Reports from the Seymour area have been a little slow as most local anglers have travelled to other areas in pursuit of Murray cod. I certainly don’t blame them because there have been plenty caught, with some very good specimens amongst them.

For those prepared to fish the Goulburn River at Seymour, however, redfin and trout catches have been quite good. The redfin should continue to bite but I expect the trout will slow down considerably with the warm weather.

Further downstream, the Murray cod have been active around Undera. I have spoken to several anglers who have put in quite a lot of time in this area since opening. All agree that the fish are worth chasing but you have to put in the hours. It seems that there are also some undesirables operating in this area with evidence of setlines, which are illegal in all Victorian waters.

Lake Eildon continues to be productive, especially for native fish. Reports keep coming in of catches of trophy golden perch. These fish appear to be showing up all over the lake.

There have also been some good Murray cod taken.

As usual, fishing around the trees in the many bays or trolling lures will usually get you a feed of redfin.

Waranga Basin continues to produce good results for anglers targeting redfin. Both bait and lures have been taking fish.

Waranga is one of those places where it’s hard to know where to start because there are no stands of dead trees. I find it best to troll lures until you locate fish. Then continue to troll or anchor up and fish with bait.

Another option is to drift with bait. Keep an eye on the sounder and look for obvious fish holding structure. When you find these areas, go over them several times. Sometimes it takes a bit to get the redfin going.

Whilst reports about Murray cod have taken most of the limelight lately, the redfin have been firing up with some excellent fish caught. Recently I received an email from an enthusiastic young angler, Andrew Heseltine from Whittlesea. Having seen my email address in the last issue, he contacted me asking for advice about where he and his father could go fishing and camping.

Due to family commitments they were not able to go camping, so instead made a day trip to Killingworth Reserve at Yea. Andrew managed to catch a 3.5lb redfin – a good fish in anyone’s language! Unfortunately Andrew didn’t have a camera.

I reckon a disposable camera in the tackle box is a great gift for fishing pals or family. Even if it’s only a print that you scan in order to share your capture with mates, it ensures you don’t have to rely on memory alone for that unexpected trophy fish.