The fishing in the Bendigo region has been slow lately with the majority of our local rivers experiencing high flows and poor water clarity.

The average day and night temperatures have started to increase and we are now starting to notice a steady increase in the numbers of fish being caught.

At the time of writing this article Lake Eppalock had just fallen below 100% of capacity. There is some reasonable rain events forecast in the near future so there is a very good chance we will see Lake Eppalock overflowing again. Water clarity is very tannin in the lake and there have been many anglers targeting redfin.

Ideally we need some above average temperatures in the next few months to kick off the food chain .The most productive redfin fishing has been in depths of 6-8m but trolling or casting hardbodied lures for redfin has been very slow. Bait fishing with worms and small yabbies have been the best options.

Most redfin are being caught on a wide range of soft plastic lures. If the water temperatures continue to rise as the weather improves we should start to see more redfin being caught in shallower water.

Anglers should also see an increase in golden perch being caught. For those anglers who are targeting the golden perch always look for those areas where the water is warmer around the lake. Shallow bays and around rocky shorelines are excellent areas to target golden perch. Casting lipless crankbaits and small hardbodied lures are good options.

If we see large volumes of water flow over the spillway again the fishing will definitely improve in this area. The fishing however in this area has been slow. A significant amount of anglers have been targeting this area with disappointing results to date. There have only been small numbers of redfin being caught with the occasional quality redfin to 40cm being landed.

There have also been isolated captures of golden perch measuring between 40-50cm. Further downstream the Campaspe River the water clarity continues to be poor. Given the current high water levels in Lake Eppalock and the increased chances of higher water flows, water clarity will continue to be poor in the Campaspe River for the short term. If you plan to fish areas like Elmore and Rochester, bait fishing will continue to be the most productive method until we see an improvement in water clarity in those areas.

Cairn Curran is currently at 98% of capacity and water clarity remains poor. There are only low numbers of small redfin being caught with most redfin caught in shallow water around the edges of the reservoir. I have received a couple of reports of small numbers of trout being caught lately. The best report I received was by two anglers fishing from kayaks that managed to land three trout for the day.

I have not received any reports of golden perch but with the weather slowly improving and water temperatures on the increase it is only a matter of time before some golden perch start to be caught.

There are usually only small numbers of golden perch caught at this location, however the average size is often exceptional with golden perch weighing up to 8kg for those most experienced anglers who are prepared to put the time in targeting these resident fish. Casting lipless crankbaits and trolling hardbodied lures around the edges of the lake are preferred techniques.

Water clarity is currently poor at most locations along the Loddon River. For this reason the lure fishing has been slow lately with most caught bait fishing with worms or yabbies. The bait fishing has been productive in the Loddon River below Laanecoorie. Small numbers of golden perch measuring up to 60cm have been landed.

The odd Murray cod has also been landed in this area and anglers should not target Murray cod until the season reopens on December 1. If you do accidentally catch a Murray cod during closed season it must be released unharmed as soon as possible back into the water.

The amount of rainfall we receive over the next two months will determine what the water clarity will be like this season.

The long range forecast is for below average rainfall. If this does occur water clarity will clear sooner rather than later and we should experience some excellent fishing this season.

Golden perch will soon be on the agenda with warmer weather on the way.