Wangaratta

WANGARATTA Robbie Alexander

As someone who really struggles with the hot weather, I find myself enjoying winter fishing more be very slow, especially for lure fishing.

If I was heading out targeting Murray cod with lures in July in the Ovens River catchment, I would be heading to Lake Buffalo. Lake Buffalo has been stocked with Wangaratta where I found that patience paid off. Sometimes I would sit on the bank of the river for 4-5 hours, and would often catch a Murray cod or two using cheese for bait.

The cod fishing wasn’t red hot, but I found that if I sat for Dartmouth, a couple of hours to the east.

Lake William Hovell is not known for its trophy trout, however small trout are abundant and can often be caught in the winter months. Trolling a winged lure such as a Tasmanian Devil is a very popular and productive technique.

Then there are the Family Friendly trout fisheries – the small ponds that are stocked with yearling rainbow trout in time for the July school holidays every year.

In the Ovens River catchment we have Stanley Dam (Stanley), Lake Sambell (Beechworth), Merriwa Park Lake (Wangaratta), Tronoh Dredge (Harrietville) and catch and are usually targeted only by the serious redfin angler who really knows what they are doing. These are the anglers who often catch the big winter redfin, while everyone else can’t get a bite!

Unless you are a seriously dedicated redfin angler, the type of person who’s probably catchment. They are stocked into the Ovens River and a few of the smaller waterways, and are not subject to any official season, however they tend to just switch right off when the water is really cold – and July is the coldest month of the year here in Wangaratta. CARP

Winter carp fishing is one of my favourite forms of fishing. I love sitting on the bank of a shallow lagoon, in the sun, rugged up and watching my rods, waiting for a bite.

Lake Moodemere is probably one of my favourite winter fishing destinations, although I also love fishing in many of the lagoons that line the lower Ovens River.

I find bait fishing with corn, early in the morning seems to work the best. Although I have caught carp on foggy and overcast days, during the depths of winter I find that having the sun on the water really helps. CRAYFISH

The Murray cray fishing season is still open all of July,

Lake William Hovell is a great winter trout fishery.

and more as I get older. Although I enjoy the great array of fishing options available in summer, I love the player comfort level offered in the winter months. Sitting in the sun watching my rods waiting for a bite, and if you know where to go, there are quite a few great fishing options around during the depths of winter. MURRAY COD

Many people believe that winter is a great time to fish for big Murray cod, and this may well be true in areas with modified water flows, but here in the Ovens River catchment the Murray cod fishing can

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sections of the Campaspe River at this time of the year. If you are walking the banks, try to find a deep hole, usually on the outside of a bend in the river, as this will often hold good concentrations of bait as well as some larger fish. The deeper sections of the river upstream of the weir at Elmore and Rochester are good options.

CAIRN CURRAN

The fishing in Cairn Curran has remained good for this time of year. The numbers of fish have not been large, but there has been a good mixture of species being caught. Small numbers of trout have been caught at this location over the last couple of weeks. Trolling small hardbody lures and winged-style lures have been the best options on the trout. Locating redfin has not been easy but some reasonable numbers are still being caught by those anglers who are putting in the time to find a good concentration of fish. Bait fishing with worms and small yabbies and shrimp (if you can get them) has been working well. Casting soft plastics and hopping them across the bottom has also been producing some redfin.

For those anglers chasing golden perch along the banks, the fishing has been slow. The most productive areas for the goldens have been around the standing timber.

Casting swimbaits and large spinnerbaits for the resident Murray cod is a good tactic. Trolling large hardbody lures at this location is also a good option. You may be surprised at what you stir up.

LODDON RIVER

The water clarity was very variable in the Loddon River this season due to irrigation releases and a couple of significant summer rainfall events. However, the water clarity has now settled and it has become a good option again.

Small numbers of Murray cod have been caught at this location, with surface lures and swimbaits producing some nice fish. Large spinnerbaits and large lipless crankbaits are a good option at this time of the year. Trolling the deeper pools with hardbody lures also works well.

Fishing along the edges of the weed beds with hardbody lures and lipless crankbaits has been the most productive option for the golden perch at this location.

The secret to fishing for natives at this time of the year is to be patient and keep your retrieval speeds slow. Don’t be afraid to vary your retrieve speeds in order to stir up a fish into striking, but don’t fall into the trap of trying too hard and inevitably winding your lure too fast. Make sure you put in enough casts in order to get the fish’s attention. Cold water temperatures combined with the slower metabolism of the fish will often mean double the amount of presentations you may have to put into an area.

Murray cod in recent years and is beginning to come to fruition as a mini version of Lake Eildon. More and more cod are being caught up there, and impoundments tend to fish better for cod than wild flowing rivers during the depths of winter.

In saying that, last winter I had quite a bit of Murray cod fishing success in the Wangaratta area, but all on bait. Nothing on lures.

Thanks to the 2020 second Victorian lockdown, I was still able to go fishing but had to stay close to home and wear a mask. Because of this I spent a LOT of time bait fishing in long enough, and was patient enough, eventually the elusive Ovens River winter Murray cod would come along in the ice-cold water. This year I plan on using the same techniques, regardless of whether we are in lockdown or not. TROUT

Winter trout fishing is restricted to lakes as the streams are closed for spawning season. Thankfully we have plenty of lakes to choose from.

If you are after wild trout, Lake William Hovell is the place to head in the Ovens River catchment. The most popular winter trout fishing lake in the region is easily Lake the Glenrowan Recreation Reserve at Glenrowan. These small waterways are stocked with hundreds of pan-sized rainbow trout each winter and provide hours of entertainment for kids on school holidays.

It is not only kids that benefit from these small waterways, so too do many disabled people. Whether it be physically or mentally disabled, those with disabilities really benefit from these wonderful small fisheries.

REDFIN

July is not a great month to target redfin in the Ovens River catchment. Redfin do get caught, usually in Lake Buffalo or Lake William Hovell, but not in great numbers. They are not easy to not looking to my report for guidance, I would suggest you focus on trout in July.

YELLOWBELLY

July is possibly the worst month of the year to catch a yellowbelly in the Ovens River and is a very popular past time in North East Victoria. Murray crayfish are subject to very strict rules and regulations with regard to size limits, bag limits, possession limits, net requirements and so on, and I strongly urge anybody going cray fishing to ensure that you are up to speed with all of the rules before you head out.

Locations to go cray fishing vary from year to year and are subject to weather conditions. Some tracks become slippery, some get locked and the spot you caught crayfish last year might be flowing too hard to put a net in this year. The best thing to do is keep an eye on the weather and the river levels, and plan your trip accordingly.

Bait fishing for carp is one of my favourite forms of winter fishing.

Holly Alexander with an undersized crayfish caught last winter on a fishing rod with a bunch of worms targeting finned fish.

A massive crayfish caught last winter. It was over the maximum size limit and returned to the water.