As the winter weather quickly approaches, the fishing around Echuca continues to be very rewarding. There are still plenty of reports of the large ‘green fish’ being caught. The most productive method is to use lures, either hard-bodied lures cast and trolled, or spinnerbaits cast amongst the snags. In the last day or two I have also heard of some early catches of Murray crayfish.

The area of the river that is still producing the lion’s share of the better fish is the water above the Torrumbarry Weir. We have made mention of this area in the past few reports and I strongly recommend it as a place to come and fish. The water level in that stretch of river is still very good and the water clarity is excellent. This area is also very deep and larger deep diving lures are the way to go around here.

Local fishing guru Brian Hinson told me that on one particular day he and his son Ashley trolled up nine cod for the day, with a couple of these around the 80cm mark. They have also trolled up some nice sized golden perch.

Echuca/Moama RSL President Bill Lynn also caught a beauty of around 95cm in the same area. His fish was taken on a trolled 85mm red and black Tiegar Lure.

Finally, I also had a great morning’s fishing upstream of the weir and trolled three good-sized cod. All fish were taken on deep diving hard-bodied lures.

Another place well worth the effort is the Edward River near Mathoura. This area is producing good-sized cod and golden perch, which are also being caught on either hard-bodied lures or spinnerbaits. The difference is that the only way to get amongst these fish is by casting from the bank, because the Edward is pretty low at the moment.

This time of the year we will see the channels in most of the irrigation areas starting to produce some excellent redfin. Both spinners and baits of worms are productive tactics for these winter specials, with the water around the stops the place to try.

As I mentioned earlier, some of the local anglers are already catching Murray crays, even though the water temperature is still in the high teens. Please remember your size and bag limits for the crays and check your fishing guide if in doubt.

For more information about the Echuca area call in and talk to Garry at Gone Fishin’, Annesley Street, Echuca.