Lake Eildon is on the rise. Recent rainfall in the catchment area has resulted in the lake rising a few centimetres per day. These aren’t huge increases, but in the current climate it’s at least a start. Hopefully some drenching spring rain will follow and really bump up the Lake’s level.

A number of good-sized fish are still being caught from both the Lake and the Pondage. At the moment it seems more about quality rather than quantity. Each month I report on my personal experiences as well as feedback I receive from other anglers and tackle shop owners in the area. What doesn’t get reported is the amount of time it takes to catch some of these quality fish. All I can suggest is that perseverance does pay off.

Ken and Vicky of Totally Trout in Alexandra have had a number of reports of good quality fish from the Lake, the biggest of which was a 15kg Murray cod caught in the Big River Arm on a StumpJumper lure. Another cod of 3.5kg was caught on an Oargee lure.

Good-sized trout have also been caught from the Lake, all by anglers flatline trolling various lures. A 2.5kg brown was caught on a Boomerang lure. Browns up to 1.5kg have also been caught on fluoro pink and yellow-winged YO5 Tassie Devils. It was noted that silver lures, both Tassies and Wobblers, were working well around the full moon period.

A couple of rainbow trout have also been caught, one of which was a 1kg specimen caught flatline trolling a Vibrax lure, while another was also around 1kg and was caught by Maurie Reid fishing with scrubworms around the Fraser Park region.

On a recent trip to Vic Roads in Bundoora I was served by Lisa Bumpstead. We got chatting about where I lived and how I run a fishing charter business on the Goulburn River. She filled me in on her husband Alan’s love for fishing and a recent successful trip he had at Lake Eildon. As you can see in the photo, Alan caught a 4.5kg (10lb) brown trout trolling a customized StumpJumper lure. He returned a week later to snag two 3kg and a 2kg trout, along with a 1.5kg redfin, all on the same customized Stumpy in the Main Arm. Well done Alan, and thanks for sharing your picture and info with us. (If anyone else has any reports they would like to share with us, please feel free to email me).

Gazza of Eildon Bait and Tackle reports that another batch of trout have been released into the Pondage, including 5,000 at 200g, 100 over 1kg, 200 around the 1kg mark and over 80 of 3-4kg.

Gazza also reported some good catches on the Pondage, the biggest being a 5.5kg rainbow hooked on a Tassie Devil lure. Other reports included a 2.8kg trout caught on a number 45 Tassie Devil and a 1kg rainbow caught on orange PowerBait.

A number of smaller trout have been landed, with best results coming to anglers using pink Tassie Devil lures and silver Wobblers. PowerBait in pink, orange and chartreuse have also been effective, along with maggots or worms fished under a float.

For the fly enthusiast, Tom Jones, Mrs Simpson and olive Woolly Buggers have been the patterns producing best results on the Pondage.

For further information about fishing around Eildon, call Wayne at Hooked on the Goulburn Fishing Tours (03 5772 2626).

Alan Bumpstead with a 4.5kg brown trout he caught by trolling a StumpJumper lure in Lake Eildon.