Shades Fishing News

Steve Cooper

MURRAY cod season opened on Monday and Rod Mackenzie reports anglers fishing along the Murray River from Swan Hill to Mildura did well.

Murray cod to 8kg were taken on bardi grubs, shrimp and lures. Good numbers of yellowbelly to 1kg were also caught. Lake Charm has redfin to 1kg being caught on small yabbies.

In the North East, Geoff Lacey reports that the Bundarra and Cobungra rivers near Anglers Rest are producing brown trout to 500g on worms, lures and nymphs.

The Lower Mitta Mitta River is producing good numbers of rainbow trout 900g on green rabbit fur nymphs, worms and lures.

Snowy Creek at Granite Flat has brown and rainbow trout to 400g taking bait.

In the Western District, Doug Lucas says that Lake Bullen Merri is slow with small numbers of rainbow trout to 1.8kg caught trolling and on Powerbait. Lake Purrumbete has brown trout to 3kg being caught from the shore at Hoses and Shag Rocks on gudgeon and minnow under a bubble float.

The Gellibrand and Carlisle rivers in the Otway Ranges are producing brown trout to 1kg on scrubworms, small bibbed minnows and flies.

Doug reports that the Lee Breakwater at Portland is fishing well for snapper to 8.5kg and gummy sharks to 17kg.

The harbour has silver trevally to 1.5kg and calamari squid. The Aire and Gellibrand River estuaries are slow for bream.

The Curdies River is producing bream to 46cm on the east side of the lake on greyback minnow and shrimp. Salmon to 1.2kg and snapper to 1.5kg are being caught from Princetown and Aire River on pilchards. Wild Dog Creek at Apollo Bay has also produced salmon to 3kg.

Brett Torossi at Frankston reports snapper from 2-7kg being caught from Mt Eliza to Chelsea in 13-15m of water, and along the Pt Richards Channel off Clifton Springs.

Average size is 2.5-4kg but some snapper are up to 7kg. Best baits are squid, silver whiting and pilchards. Land based anglers spinning with metal jigs have caught salmon up to 2kg from Mornington to the Patterson River.

King George whiting to 40cm are biting on fresh squid, pipi and mussel in 5m of water from Mornington to Mt Martha and off the entrance to Swan Bay. Calamari squid are going well in the Lonsdale Bight on baited jigs.

In South Gippsland, Western Port is producing snapper in 10m of water from Lysaughts to Crawfish Rock, Corinella and the Corals. Most fish are 2-3kg, but up to 8.2kg. Fresh squid, pilchards and silver whiting bait producing results.

In the Gippsland Lakes, bream are being caught at the mouths of the Tambo and Nicholson rivers on local prawn. Flathead are being caught from the boardwalk and bream off the jetties at Metung.

Hollands Landing has bream and luderick taking prawn at the boat ramp. Lakes Entrance has mullet, salmon, flathead and trevally. Lake Tyers is producing trevally, tailor, dusky flathead to 6kg on pilchard and bream on prawn. Soft plastic lures also doing well.

In East Gippsland, Marlo beaches are producing salmon, flathead, tailor and gummy sharks. The Marlo estuary has bream, luderick, mullet and estuary perch to 1.23kg being caught on sandworm and prawn.

Bemm River has bream biting on worm and peeled prawn at the river entrance.

At Mallacoota Inlet, bream are biting in the Top Lake on prawn and bass yabbies. Large flathead are biting near Goodwin Sands on soft plastics and the inlet has plenty of luderick.

Source : Weekly Times

The Yamaha Great Inland Fishing Festival will be held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Copeton Dam with organisers looking forward to another successful festival.

Great Inland Fishing Festival Committee Publicity Officer, Brett McInnes is very happy with the way the way things are shaping up.

“The Dam has been fishing well, more water is going in then out at the moment and cod season opens before the start of the competition this year, so we could not have asked for better”, Mr McInnes said.

“Nominations so far have been strong and anglers are encouraged to sign up so they can get on the water early Friday morning with the competition officially commencing at 7am”.

“Committee members will be at the Copeton State Park on Thursday afternoon so people are able to sign on, set their camp up and are ready to go the next day”.

Competition is sure to be strong with over 700 anglers expected to be vying for in excess of $20,000 in cash and prizes with the champion angler throughout the competition walking away with $1000 in cash and prizes and the champion club getting a $1000 worth of fingerlings to bolster their local water ways.

” The Festival Committee also places a strong emphasis on junior participation with secret length prizes on offer over each day of the competition in the junior category” said Mr McInnes.

“On top of that Fishing Tackle Australia have also kindly donated a rod and reel combination for the first 100 juniors to sign on”.

Friday December 5 is day one of competition and is sponsored by Copeton State Park with flag boats and bank stations operating between 7am and 7pm.

Day two of the competition is sponsored by Sapphire City Steel & Pipe and again fish can be measured over the 12-hour period between 7am and 7pm.

The final day of the competition is sponsored by awhimaway.com.au with the action finishing up at 11am to allow points to be tallied for the lunchtime presentation on the lawn area in front of the Copeton State Park Kiosk.

“A huge crowd traditionally likes to hang around for the presentation and the drawing of the fisherman’s dream raffle which includes the boat and trailer combo as the main prize”, Mr McInnes said.

Murray cod is always viewed as the trophy catch in this competition, but prize categories also exist for golden perch, catfish and silver perch.

“Some people target a particular species whilst others are happy just to try their luck and enjoy a long weekend at the dam”, Mr McInnes said.

The catch and release competition is in its 10th year and is a major draw card for Inverell and the surrounding region. There has been massive growth in the number of participants each year as the reputation of the festival grows with many people seeing the festival as a great opportunity for a family weekend away.

If anyone is wanting any last minute information they can contact competition organiser, Mr Darrel Kachel on phone 0427 221 057 or Committee President, Mr Ray O’Neill on phone 02 6722 2831. Nominations can also be completed before Friday at the Northern Foreshores Reserve, Roy Parsons Marine, Inverell Wreckers and Tourism Inverell.

Source : Inverell Times