Wangaratta

WANGARATTA Robbie Alexander

September is one of my favourite months of the year here in North East Victoria. It is not the best month to go fishing, but the fishing does improve a lot from August, the trout season opens and most species are just starting to become active. So we see improved fishing with the excitement of it getting even better as the weather warms up.

MURRAY COD

September is the first month of the closed Murray cod season. There is only one waterway that is open to Murray cod fishing in spring and that is Lake Eildon. So if you want to

The smaller streams may be the easiest to wade and fish in September, however the larger river will still have trout actively feeding in them. Look for a slow backwater to find a nice backwater and just sit there angling. REDFIN

September can see a few redfin start to turn up in a few places. Redfin are a funny species and can be

A redfin caught in a small creek in the first week of September last year.

Is there a prettier fish than a juvenile rainbow trout? This one was caught by drifting worms in high water.

get a Murray cod fishing fix, head to Lake Eildon. TROUT

The first Saturday in September is the opening day of the new trout season. Like many others I will be out there somewhere ready to wade upstream and wet a line.

Where I will go is unclear at this stage and largely dependent on a few things such as the weather, water levels, and of course…covid lockdowns!

Last year I missed trout opening as the rules were that we could only go fishing at our nearest fishing spot, and living in Wangaratta it meant that I could not travel too far. Hopefully this year runs a bit more smoothly.

I can say with a great deal of certainty that the streams will be high, so drifting a bait of worms will be a great option. Just how high the streams are will be determined by how much rain falls between this article being written and trout opening, but as I type there streams are all flooded with just a month left until the season opens. drown a worm.

In these high water conditions, just fishing in the one spot with worms can often produce a number of trout as the high water volume means that they spook a lot less each time one is caught.

So don’t be afraid to very hard to predict. Lakes Sambell in Beechworth sometimes offers okay redfin fishing in September, particularly towards the end of the month.

The warmer September is, the better the redfin fishing is likely to be.

Allan’s Flat water hole is a very similar story, so too is Lake Kerford. Lake Hume has been fishing red hot for redfin for months now and may well be a viable option during September.

On the other hand… avoid Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell. They usually fish poorly for redfin during the spring months. I have no certainty as to why this is, but I suspect that it may be to do with the huge volumes of icy cold water entering such small lakes. They fish best after Christmas when things are a lot more settled.

YELLOWBELLY

September can see the start of the best yellowbelly fishing for the year. Late October, and November are the best in my opinion, but it starts in

September and I usually catch a few yellowbelly each September.

I like to fish Broken Creek and Boosy Creek to the north, and Lake Nillahcootie to the south for yellowbelly. Worms and live shrimp (if I can catch them) are usually my baits of choice.

For those looking to target big fat trophy yellowbelly, Lakes Eildon and Hume are the places to go. Each year in September keen anglers head to both of these lakes in search of big fat golden perch.

As with all waterways, September is the lead up month to the best time, but is still well worth a shot. Anglers bouncing soft plastic grubs and lipless crankbaits near the standing submerged timber seem to have the most success. CARP

Carp can be caught all year round in North East Victoria however September definitely sees an increase in their movements in all waterways.

I tend to catch more carp in the Ovens River in September and October than I do in any other month. Usually I am

just angling with the intention of catching anything, hopefully even a yellowbelly when I catch these carp.

If I want to head out specifically targeting carp in September, Lake Moodemere will be my destination of choice. I absolutely love it over there.

I also catch my fair share of carp in Lake Nillahcootie each year while targeting yellowbelly. YABBIES

September can see the yabbies start to move in some waterways. It may be a little bit early, but as with other species they might just start to move and throwing a few nets in, especially towards the end of the month may just reward you with a nice feed of fresh yabbies.

A lovely small stream brown trout caught drifting worms through a deep pool after widespread rainfall.

A brown trout caught while drifting worms in the high water after a decent rain.