Nature has a way of spoiling things when it comes to fishing, and this is the case at one of our prime fishing spots, Lake Eildon. It has been cursed with another outbreak of toxic blue-green algae, which can have a severe impact on both humans and livestock, causing serious organ ailments.
While fish are not affected, I am dubious about eating fish caught in waters affected by this algae. The old and ‘trusted’ method of boiling water containing blue-green algae does not work. While boiling kills the algae, it has a trick in its tail: as it dies, it releases a harmful toxin, even fatal, to animals and humans.
It is best to stay away from algal blooms. They can be recognised by a strong chemical-like smell, and they also leave a scum-like look on the surface of the water. You can’t use the water for washing or swimming — even if not ingested it causes a severe skin rash.
All things aside, the fishing in our region has been good. The rivers have been relatively clear, making conditions good for lure fishing. Both the Murray and the Goulburn have been producing cod in decent numbers, although most fish have been in the juvenile size range. The Broken River between Benalla and Shepparton has also been fishing well.
Lake Mulwala has been worth the effort, with an occasional metre-plus fish being landed, while plenty of keepers have also been caught, mainly along the old river course. With both the Murray and Lake Mulwala in NSW, you will need both a boat and a fishing licence for that state.
Fishing in and around Shepparton has been patchy. Victoria Park Lake, in the centre of the city, has been so-so, with reports of trout being caught in the clear water between the patches of weeds and redfin and carp along the edges.
As the irrigation season draws to a close, the fishing in the channels is patchy. There are reports of trout being caught in the main eastern channel as well as the inflow at Waranga Basin.
There are not many reports from Dartmouth in the high country, but as the weather cools, I expect trout to become more active and be found feeding near the surface during the day. Early mornings and late afternoons should fish well.
Kialla Lakes and Craigmuir Lake in Mooroopna have both been patchy, with yellowbelly being caught, mainly on lures with a rattle in them.
Not a lot has been said about the Goulburn River, but in reality, it fishes above its weight. In other words, the fishing in the Goulburn is above average for most inland waterways. The upper Goulburn from above Eildon to the dam is one of the best trout fishing areas in the state, while from the dam to Seymour, the trout fishery provides anglers with plenty of trophy-size trout. Below Seymour, you can catch trout, redfin, cod and yellowbelly all the way to where it runs into the Murray River.
Some of the top spots are around Nagambie, Murchison, Toolamba, Shepparton and downstream of Shepparton to the Murray River near Echuca.
Saltwater fishing has been above average for this time of year, according to Rod Lawn at Adamas Fishing Charters in Queenscliff. He says that normally, at this time of year, the fishing would slow down. However, this year, the fishing has continued to be better than average, with resident snapper still on the bite while salmon and flathead are around, too. Bluefin tuna are offshore, with gummy sharks and kingfish around the dive site wrecks.
Off Ocean Grove, Rod has found a population of trevalla in the deep water, and there have also been sightings of mako sharks around the crayfish spots.
To the east of Queenscliff is Western Port Bay, and while a totally different body of water, the fishing has been similar: snapper, flathead, gummy shark, salmon and whiting among the inshore grass beds.
North of the NSW border at Eden, John Liddell said the Freedom Charters crew had reported good-size snapper and morwong along the inshore reefs from Boyd’s Lookout to Green Cape near the Victorian border. John said that off the shelf, the fishing was patchy.
Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said the inshore fishing was much the same, although they were much closer to the shore and were reporting better catches of yellowfin tuna and kingfish, while most anglers were content with bagging flathead, snapper and other table fish around Montague Island.
Well, once again, stay safe around water and on the roads, and this time, an extra warning: steer clear of blue-green algae.