Being in solitary confinement most of the time takes away the desire to go out and wet a line.
It is a little confusing: on the one hand are the big four reasons for leaving home, and on the other, fishing is allowed if social distancing and travel distance are maintained.
So it is easier to just stay home.
This also means that I am not meeting up with fellow anglers to hear how they are doing, where they have been fishing, what bait they have been using and if they have been using lures - and if so which ones.
What I have picked up is that redfin are still on the bite at the basin; hot spots are around Harriman's Point, in front of the kite flyers and around the old quarry.
Yellowbelly and cod are also active and you may come across either when fishing at Waranga Basin; at this time of year the occasional trout is also being caught around the inlet channel on the Eastern side.
The best method is to drift a bait along the bottom, or trawl a lure until a school of fish is located; most are small but there will be some larger ones among them.
The recent rains have again muddied the waters and caused a slight rise.
The best method will be either cheese or worms for bait and to fish close to the bank as fish tend to feed where the rising water is uncovering fresh feeding grounds.
All the same rules apply: use just enough weight to hold your bait on the bottom, fish the snags, and be prepared to move until the fish are located.
We can expect more rain throughout the coming days so it will be hit-and-miss fishing the rivers, especially from the bank where it will be muddy and slippery, making it dangerous.
Most anglers I have spoken to have been heading to Eildon.
Redfin, trout, yellowbelly and cod have been targeted to varying success with the method used for each differing.
For redfin, drop a bait down alongside the trees, trout have been taken on fenders mainly early morning, yellowbelly like a hard body lure with a rattle in it, like a jackal.
And for cod large, deep-diving lures seem to be the most consistent, but some anglers use surface lures mainly on dusk with varying success.
Other dams worth trying are Lake William Hovel and Lake Nillahcootie; both are close enough for day trips.
William Hovel is known for redfin and trout, while Nillahcootie used to be a mecca for redfin; it now has large populations of cod and yellowbelly.
Just a reminder the closure of the cod season is approaching.
Cod may not be taken from September 1 with the exception of Lake Eildon, where the usual size and bag limit will still apply.
The freshwater cray season will also close on the same day.
On the other side of the coin, those waters that have been closed for the taking of trout will re-open the following weekend, Saturday, September 5.
Still no reports from the saltwater boys.
At Queenscliff, Rod and Peter from Adamas Fishing Charters are under stage three lockdown and have been doing nothing but maintenance on gear and on their boat.
Although they said snapper and gummy shark were about at the moment, as well as calamari squid, Rod said he still had no idea when they would be back in operation.
You can forget about Eden and Narooma as the NSW border closure means they are also off limits to we Victorians until outbreaks ease.
So, I guess it's back to the couch to watch movies.
I must say daytime free-to-air television is not to my taste and at nights the never-ending football can also become tiresome unless you follow one of the top sides.
Which I don’t, but I live in hope.
Stay safe everyone, keep your social distance, wash your hands and wear your masks - although if you wear glasses, that has problems.
And again, I say stay safe.
6°C