Lake Tooliorook at Lismore is still consistent for redfin around 500g, with trolling deep diving hardbodied lures in natural colours is accounting for quite a few fish.
Other popular methods are local minnow fished live and unweighted on the bottom and jigging soft plastics down amongst schools of reddies that have been ‘sounded’. Trout, especially rainbows to over 3kg have been taken on a wide variety of minnow lures either cast or trolled at different depths. The winged variety in white and pink/white have been extremely productive in pulling a few fish. Bank anglers or those fishing off the boat ramp jetty have employed live minnow or mudeye fished under a float in the successful pursuit of trout.
Lake Purrumbete has been fairly consistent of late with both browns and rainbows to 1.3kg falling to mudeye fished under a float close to the weed beds. From Horans Point around to the quarry has been a productive area to wet a line. The same area also makes an ideal trolling lane for either shallow or deep diving lures depending on the time of day.
Redfin are still schooling here and fish averaging 400g are falling to most proven methods especially jigging minnow style plastics in and amongst schooling fish located using a depth sounder.
Lake Ellingamite near Cobden is still fishing well with trout to 2.9kg and redfin to a massive 1.9kg falling to boaters flat line trolling winged lures at least 20m out back from the stern. First light and from 12 noon to roughly 2pm currently seem to be the prime times.
At present Potters Point at Lake Bullen Merri seems to be the hot spot for targeting trout. Plenty of fish around 1kg have fallen to both bank and boat anglers alike. Fishing depths to 8m is easily achievable when casting from the bank with dawn, dusk and after dark being the prime times. Bank anglers are using Powerbait, local gudgeon and mudeye fished under a float whilst boaters are still down rigging minnow lures to 8m during daylight hours.
Deep Lake at Derrinallum continues to improve as the air and water temperatures decrease. Contrary to the name, Deep Lake is actually quite shallow with maximum depths barely exceeding 3m. Over the summer months, warm water and a lack of rainfall caused blue-green algae to form. All this put the fish stocks under pressure however trout were still caught.
As we enter the cooler months, Deep Lake’s reliability to provide anglers with some excellent sport is ever increasing in leaps and bounds. Rainbows to 3kg, browns to over a kilo and redfin are falling mainly to bank anglers fishing from the lake’s reserve. Powerbait, mudeye and minnow fished under a float or on the bottom are accounting for most fish. Boaters that launch here are flat lining shallow diving minnows a long way back.
The concrete boat ramp’s shallow angle means wet feet when leaving a said vehicle to push a boat off the trailer. Failing to do so could spell prop or hull damage and I speak from experience!
The author with a pair of Tooliorook redfin taken trolling deep diving lures.
Reads: 1247