Freshwater

FRESHWATER

Peter

Fragomeni Winter can bring cold and blustery days to big parts of the south west of WA, however in recent years we have been blessed with a number of sunny, the feeder streams that tend to be a bit clearer. The controversial decision by Fisheries to scrap the closed season several years ago has put stress on our big spawning trout in some waters that were previously closed from May until September. I would

On the news front it seems the Pemberton Trout Hatchery is in full swing stripping their trout. Around 2500 rainbow trout and a few hundred brown trout make up the breeding stock held in circular concrete ponds. These ponds, measuring around 8m in diameter, are gravity fed by cold, clean water from the Pemberton Weir upstream of the hatchery. Stocking of yearlings commenced in May with our rivers receiving the first of the smaller rainbows, and our dams are due to get the bigger ones later in the season. A few of the ex brood trout should be making their way to our waters this month, and I know a number of anglers are keen to chase these fish every year.

AUSSIE NATIVES

Not too much to report on this very touchy subject. Although winter is a quiet time for these species, some nice cod still get caught in private locations. Hopefully one day we will the result, with speeds of 1.5km/h not uncommon. My tried and trusted dropshot technique was not producing for some reason. The highlight of the trip was the unusual capture of a brown trout. I was slowly moving along the dam wall and casting a Tassie Devil to the edge and letting it swing back as I moved forward when a nice brown appeared on its tail. It turned away as it saw the boat but then turned back and followed the propeller. I then placed a short cast behind him and let the boat do the work (I was using the bow mount Minn Kota so the rear prop wasn’t spinning). As I slowly rolled the lure toward him, he didn’t notice it until it got to his side. He turned and put his nose on it then decided to engulf it, and after a short, close fight he was in the net. It’s best to release the stocked browns because they seem to survive the lean summer period in a predominantly redfin water.

Drakesbrook Weir

This waterway has been very slow of late, but things should improve with stocking to commence soon.

Logue Brook Dam

Can be frustrating to fish from the bank, with a lot of anglers coming away empty handed. I fished this location recently and also had mixed success, with one day landing over a dozen rainbows and the next day not even raising a fin. I was concerned at the size this year, with most only going between 26-32cm. This was mainly due to the lower water level resulting in reduced availability of food compared to other years, when vast amounts of

Daniel Simpson with a fat Warren brown he caught on fly. With the great work from the FFRG, in conjunction with Fisheries WA, it seems the Warren is fishing better this season.

calm days which is perfect for freshwater fishing on our dams.

The rivers are a different story, with many running high and discoloured, so some trout fishers target encourage you to practice catch and release at this time, not just to preserve stocks but because spawning trout are not the best on the plate. Their lack of feeding results in pale, mushy flesh. With good winter rains our rivers can become swollen and dirty. Levels much higher than in this photo can be challenging to fish.

The inquisitive brown trout caught by the author at Waroona Dam after following the propeller.

get an official stocking program underway but, in the meantime, it appears frustrated anglers are stocking their own waters. Others like myself travel to the east coast to have a chance to tackle these Australian iconic fish. DAMS Waroona Dam

I spent a few days fishing this water recently with mixed results. On one particular day I managed to land four large redfin up to 42cm plus a few smaller ones around 28cm, however the following day I did not even get a hit using the same technique. I nailed all my redfin on deep diving lures from the Halco stable. I found that a dead slow speed was needed to get

An early run spawning rainbow from our northern Jarrah streams. This one was released to fight another day. along the darling scarp that hold trout, and it is from these waters that the resident trout migrant up from. The going can be tough, with heavy vegetation lining vast sections of these small streams. I encourage you release these trout as some even frown upon the idea of targeting them.

Brunswick River

Not normally reported on but it’s worth a look as it doesn’t flow as hard in winter. A stocking of yearlings will be stocked this year.

Collie River below

Wellington Dam

With the irrigation shut main river.

Collie River above

Wellington Dam

Can be flooded with all the recent rain in the area however the section from the small weir up to the township can still fish OK in winter. Simon likes to target them with the fly rod, casting Woolly Bugger style flies on sinking lines and heavy leaders. Lefroy Brook

Most of the waters down that way can run too high and fast at this time of the

bushes were flooded. One particular day I did manage a couple in the 40s but I spent many hours in windy conditions to get the result. A few have been caught fly fishing the evenings in the quiet arms using large wet flies. Harvey Dam

Very low this season with the old weir wall well exposed. This dam is around 550 hectares when full, but at its current level it’s only around 85 hectares. The reason I state this is because the original weir was 85 hectares. The low water level has reflected the lack of fish being caught. The few people who have been fishing have all reported that many hours are required to get the result. The best techniques have come from those out on the water using a variety of lures that get down to where the fish sit.

Wellington Dam

A few big redfin are still getting caught by those who know the water. For some reason the numbers seem to be a lot lower in this water. This might be a good thing considering 10,000 rainbow yearlings will be stocked this year. Hopefully, the lower redfin numbers will give them a bit better chance to grow to a large size. Big Brook Dam

Although this is a small dam that was originally built to supply the Pemberton Trout Hatchery, it has turned out to be a reliable little trout fishery of late. This is one dam that seems to fish reasonably well considering it has a healthy

Silver perch are great on the fly rod but unfortunately are not as active throughout winter.

A big WA Murray cod caught on a wet and stormy night. Unlike other states, our authorities go to great effort to eradicate this species. This results in anglers keeping locations close to their chest. Cody Willis is the very wet angler.

Overall storage in our public dams that allow recreational activities are currently at 32.2% compared to 30.7% for the same time last year. The early rains may change this so hopefully it continues throughout the winter. Wellington, Glen Mervyn and Harvey dams are still extremely low, with these catchments needing the most inflow this season.

population of redfin. Winter can be tough but it’s worth a fish if you are in the area, with redfin and trout being active throughout the day RIVERS Murray River Normally very high and brown this time of the year with even redfin hard to find. Northern Jarrah streams With many of these streams flowing fast it triggers the trout to head upstream of their annual spawning run. There are a number of dams dotted The author’s nice little rainbow caught on a Craig’s Nightime when the moon rose after midnight at Logue Brook Dam.

down it can be unproductive at this time of the year, with little flow in the section close to the wall. If you are in the area you may want to check out the biggest mural ever painted of the face of a dam in Blackwood River

Very high and dirty throughout winter so most give it a wide birth. Warren River

Simon Holland reports that the Warren has a good head of brown trout this year, with them taking a particular liking to spinners and hardbodied lures. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the rainbows, with higher than normal water temperatures possibly being the reason they have not shown up at their normal spawning areas at the time of writing. Apparently, a sea-run trout was caught near the mouth in the ocean but this hasn’t been confirmed. year, but at time of writing there were a good number of rainbows showing up in the mid-section of this little brook. Donnelly River

Good rains have got this river flowing nicely after it nearly dried up over summer, at least in the upstream section above the highway. A few nice little rainbow trout have been reported but it could be a wet winter so levels will be too high. This may give clout to the Record Brook Dam project if increased flows occur in the upper sections of this wild river.

As you can see, winter can be very productive if you can brave the cold.

Big redfin like this one offer year-round sporting opportunities, but you must fight through all the smaller ones to get to them. Jonah Chiera is the lucky angler.