Fishing Monthly Magazine | May 2023

Page 90

VIC

Lake Wendouree’s trout are biting BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers have been treated to some unbelievable fishing over the past month, especially on Lake Wendouree. It has certainly produced some unheard-of numbers of fish catches, and has put Wendouree right up there as one of the best fisheries in the state. The exceptional fishing on Wendouree has taken the limelight and anglers away from of many of our

were eaten. There are lots of predators in Wendouree, including bigger trout and redfin, which would eat the small stocked fish. Larger stocked fish would theoretically have a better chance of survival. This approach appears to have worked well, especially our stockings at Wendouree last year. The lake is alive and well with trout everywhere – you can walk, ride or drive around and see trout jumping. I have heard many comments of non-anglers saying they saw fish jumping on

brief, reminding anglers of the tournament rules and Marine Safety Victoria regulations, which include a speed limit of 5 knots on Wendouree. The fishing kicked off at 9am, and it wasn’t long after that that my phone started to run hot. Plenty of rainbow and brown trout were being caught, ranging in size from 35-40cm at the end of the morning session. Ross Goyne was on top of the leader board with a 46cm rainbow trout, which he caught on an orange Magoo fly pattern.

Josh Fry landed this ripper 43cm redfin whilst trolling a hardbodied lure during the Against the Odds competition. Image courtesy of Josh Fry. other waters, which can be a positive thing. These other waters haven’t been getting fished as heavily as they would normally, hence reports filtering through have been a little light on the ground. STOCKING STRATEGY The exceptional fishing on Wendouree isn’t just a fluke – it has come about thanks to a collaborative partnership between our local angling body, the Ballarat & District Anglers Association, and the Victorian Fisheries Authority. They have put a stocking plan in place for the next three years, and this includes the stocking of larger 50g rainbow and brown trout, which are larger than would be normally stocked. You might wonder what the reason is for stocking these larger fish. Well, many of the smaller rainbows that had previously been stocked didn’t seem to reach their 2-year-old birthday. They just disappeared. There could be several reasons for this, but the most obvious reason is that they 90 MAY 2023

Wendouree, which is good news for everyone. ‘TWO FLY’ COMP The Ballarat Fly Fishers Club has hosted a couple of fishing competitions on Lake Wendouree in March. The first one was the Lake Wendouree ‘Two Fly’ comp, sponsored by Hurley’s Fly Fishing. The competition was run over two days, with fishing sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings and Saturday afternoon. All registered competitors submit two flies each which are placed into envelopes and randomly picked out by competitors. The flies in the envelopes are what they use throughout the competition. If competitors lose the flies they can purchase more, with a maximum of two flies able to be purchased to remain in contention to win the comp. All fish caught are measured and photographed on a brag mat, then released. The photos are sent to a nominated mobile number via SMS. The competition started off with a safety

The afternoon session kicked off at 1pm, just in time for the mayfly hatch to start, and they didn’t

disappoint. This had a lot to do with the weather conditions – overcast skies and a stiff northerly breeze. Once again, my phone was running hot, with photos and names of competitors coming through. By the end of the first day’s fishing, we saw a record number of 90 trout, both rainbows and browns, caught and released. Ray Taillard was on top of the leader board with a magnificent 50cm brown trout. Saturday night saw competitors attend the Ballarat Fly Fishers Clubrooms for a social gathering, which included some raffles and a general catch up and talk about the ones that were caught and the ones that got away throughout the day. On Sunday morning, competitors hit the water for a 7am start. Once again, it didn’t take long before my phone started buzzing again with trout being caught. Tony Crimmins from the Bendigo Fly Fishers caught a 53.5cm brown trout, and became the new competition leader. Photos continued to come through until the competition finished at noon, and no one was able to beat Tony during that time. At the conclusion of the competition, a total of 137 trout were caught, photographed, and released. It was unbelievable the amount of fish caught, and it definitely made Wendouree the talk of the angling fraternity. All competitors gathered back at the

Trevor Holmes and Ben Young with 49cm and 50cm Wendouree brown trout caught during the Against the Odds tournament. Image courtesy of Ben Young. clubrooms for the presentation and awarding of the Lake Wendouree ‘Jim Thomas’ Two Fly Competition. Ballarat Fly Fishers Club President Nick Roche and Hurley Fly Fishing representative David Johnstone presented Tony Crimmins with the Two Fly Trophy, and also a Stalker Legend Combo valued at over $1000.

Against The Odds Trophy winner Mark Cuthbert landed the longest trout during the competition – a 52cm brown. Image courtesy of Vern Barby.

There was one last prize to be awarded, and that was for the competitor who donated the fly that the winning fish was caught on. This year’s recipient was Ross Goyne, who supplied the orange Magoo fly pattern that Tony Crimmins used. Ross won a handcrafted pen made by Jeff Willey from the Bendigo Fly Fishers Club. ‘AGAINST THE ODDS’ COMP The second tournament run by the club was the ‘Against The Odds’ Amyloidosis Awareness Day fishing competition. The comp was run to raise awareness about amyloidosis, which is a debilitating disease which belongs to the cancer family, and also raise funds to assist with research to find a cure. BFFC club member Alan Grieg unfortunately suffers from amyloidosis, and spends 15 hours a week on dialysis to stay alive. However, this hasn’t stopped Alan’s enthusiasm and passion for fishing. This year’s Against The Odds entrants were able register online prior to the event or on the day, and the competition hours were between 7am-1pm. All competitors were supplied with a token which needed to photographed next to their catch (trout or redfin) on a brag mat. These


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Articles inside

GEN III

1min
pages 118-119

Edencraft 233 Formula with Twin 300HP Mercurys

2min
pages 116-117

DUO The Captain Risky Coota comeback

6min
pages 112-114

Open on Lake Awoonga

2min
page 111

Team Tracker win Venom BARRA Australian

2min
page 110

Tagging Tales

3min
pages 108-109

Ewen Maddock Fish Stockers Teams Tournament

1min
page 108

A day with Carl Jocumsen: Bassmaster Classic

8min
pages 106-107

Dry, hot summer punishes winter freshwater fish

7min
pages 104-105

Billfishing remains steady LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…   INTUITIVE CONTROL

3min
page 103

A sea of blue swimmers

3min
page 102

Durable Oztent AT-6 Air Tent

2min
page 101

Offshore antics running amok this autumn

1min
page 101

Better boating in May

2min
page 100

Changing targets set for the cold

4min
page 99

Fishing choices are endless

2min
page 98

Salmon are slow running

5min
page 97

It’s an autumn pink paradise

3min
page 96

Lots to do for land-based anglers

1min
page 96

Productive fresh and salt outings

5min
page 95

Get ready: May is jumbo tuna time

4min
page 94

Big trout numbers being reported

5min
page 93

The friends we made along the way

3min
page 92

Stocked fish are stacking on the pounds for winter

3min
page 91

Lake Wendouree’s trout are biting

4min
page 90

Anglers descending on cod central at Mulwala

2min
page 89

Hunting yellowbelly over freshly-flooded edges

2min
page 89

Native species are taking a back seat this autumn

3min
page 88

It is time to think big

3min
page 86

Quintrex Freestyler X

3min
pages 84-85

Big schools of fish are throughout the system

1min
page 84

A bumper season in review

5min
page 83

Change tactics in the cold

1min
page 82

Astronomical numbers of bream

3min
page 82

Record dusky flathead stocking

1min
page 81

Protecting the future of fisheries

4min
page 80

Best baits at the best times

4min
page 79

May is better than you might think

3min
page 78

NSW DPI and VFA team up to fight fishing crime

2min
page 77

Soft plastics are picking up plenty of pinkies

4min
pages 76-77

Remember to keep your cool if you hook a beast

2min
page 75

It’s been great weather for chasing bluefin tuna

1min
page 75

Favourable fishing results for keen lure casters

1min
page 74

Getting stuck into quality tuna

2min
page 74

Catching quality cod off the surface

4min
page 73

Time to get out and enjoy the autumn weather

2min
page 72

Finding right depth for active fish

2min
page 72

May the cod be with us?

2min
pages 70-71

Late season stream trout bounty

2min
page 70

There is still good fishing to be had around Tathra

1min
pages 68-69

Sea temperatures are still warm

1min
page 68

Things are still holding up

4min
page 66

Hunting out the best spots in May

5min
page 65

Enjoying the autumn mornings on the water

5min
page 64

Locals taking on the torpedoes

3min
page 63

Autumn fun for Central Coast shore-based anglers

1min
page 62

Autumn sessions off the stones

3min
page 61

First class flathead fishing action

2min
page 60

Plenty of productive days in store

3min
page 59

Looking back on great pelagic run

2min
page 58

Catching whoppers off the walls

4min
pages 56-57

Bountiful autumn transition period

5min
pages 54-55

Bread and butter on the chew

3min
page 53

Latest releases from Daiwa

2min
page 52

Anglers are working towards consistent fishing

1min
page 52

Good value in the Okuma Ceymar HD spin reels

3min
page 51

THE FREEDOM To Escape.

5min
pages 48-50

Gary’s Marine Centre

4min
pages 46-47

Last chance to catch warm weather species

5min
page 46

Vale Jack Beattie

1min
page 45

National Recreational Fishing Survey of 2019-21

9min
pages 42-45

Epic wet season will spell a great dry season

2min
pages 40-41

May Mayhem to come

2min
page 39

Impressive angling in FNQ

2min
page 38

Clean waters make for great bags

1min
page 38

Cool weather transitions

2min
page 37

Don’t pack away the barra gear!

3min
page 36

Best of both seasons

5min
pages 34-35

Time to catch XOS fish on live baits

5min
pages 32-33

Women spearheading recreational fishing

1min
page 31

Why fish passage is vital for fish migration

1min
page 31

How boat ramp surveys help our fisheries

1min
page 30

PROVEN WORLD LEADING ANCHOR DESIGNS

2min
pages 28-29

Change of season is a great time!

1min
page 28

Excellent fishing across the board

4min
pages 26-27

Layer up for autumn sessions

9min
pages 24-25

Taxman has arrived early

1min
pages 22-23

Mack attack through May

4min
pages 18-21

The big push for winter species

2min
pages 16-17

A boat called Compromise

3min
pages 14-15

Hunting for redfin

5min
pages 8-11
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