Native species are taking a back seat this autumn

Robbie Alexander

Winter is just around the corner, things are getting cold and the fishing is slowing down in a lot of places… but not all places. In some places it is getting better. Here is what’s been happening in recent weeks.

The Murray cod fishing has usually slowed right down by May in the Wangaratta area. I know that in some waterways, particularly the large impoundments, these colder months are preferred by many Murray cod anglers, but in the Wangaratta area it is very tough.

I usually do catch a small number of Murray cod during May each year, provided the river isn’t flooded, but they do take a lot more patience. The ‘fish of 1000 casts’ become the fish of 10,000 casts, if you know what I mean! When bait fishing, I prefer to use cheese as bait, and sometimes have success.

The biggest, most important asset you have as a Murray cod angler in May, is patience. You need a willingness to sit and wait for lengthy periods of time, because the fish do not come in thick and fast, especially towards the end of May.

YELLOWBELLY

Yellowbelly are another species that really shut down during the cooler months, and each year when May rolls around they are all but gone. I may pick up one or two while bait fishing in the Ovens River with worms, but I wouldn’t set out on a dedicated yellowbelly fishing trip with expectations of great success.

REDFIN

Redfin are an interesting species. In some waterways they slow right down in the cooler months, and in other waterways they pick up.

In the Wangaratta area, the main two impoundments, Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell, can often fish very well for redfin in May. In fact, I have caught some of my best redfin fishing during May in both of these lakes.

I find that in these two lakes the redfin can become a lot more hit-and-miss. They can also require a lot more work to locate the fish, but when and if you do, you can have some seriously good redfin fishing.

Last year in May I caught a heap of large redfin off the boat ramp at Lake Buffalo. In just half an hour or so I managed to catch and keep seven fat redfin over 30cm in length. I stood on the end of the boat ramp casting a Strike Tiger 3” soft plastic minnow in orange colour, and the fish came in thick and fast. I released quite to catch trout. The first half of May is the best as the trout often feed heavily as they prepare to spawn. The second half of May can be a bit more challenging, as the brown trout have already begun spawning in some areas. When that happens, they can become hard to catch.

Lake William Hovell can produce some great trout fishing in May as the water catch yabbies in each winter, but for the rest of us, trying to catch yabbies in May is Mission Impossible! a few too.

Then, two days later I stood in the same spot and caught nothing. That is the nature of redfin fishing in May in the Wangaratta area.

TROUT

May can be a great time

Lake starts to become very cold. Late in the day around the shadowed western edges of the lake are the best.

Trolling winged lures such as Tassie Devils has accounted for many Lake William Hovell trout during May.

OTHER SPECIES

The yabbies are gone. Forget about them now until September/October. I know there will be readers who have a great dam that they

There are a lot of Macquarie perch in the Ovens River these days, which is fantastic, and over the last couple of years I have noticed that they are willing to bite in May. Last May I caught five or six one evening, just after sunset. These fish are totally protected in the Ovens River system and must be released unharmed.

Last year’s floods have led to an explosion in carp numbers in some places, and there are a few redfin in the mix as well. and Lake Moodemere is one such place. If you enjoy carp fishing like I do, the lake will be a great option. In March it fished very well for carp – too well, in fact. There are so many small carp in there, it’s ridiculous. My daughter Holly and I have been catching upwards of 50 carp in a single afternoon over there. With so many fish in one spot, surely even in the cooler months it won’t be too hard to find a hungry one.

There have also been quite a few redfin turning up over there too, some of which have been quite a nice size. Lake Moodemere will certainly be worth a try in May.