Golden perch in Canberra's urban lakes and Burrinjuck Reservoir normally become very quiet in winter, preferring to lie in deeper water and eat only occasionally. This year, however, they have remained much more active and anglers recently have recorded some good fish on lures and baits.
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Local angler Chris was a good example, fishing yabbies and scrub worms in Lake Burley Griffin for seven golden perch to 57cm. The fish all came from shallow water, close to shore on the northern side of the lake, and fought vigorously when hooked. Other fish came from the Yarralumla area and near Scrivener Dam.
In Burrinjuck, good-sized golden perch were caught among flooded trees in the main basin and the lower reaches of the Murrumbidgee Arm, on shrimps, yabbies and scrub worms. Some also fell to soft plastics, especially the black 8cm Gulp Minnow Grub. Bobbing at deeper levels, with a slow motion, was the preferred technique and most of the fish were taken on the drop rather than the lift.
Redfin also are still active. Some nice specimens were taken in Yerrabi and Forde pondages on lures and scrub worms.
Mountain fish active
The mountain lakes also are fishing well. Jindabyne is at 78 per cent of capacity and boat and shore-based anglers all recorded good catches.
One boat angler could not fish his favourite stretch of water because that section of the lake had frozen over, but he still managed to land five nice fish on Tasmanian Devils in the Kalkite area. Pink was the preferred colour.
Bait fishers landed seven fish on Power Bait at Hatchery Bay, fishing at night. The fish were all rainbows, in splendid condition, and measured up to 45cm. One fish was landed despite the rod and reel being completely frozen when the temperature dropped to minus 6 degrees.
In Eucumbene an angler using Power Bait landed a 2.5kg brown near Providence Portal and in a later session caught two browns and six rainbows at White Rocks.
Visiting expert
Fly fishing expert Peter Hayes will be visiting Canberra on July 13-17 to give a series of talks to anglers and run fly fishing classes for beginners and more advanced fishers. He will give a talk to the Canberra Anglers Association on July 15 and another to ACT Fly Fishers on July 16. For lessons and other details go to peterhayesflyfishing.com.
Choppers galore
Tailor dominated inshore fishing at the coast this week, with reports of large fish from Ulladulla to Eden. The fish took flies, baits and lures readily and provided some good sport. Good-sized fish came from breakwaters at Ulladulla and Batemans Bay, rocks at Merry Beach and numerous other locations. Fish to 50cm were common in St Georges Basin. One angler fishing at Batemans Bay soon discovered that soft plastics are not ideal lures for tailor, hooking some nice fish but losing all of his stock in a short fishing session. At Eden hordes of small barracouta joined the tailor in destroying terminal tackle. Boaters encountered them everywhere they fished and they proved to be a real pest when joined offshore by leatherjackets and green toads.
Kingfish are biting well at Montague Island. One group of four anglers did well using knife jigs, live yellowtail and slimy mackerel and paternoster rigs with squid on one hook and butterflied mackerel on the other. When all four anglers hooked up simultaneously the strategy was for one angler to sacrifice his fish to the seals while the others reeled theirs in.
