Purple Stump Jumpers, surface lures, Spinnerbaits and Swimbaits and yabbies and scrub worms are catching cod from 35cm to over a metre.

Trout are still being caught in the lake, and the cold water that ran off from the hills has helped in preventing them from going deep to avoid the rising water temperature. Tassie Devils in clown and Spotted Dog Rapalas are definitely worth a try.

Another 800 small rainbows were released on Tuesday into the pondage, so Powerbait in any colour should yield success in catching these. The larger fish are still there too, so be prepared to exercise some patience battling through the small ones and you should be rewarded. Trying lures like Tassie Devils, Wonder Krocs and Rattle Snakes should deter smaller fish.

The yellow belly has slowed. This is likely due to the drop in water temperature, but the bait seems to still be producing consistent catches. To target these on lures, the big river arm and the Delatite are producing good results!

The Goulburn is fishing well for brown trout and rainbows, using scrub worms, mudeye, maggots, and Powerbait. Fly fishermen using red tag, brown nymphs and white dunn are also catching some nice brown and rainbows. The Rubicon is running very fast and is hard to fish, but Snobs Creek produced some good browns up stream – past the hatchery – on small hard bodied style lures.

Local Waterways

Cod season opens on the 1st of December so if fishing prior to that, it is imperative that any cod caught are released quickly. Things to keep in mind are not to use methods that are likely to increase the probability of catching cod. Techniques such as using surface lures, or cheese as bait should be avoided as well as using large lures. The fourth annual ‘Codference’ will be held in Shepparton on the 8th December. Check out the details below!

When: Sunday, 8 December
Where: Eastbank Conference Centre
Time: 9am-4pm

Visit https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/events/vfa-events/2018-codference for full details!

Local channels

The irrigation season is in full swing. The fish will be as well! Now is a good time to chase yellows and/or redfin. Soft plastics, hard body, spinners… basically anything will work. Jackalls TN 50s are an outstanding choice of lure if you want a good shot at getting a yellow belly. Target any structure such as weed beds, bridges, regulators and even a bend in the channel as this will produce an eddy which you may not be able to see, but it is worth trying there. The usual baits will work as well. Shrimps and/or worms are ideal and small yabbies. It can vary on the day as sometimes yabbies have gone untouched during a session so a few options are best. Circle hooks work well, even on fish that are not going to be released such as carp. Turnaround time unhooking fish is reduced when ‘circles’ are used as the fish are usually hooked in the lip.

Local creeks

Creeks to the north of Shepparton such as the Broken/Boosey creek system are carrying irrigation water and have good flow. They should be good for at least a carp and also a chance at a native. They are also a good choice if you just want to go yabbying. Worms are best and the local carp just love a small local yabby! Corn will also suffice for the carp. Other creek systems in the area, such as the Seven Creeks are starting to slow down in flow and may not be a good option. If planning a trip to the Euroa area, better sooner rather than later before things really dry up. Redfin would be the most likely target in this creek.

Goulburn River

The river is currently flowing at 940 megs a day and is looking rather good! The river flow fluctuation may now be better regulated thanks to the government and other organisations taking action. The following is from the Goulburn Murray website: “This is a great outcome and will prevent damage to the river, such as bank erosion, as well as providing more consistent fishing opportunities!”

Murray River

Good size yellow belly have been on the bite from the Tocumwal bridge all the way through to Torrumbarry on bait and small hard body lures. Early mornings have been producing the best bite times.

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The keen fisherman who have braved the heat are being rewarded for their efforts.
A lot of the fish being caught at the moment are falling to bait.
The usual baits such as grubs, worms ,shrimps and yabbies all producing fish.
The stand out bait being chicken, yes chicken. I have been shown pictures off some massive cod being caught on it.
Surface lures are starting to find fish and as I write this report the numbers of fish being caught on surface lures is becoming greater with each trip.
Spinnerbaits and small hardbody lures are working well when casting them into the shadows of a morning and evening.

Local channels

The local channels have been fishing well if for those who have gone out and braved the heat. Yellas are active and one lure that has had success is Jackall TN’s. Diving hard body lures are worth while trying for cod. Where redfin are present in channels, Bullet lures, amongst others have done the trick. Bait will of course work. Worms, shrimp and yabbies as well as cheese if you want to try your luck for cod.

Goulburn River

One could say that flow out of Goulburn Weir is reasonably higher than usual but reality is it is now becoming the ‘norm’ and therefore it is worth fishing. Spinnerbaits and/or diving lures have been working on the resident cod/yella population. Surface lures have been effective on cod. Bait listed for use in the channels will also suffice for all species present.

Broken Creek system

The Broken Creek system upstream of Numurkah is an ideal place to try if you want to pass a few hours in a peaceful environment if you are not concerned about what species you are after. The Nine Mile Creek is an ideal system to try if you are happy chasing carp. Of course there is a chance of picking up natives throughout the entire Broken Creek system. A recent outing, using worms as bait produced a non-stop fish feeding session which resulted in no fish being landed until larger baits were presented eliminating the smaller ‘bait stealers’! Shrimp and yabbies can be captured in the creek and used for bait…or the yabbies can be taken home for bait to be used at other locations.

In general, wherever you fish, if the heat is getting the better of you of late, you can go ‘nocturnal’ and fish after dark. Redfin tend to slow down after dark but all the other species are still active. Trekking through snake infested country after dark may not be to your liking. If this is the case, you can easily find a cleared area to bait fish from. A good head torch is all you need.

Lake Eildon

Lake Eildon is doing well for natives at the moment despite the high surface water temperatures being reported. Murray cod are taking frog pattern, purples and black in deep diving lures. Spinnerbaits are also working well. You should also have some luck with cheese, yabbies and scrub worms from the banks. Similar tactics are working for the yellow belly, trolling for trout you will need to be down a bit deeper using Tassie devils on Para vanes. Reddies are a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. There have been quite a few caught of reasonable size. If you are chasing reddies near Fraser camping try the 10 metre mark around the trees, over in the Delatite and Howqua arms try a little shallower, but yabbies, scrubbies and soft plastics are what you’ll need.

Down the Goulburn River, even though it has been running very high through irrigation entitlements anglers that are targeting within 3 feet of the bank and the flooded grassy flats are doing well. Scrubbies, soft plastics, minnows and bladed lures have been the big winners.

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Fishing with Mates…

I spent two days fishing with Al McGlashan shooting an episode for his next season of Fishing with Mates.

We were meant to be fishing in Lake Mulwala – but the wind and rain had other ideas for us.

We spent about three hours getting blown all over the lake, which made it near impossible to fish – or film for that matter.

We made the call to head up to the top of the lake and fish Bundalong in amongst the trees to get out of the wind.

We casted up a couple of cod from in under some willow trees in the first hour on spinner baits and then did it real tough for the remainder off that day.

The next morning was an early start and the wind was still blowing a gail ,so we decided to head further up the Ovens River out of the wind and away from all the other boat traffic.

This decision paid off as we found a few fish in the shadows casting spinner baits. We had one of the fish coming in at 80cm and the other between 55 to70cm, making for a great day out.

It was an amazing experience seeing how they put fishing shows together and I a great laugh with Al – he’s a real character!

Below is a full breakdown of what’s happening across all the local areas and channels for anglers.

Local Area

Since the season opened, targeting cod has been the main focus in the Shepparton area. There were 500 attendees at the 2018 Codference at Eastbank Shepparton, showing how popular targeting cod has become!

Since the season opened in Goulburn River, catch reports have been impressive. There are good reports of cod taken off the surface on all types of surface lures. If targeting natives on lures, whether it be in channels or the rivers, a wide variety of lures have been successful including Jackalls (TN range), Stumpjumpers and spinner baits.

Local Channels

Although most angler activity has been focused on the Goulburn River since cod season opened, the channels are still definitely worth a try.

There may be prevalent levels of cod and yella in some areas, whilst redfin may be more prominent in other areas.

If the water clarity becomes dirty due to rain, bait may be the better option. Worms, yabbies, shrimp and cheese will work fine. Lures will work on all of the mentioned species if water clarity is good. It’s worth trying after dark as well and going ‘nocturnal’ is a great way to fish, whilst avoiding the heat of the day.

Goulburn River between Nagambie and Shepparton

When it comes to chasing cod off the surface, there’s been a lot of good fishing reported in this area. Whilst the area can be hit and miss, it’s important to get out there and have a go! It’s the only way you’ll increase your chances of getting a fish.

Many experienced anglers like to head out in unsettled weather, particularly at dusk and dawn. Driving lures and bait work well.

Eildon Area

For anglers looking to pick up their quota of large rainbows, Eildon pondage is still resulting in good gains, despite the strike rate slowing down. Persistence is certainly needed and mixing it up will help result in success.

The best spots to target at the moment are the pondage Caravan Park, Cemetery Drive, the footy oval, Bourke Street and Riverside Drive if the flowing is not too hard.

For catching rainbows, the most successful bait has been orange powder but chunky cheese and lemon twist are also working. For live bait, scrubbies are working well in the pondage.

Environmental flows started on September 24th and the morning height has been at the 60% mark, however this is expected to fluctuate wildly.

The Goulburn River is still a good spot for catching large rainbows, with several being caught on motor oil soft plastics, worms, power bait, small hard bodies, gold Celta type lures and maggots, sometimes as large as 7.5kgs.

There are a few reports on Murray cod up to 110cm being caught near the Goulburn arm in the lake on large yabbies. Towards Jerusalem Creek, the main arm and Wilson’s inlet large surface lures, star jumpers and swim baits have resulted in some very large cod catches.

Brown trout are biting brighter coloured Tassie Devils and are also interested in stump jumpers. Near power lines, yellow belly are favouring read and black spinner baits.

The Rubicon, Acheron and Stevenson Rivers have seen success with caddis and beetle patterns, whereas at the big river scrubbies and fluoro Vibrax spinners are the way to go.

Murray River

The water clarity has been good thanks to the high river flows, however this is set to change thanks to the recent rain and water coming down the Ovens River.

Healthy numbers of cod in the 35-55cm range have been caught on bait, with the occasional larger sized fish successfully caught on lures.

Trolling lures are the way to go and will help you strike successfully, as with the high flows it can be difficult to cast and drift with the current.

There are some very large fish being caught early in the season, it’s a mixed bag so surface lures are always worth a shot.

Port Phillip/Clifton Springs

There’s been snappers up to four kilos caught on the edge of the channels, with 5 to 6 inch gulp plastic casting. The bait seems to go be going well during a slack tide around sunset or sunrise.

Whiting and squid were around the weed beds in 4 to 6 metres of water.

The post Boats & More December 2018 Fishing Report appeared first on Boats And More | Shepparton & Echuca.

The Eildon pondage has been delivering some good fish of late. Nursery Corner and Bourke Street are producing Rainbow trout from 250 gms upwards with the Lemon Twist being the favourite flavour of the month. Gold Krocs and a variety of PowerBait have also had success.

In the Delatite and Goulburn arms of the lake, Murray Cod (some up to 90 cm) are taking large yabbies from the bank. Black and red spinner baits used on rocky outcrops are working well. Brown trout are taking Tassie Devils in a variety of patterns and Yellowbelly’s are taking StumpJumpers, Jackalls, purple, black and gold Oar-Gees, and spinner baits, with scrubbies picking up a few smaller fish.

In the Goulburn River, Rainbow trout are still taking PowerBait. Anglers targeting within 10 ft of the bank have been getting some good results. Brown trout are taking small hard bodies and maggots and scrub worms are also working well in local rivers.

Local rivers and channels

Local channels:

Prior to the rain, irrigation water was in high demand. Some channels were flowing at high volume and this made for interesting fishing, especially with soft plastics which would need a rather heavy jig head to get anywhere near the bottom! Finding a slow flowing channel made life easier. The resident Yellas started to come alive biting on small yabbies or worms. This rain has brought many of the channels to a standstill flow-wise. They will start flowing again in a few days and the fish still need to eat. The best technique to try will be determined by water quality. As there is a chance it will be dirty, then bait is the best option. Worms, small yabbies or shrimp will do the job. So far, shrimp and yabbies have been slow (or very sporadic) in appearing in bait traps. It is worth trying a bait trap but make sure you have other bait in case the local yabby and shrimp population do not play ball on the day.

In the last several years, Redfin have become scarce in some stretches of the channels yet are still prevalent in others. If you know of any channels which still produce Reddies, it is worthwhile pursuing them. There is not much in the way of bait or lures that they will knock back. Some sessions have produced little results in the way of captures but have resulted in multiple small bites. These annoying bites may be avoided by using small yabbies or slightly bigger lures. Just don’t go too big if you know there are cod in the area. If there are any larger Redfin specimens, then you may have some luck.

Local creeks and rivers:

An environmental flow has made for slow going on the Goulburn River over the last few weeks. The river is currently dropping which will leave slippery banks hard to negotiate. Obviously fishing from a boat will alleviate this problem.  As the flow is decreasing, the river will be easier to fish so it will still be worthwhile to try in the meantime (if you can access it and want to put a few hours in) until the river settles, which then should see an improvement. An obvious method to try at this time would be bait… worms or small yabbies may draw the attention of the local Yellas.

The recent rain should ensure the Redfin are active in the Sevens Creek around Euroa. Worms will work well and bright coloured soft plastics should be worthwhile trying.

The Broken Creek system upstream of Numurkah is another worthwhile trying. Flow may decrease for a short period due to the rain decreasing irrigation demand but generally, the system has good flow over the warmer months. Whilst there is always a chance of picking up a Yella depending on where you go, if you are happy chasing carp, then they are certainly active now. Many a carp can be terminated in the Nine Mile Creek in the Wunghnu area. So far, the yabby and shrimp population have been slow to appear in bait traps but persevere as they should improve as the weather warms. Bait is the best method here. If you are happy chasing carp, corn will suffice but if you want to keep your chances of catching a Yella, worms will be a better option and shrimp or small yabbies if you get them. The carp in this system love a small yabby as well!

Echuca /Tocumwal

There has been good numbers of Yellowbelly being caught from the Echuca East boat ramp and upstream through the narrows at Barmah to the Tocumwal Bridge.

Anglers that are persisting with lures are finding the odd Yella but most reports are they are being caught on worms and small yabbys. With the weather starting to warm up hopefully the shrimp will be on the move to stir the fish up. We are also hearing of lots of Silver Perch about keeping anglers busy.

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Welcome to the Boats & More Fishing Report! This month we’ve got everything you need to know about what’s biting in the local channels, creeks and around the big fishing sites including Lake Mulwala and Lake Eildon.

Local Rivers and Creeks

Upstream of Euroa, Seven Creeks has produced the odd good eating size Redfin – if you can get around the smaller models.

Worms are a good option for bait as there are times when the water is not very clear, however if you do fancy using a lure try the brightly coloured soft plastic ones.

Be wary of sections near Polly McQuinn Weir, there are sections within the area that are completely closed off to fishing at the moment. To find out where the restricted areas are, check the local fishing regulations.

Downstream of Murchison the action in the Goulburn has picked up, likely thanks to a couple of warm days. You’ll find the Yellas are becoming active again in this area.

A good choice for bait are worms or small yabbies, however make sure to avoid baits such as large yabbies or cheese, as these baits won’t attract Murray Cods.

Shrimp will become active soon, if not already – so try putting in a shrimp net around this time. It will be worth considering using smaller lures to attract shrimp (?).

Watch out for slippery banks, as they can be hard to negotiate with fluctuating water levels in the area. However a steady, slow rise is expected this week due to irrigation releases.

Lake Mulwala

Not much news out of the Mulwala at this stage, with Yella season yet to kick off. Cod season has now finished so sightings are few and far between.

Local Channels

Prior to the cod season finishing, fishing sessions in the channels managed to produce one Carp using worm bait and another angler fishing upstream chasing Yellas and Redfin with soft plastics failed to attract any attention despite trying several colours.

As the weather warms up the conditions and results should improve.

Lake Eildon:

A few Murry Cod are starting to fire up, with one being caught on a surface lure near Jerusalem Creek, measuring 110cm.

Brown Trout have slowed down a bit, however there were a few small but healthy flat lining Tassie Devils in the bloody ripper, pink and frog patterns picked up.

You’ll find the Goulburn River is still producing Rainbow Trout weighing up to 7.5kg, the best baits to use for these beauties are salmon eggs, pink and rainbow, scrubbies and maggots.

In the lures soft plastics in black and gold, small hard bodies in the trout pattern, Celta type lures in bright colours like fluro yellow and orange, even the pink Tassie in the 7gm has worked down the river, fly fisherman have also enjoyed catching the larger rainbows as well.

The smaller rivers and streams including the Rubicon, Acheron, Stevenson and Little River are doing well with similar lures, however the best bait to stick with are worms or maggots.

The Eildon pondage is still being heavily fished and anglers are still catching rainbows averaging 5kg on power baits, a couple on scrubbies, soft plastics in the pink and brown trout pattern and the gold and crab pattern krocs.

Anglers do need to mix it up, as sticking to the same bait or lure for too long with no success will prove frustrating.

The post September Fishing Report appeared first on Boats And More | Shepparton & Echuca.

The fishing will hopefully get back to normal soon now that the lake is filling. The reports have been slow, however one young fisherman was at the lake for a fortnight and landed 13 cod. The smallest catch was 40cm and the best one was a nice 120cm. Not a bad effort considering how hard the fishing in the area seems to be at the moment!

Lake Eildon:

Lake Eildon is slowly back on the rise again, and brown trout up to 50cm are on the chew, flat line trolling Tassie devils have proven very productive over the last week. Towards Bonnie Doon, trout are taking to phosphorous pearl, whilst in the main arm, near the dam walls at Jerusalem creek and Fraser camping ground, the pink Tassie devils have proven most successful. The frog pattern has also claimed the odd trout as well.

Only a few Murray cod were reported and they were close in near the marinas on yabbies and the dam wall produced a couple on spinnerbaits. Yellow belly are taking scrubbies and small hard bodies and are moving in to the shallows with the water rising.

Red fins are still being caught on scrubbies amongst the trees, finding them is getting a little harder, but once you’re on good numbers they can be picked up.

Lake Nillahcootie:

Fishing appears reasonable in favourable weather conditions. A report from one angler said he caught a reasonable bag over four days of fishing. The wind was an issue and finding decent numbers of fish was also difficult.

Local Channels:

The channels are filling for the irrigation season. Water clarity will vary until the dirty water is flushed out of the system. If the water is clean, try lures.

Try soft plastics and small hard bodies if redfin are present or larger hard bodies or spinner baits for natives. If the water is still dirty, then bait is the best option. Worms would be a good start or yabbies.

The Goulburn downstream of Murchison is fishing slow. Dropping levels will leave banks slippery. The river should improve over the next couple weeks as the level becomes more consistent and the temperature starts to warm up. Of course it is still worthwhile having a go if you have nothing better to do.

Boats & More Fishing Challenge:

The Boats & More crew threw a few lines in on the 11th and 12th of August for the first Boats & More Fishing Challenge at Lake Mulwala.

The Echuca Pro Fishing Team were declared the overall winners for 2018, with Ian Page and his son Daniel taking out the title of 2018 Champion Anglers! See photo attached of one of Ian’s great catches!

Despite some chilly weather, it was great to see many of the Boats & More staff get over to Mulwala to do a bit of fishing and enjoy a relaxing and social weekend.

The post August Fishing Report appeared first on Boats And More | Shepparton & Echuca.

Water levels have dropped another metre meaning little accessibility on the lake but if you’re willing to carry a small tinny or kayak across the mud you should be rewarded with some monster cod being caught by some keen fisho’s. Flicking surface lures across the top at morning and afternoon is still proving successful but during the day’s bigger hard bodies are doing the trick.

Lake Eildon

True to form for Eildon the Tassie devil’s in pink, white, silver and orange have all been good colours to troll. A few trout have caught on bullets lures and the Halco crazy deeps have claimed yellow belly, trout and Redfin trolling. Most redfin and yellow belly are being caught amongst the trees now in 15-25ft of water using worms.

Lake Victoria Shepparton

The lake has been recently stocked with rainbow trout making for some successful fishing without leaving town. The RMG Poltergeist 50’s are a good option to attract a range of species including the yellow belly. Custom Crafted Baby Extractor 45mm is also a good option to entice the trout practically colour BT.

Broken River

The broken is running very low but for the fisherman up to the challenge of walking the banks or putting in the hours in the kayak the big cod are still about. Spinnerbaits are always a safe option due to the water to snag ratio but like in most local waterways the surface lures at sunrise and sunset are the winners

Waranga Basin

Fishing for redfin has been going well at the basin and only set to improve as we move into August and the back end of the year. The Jackall TN60’s are a safe bet to hook up a few redfin and the squad minnow should also lead to catching good sized fish.

The post July Fishing Report appeared first on Boats And More | Shepparton & Echuca.

Starting the trip in the iconic Daly River, the guys spent the week predominantly trolling the big lures, covering maximum ground in search of the might barra.
Both Robin and Blake found success trolling Reidy’s Big Ass B52 and the Barra Classic 160 +10ft.

Spending the week with mates Mick, and Craig from Compleat Angler Wangaratta, the guys managed to catch barra in the 80’s with Robin’s best being 90cm and Blake’s an 83cm, but It was Craig who stole the show with a 114cm to claim biggest fish of the trip.

The boys’ trip!

The post Robin and Blake’s Fishing Report – Daly River & Moyle River Trip appeared first on Boats And More | Shepparton & Echuca.

Eildon: Lake Eildon is fishing well for all species other than Golden Perch this time of the year. Trolling for trout about 20m out from banks and tree lines is sure too see you land a couple. Redfin are on the chew and are in large schools, Try trolling small divers like Size 3 stump jumpers to find a few, then anchor up and cast lipless crankbaits back into the area.

Broken river: The Broken river has become very quiet with minimal reports coming in. Although as always you have to persist to succeed in these colder months with greenback. Try slow sinking spinnerbaits, keeping the lure in the strike zone for as long as possible to annoy dormant fish into a hit.

Goulburn river: The Goulburn is fishing steadily, Cod catches have dropped a little, but the average size of fish has shot up. Using a larger diver for either trolling or casting is a good idea, Some of these bigger fish need to feel that the feed is worth the effort.

Mulwala: A great deal of success lately has come from trolling surface lures at night using an electric motor, The bigger fish here are fired up at night and low light. Casting spinnersbaits hard to a structure is also very reliable during daylight hours with a steady retrieve about a meter from the lakes bottom.

Waranga basin: The basin is producing Redfin in patches. Try trolling around and marking every fish caught on your sounder, then try trolling back over or beside those spots to find the school.

Mud Eye Rattle Snake

Mudeye Lures are all handmade here in Victoria, specifically targeted to our Australian fish, especially natives like Murray Cod. Mudeye Rattlesnake is a serious jointed topwater lure, not for mucking around

$60.00

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BAM Spinnerbaits

3/4oz Spinnerbait perfect for the Broken River and Lake Mulwala during the day.

$17.95

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