It is time to think big

BENDIGO Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Autumn is my favourite time of the year to spend some time on the water, chasing some quality fish.

There are a number of key factors as to why this time of the year is a favourite. Firstly, there is a significant reduction of boat traffic on our waterways. As the weather cools down, the majority of water skiers and jet skis put the vessels away until the next spring season. Even the number of anglers reduces as the weather cools down. The weather patterns are often more favourable with slow large moving high-pressure systems a regular occurrence. This often produces more days with minimal wind.

The end of the irrigation season finishes in the middle of the month of May. This means for a while there are reduced flows coming down the majority of river systems, which in turn improves water clarity.

Lastly, it is a great time of the year for catching quality fish. During other times of the season, catch rates can be higher, but during autumn the quality of the fish being caught is often very good. It doesn’t matter if you are targeting redfin, Murray cod or golden perch – this is a great month to go out and try to catch your personal best in any of these species.

LAKE

Water levels are still very good at this location. At the time of writing, Lake Eppalock is still over 91% of capacity. The lake’s water level has continued a slow decline. As I write this report, an environmental flush is currently being let down the Campaspe River, which will see water levels drop a little quicker.

Redfin are continuing to make up the majority of anglers’ captures, although locating a good school of redfin has not been easy.

Anglers should be prepared to move around to a number of locations before a good concentration is found.

The best concentrations of redfin have been a little deeper over the last month, generally being found in depths of between 3-6m. Your standard small hardbody lures, soft vibes, blades and soft plastics have all been working well.

There are still small numbers of golden perch and the occasional quality Murray cod being caught at Eppalock. The condition of the golden perch and cod being caught has been excellent. With the continued great fish stocking of these species from Victorian Fisheries, we should see improved angling opportunities for them in the next few seasons.

There is an environmental flush being released from Lake Eppalock down the Campaspe River at the time of writing this report. The current release is being sent bait and lures, and a few perch in the mix. A few catfish continue to bite on baits of worms fished around the willows, and a feed of yabbies is pretty easy to catch.

As we head downstream along the Murray River, Colignan has reports of Murray cod to 107cm on bait, with good numbers of smaller cod and perch also reported. The Murray at

Mildura has several reports of larger Murray cod trolled on lures, with some of the fish over a metre in length. StumpJumpers have been working well in a range of different colours from fluoro orange to blacks, greens and purple. It’s great to see a few bigger cod still in the system down this way. Good sizes and numbers of golden it’s not a bad way to spend an arvo with friends and family.

Downstream at the junction of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, anglers are catching both Murray cod and golden perch on lures and bait. Fresh grubs are tempting cod to 70cm, as too are a range of trolled lures in brighter colours. Perch are striking the lures as well, and can also be tempted with a shrimp-worm cocktail bobbed around the snags. As with every section on the Murray, carp are a constant annoyance on bait, but the trade-off is they make great yabby bait. Yabbies are also running in this area.

The Murray River at Robinvale has a few reports of Murray cod to 65cm on down the system because of diluted oxygen levels in the Campaspe River.

This kind of environmental flush initially has a negative effect on the productivity in the fishing. In the Campaspe River, when these flushes are being let down the system we will see a drop in water temperature. This usually puts the fish off the bite for several days.

A couple of days after the flush has gone through and river flows return to normal, the fishing improves again. Long term, these flushes are good for the system.

The overall productivity in the fishing in the Campaspe River this season has been poor, especially at the pooled sections of the river at Elmore and Rochester. The most productive fishing has been in the shallower sections of the river