Lake Eildon is still dropping rapidly due to irrigation commitments, but is still fishing very well for Murray cod, red fin and yellow belly. Over the past week anglers using large bibbed lures like stump jumpers in purple or green landed 5 Murray cod ranging between 76 and 86cm in 5meters of water near Goughs bay. Good size red fin are also being caught in good numbers near Italian bay, woolshed inlet, Beattie bay and Darlingford reach, scrubbies are the best of the baits with the odd yabby being taken as well. Staying close to the trees in between 5 and 8 meters of water is what you need to do if you’re chasing a feed of reddies. The same if you’re targeting yellow belly however anglers have reported that the majority of strikes have occurred when moving or retrieving the baits.
Eildon pondage is up and down twice a day at the moment and has been a little difficult to fish due to the consistently changing conditions. But soft plastics are working well near the Eildon caravan park landing rainbow trout up to 6.5lb, local dough and power bait have also worked near the football oval, riverside dr and bourke st. Fisheries will be stocking the pondage again before easter with 2,000 ready to catch rainbow trout and several ex brood stock rainbow trout up to 10lb which will fire things up considerably. One thing to remember is rainbows seem to chase pink, so crack out the old pink Tassie devil or lures similar, and give the pink power bait a run as well.
Irrigation is does stop in early May so in the near future water flows should start to back off making both the pondage and the Goulburn a little easier to fish for some anglers.
The Goulburn river is backing of slightly and anglers using soft plastics and lightly or unweighted scrubbies are doing well for brown trout up to the 2lb mark. Back waters, the smaller river mouth’s that feed into the Goulburn and grassy areas that have only a few feet of water covering them are the key areas when the Goulburn is flowing hard. The smaller rivers such as the Steavenson Rubicon and Acheron, are producing small but healthy brown and rainbow trout on flies in nymph pattern and indicators.
Catch you later
Gazza
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.