There I was sitting by the bank of the Goulburn at my best, most favourite fishing spot, when first one then two, three and a whole bucketful. Yes, it started to rain.
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Just a passing shower, I thought, but no, it went on all day. By the first 10 minutes, I had packed up and was heading home.
My first fishing adventure since before the floods, and I was washed before I even got a bite, grrr!
I had risen from bed before first light and I was back home in time for breakfast.
The reason I chose this week to go fishing is because there have been some of the best conditions to wet a line for some time. The Goulburn is flowing at close to its normal level, it has cleared up, and positive reports on fishing had started to roll in.
Cod, yellowbelly and an occasional silver perch had been supplying anglers with action, mainly on bait, cheese, chicken, worms, yabbies and shrimp. Even lure action was happening.
So armed with my favourite river rod and a shrimp net, cheese and high hopes, I headed for an early session of angling.
As I said, I did not even get a chance to put my line in the water, when the water from the sky fell upon me!
The reports of fish coming on the bite were coming in from as far upstream as Nagambie to the Murray, although not much news from the Murray, except for Lake Mulwala and around the mouth of the Ovens.
Fishing around our region is fortunately not confined to the rivers. Channels and lakes provide another option for catching fish, including Victoria Park Lake in the middle of Shepparton and lakes in both Kialla and Mooroopna.
In the rivers and streams in the north-east, some of the best trout fishing can be had by wading the waterways either casting baits, lures or fly fishing.
There are also lakes and dams that likewise provide quality trout fishing, even during the warmer months of summer.
I used to wade the Mitta Mitta River; we would drive to a likely spot, two of us would get out and fish wading upstream.
Those left in our car would drive further upstream, park and go down to the river.
They would leave a marker where they entered the stream, we would fish until we reached their marker. We would then get in the car and leapfrog the second group, and so this way we could cover a lot of the water.
We got quite a few trout, mainly pan size but some exceeded a kilogram — mainly brown but an occasional rainbow.
Fishing at Dartmouth is now best at first light through to mid-morning, trolling a fender with either bait or lure. A Tassie devil-style lure in a clown pattern seems to be working well.
Record rainfall over the Hume Weir has had an effect on the fishing. Not many reports of redfin following the rain.
Once again, Eildon is the pick of the fishing spots, with cod biting in the river arms. Remember: big fish require big baits or lures.
Reports of metre-plus cod being caught are the norm.
Yellowbelly are biting around Fraser National Park. Lures with a rattle in them are working well.
The Bonnie Doon arm and Jamieson are good for redfin. Lures, soft plastics and bait — either yabbies or shrimp; even scrub worms are good baits.
Waranga Basin is also fishing well for redfin, or as they are also known, English perch and European perch. They are about the only freshwater fish I eat.
Not that there is anything wrong with other fish, it’s just that I am a saltwater snob and prefer fish from the sea.
Speaking of the sea, Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff said fishing around the heads was good.
Rod said he was bagging snapper on the usual reefs both inside the heads and off Point Lonsdale.
He was also catching flathead, couta, salmon and silver trevally, and inside the heads there were King George whiting, squid and tuna.
Rod said that at this time of year, he would usually be catching kingfish, but the cool currents had kept the bait fish away, thus the kingfish had failed to put in an appearance.
Western Port Bay was also fishing well for snapper, flathead and gummy shark.
North of the border, John Liddell at Eden said fishing the inshore reefs there was yielding snapper, morwong, flathead and a variety of other table fish.
It was with interest I watched a TV special about orcas, or killer whales. Eden is famous for a pod of orcas that herded whales into Twofold Bay, making it easier for whalers to hunt them.
As a reward, the whalers would feed the choice bits of the whales to the orcas.
This is a story that is supposedly true and is part of the history contained in a museum at Eden just above the wharf.
North of Eden at Narooma, Graham Cowley said the fishing was about the same. He said it was good around Montague Island but due to the water temperatures, fishing off the shelf was patchy, with little action from game fish.
Down south at Flinders Island, James Luddington said he was bagging plenty of good-sized flathead and gummy shark among the small islands around Lady Barron.
He said that in the deep water of the shelf, he was catching trumpeter and blue-eye trevalla.
Well, stay safe around water. If you are boating then wear a flotation vest, drive safety and keep COVID-safe.