Autumn activity aplenty

WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

After a wet spring and a cooler than average summer, it is shaping up to be a great autumn to

I went trout fishing just a couple of days before typing up this report and the water is much cooler than normal for this time of the year and the stream flows are very healthy. As a result, the trout fishing was fantastic.

REDFIN

March is one of my favourite times of the year to catch redfin at both main lakes in the Ovens River catchment. Lakes William Hovell and Buffalo usually fish quite well for redfin in go fishing in North East Victoria.

Both Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell usually fish quite well for redfin each year in March.

MURRAY COD

The Murray cod season got off to a slow start in December thanks to widespread flooding. Once the rivers settled down the Murray cod fishing was amazing. Last month the cod fishing was better than normal for the time of year.

I am expecting the cod fishing to be very good this March as the water begins to cool.

Cod fishing in March can be a bit hit and miss, and this March will probably be no different, but there should

March is usually the time of year when black crickets are the most prolific. They can be found under streetlights at nighttime, under pot plants, under bark in the garden and so on. They make an excellent bait for trout.

If you are bait fishing for trout in March, my number one recommendation is to use live crickets. Grasshoppers are still abundant and great bait in March as well.

If you are lure fishing, anything black will be worth trying. A small black soft plastic such as the Strike Tiger Nymph in any of the redfin anglers, so don’t be surprised if you hook a Murray cod in Lake Buffalo, or a trout in Lake William Hovell, particularly later in March as the water surface temperature starts to cool down.

Authority stock 50,000 yellowbelly into the Ovens River each year, so don’t be afraid to keep one or two for a feed if you are that way inclined, like I am. I love a feed of fresh yellowbelly. The 40-45cm fish are the best during March.

There will be plenty of carp still biting. Recent flooding has seen an absolute explosion in the number of carp around. Of the millions of small carp, many will die due to their water hole drying up, along with predation from birds and bigger fish. Many will also survive to provide some fishing fun, and March is a great time to catch them.

Carp are a noxious pest, but they do have a positive side. They’re fun to catch, they bite at times of the year when other fish species don’t, and there’s a certain feeling of satisfaction that you get knowing that each time you catch one you’re doing a very tiny favour for the environment.

March is a great time to go trout fishing in North East Victoria, as the streams start to cool down and the trout become really active.

YELLOWBELLY

No doubt there will still be plenty of yellowbelly caught in the Ovens River during March. Bait anglers will probably catch the most to eat, whereas anything over 50cm is usually very fatty and the taste deteriorates.

OTHER SPECIES

Usually by March the yabbies have started to slow

Another species of fish that is gaining popularity in most of Victoria is silver perch. Thanks to the Victorian Fisheries Authority, there are silver perch stocked in many waterways and they provide excellent fishing fun.

Stanley Dam, Merriwa Park Lake, Allans Flat Waterhole be more hits than misses.

Thanks to regular stocking, silver perch are gaining popularity as a bait fishing option in many Victorian waterways.

I find bait fishing to be the most consistent way to catch cod in March in the Wangaratta area, although I still do have some great cod fishing sessions with lures.

Trout black colours is a great place to start. A black Celta, or even a black minnow will be worth tying on as well.

As with last March, I am expecting some top-quality trout fishing this March thanks to healthy stream flows all summer.

The Ovens River upstream of Bright, the Buckland River, upper Buffalo River and King River upstream of Lake William Hovell are all worth a try, as they all have great numbers of trout in them and are fishing very well.

March each year.

Both lakes are fishing well now in January, but most of the fish being caught are quite small. In March and throughout most of autumn more and more larger fish, and larger schools of fish, start to turn up and provide some very exciting fishing in both lakes.

Both lakes have welcome by-catches for yellowbelly, but lure casters targeting Murray cod will likely pick up a few as a welcome by-catch as well.

Carp are a pest, but they’re a lot of fun to catch and are usually biting well in March.

The Victorian Fisheries down a lot. Each dam is different and some slow down earlier than others, but on the whole the yabbying starts to get a bit tougher and Eldorado Dredge Hole have each been stocked with thousands of silvers, which should all still be biting well in March.