Reports have been good, with cod, mainly small juveniles, filling the Goulburn River. As the rivers are muddy and flowing, bait fishing is getting the best results. Cheese, chicken and natural baits such as worms, yabbies and grubs work well.
Another week or so, you can get back to using lures and soft plastics. The Goulburn River between Nagambie and Coomboona is about the best stretch of water; the backwaters, where the currents are slow, are the best spots to fish.
I must admit, I like fishing the Goulburn, but other waterways are worth trying. For instance, the Broken Creek from the Murray to Nathalia.
Speaking of the Murray, it gives its name to the cod and is one of the better places to fish this time of year. The river is also a place for holidaymakers, so we anglers are forced to share with skiers and wakeboarders.
But there are still good locations to fish: Ulupna Island, Cobram, Mulwala and the Ovens River.
There are cod in Lake Eildon — fish the river arms with surface lures at dusk and in front of the wall with deep-diving lures and large baits.
Summer is not the season to fish for trout at Lake Dartmouth. If you want to catch trout, you should head north-east and drop your bait or lure in the streams or rivers of the high country, even in the heat of summer.
Fish have still got to eat, and the water flow brings the food to them, so they do not need to use a lot of energy to get a meal.
Fly anglers rely on the hatching of various insects or other larvae to provide a meal. The rivers are the perfect dining table for trout, as insects use the pools and ponds of the water as their nursery.
Thus, imitating or using water creatures as bait, casting where the fish are waiting is how to get a feed of fresh mountain trout. You can stay dry and fish from the banks, or you can take the plunge and wade in the water, casting ahead at likely spots as you move upstream. Fish usually face upstream to where their food is coming from, and you are less likely to spook them if you approach them from their tail.
At Dartmouth, the principle is the same, but the method is different. You get your bait down to the fish, where they go into the cooler water, and instead of a current, you trawl with a boat to find the fish. The best times are at first light and dusk.
Last week, we covered redfin fishing, but the action this week is about the same.
At Waranga Basin, drift until you find a school of fish.
Lake Hume, near Albury-Wodonga, is still the real hotspot for redfin — and flathead. Drift around until you find fish, then anchor up. When you go off the bite, drift until you find them again, then repeat.
If you plan to fish at Dartmouth, remember that Macquarie perch (Maccas) are now on the endangered list, making them fully protected. You are not allowed to take them; if caught, they must be released back into the water.
Now, a look at saltwater fishing.
Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters in Queenscliff said the fishing was good —when the weather allowed.
Kingfish are coming on the bite. They like cover and any changes in the ocean floors and reefs. They can also be found beneath schools of salmon when they are feeding, both inside the heads and off the bluff around the mouth of the Barwon River.
Inside the heads, squid and whiting can be caught between Point Lonsdale pier and the ferry terminal. Whiting can be caught in the grass beds off the mouth of Swan Bay to St Leonards and the heads off Portsea.
On all the usual reefs, both inside and outside, pinky snapper are biting. The snapper anglers are bagging gummy sharks, too.
Flathead can be caught on the sandy bottom, while offshore anglers are catching mako, blue sharks and couta. Most anglers see couta as a pest; their sharp teeth can hack through lines with ease and cost anglers a deal of tackle and sinkers.
Tuna is slow on the catch, but you can still reel in the blue-eye trevalla and snotty-nose trevally.
North of the border at Eden, John Liddell said when the fishing was happening, anglers were bagging snapper and morwong on the inshore reefs. Mark at Freedom Charters is the only charter operator in Eden.
Graham Cowley from further up north is bagging snapper and morwong along with good-sized flathead, both on the sandy bottom and inside the lake. Graham says kingfish are being caught north of Montague Island.
South at Lady Barron on Flinders Island, James Luddington is catching plenty of gummy sharks and flathead.
Stay safe and good fishing.
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