Trophy trout turning it on for avid anglers CRATER LAKES
Rod Shepherd
While it continues to be dry, autumn has really turned on the freshwater fishing and Lake Purrumbete is currently the star in the Western District. Most anglers are working depths from 10-15m and coming up trumps with all species on offer in this
measuring 78cm and weighing 8.4lb. Various smaller trout and redfin were also boated for the day’s outing. I have no recent reports of trophy Chinooks being landed but no doubt that will happen soon, as they are certainly out there waiting to be caught. I also stuck my nose out onto the lake not long after the boys paid a visit. I was mainly chasing a feed or three
cricket score numbers of fish, however many were small. This is usually the case early on; as the temperature drops, it seems the larger ones come out to play – not this time though. I initially couldn’t locate a school on the sounder (they appear as a cloud rising up from the bottom), so I dropped anchor and took pot luck. Within minutes I was on, but what I thought was a solid reddie turned
A pan-sized Purrumbete rainbow that responded to a Snatchbite shad jigged at 13m.
Two boaters on Purrumbete down rigging lures around 15m in the hope of hooking up to a big one crater lake. Perhaps the only exception is brook trout, as captures appear to be a tad on the quiet side. Recently Michael Evans met up with Tim Beusmans on the lake and between them they managed three trophy trout for the day: two bucks measuring 75cm and weighing 8.4 and 9.8lb respectively caught in 10-15m, and a hen brown
of tasty reddies, as this is the time of year when these fish become very sociable and school up in their hundreds and thousands. Right through into winter the redfin can be found in huge numbers in depths from 10-15m and when they switch on they can be pulled up from the bottom one after the other. Last year was a great year for anglers catching
out to be a 41cm rainbow. This is common, especially when it comes to rainbow trout and Chinook salmon. They come in all sizes and weights including the trophy specimens. It took a further half an hour to land my first redfin and only due to a mobile school moving under my boat and giving themselves away on the sounder.
They didn’t stay for long but it was enough time to hook and boat several fish. Thankfully they kept coming back at least eight or nine times during the morning, so I’m glad I played the waiting game and stayed put. Lake Bullen Merri continues to produce Chinook salmon to 3kg as well as the odd rainbow. Simply anchor up in 10m+ and bounce baits such as cut pilchards just off the bottom. Berley certainly helps in attracting fish into your strike zone. Water levels continue to slowly drop in the southwest as a distinct lack of rain continues to plague our lakes. Lake Elingamite is now out of bounds to all boats, and only kayaks have any chance of launching. With the water surface temperature remaining high
Purrumbete redfin caught on soft plastics jigged up from the bottom. One went 40cm with most averaging out between 32 and 36. the trout have certainly quietened down here. Only the redfin are responding. Deep Lake at Derrinallum has suffered some minor fish kills due to high water temperatures and receding water. The
fish are mostly rainbows, as they are the predominant fish stocked here. Hopefully the slowly cooling daytime temperatures associated with autumn and some solid rainfall should put a stop to this.
Cooler water is the go MELBOURNE METRO
Dylan Brennan
As autumn really starts to set in, local freshwater anglers will start to notice a bit of a change in fish behaviour. Cooler air temperatures influence the water temperature and the fish act accordingly Fish like Murray cod and yellowbelly are still readily available for anglers who specifically target them, but from around Easter onwards the cooler weather generally slows them down a little. Locally, stocked urban lakes have been producing a few rainbows for keen young anglers using suspended PowerBait and coarse style rigs, with Casey Fields and Karkarook being the pick of places. Remember to use a pellet berley mix when
targeting these trout, as it will help to keep the fish around for longer, and could turn a zero fish day into a good one. The odd perch and trout have also been caught by lure fishers working the edges of the lake casting small soft plastics and hardbodies. The lake margins are mainly mud and weed, so there isn’t too much to snag on; standard jighead rigs are fine. It is a similar story down at Devilbend Reservoir on the Peninsula. The lake has been producing the odd trout for anglers fishing amongst schools of redfin and perch. As we get deeper into the cold conditions the trout will start to cruise the shorelines and make their presence known. Early mornings and overcast skies will provide premium conditions to hunt for the large brown trout that frequent the margins between the windswept banks and the weed edges. Blind casting
yabbies or insect-imitating soft plastics around these areas will put you in with a good chance of hooking a trout. Just be sure to work the bays and coves slowly as these fish are super flighty right up in the skinny water. If you are looking for a spot to target redfin in hope of snagging a larger fish, your odds are higher across at Bittern Reservoir. The lake is shallower and consists of the same mud and weed substrate as Devilbend. Fishing the same sorts of lures as you would at Devilbend will provide the same results, but the main difference here is that the weed pockets are not as clearly visible. Weedless-rigged soft plastics around 3” are a good starting point. Bright UV-enhanced colours stand out and catch the attention of the larger reddies. There’s also a heap of dams and wetlands further back
Redfin like this are typical of most dams around the Mornington Peninsula and southeastern suburbs. Photo courtesy of Donald Smith. towards the southeastern suburbs that are chock full of redfin, and while some can be tricky to fish they can hold some super-sized fish.
• For any of the latest metro reports and information, pop into Compleat Angler Dandenong at 241-243 Princes Highway,
Dandenong, give us a call on 03 9794 9397 or jump on to the ‘Melbourne Metro Freshwater Fishing’ page on Facebook. APRIL 2018
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