Local fish are starting to respond to warmer spring days and are hunting for food around the lake margins.

Redfin, as usual, have been the first to respond. They are now ready for spawning, being full of eggs and semen, but will hold off until water temperatures rise. At the moment the local lakes are around the eight degree mark but will rise to 13 degrees. When that magic figure arrives they will spawn en masse, laying the eggs amongst the grass and rocks.

To prepare for the stress of spawning they will feed vigorously during the next month or two.

Dooley has been one of the first to notice the renewed redfin activity. He walked the shoreline of Lake Burley Griffin in pleasant sunshine tossing out small soft plastics and was rewarded with six nice fish each weighing around half a kilogram.

Famished but off limits

Murray cod also are on the move, getting ready for spawning. In fact they are so hungry and aggressive they need extra protection and that’s why they are off limits to anglers over the next three months.

During the closed season it is an offence to take or deliberately target Murray cod and all catches must be returned to the water immediately.

Most anglers would do this anyway, even if there was no closed season, but the legal protection is to avoid over-exploitation of the fish. The big egg-laden females are so silly during the breeding season that they will take almost any lure or bait offered.

One big cod was caught by Matt in the upper reaches of Burrinjuck last Sunday, before the closed season came into force. It weighed around 23kg and was caught on a yabby fished on 2.7kg line and was released.

Eucumbene ramps up

Boat anglers have reported favourably on the new launching ramp at Lake Eucumbene which allows boats to be launched easily at Anglers Reach and Old Adaminaby, as well as from hard ground at various locations around the lake.

Boating offers a lot more trolling and lure casting opportunities than bank fishing and some nice fish were reported this week on trolled Tasmanian Devils and especially cowbells with flatfish.

Also, if you see a familiar face up there in his beaut new boat, say hello to Major General Michael Jeffery, who retired this week as Governor-General, to, in part, ”go fishing”.

Going the raw prawn

Raw and cooked prawns were the secret to some interesting catches at the coast.

One group caught some nice salmon and a big sand flathead at Surf Beach on cooked prawns then took the rest of the bait to Nelligen Bridge on the Clyde River for a bag of bream and trevally.

Barry also tried prawns for bait ‘’some old prawns past their use by date I found in the back of the freezer” on the wharf at Batemans Bay.

He caught nothing for three hours but then the tide changed and he landed five tailor and a nice bream in a short but satisfying session.

Number crunching

Last week we printed the wrong telephone number for John Brummel who is looking for supplies of goldfish and European carp for his aquaponics experiments at Kambah. If you can help out his number is 62881131.

Tip Of The Week

Don’t forget the free fly fishing classes being staged on the lawns of Old Parliament House by the Canberra Anglers Association on September 14 and 21. The Sunday classes start at 10am and are free to all comers. Gear will be provided but bring your own if you wish.

Dr Bryan Pratt is a Canberra-based ecologist

Source: The Canberra Times