It’s been quite a dry winter here in Wimmera with our waterways still at very low levels after receiving very little run-off. As a result, the fishing has been a little on-and-off but many waters have produced top redfin fun over the past few weeks.

Redfin are now getting ready to spawn and the larger females are schooled up and much more aggressive than normal. Redfin are excellent table fish, which is always a bonus.

The river is still very low and is in need of a good flow of water. Many stretches are becoming very stagnant and salty in places, but around Horsham the water quality is still quite good. The fishing has been a bit slow which is normal for this time of year. Around Horsham Weir some catches of large carp have been taken on worms along with the occasional redfin. The native fish have been quiet.

The fishing will get better as we head into spring with the yellowbelly becoming more active as the water warms up a bit more.

This is a great spot to take the kids fishing and some of the recent redfin catches have really surprised a few people who had written off the place. Worms and gudgeon have been the top baits for some good-sized redfin to 500g along with the odd rainbow trout.

Recently while fishing one of the dams we connected to a large tench that put up a terrific battle on the light gear we were using.

There are fish in all the dams here but we have found that the largest dam produces the best catches of redfin.

The lake’s fishing seems to have been a bit on-and-off over the last month or so but I have managed to catch trout on every trip.

Baitfishing with mudeyes has produced some good trout but the trollers have been taking the best catches. Tassie Devils, Rapala Minnow Spoons and StumpJumper lures have been doing well here lately. Good colours have been pink, orange and brown.

The flyfishing has been a bit tough with the early morning windlanes containing very few drowned insects, perhaps because of the fires here a few months ago. Flyfishing blind with Mrs Simpsons and Woolly Worms should be the best method, particularly over any newly-flooded ground when the lake is rising after a decent rain.

This lake was supposed to have been stocked with rainbow trout as well this season but there hasn’t been any sign of them yet. Let’s hope they find their way in there, it may just be what the lake needs with all the extra fishing pressure it has been getting over the last few seasons.

Good brown trout to nearly 2kg have been taken lately but they haven’t been easy, so be prepared to put in a bit of time for them.

I have been fishing this lake a fair bit lately and although the fishing hasn’t been red-hot, I have taken a few nice fish and it is a great place to spend a few hours in a terrific mountain setting.

Bank fishing is the go here and the best method at the moment seems to be walking the banks casting lures such as Tassie Devils and Rapalas. Most of the fish caught lately have been small to medium-sized redfin with a few nice rainbow trout to 1kg. Some large browns are also caught here from time to time along with river blackfish.

Baitfishing also works well with mudeye or worms fished below a bubble float often doing well. The lake’s bed is very snaggy so bottom rigs aren’t a good choice.

Local anglers in the know have been taking a few good catches of redfin after launching their boats at the wall area. It is just a matter of trolling around until you find a school of fish. Lures such as StumpJumpers, Rapalas, Rebel Crawdads and Ondex have been doing well. Some of the redfin have been over a kilo but most are around 500g.

Baitfishing with gudgeon and minnow should also produce when you get tired of trolling.

A few nice brown trout have also been landed lately which is good to see and they have been good trout to 1.8kg. Trolling with lures such as Tassie Devils has been the best way to find a trout or two but small boats are best here due to the low water and submerged timber. Casting lures and flyfishing from the bank should also work well here.

The redfin fishing has been excellent here over the last few weeks with one local angler reporting 14 good-sized redfin on Squidgies early in the morning and also catching a nice bass as well. This river has been quite popular lately with many anglers chasing a feed of redfin.

The area around Fulham to Balmoral has been most popular with the redfin anglers and early in the morning has produced the best action.