Fisheries Victoria
'A fortnightly round-up of recreational fisheries management issues'
Fish-e-Fax Issue 198, 21 June 2007
Family Fishing Events at Bendigo and Lilydale
The Department of Primary Industries will host two Family Fishing Days over the next two weeks as part of the ‘Go Fishing in Victoria' initiative.
The Goulburn River
The first of the two free events will be held at Kennington Reservoir at Bendigo on Sunday 24 June and the second at Lillydale Lake, Lilydale on Saturday 30 June.
Both Family Fishing Days will include instructed fishing workshops for children, casting and knot tying clinics, and fishing prizes and give-aways. The events will differ from the larger Family Fishing Festival that was held at Eildon Pondage last month as each event will be run on a smaller scale. This approach is designed so that each of the five Premier Lakes will eventually host one larger Family Fishing Festival and a smaller Family Fishing Day each year.
Ready-to-catch rainbow trout, including some Premier trout (weighing > 1kg) will be stocked into the waters prior to the two events to provide a greater opportunity for kids to catch (possibly) their first ever freshwater fish.
Families interested in attending either event are strongly encouraged to pre-register for an event via the Department of Primary Industries Customer Service Centre on 136 186. Further information on the description of activities and timing of workshops can be found on the Go Fishing in Victoria website at Family Fishing Events .
Kennington Reservoir and Lillydale Lake will host Family Fishing Festivals, with a larger selection of activities, later in the year.
Location Vital for Goulburn River Trout ‘Homebodies'
Location, location, location! Researchers have found that location is a maxim anglers should keep in mind when searching for brown trout in the Goulburn River.
The Goulburn River is a very popular fishery for those anglers who target wild trout; however, some anglers find it difficult to catch trout during the summer months when water is released from Lake Eildon for irrigation.
This has prompted researchers at The Department of Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic) Centre at Snobs Creek to conduct a study on the movement of brown trout in the Goulburn River during the irrigation season which usually runs between 15 August to 15 May each year.
Characteristics of the Goulburn River downstream of Lake Eildon can change quite dramatically depending on how much water is being released from Lake Eildon. The river depth, width and current strength can all vary markedly throughout the irrigation season.
To reveal what happens when water is released from Lake Eildon, radio transmitters were fitted to ten brown trout which were then released into the river at the place they were first captured.
The locations were checked every week for seven months and the results showed most trout confined themselves to a 500-metre stretch of river. Sixty two per cent of the fish were found to stay put in a selected area once they had found their ‘home.'
There was no relationship found between the timing and magnitude of changes in river flow and the large scale movements of fish. The researchers suspect that the effects of increased water flows are moderated by the complexity of the river bottom, which determines the quality of a home range and whether it can provide suitable accommodation in all current conditions. The quality and location of home ranges is most likely the key. Home ranges that exhibit deep pools with cover, such as large rocks and snags where the trout are protected from strong currents, seem to be preferred.
John Douglas, a fisheries scientist who undertook this study, would advise anglers that once they locate a fish, there's a high chance it will remain in the general vicinity for some time, so anglers could try again later if they miss out first time around.
This project was funded from Recreational Fishing Licence revenue.
Water Level Update
Below are the current and historical water levels for a selection of waters in Victoria as of June 11, 2007.
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