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Turning to the Lakes
  |  First Published: July 2006



There’s good news this month with lots of reports coming in of big numbers of spawning trout in all Victorian alpine rivers. The riverine closed season has only just begun and I’m already impatient for the first Saturday in September to come.

Despite a chronic lack of rain, lake anglers have been doing a brisk trade with all lakes holding medium to heavyweight winter trout. However, Rocky Valley and Pretty Valley lakes at Falls Creek are inaccessible due to deep snowdrifts above 800m and ice forming in the shallows.

Lake Guy

Lake Guy at Bogong Village is currently full and fishing is best done trolling from a boat because the edges are steep, muddy and slippery. Rainbow trout to 1.5kg are regularly taken from this water during winter.

Mt Beauty Pondage

Mt Beauty pondage has been enjoying a remarkable renaissance following a poor summer season. The pondage is at full capacity and was recently restocked with advanced yearling rainbow trout. Delighted anglers have been getting their daily bag this month on size 10 weighted black nymphs and black and brown beetle patterns. Most success has come from the shallows in mid afternoon, after a mild sun has warmed the water and stirred the trout into a feeding frame of mind. Most fish caught lately have weighed in excess of 650g with several in the kilogram-plus range.

Allan’s Flat Dredge Hole

The dredge hole at Allan’s Flat near Yackandandah was recently stocked with 250 advanced yearling rainbow trout, as part of the Victorian government‘s “ready to catch” school holidays fishing program.

The dredge hole is located 8 kilometres from the Yackandandah township, beginning life as part of a creek that was mined for gold during the late 1800’s. Initially, miners used picks and shovels to win alluvial gold until a dredge was introduced to dig deeper into the creek banks. However, within a short space of time the dredge hit a natural underground spring, which ended all further attempts at gold mining. Rumour has it that the drowned mine is so deep that no swimmer has ever touched the bottom. The dredge hole has magnificent shady trees surrounding it and a grading of gentle to steep sloping banks. It is popular spot for swimmers, canoeists and for family picnics as well as, of course, trout fishing.

Dart Cup

The annual Dart Cup trout fishing competition was held at Lake Dartmouth over the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June, with over 400 entrants taking part, 31 being juniors.

Most anglers caught fish, making them eligible to win first prize, which was a painted Quintrex 420 Dory aluminium boat and a 30hp 2-stroke Mercury outboard motor with electric start. The package is valued at $11,500.

A total of 260 boats took part, each scouring the lake’s waters in search of a few prize-winning trout.

There were also an abundance of anglers fishing Lake Banimboola, with the biggest brown trout and biggest rainbow trout for the event coming from this water.

For the event, a total of 303 trout and seven carp were weighed in on Saturday and 265 trout and one carp on the Sunday.

The boat and motor first prize went to Ian Bryant of Dederang, with Dartmouth Anglers Club taking the team event prize with an aggregate of 12.45kg of fish. Dederang and District Angling Club came second with 9.33kg and Team Green came a close third with 9.11kg. All 14 teams that competed recorded impressive catches of fish except the Swamp Donkeys, who caught absolutely nothing. Junior winners were Matt Hunt first, Jack Reynolds second and Chloe Graeber, third.

Alpine fishing conditions can change very quickly whatever the season, so for the latest update phone Geoff Lacey at Angling Expeditions Victoria on (03) 5754 1466 or check out website www.anglingvic.com.au

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