Trout are mad for some mudeye BALLARAT
Shane Stevens
Anglers around the Ballarat district have certainly been rewarded for hitting the local lakes over the past month. Trout have played the game and are definitely
warmer weather brings us to the height of our mudeye hatches, who can be referred to as ‘trout candy’ as they are a true delicacy to trout and redfin. For those anglers that do not know much about the life cycle of the mudeye, they are the larvae stage of the dragonflies that you see
this first hand at a few different locations around Australia. Our lakes here in the Ballarat district are no different, when the mudeyes are on the move the trout and redfin are certainly quick to jump onto a quick feed. It’s common to see a trout or a reddie with a stomach rock
A lovely brown trout caught by Bill Reddick from Moorabool Reservoir on a Craig’s Nighttime fly pattern. Photo courtesy of Bill Reddick.
on the bite, hopefully this trend continues over the coming months. Anglers will need to start thinking about targeting trout and redfin at different times of the day to gain the best results. The shallow nature of our lakes in the region means the trout and redfin tend to sulk on the bottom and hide in the weeds during the sunnier days. There is an exception when the weather does become overcast in the warmer weather the fish will once again come out to feed during the day. Early mornings and evenings are the best times to fish during the warmer months; the fish start to feed on evenings and this normally coincides with some insect hatches. The old saying is ‘food up fish up’, and I am a true believer in that. The
buzzing around above the water and sometimes you see the trout jumping out of the water trying to eat them mid flight. Certainly exciting to watch, but frustrating to catch. The dragonflies lay their eggs on the water, the eggs then drift through the water column and hatch into mudeyes. Mudeye live in the weed and mud until they are ready to start their migration to hatch into the dragonfly, so the cycle starts again. The migrations normally happen throughout the warmer months and at night, they swim through the water and crawl onto sticks, reeds, trees or whatever they can to start to hatch into a dragonfly. When mudeyes are on the move it can be in the thousands. I have witnessed
Jakey Young and fishing partner Meg catching a lovely Wendouree brown trout on a Nories Laydown Minnow lure. Photo courtesy of Ben Young.
a newcomer to the flyfishing scene and has had a ball catching some lovely well conditioned brown and rainbow trout up to 50cm, Will even caught his first fish on a dry fly on a recent trip. It was amazing to watch this lovely brown just come up and eat his fly right in front of us. The fishing in Wendouree will only get better as I have explained with the mudeye hatches hitting their peak over the next couple of months. Moorabool Reservoir is certainly on the radar for quite a few anglers in the know. Bill Reddick is one such flyfisher who has been hitting up Moorabool. Bill has been rewarded for his efforts with some lovely brown trout catches on Craig’s Nighttime fly
Jo Howes landed a magnificently conditioned Wendouree brown trout land-based on a mudeye suspended under a float. Photo courtesy of Jo Howes.
the best chance of catching a fish. Once again, food up fish up. Tullaroop Reservoir has certainly fallen off the radar. I know the fish are there as fisheries have heavily stocked the reservoir over the past couple of years. I still believe it is worth a look at first light or evening with a mudeye suspended under a bubble float or a Mudeye fly pattern on or after dark. Newlyn Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon, both
situated about two minutes drive from Ballarat, fish very well over the warmer months. At this time of year the water levels will start to recede due to irrigation usage and some areas will become harder to fish. It’s a matter of finding those pockets of water clear of weed and fish them. Both waters have very prolific mudeye hatches and the fish gorge themselves on them. So, make the most of this opportunity.
The author caught and released another feisty Wendouree brown trout caught on a brown nymph fly pattern. hard full of mudeye. The mudeyes, as I mentioned, hatch all night and if you are up to it you can fish all night and catch the mudeye feeders on flies. Some of the popular fly patterns that are used are Craig’s Nighttime, Mrs Simpson, Hammils Killer, Tiapi Tickler, Cubits Mudeye and a Muddler Minnow. Anglers who like to fish bait can still catch mudeye feeders, try fishing a mudeye suspended under a bubble float. Lake Wendouree’s trout and reddies are on the chew. You can drive around Wendouree at anytime during the day and you will see someone fishing from the shore or out of a boat. It’s great to see a true testament to the lake and fisheries management systems in place. I have been fishing Wendouree myself with a few different partners over the past month with all recording excellent catches. We have been Loch Style flyfishing out a drifting boat. Stripping wet flies has been successful as has fishing a brown nymph under a Shaving Brush or an Indicator over the midday period. My son Will is only
pattern just on evening and after dark when the fish are moving into the shallow to start feeding throughout the night. I have fished Moorabool myself over the past month catching some lovely browns on lures. The overcast days are the best ones, as earlier suggested. On one of my recent trips to Moorabool on an overcast day the fish were jumping all over the reservoir feeding on dragonflies, Damsel Flies and spinners. These are the days when the anglers have
Will Stevens landed his first ever fish on a dry fly from Lake Wendouree.
Mudeye fly patterns work all over Australia, and the world, when the fish are feeding on mudeyes. L-R Craig’s Nighttime, Tiapi Tickler, Alexander, Cubits Mudeye, Mrs Simpson, Hammils Killer and Muddler Minnow. JANUARY 2019
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