High temps, low water levels WANGARATTA
Robbie Alexander
Spring took a fair while to warm up in this area with regular cold fronts and snow across the Alps right into November. People were complaining about the constantly cold weather, and anglers were complaining about the unsettled weather leading to poor fishing. By January the weather is usually very settled, and very hot, and so should be the fishing.
TROUT January and February are the two toughest months of the year to catch trout in the Ovens and King River catchments; water temperatures are usually at their highest, and the water levels are often at their lowest. The smaller, rural flowing streams are usually best avoided as the water is so warm that the trout will often lay low in the deep pools and barely move as they sit still conserving energy. Wait for a flush of cooler, fresher water such as that found after a decent thunderstorm.
While the average size of Ovens River Murray cod is not great, the sporting potential is enormous. This little fella took a Z-Man Pop FrogZ surface soft plastic just on sunset.
Fishing for trout in such conditions can be red hot if you know the stream has a good number of trout, however the trout are usually in poor condition and not worth catching as they have not eaten for some time. A bit like myself, in poor condition through lack of food! The higher altitude streams such as the Dandongadale River, upper Buckland, upper Buffalo and such will all be worth fishing. The water will still be warmer than the trout prefer, it always is at this time of the year, however provided the water flow is okay, the fast flowing water will remain well oxygenated and the trout will come out to feed, particularly of an evening when the hot sun is off the water and insects are hatching out. REDFIN January is usually a great time to catch big numbers of small redfin, when the water is warm and there is plenty of food around. Lakes William Hovell, Buffalo and Sambell will all be worth fishing for redfin at this time; Lake William Hovell is the best of the three. Lake
Put a bend in it YARRAWONGA
Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com
Hope Santa looked after you all this year and came bearing gifts that more than likely consist of fishing gear! It’s post-festive season and hopefully you’ll be keen to get out, get it wet or put a bend in it! Fishing in and around Lake Mulwala and the Murray River at this time of year generally proves more productive in the early morning and late afternoon. Those that seek quieter water away from the hordes of ‘doof doof’ boats and ‘water lice’ (jet skis) will produce better results. The areas of Lake Mulwala that generally give you solace from the urban cowboys tend to be along the northern side of the lake, up to about 1km in from the shoreline. The northern side of the lake is heavily timbered. It has less safe boating channels but allows those who poke slowly along some great timber to fish. These areas range from 2-4m in depth and are perfect for casting any style of cod specific lure, whether hardbody, spinnerbait, crankbait or chatterbait. Trolling is also very productive and should not be discounted.
Fishing below the weir early in the season generally produces plenty of undersize Murray cod, protected trout cod and the fun to catch silver perch. Throw in bucketfuls of carp and good numbers of yellas, and the Murray is more often than not a better option for the family if they are looking to put the kids onto a fish for a bit of fun. There is not much more to report at present because as I put pen to paper, it’s the calm before the storm. With only a few sleeps until
cod season, the majority of anglers have re-armed themselves and are waiting to pounce! I welcome all anglers visiting Yarrawonga/ Mulwala over the holiday period to pop in and say G’Day at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski (opposite Mulwala Post Office). I’m sure we can put you onto a fish or two and make your visit to the region a rewarding and memorable one. Finally I wish all a happy New Year.
Buffalo has lesser numbers of redfin than William Hovell, however it has a few better than average-sized reddies if you’re willing to persevere. There are redfin in many of the region’s smaller creeks and tributaries, but they have been very quiet all spring. It is hard to imagine them fishing well during the heat of summer if they are quiet in November.
Small redfin should be easy to catch during January. While these fish are small, they are great fun for the kids.
In the heat of January, many fishing trips are mixed with swimming sessions. Swimming to get your lure off a snag becomes a viable option during the heat. YELLOWBELLY Very much to my surprise I saw a photo of a magnificent yellowbelly that had been caught right in the middle of Wangaratta back in November. Yellowbelly are not common in the Ovens River catchment anymore, and to see one show up in Wangaratta is just wonderful. There was a new fish ladder put into the Ovens River behind the Sydney Hotel last year, maybe this has something to do with it? This was the first yellowbelly I have seen caught in the Ovens River in Wangaratta for about 4 or 5 years. In January, try fishing the Ovens River anywhere downstream from Peechelba if you are targeting yellowbelly. The large deeper holes with
slower dirtier water seem to provide better habitat for the yellowbelly and each year there are quite a few caught down there on bait and lures. As a rule of thumb, the closer you get to Lake Mulwala the more likely you will be to encounter a yellowbelly. MURRAY COD These are the fish that the Ovens River is famous for. The river is one of, if not the, best Murray cod fisheries in Victoria. It has a healthy population of Murray cod from Myrtleford, all the way downstream right through to its junction with the Murray River at Lake Mulwala. While the numbers are great, the average size of the Murray cod isn’t so good, with legal sized Murray cod being something of a rarity
in recent years. When the size limit was 50cm we caught heaps of 48cm Murray cod, because as soon as they hit 50cm they got hit on the head. Now that the size limit is 60cm, we catch heaps of cod around the 58cm mark. Therefore the Ovens River is not a trophy hunting Murray cod destination; those big fish are in the Murray. There are a few in the Ovens, but not many. I would like to see a review of size and bag limits on Murray cod to help them grow to a bigger size. In January, walking the banks of an evening flicking surface lures or spinnerbaits will put you in the hot seat to land a Murray cod or two, and if you are lucky, possibly even a protected trout cod which must be returned to the water. During the day, kayaking is the way to go and is everincreasing in popularity as the Ovens and King rivers are both heavily blocked up with fallen trees in many areas making boating extremely difficult, if not impossible. Casting hardbody lures and spinnerbaits is the best technique. If you fish the Ovens River during January, just be very wary of the bushfire potential, especially downstream along the river flats where the native grasses are currently close to 4ft high and will be tinder dry in January.
3SER FISHING SHOW 7am-9am
DAN LEE
Every Friday Morning
LUKE McCREDDEN
LEE RAYNER
Take you through what’s biting in your area. P l us i n f o rma ti o n o n t he lat e s t t ac k le and t e c hniq u e s .
SPECIAL GUESTS EACH WEEK.
Cooper Bennett with a small silver bream from the Murray River. Not big but a lot of fun for the kids over the school holidays.
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JANUARY 2014
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