After a dry spell at the start of winter we have enjoyed some very handy rainfall that has freshened up our waters and sparked an increase in fish activity.

Trout and redfin fishing is always very good at this time of year, but what I particularly like about spring is that native species such as yellowbelly, catfish and silver perch will start to come out of their winter slumber and start feeding normally once again as the water temperatures start to rise.

If you like catching lots of good size and hard fighting brown and rainbow trout then this is the place to be. Local and visiting anglers alike continue to flock to this water and do very well on bait, lure or fly. Most of the trout are around 1-1.5kg but plenty of larger fish have been about and they are well up around 2.5kg now. These bigger fish are a real challenge to get to the net as there is just something about the trout in Toolondo, they seem extra-angry and fight a lot harder than from other waters.

Most anglers have been simply trolling with Tassie Devils lures with best colours beeing white/blue, hot pink and fire tiger. Good numbers of redfin to 1kg are also hitting trolled lures. I like to use Rapala JSR4’s in perch or silver shad pattern and the ever-faithful Ballista Trigger in green. These divers also catch their fair share of big trout in here too.

Bait fishing with mudeyes under bubble floats or Powerbait on running sinkers has also been working very well. The spring months tend to produce some of the best mudeye fishing here as they are the number one trout food on the menu.

Likewise fly anglers working wets such as Woolly Buggers, Mrs Simpsons and Hammils killers are doing well all over the lake. The number one fly here for me lately has been a green bead head pattern called the Shrek which seems to always do well here.

The fishing has been somewhat slower here but some good quality trout and redfin have still been caught. Trolling lures has only been producing the odd fish but bait fishing has been a bit better.

The ever-faithful mudeye under a bubble float has been working well as has unweighted baits of scrub worms, yabby or prawn tail and half bardi grubs. Good spots to try have been in front of the wall, the island and Langlands Bay. Most of the trout are browns and are around 1-1.5kg but there are much bigger fish present in this water.

Surprisingly all through winter some very nice catches of redfin have been taken in the river at Jeparit around the weir area. Most of these reddies have been around 1kg but some much bigger fish have been amongst them. The best fishing has been with some flow over the weir and soft plastics, vibes and trolled lures have been doing the trick. A few large yellowbelly have also been caught here along with a few silver perch. Interestingly, some very large eels and the occasional Australian bass have also been caught along the Jeparit stretch.

At this time of year yellowbelly become more active in the river. Areas such as Horsham Weir, Quantong and Dimboola will be well worth a look. Bait fishing is best at this time of year and good baits here include small yabbies, scrubworms and yabby tail.

Trout fishing has been very good here lately with a lot of brown and rainbow trout about averaging 1kg. This lake usually carries some large trophy size trout but for the last few seasons these trophy trout have been very few and far between. Hopefully this is the year the lake will be back in form on the big trout side of things.

Trolling Tassie Devils lures is picking up a few nice fish but bait fishing has been best with mudeyes under a bubble float definitely the number one option. Good fish are being taken from the shore as well as from boats, particularly at the wall and inlet areas.

It’s not just about the trout though, many small to medium size redfin have been getting caught on small yabbies and soft plastics along with the occasional better fish around 1kg. This lake contains some very big redfin and the spring months are when the bigger than average reddies are often caught here.