Fishing boom
The Wimmera’s reputation as a major recreational freshwater fishing area is set to gain momentum with fisheries officers releasing thousands of trout into lakes across the region.
The program involves hefty stockings of brown and rainbow trout, adding to a mix of native fish releases during the warmer months and self-sustaining exotic species such as redfin.
Ararat’s Green Hill Lake, Lake Bellfield at Halls Gap and Lake Fyans, Stawell, were the recipients of thousands of fish last month.
Now Lake Wartook in the Grampians and smaller impoundments such as Lake Marma at Murtoa, Horsham’s Police Paddock dams, Alexandra Lake, Ararat, Cato Lake, Stawell, Great Western Racing and Recreation Reserve, Tchum Lake, Birchip, and Foletti Caravan Park Lake, Donald, will be fish-release target waters.
Anglers consider brown trout a premier trophy species and rainbow trout a quick-growing and voracious fighting species that can have immediate angling impact after release.
Fisheries Victoria often times rainbow releases to coincide with school holidays.
Wimmera Anglers Association president Kelvin Robinson welcomed the releases as part of an annual stocking program, but added there was a strong argument for even more fish releases in the region.
“Considering the recovery and condition of lakes and waterways in our region, fishing has re-emerged as a major recreation activity and is drawing in people from across Victoria and interstate,” he said.
“Circumstances surrounding many of our lakes are the best they’ve been for many years and I strongly believe they present a great socio-economic opportunity for the Wimmera.
“We’re confident the regional lake network could now easily handle a greater volume of salmonid and native fish stockings and look forward trout to consideration for increases in the next year. We plan to push our case strongly at the next fisheries stocking meeting in Ballarat later this year.”
Mr Robinson said recreation fishing conditions and results had improved dramatically with rain and run-off in the past 12 months.
“The recreation sector could dramatically improve with more fish,” he said.
“Many of our lakes have recovered from dry periods and we have no doubt the amount of food in these waters would have little trouble sustaining large quantities of fish.
“If you have the fish, the anglers will come and if the anglers come, then money and investment follows for the region.”
Mr Robinson said the association was strongly pushing to guarantee lakes Fyans and Wartook, popular tourist destinations, had greater fishing.
“We also want to make sure Toolondo Reservoir, perhaps the blue-ribbon trout water for the this part of the state, is always up for consideration.”
Growing participation
Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said increased fish stocks were a key part of the Labor Government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing.
She said the plan aimed to grow participation to one million anglers by 2020.
“Improving fishing opportunities in places such as Murtoa, Horsham, Stawell and Ararat is a great way to attract newcomers to fishing and grow participation in regional communities,” she said. “Fishing is such an important recreational activity for many Victorians and I would much rather see kids casting a line than on an I-pad.” Wimmera trout-stocking program for June: Brown trout, Lake Wartook 10,000; rainbow trout, Marma Lake, Murtoa 450, Police Paddock dams, Horsham 300, Cato Lake, Stawell 300, Great Western Racing and Recreation Reserve 200, Foletti Caravan Park Lake, Donald 350, Tchum Lake, Birchip 1000.