 600g, with the occasional
specimen to over 1kg, and they have been responding well to cast
deep divers worked just out from the weed beds. The fish seem to caught
in around the 3m depth. Browns and rainbows to just under 1kg are taking shallow to medium divers flat line trolled out the back. Electric propulsion is winning over 2-stroke power when on the troll. The water level at the boat ramp is more than adequate for boats up to 4m in length, and possibly slightly bigger. Chinook salmon of various weights and sizes continue to be taken from Lake Bullen Merri. Flat line trolling Lofty’s Cobra style lures or medium diving minnows, or bait fishing at depth using pilchard, has seen plenty caught. Tiger trout approaching 3kg are also plentiful at times. There is blue-green algae here but it’s not thick, and does move around depending on which way the wind is blowing. Newly stocked fish can be a nuisance, but the 4-6lb+ specimens
are out there thanks to the many stockings that Fisheries have undertaken. Lake Purrumbete does have some solid trout of 7lb+, along with other species. Some rainbows, tiger and cheetah trout have been caught recently, with most anglers taking the time to cast towards the bankside weed beds. Some fish have also been taken flat line trolling close-ish to the weed beds. Lofty’s Cobra style winged lures have been popular, along with a wide array of minnow lures, both medium and deep diving. Twilight still remains the prime time, along with overcast, even wet days, as long as the barometer is over 1010 and steady. Trolling in depths of 10m+ gives the fish time to identify the lures as potential prey, and decide whether or not to attack from the cover of nearby weed beds.
Aggressive pre-spawn trout are on the chew WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND
Billy Auldist
With the end of trout season approaching quickly, it is now that we experience the best trout fishing our region has to offer. The systems will have more water than previous years, but the trout will still be there and they will still be angry as they start their spawn run for this season. This is the time of year most anglers yearn for all season, so it is a
great time to be a fisho in South West Gippsland. RIVERS The Loch, Toorongo and LaTrobe rivers in and around Noojee are firing as usual, and local fishos have been taking advantage of it. As the trout spawn approaches, the fish become extra aggressive, and even if they aren’t hungry, they’ll often hit lures out of pure aggression just for being in their vicinity. Usually around this time of year, anglers opt for brighter more vibrant coloured lures, with
orange being a common favourite. Spinners and hardbodies will still catch fish towards the end of the season, but I personally find soft plastics a real stand-out at this time of the year. A brightly-coloured soft plastic threaded on a light jighead bounced slowly off the bottom in front of an aggressive spawnminded trout is sure to entice a strike. Towards the end of the season, the Tarago and Bunyip rivers host some spectacular fishing. It is no secret that both of these rivers hold the biggest trout
The author with a quality late season trout.
An aggressive end of season trout.
in our region, and once the trout head upstream from the lower reaches, provide us with some entertaining fishing on some proper fish. The spawn-crazed fish will hit the same lures as mentioned above, although hardbodies with a larger profile (upwards of 10cm in length) are generally the lure of choice when you’re after the bigger fish. A bigger profiled lure will mostly be hit out of aggression rather than hunger (as opposed to the
beginning/middle of trout season). When trout season does finish on 13 June, it is important that we let the fish have their time off and leave them uninterrupted during the off season, ready for a good start when the season returns in September. BLUEROCK LAKE Bass are still being caught in Bluerock Lake, but not in the numbers they were during the warmer months. Boat fishers will be turning their attention to trout in the lake now, which
can be caught trolling winged or bibbed lures. Redfin are still around during winter, and can be caught on the same lures as usual such as soft plastics, hardbodies or spinners. Bait fishers will catch fish this time of year, as fish tend to be slower and more lethargic, meaning they don’t want to chase their food. An anchored worm is sure to entice a fish of some sort in the lake. JUNE 2023 91
