For the last month or so the Eildon lake and river system has been fishing exceptionally well, good size and number of trout, redfin, Murray cod and Yellow belly have been reported.

Lake Eildon’s water surface temperature has been up around the 27degrees of late and has sent the trout down to the 30ft, so Para vanes and lead line with a variety of Tassie devil colours have been catching brown trout up to 6lb in the main arm near the dam wall, with a few nice 2-4lbers being caught between Taylor bay and Fraser camping ground. Red fin have been plentiful this year once you have located a school, reports of between 40 and 70 being caught in a session have not been uncommon and a high majority have made their way to the table. Working the trees with scrubbies, yabbies and bobbers has proven to be the best method and Bonnie Doon the Delatie arm, Goughs bay and Italian bay has been where anglers have had the most success, similar tactis for the yellow belly. However trolling bibles cranks in red fin colours are also working well. Murray Cod up to 120cm have been taking large bibbed lures trolled around the 15-20ft mark in purples, greens and yellows, and black and whites, casting spinner baits in red and black, purple and chartreuse, towards the rocky out crops of the main arm has landed cod from 55-65cm. soft plastics, scrubbies and yabbies have also worked in front of the dam wall.

Eildon pondage has restocked a few times since the week before Xmas, with several thousand ready to catch rainbow trout and more recently 150 ex brood stock rainbow trout and 150 ex brood stock brown trout all between 2 and 5 kilo. With the demand on the water downstream it has meant that the pondage temperature has been between 10 and 14 degrees, which kept the trout active for most part of the summer period even over the really hot days. Power bait, the local dough, mud eyes and scrubbies have been the pick of the baits, while the Pink Tassie devil is back to the number one lure, but the crab pattern kroc, rapalas, pegron minnow, and even stump jumpers have all worked well for the larger trout. The places to target when the water is high are cemetery point, the back of the Eildon caravan park, the upper of the lower pondage, and Bourke st, when it’s low or in the process of filling, the football oval, and riverside drive have been doing well. One out of the box for one angler was a 59cm yellow belly he picked up on a soft plastic along riverside drive.

The Goulburn river has had a steady flow around the 3000 meg mark and been fishing well, small hard bodies, celta type lures, soft plastics and scrubbies worked about 10 ft from the bank under tree branches and over hangs has picked up healthy brown and rainbow trout. One rainbow trout that was caught weighed in at 6lb. The Rubicon river has had several brook trout and the odd salmon caught on soft plastics and bladed lures, and Snobs creek, the Acheron and the stevenson rivers are also producing good number and healthy trout at the moment.

Catch you next time
Gazza

James Anderson
Author: James Anderson

Founder / Director of Lake Eildon Tourism, in operation since 1998 - James is a father of two, has a strong passion for the Lake Eildon area having grown up in Eildon - and today, heads a digital media agency - Turbo 360.