Lake Burley Griffin featured some good catches of redfin on scrub worms and yabbies this week.
A Black Mountain regular for the second week in a row landed a swag of redfin to 1.5 kilogram on yabbies and reported that they made a delicious meal after they were filleted and skinned.
Another angler landed a 3kg golden perch and had fun watching a fat Murray cod harassing a redfin he was bringing in.
Cod, of course, are off limits during the closed season of September, October and November but can still provide great entertainment.
More redfin came from Lake Ginninderra where the kids had a great time chucking scrub worms off the bank at John Knight Park and the barbecue area on the western side of the lake.
The fish were mostly small but that didn't bother the kids - they had a great time and even enjoyed catching some carp on the same gear.
That's gold
At Burrinjuck a few golden perch, lots of carp and plenty of redfin were caught from the shore at Good Hope, Taemus Bridge, Woolgarlo and the Main Basin, on yabbies, scrub worms and peeled saltwater prawns.
A 15kg Murray cod caught on a spinnerbait at Taemus was released immediately. At Wyangala small golden perch were caught from the shore at Quart Pot and Grabine, mostly on small yabbies.
Eerie Eels
An angler unfamiliar with the fish population in the Shoalhaven River near Braidwood was surprised to find it contained a big population of eels. Every bait he tried was taken by an eel, some of them he described as being of ''frightening size''.
They can be good to eat if you boil them to reduce the fat content, then fry or grill the fillets.
Rainbows power up
Bait anglers at Jindabyne and Eucumbene reported worthwhile catches, mostly rainbows, on Power Bait and Gulp.
Fly anglers reported a quieter scene, although Lee Townsend scored a nice rainbow of a black and red matuka at Rushy Plains Bay at Eucumbene.
One hasty and ill-prepared angler is reconsidering future trips to the mountain lakes. Seeking access to Eucumbene via the back road through Namadgi National Park he firstly hit a kangaroo and damaged his vehicle.
He then ran into impassable snow drifts after driving around the Road Closed sign and had to come back to the main highway.
He finished the trip by getting bogged at Yens Bay and later came home tired, wet, dirty, damaged and fishless.
Learn to fly again
The Canberra Anglers Association's second free public fly casting class will be held on Sunday from 10am until noon on the lawns in front of Old Parliament House, opposite Questacon. All the gear is provided.
Beware of barracouta
At the coast there were good reports of snapper and morwong on the reefs in 38-52 fathoms. Barracouta were a problem, but mostly on the inshore reefs.
Dr Bryan Pratt is a Canberra ecologist
