Monthly Archives: August 2010

Anglers Starting To See Red.

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A very nice redfin landed on a 70mm Koolabung Codzilla lure.

As fish go I am sure there a few that are as well known in angling circles as the humble redfin. Since their introduction into Australia from Europe in 1860 these hardy fish have laid claim to almost every lake, dam, river or stream throughout the southern half of Australia.  Their abundance and aggressive nature make them a common encounter and their fighting ability ensures their popularity as a sportfish. Other bonuses include their eating quality. With a firm, white flesh they are a delight on the table especially when garnished with a little lemon and salt. The best time to target redfin is during periods of low light with morning and evening the most productive. Redfin can be caught on a variety of baits that include shrimps, worms and small yabbies. At other times lures are by far the most productive method, with a range of soft plastics and blades top of the list.  Redfin are an aggressive predator that likes nothing more than to hunt down and catch moving or live bait. These fish seem to enjoy the chase and it’s not uncommon to see several in hot pursuit of your lure jostling for the right to claim the prize. A good range of lures for redfin would include smaller minnow styled hard-bodied divers from 70mm and down in size. These represent the majority of smaller baitfish that redfin are most likely to encounter and predate upon. Soft plastics too are extremely effective when fished on a weighted jig head and retrieved in a lift and drop motion. Both paddle and curl tailed styles spring to life when worked in the correct manner and it’s hard to tell the difference between them and the real thing. Redfin also find small imitation plastic yabbies hard to ignore and they are often very effective when bobbed vertically from a boat. Over the last couple of seasons blades have been the number one choice for redfin and a variety of other fish for that matter. Small in size they are a flat bait styled imitation with a weighted head. The koolabung range of blades have been very effective catching some excellent hauls of fish. These lures shimmy in a natural baitfish action as they are wound through the water. Very realistic and equally as effective at enticing redfin onto the line where other methods sometimes fail. Redfin are a schooling fish and once you find them, it’s not uncommon to catch several in the same spot. Weed beds are favourite haunts for these fish as are stands of vertical structure like old trees and log piles. Spring is a great time to target redfin but is seems they have started a little early this season with some good fish already caught over the past few weeks. If you have a favourite spot to catch redfin you could do far worse than dust off the spin gear and see if they are on the chew. No doubt these fish will become more active as we head into the warmth of spring. 

Draw Downs Hidden Treasures.

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Its a whole new world when the water drops.

With the lowering of the Mildura weir pool anglers can expect some fairly tough fishing over the next few weeks. One thing that’s sure to upset the feeding habits of Murray cod and Golden perch are sudden rises or drops in river heights. An oncoming rise is generally good and can often trigger Murray cod to feed before its arrival, but sudden drops like the one we are experiencing at the moment tend to  have the opposite effect shutting the fish down.  One thing the draw down will do is reveal snags mid river or on seemingly featureless banks that anglers are simply not aware of. These submerged snags are nothing short of hidden treasures in angling terms and when the river returns to normal they will hold good fish in golden perch and Murray cod.
Single snags in pockets of deep water, while hard to find are one of the hottest pieces of prime real estate for big cod. You can lay even money that any lone deep-water snag will generally house at least one large resident fish if not many, especially during the summer months. Smaller fish cruising the river use these snags as stopover points and predatory fish are all too aware. The location was chosen for this very reason; it’s a prime feeding spot. These snags can turn up anywhere, from mud flats where timber has settled during times of flood, to sharp bends where large trees have succumbed to the relentless force of the river. Even the most featureless stretch of water has the potential to hold a hot snag. While the occupying fish have moved back into the deeper holes with the falling water they will once again return when it refills.
The falling water has also had the effect to draw plenty of silt from the banks. This has made the water quite dirty.  For those intending to fish with lures use a selection in black, purple or bright fleuro patterns. When casting lures put plenty of casts into each spot before moving on as this will give any interested fish time to hone in on the lures vibrations. Same applies when trolling; work the same area back and forth several times bouncing the lures off and amongst the timber. Dirty water often fishes well with bait so it might be worth drowning a few worms or grubs on the edges of back water. And remember with the water down, hidden snags are everywhere so take your time when travelling by boat.  Other sections of river too are experiencing poor water clarity and with a good flow coming down from upstream we can expect to see this dirty water hang around for a while yet. When it comes to fishing. even when you don’t raise a scale you generally manage to take something away from the experience. In the Mildura pool water at present it’s the chance to find a heap of hidden treasures that will pin point plenty of big fish for years to come.