With high water levels the word was out that Moama/Echuca was the place to be.

And so many anglers and families did!

While the huge amount of boat traffic wasn’t ideal for fishing, many anglers were up early and off the water before the ski boats made their presence felt. Those wanting to spend a full days fishing had the options of heading below Torrumbarry Weir, Stevens Weir at Deniliquin, Wakool, Barmah or on the Goulburn River; all destinations had been producing fish.

The waters below Stevens Weir are consistently producing cod from 30-55cm on bardi grubs and scrubworms. Spinnerbaits with a purple/gold/red skirt with copper blades have been working extremely well.

Yellowbelly have also been taken on spinnerbaits between 40-54cm. With no shortage of shrimp in the river, the always-reliable shrimp and worm cocktail has been the pick of the baits.

The Goulburn River has been a bit on the quiet side for the yellowbelly with only a few undersize fish being caught on shrimp and small yabbies. Damien and Kyle Bennet landed four cod up to 59cm and dropped another at about 75cm while casting 100mm Oargee Plows while out for an afternoon.

This area has been fishing pretty well considering the amount of boat traffic seen lately. Jason Aubrey landed a nice Murray cod of 80cm while trolling a green/black Stumpjumper upstream from the Echuca east boat ramp.

In recent weeks Bones from Moama has tangled with some solid fish. First up was a cod at 92cm and then there was one estimated at 110cm which straightened two sets of trebles on the lure he was trolling. To finish it off he also landed a redfin at 43cm. That’s nearly 2.5m of fish in three trips!

Another angler fishing off the back of a houseboat landed a 112cm cod while bait fishing with yabbies in the evening. After the usual photo session he was released to swim back to his snag. There was also a cod that had been hit by a speedboat that measured 120cm. Whether the poor old thing was in the wrong place at the wrong time or had been caught earlier and released but hadn’t fully recovered from its time out of the water is unknown.

A few simple steps to their survival is not to keep them out of the water for too long; get a few quick photos and get them back in. When lifting them from the water make sure you give their belly full support and never lift them up vertically. Once they are back in the water move them back and forth to get some water through their gills. When they swim off wait around in that area for a while or a bit downstream to make sure they haven’t resurfaced.

Brian Hinson from Echuca had a very productive day on the water recently landing 18 cod with the longest measuring 82cm while casting spinnerbaits around the snags.

A couple of upcoming fishing competitions worth marking on the calendar is the Mathoura Fishing Classic held at Tarragon Lodge Picnic Point on February 26-28. This comp gets bigger and better every year with great prizes and entertainment over the weekend.

On March 12-14 the Echuca Moama R.S.L is holding their fishing classic. With $50,000 in prizes, raffles and giveaways, everyone is in with a chance to take something home. With 22km of water to fish there is plenty of room for competitors to get out and amongst it.

For more information on what’s biting around Echuca and Moama, drop into J.T’s Fishing & Camping Moama, opposite the Border Inn Hotel, or phone Justin on 0354 803 868.