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Natives and reddies on the move
  |  First Published: November 2011



It’s November already and we are gearing up for another hot summer.

November is the time of year that the big yellowbelly start to move with the rising water temperatures along with the weather. This is when boat ramps at Lake Hume start to get a lot busier, but don’t despair as the ramps aren’t peak hour yet so it’s not a bad idea to practice your reversing at the ramp, along with your launch and retrieve technique, as the boats been in storage for months so you may be a bit rusty.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, as everyone wants to get on the water just as much as you do, but if you want to tackle it yourself and the other boats are lining up, please move aside and let everyone through to clear the congestion then you can be clear to take your time.

I’ve found once things start going wrong at the ramp, the day only gets worse, so sit back have a breather and try again. You’ll be on the water in no time.

Lake Hume

With the lake almost full and warmer weather the yellowbelly are on the move. With schools of redfin back on the bite, fishos can expect a feed of reddies at the least. Trolling for trout is still worth a try early in the mornings, but catches are few and far between.

Bait fishing in the afternoons from either a boat, or from the banks is could produce anything from carp to cod, remembering though its closed season for the green fish until December.

Target yellowbelly and redfin all over the lake, but two standout areas are around Huon and One Tree Island. With the Lake Hume Classic held early in the month these areas will be very busy come comp time. Fishing with yabbies on a paternoster rig or running sinker dropped to the base of submerged trees is one of the best ways to get onto fish in the lake.

For those who like a challenge, casting plastics, vibes, and deep diving hardbodied lures is a good way to pick up bigger fish, as the bait in most cases gets nailed by 10-15cm redfin. But either way you’re out on the water enjoying yourself.

Local rivers

The river below the lake wall has been reporting catches of yellowbelly and redfin. In many cases it’s been out of boats trolling hardbodied lures against the strong current. The lake is releasing water at the same rate it flows in, so downstream is getting a good flush. If you’re trying to fish it from the bank you may need to use a bigger sinker to get the bait down on the bottom.

The Kiewa and Mitta rivers are flowing nicely at the moment, and fly fishos are reporting good size trout. The further you head up stream the cleaner the water becomes making it easier to spook the fish. Also these areas have plenty of snakes around, so it you must cross areas of long grass please be careful, and if you see a snake just leave it be, it will do the same for you.

Other waters

Dartmouth Dam is slowly rising and the fish are still moving around nailing almost every lure they see. Although during the day the fish as you would expect drop lower in the water column, I’m finding them around the 12-15m mark in some cases.

A downrigger is probably the best thing for this, but down-under sinkers seem to work pretty well getting your trolled lure down.

Casting lures and soft plastics around in the morning or even backwaters during the day is a fun way to get your bag.

Brett Oliver’s Dartmouth brown taken on an Ecogear SX40.

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