Shades Fishing News

A big crowd is expected to head to Wyangala Reservoir this weekend for the annual Grabine Fishing Tournament being staged over three days, starting today.

There is a stack of prizes on hand for Murray cod, silver perch, golden perch, catfish and carp and there will be a lucky draw for the main prize, a Brooker boat, motor and trailer worth $10,500. Total prizes exceed $20,000.

Plenty of camping is available and anglers can fish anywhere within the reservoir, currently at about 10 per cent capacity.

There will be strong emphasis on conservation fishing during the tournament. Anglers will be encouraged to weigh their fish alive and then release them as soon as possible.

There also will be a nice touch, with local NSW Police at the camping ground offering free breathalyser tests for drivers before they drive home. A great safety feature that will be much appreciated by responsible drivers.

Felt soles banned

Anglers heading to New Zealand on annual trout fishing trips should note there will be a ban on the use of felt sole boots in trout fishing waters that comes into force on October 1.

The ban is to assist in slowing the spread of a nasty form of algae known as Didymo, and other micro-organisms, and applies to all forms of shoes or boots with felt, matted or woven fibre material.

It will initially apply to all trout fishing areas except the Taupo fishing region but that is also expected to be banned.

In the South Island, Didymo grows in streams and lakes and covers the bottom of waterways with a stifling algal mat, but it is likely to spread unless preventative actions are taken.

Anglers returning to Australia can expect strict quarantine measures to be followed at airports, including washing and cleaning of all fishing gear by Australian Quarantine staff.

Jindabyne’s browns

The good news in the mountain lakes is that Jindabyne is producing some great fish in some easily accessible areas.

Angler Rory, who has just returned from a residential stint in Jindabyne, reported catching huge browns night after night on small soft plastics, from the shore, right in the middle of town.

He said the best times were half an hour before dark and half an hour afterwards and the fish ranged from 1.5kg to 5kg, Well worth a look.

The bad news is that a prominent illegal setliner is active at Eucumbene again.

In recent months, anglers have retrieved dozens of his illegal lines from the lake at Seven Gates and tossed them in the fire. Last weekend he was back, setting at least a dozen lines which other anglers found and burnt.

They said they would like authorities to check out a fellow driving a white Toyoya Hilux with a canvas canopy and who prominently displays a Queanbeyan City Council witch’s hat at his campsite.

Redfin at Googong

There have been reports of big redfin in local waters and it is obvious the fish are on the move as water temperatures increase.

Some big fat fish were caught on spinnerbaits and celta at Googong. Nathan Walker landed an absolute monster on a Jackal lure in the Molonglo River.

The fish are bulging with roe and are well worth pursuing from now on.

Mallacoota worthwhile

If you are looking for a bit of new water to fish, consider a trip to Mallacoota. It takes about four hours to drive from Canberra and in recent times has provided some superb fishing.

Canberra identity Jim Seears went there recently and despite some inclement weather he had a ball catching bream on soft plastics and hard-bodied lures.

The best of the bream were great fish, some of them up to 50cm and they were testing opponents on light tackle.

Jim tells me the man with all the local info on where to fish and what to use is ”Bob” at the local Ampol Service Station.

Bryan Pratt is a Canberra-based ecologist

Source: Canberra Times

COD season opened on Saturday with 2500 anglers descending on Lake Mulwala and fisheries officers out in force.

But despite the influx the reports were bags of fish and no offences, at least on the Victorian side of the border.

Vanessa Bennett who helps organise the Lake Mulwala cod expo with her husband, Tony, said the turnout of 2450 competitors was just short of last year’s record.

“It is terrific, we have had to contend with rumours that the lake would be dry and the drought has had an impact as well,” she said.

During the expo competitors caught 311 cod, 375 yellow belly and 350 carp.

And at least six competitors went away happy as the winners of boat and motor packages that were given away as part of the fishing expo.

One of the packages was won in a raffle, one went to any early-bird entrant, one was given to an adult competitor and one to a junior, while the winners of the other two were from a lucky draw.

More than $10,000 in prizes were given away over the weekend.

Proceeds from the event went to the Mulwala Football Club but many other town and district organisations were also financial winners from the event.

The Lake Mulwala expo is generally regarded as the largest freshwater fishing competition in Australia.

Victorian DPI fisheries officer Matt McMahon was full of praise for anglers, not just at Lake Mulwala, but along the whole river.

“I’ve talked to about 150 people along the Ovens River from Wangaratta to Bundalong and not one offence was detected,” he said.

“They were all in fine spirit, good weather and good fishing.

“Everyone was well behaved with quite a few cod being caught, some up to 6kg and 7kg mark.”

It is believed there were some significant breaches of the limits in NSW waterways but fisheries officers were unable to comment yesterday because of government protocol.

In Victoria there is a minimum legal length for Murray cod of 50cm and a bag-possession limit of two fish per day, one greater than 75cm.

But for recreational anglers fishing in the Murray River or other NSW waters the minimum length for Murray cod has increased to 55cm and there is a bag-possession limit of two.

 By BRAD WORRALL

Source : Border Mail 

THE largest of up to 17,000 Murray cod and golden perch will be taken from Lake Mokoan to the Goulburn River in a two-week exercise set for the end of the month.

Final approval for the project is being sought from Fisheries Victoria and a technical evaluation panel assessment, Tony Long, manager of water and biodiversity for DSE North East, said.

He said the project is part of a two-year fish management plan developed for Lake Mokoan.

He said the relocation of the fish was based on critically low water levels predicted for Lake Mokoan and not linked to any government decision about the site’s future.

The plan has involved consultation with VRFish, the peak body for Victorian recreational anglers.

Mr Long said the aim was to minimise the likelihood and extent of any large scale death of fish in the lake.

Lake Mokoan was stocked with Murray cod and golden perch from 1990 to 2003.

While there is no evidence the fish have been breeding, a 2002 fish stock assessment has determined there may be more than 6000 of the original 142,000 Murray cod released in the lake, and more than 11,000 of the original 234,000 golden perch remaining.

Mr Long said the removal would target the larger Murray cod and golden perch with a specialist contractor using different netting to catch the fish before transfer.

“Obviously we will pick up some carp but they will be disposed of or used by the contractor,” he said.

Mr Long said a succession of dry years had led to concerns that water levels would be critically low, in terms of fish survival, over the summer.

The low levels had forced a re-examination of initial plans to delay the relocation until next year.

“We would need consistent rain and the catchment to begin flowing again for these plans to change,” he said.

“The majority of the loss of water in this system this year will be through evaporation and such a large amount of evaporation will cause extremely low water levels.”

Low catchment levels throughout the North East have also forced the department to reconsider the final home for the relocated fish.

“If there had been plenty of water we would have spread them out but the flows in the Goulburn at this particular time continue to provide the best option for good quality water throughout the summer period,” he said.

Mr Long said DSE was working with Fisheries Victoria and Goulburn Murray Water to give the fish the maximum opportunity for survival.

He said expert advice had also been sought from government agencies, fishing organisations and contractors on fish capture, transportation and potential release sites.

The contractor will work with Fisheries Victoria staff over the two weeks, using a fish transport vehicle.

Source : The Border Mail 

Water levels in the Murray River system’s lower lakes have fallen to just above sea level.

Murray Darling Basin Commission records show the height of Lakes Alexandrina and Albert are now just 10cm above sea level, the lowest in 40 years.

But while irrigators despair, commerical fishers like Gary Hera-Singh say the fishing is very good.

“There’s an awful lot of carp around,” he says.

“We harvest around 1000 tonnes a year for bait for the rock lobster market.

“The native fish, the callop, seem to be doing all right.

“We’re finding now with the increased salinities that a lot of our native fish, they don’t have those what they call episodic lesions which are like little red sores on the outside of them.

“Most of those have cleaned up, they’re very healthy”.

Source: ABC Rural 

This Years Classic will be held on the 10th & 11th of November 2007 with over $15,000 in prizes. This is a catch and release event for native species. Major Prize is a Boat Motor and trailer package and every entrant has a chance to win.

http://www.lakehumeclassic.com.au

Adults: $40.00

Juniors: $20.00

Teams: $20.00 extra for a team of 4

Registration:

Friday 9th November ,4.30pm to 8.30pm at the David Street foyer of the SS&A Club and at the Lake Hume Resort boat ramp.Saturday from 5.00am to 10.00am at the Lake Hume Resort Boat ramp only

Fishing Times:

Saturday 10th of November,2007: 6.00am to 6.00pm

Sunday 11th of November,2007: 6.00am to 11.00am

Scientists believe they have discovered a number of environmental conditions affecting Murray cod and golden perch populations in the Nagambie Lakes, north of Melbourne.

A 12-month study, funded by Recreational Fishing Licence revenue, found fluctuating temperatures and food shortages can prevent Murray cod and golden perch establishing self-sustaining communities.

During the study researchers from the Department of Sustainability and Environment monitored the activity of 32 Murray cod (from a hatchery) and 15 golden perch that were released into the lake and fitted with radio transmitters.

DSE Research Scientist, Justin O’Mahoney said, “Temperatures decreased by nine degrees during spring and summer and these unseasonable temperature fluctuations may have reduced the ability of native fish to reproduce.

“Warm water native fish such as Murray cod and golden perch usually breed when temperatures average 20 degrees and above.

“During the study, temperatures warmer than 20 degrees were recorded during summer in
backwater habitats. Colder temperatures persisted in the deeper water channel habitats where the released fish spent most of their time under the cover of large woody debris.

“Factors such as turbulence, noise and water movement through these irrigation outlets appeared to greatly affect the movement of golden perch, and many of them were reluctant to stay in the lake and often approached the gates to exit into other waters.”

The study also found water in the backwaters remained stagnant and received very little flow and this lack of fresh water may have been a contributing factor in making the habitat unfavourable.

The golden perch sourced from the lower Goulburn River, adapted much better to the lake
environment.

Golden perch were highly mobile throughout the course of the study, with most venturing upstream and downstream. Only one fish remained in the location where it was released.

Many fish swam as far as 3 km to explore downstream gates and several left the lake system escaping through control gates on irrigation channels. Some of these fish have been found active several kilometres downstream.

 source:  www.fishvictoria.com

The ABC news reports “Money from fishing licences in Victoria will be used to boost fish numbers in the Kerang Lakes in the north-west.” (to stock murray cod and golden perch fingerlings)

Read the full article here