I, along with many of you, watched a fishing show or two over the break. One in particular was set at a place I fished many years ago, Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands.
It brought back a lot of good memories — although in those days it was full of catfish but no barra, big or otherwise.
It has been perfect weather for the break and a lot of people took the opportunity to wet a line in our area, even if results were not all that good.
The Goulburn is flowing fast and is quite muddy.
Some catches of cod and yellowbelly were made in the river near Shepparton.
A large tree has come down between Sheppparton and Mooropna, blocking the river, and I suppose there would be other parts of the river also affected by fallen trees.
With New Year’s Eve right on top of us, holidaymakers are crowding into Eildon. It will be hard to find room to fish but early morning should still be clear of the crowds, so you should have a chance to cast into a bit of fishing, and cod, redfin and yellowbelly are still on the bite.
Fish the river arms, the deep water in front of the wall and the tree lines, especially for redfin.
Redfin are on the bite at Waranga Basin. Mostly small fish with an occasional big one among the catch. By far the best place to catch redfin is, and has been for some time, Lake Hume near Albury.
It is a fair drive from Shepparton to the Hume but if you were planning a trip to Dartmouth Dam it would make a good stopping-off point.
This is the first time for some time that we are not enduring COVID-19 restrictions during the summer holiday period, so most regular fishing spots will be busy.
If at first you can’t find a spot try, try again.
Saltwater fishing is providing a lot more options.
Rod Lawn at Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff said they were in the middle of one of the best snapper seasons for some time.
Just about all the marks Rod has on his GPS are producing fish, mostly plate-size pinkies with an occasional horse of a fish.
Both inside the heads as far as Mornington, and outside the heads from the Bluff to Ocean Grove and Point Lonsdale, Rod said he was catching snapper on various baits, as well as soft plastics.
Rod said in deep water he had been burleying — a large drum with a sealed lid and filled with fish scraps.
He sinks it over a likely reef and allows the current to do its job. He comes back a couple of hours later and hopefully the burley has attracted plenty of fish.
Sounds odd, but it works.
Rod said he was also catching squid, salmon, flathead and couta, and he was starting to see signs of kingfish coming on the bite.
Rod said two spots were worth trying for kings. There is a reef a kilometre off Point Lonsdale and a deepwater channel just at the start of the rip, mainly under the schools of salmon.
Last week I mentioned James Luddington, who runs charters out of Lady Barron on Flinders Island.
James said he had had a slow start to the season but it was starting to pick up with the warmer weather.
James said he was bagging plenty of gummy sharks and good-sized flathead.
North of the border, at Eden, John Liddell said he expected a rush of ocean racing yachts that competed in the Sydney to Hobart race.
He said it had been a busy time at Eden boat wise, but the fishing had been confined to the inshore reefs.
Graham Cowley, up the coast at Narooma, said the fishing was the same — plenty of reef fish, snapper and morwong and flathead.
Let me finish by wishing you all good fishing and a safe new year.
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