Well what a great period of fishing we have been enjoying.

After some great spring rains, our waters are looking the best they have in years and the action has been red hot for all our local species whether they be introduced or native.

This lake has been the place to be for the last few months with good catches of brown and rainbow trout averaging around 500g-1kg, with the odd larger fish up to 2.5kg. Some great redfin are also being caught including rippers up to the 2.6kg mark.

Bait fishing with mudeye under bubble floats has been working well as has flyfishing and lure casting. By far the most successful method though has been trolling small lures such as small minnows, spinners and Tassie Devils.

Now the lake is holding a good amount of water shore based angling has been popular, especially off the wall fishing mudeyes or fly fishing.

The fishing has been very good here with brown and rainbow trout being taken along with a few redfin. Most of the rainbow trout have been small averaging around 500g with the browns ranging from 500g-2.5kg with most 1-1.5kg.

The redfin had been quiet here over the last few seasons but seem to be making a comeback with good catches of redfin in the 400-800g. Most of these reddies are taken on trolled diving lures such as Rapalas and Stumpjumpers. Blades and vibes cast along the reed beds have also been doing well on the reddies here.

This great little stream in the Grampians has been fishing well for brown trout as well as few redfin. Most of the browns are small around 500g but the odd larger fish to1.5kg is often found in the better holes. Walking the banks and casting small lures and spinners has been working well in areas such as Zumsteins, Mackenzie Falls and the stretch below Lake Wartook.

Bait fishing with mudeye and worms also works well here and will also produce river blackfish which are small but numerous in this water.

With the increase in water level, the fishing has really fired up here with good redfin and trout being taken from the shore and from small boats. Most of the redfin have been 400-700g but some rippers to 1.5 kg have been taken lately, mostly on trolled lures. I recently received a report from a local angler who did very well trolling spinnerbaits in the Glendenning area where he caught 11 redfin up to 1.3kg.

The trout have been very active in the shallows, particularly near the wall and on a calm night or morning will be seen rising all over the place. Flyfishing, bait fishing with minnow, mudeye or worms and lure casting has been doing very well here from the shore with some of the browns up towards 2kg. Most of the browns and rainbows though have been 500g-1kg.

A few large carp are also being taken here

With the warmer weather this lake has become even more popular, mainly because it is so close to Horsham. The fishing has been good from the shore and from small boats with good numbers of redfin averaging 500g along with a few yellowbelly up to 1.3kg.

Large numbers of carp of all sizes have been very abundant here and will quickly use up your worms supplies.

Some Murray cod up to 70cm have also been caught here recently as by-catch by anglers fishing for yellowbelly with yabbies. This lake contains some very large Murray cod but they are seldom fished for here.

Most anglers have been bait fishing with worms, gudgeon and yabbies fished on the bottom near any dead trees. Not much lure fishing has been going on due to the discoloured water.

The river is looking the best it has in years and the fishing has been pretty good too. I have been fishing the Horsham areas, mainly at the show grounds and weir. I’ve had yellowbelly to 2kg, redfin to 500g, many catfish along with the odd silver perch and many, many carp of all sizes. I mostly baitfish with worms and yabbies in the late afternoons and evenings. The fishing after dark has also been good, particularly after a very hot day.

A few weeks ago a nice 80cm Murray cod was caught and released near the weir by a bait angler who also caught a few nice yellowbelly; all on yabbies.

If the river starts to clear up a little the lure fishing should be very good here again. Lures and spinnerbaits cast at the many snags produce some very nice yellowbelly and the occasional cod here, particularly below the Horsham weir, which was firing on lures about this time last year.