Earlier in the season it was all about the Delatite Arm, but it’s this time of year that the bottom end of the lake comes into its own.

The dirty edges aren’t as wide as a lot of the shallower areas and these dirty edges create a bit of cover for feeding fish to ambush prey. A lot of punters steer away from the dirty stuff, but I know a few anglers who search for these areas and fish right where the dirty water meets the clean. They fish super slow with spinnerbaits and absolutely smash them, so don’t always run away from the dirty stuff, as it can hold hidden treasures.

There have been consistent reports coming in from the bottom of the lake and some of the cod have been massive. Cod to 102cm have been taken, with lots around the 80cm mark and countless fish between 45-60cm. It seems the bite windows have gotten a little more consistent throughout January, which is great to hear.

As for standout lures, it seems that everybody is saying they are getting them on almost anything from spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, hardbodies, soft plastics and bait, so stick to your strengths and that will put you in the game.

There have also been reports of some nice trout having a bit of a go with local Daron von Cranny getting a nice 4lb brown trout on a Cranka Fire Trout Minnow.

There have been reports of lots of tiny redfin, which hasn’t happened for a few years, so that’s encouraging for the future. Not only are they great fun, but they provide a great food source for our natives.

Now that the crazy amount of people enjoying the lake has diminished significantly, I highly recommend that if you can get a weekday off, go and fish Eildon. It’s like a different place compared to the weekends, so give it a whirl and you should have a better chance of finding some quality fish.