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Persistence pays off
  |  First Published: October 2015



Now that the water temperature is starting to rise, I can’t wait to get out on the water and get stuck into them.

It’s amazing sometimes to think about the water temperature and just how critical it can be to catching native fish. Over the coming month, I would be using my sounder and searching for the warmer pockets of water, which generally hold the fish and it only has to be 1-2°C that can make all the difference between a bad day and a great day.

Trust me when I say this, it can be one of the most rewarding fisheries, but it can also be extremely frustrating. If you’re expecting to come here and get fish every trip it’s more likely not going to be the case. It has the reputation of being a hard nut to crack and I think of it as an inbetweener. What I mean by this, is right across the board for all the main species the lake contains, it’s not perfect conditions for trout, which would obviously be better if it were colder, and it's not perfect conditions for natives either, which prefer warmer water. That makes Bonnie Doon unique and also the reason it can be so inconsistent a lot of the time – just a bit of food for thought.

With cod season closed, it is important again to be as careful as possible if you happen to hook a cod while chasing yellowbelly. Try to release it without removing it from the water where ever possible, particularly the bigger ones.

A few more reports have come in about nice quality redfin up to 40cm and beyond and in a few more numbers, which is encouraging. I'm looking forward to reddy fillets and a nice salad for lunch on Sundays in spring.

If any of you fishers catch any fish at Eildon or Bonnie Doon and would like them see them in the magazine, join me on Facebook at Andy McCarthy. Send me a request and we can have it sorted. I love using pics from people with different stories and methods, so don’t be shy guys.

Stay safe on the water and enjoy your fishing!

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