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The winter chill is here
  |  First Published: August 2012



We are currently in the coldest period of the year and catch rates are low in the cold conditions.

Anglers prepared to put time in have found rewards with quality fish.

LAKE EPPALOCK

Water levels remain relatively steady at Lake Eppalock, with the lake currently at 87%. Water clarity still remains good with angler numbers low. The productivity in the fishing has only been average with redfin continuing to make up the majority of catches rates; productivity has varying from day to day.

Many anglers are experiencing fishless days but on a subsequent trip are having reasonable catches. As always the secret to success at Lake Eppalock is finding the fish. Anglers should be prepared to try many different areas in order to locate a good concentration of redfin.

The best concentrations of redfin can be found in depths of 5-7m. Small yabbies has been producing the best results, but locating them can be a very difficult task.

Trolling hardbodied lures has been less effective lately, with best results produced with soft plastics and blades. There have been no reports of golden perch being caught at this destination lately. The numbers of golden perch being caught will increase again in spring when water temperatures start to increase again.

CAMPASPE RIVER

The amount of water that is currently being released from Lake Eppalock is minimal and we have only received a small amount of rain lately, but water clarity continues to improve. These conditions can change very quickly if we do receive significant rainfall.

Catch rates have been fairly good at the Campaspe River lately for this time of the year with reasonable numbers of redfin weighing 800g-1.5kg caught casting soft plastics and trolling small hardbodied lures.

There continues to be small numbers of golden perch being caught with the majority of these being caught by anglers casting lipless crankbaits. The occasional Murray cod has also been caught in the Campaspe River lately, the majority of these have been caught by anglers walking the banks casting spinnerbaits.

CAIRN CURRAN

Unfortunately the fishing reports from this destination have been few and far between. I personally have not fished Cairn Curran for a while. From the information that I have received is that water clarity is still average and catch rates remain low. Cairn Curran typically produces some large redfin over the winter months. So even though the reports have not been good it is still worth a try. Also the resident trout should be fairly active at the moment so trolling winged lures or small hardbodied lures close to the edges is always a worthwhile tactic when target the resident trout population.

LODDON RIVER

The water clarity does vary greatly depending on what section of the river you are planning on fishing. At the present time there are only minimal flows running down the Loddon River. The water clarity is currently the clearest in the section above Bridgewater and below Bridgewater to the Serpentine Weir.

Small numbers of redfin continue to be caught in the Loddon River, with the majority of these caught trolling the deepest sections of the river with small deep diving hardbodied lures. There are also small numbers of golden perch still being caught, mostly by casting lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The numbers of Murray cod being caught along the Loddon River is currently very low.

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