Eppalock, Angler’s Paradise, or Lake Disappointment?

Aside from a small hiatus with work, I’ve been fortunate enough to call the Bendigo region home for over 40 years now. Even as early as the 1980s, I sought out the local fishing hotspots. With a background and passion for redfin fishing I was immediately drawn to the south of the city, firstly by the Campaspe River, and then Lake Eppalock.

Initially I was a land based angler and the Campaspe served me well, but my first tinny had me investigating this intricate and interesting local impoundment, Lake Eppalock. Crikey, how hard was this place to fish! It was unbelievable. Forty years on I’m a little more accomplished out there, and Eppalock is one of my favourite redfin spots. Read on for some of darky’s musings, hints, tips and opinion, on our closest lake.

History

Eppalock is primarily a water storage for irrigation and domestic water supply. That said, it has also been the recipient of plenty of fish liberations over the years, supplementing the existing populations of reddies and carp.

Trout were stocked in the 1970s. They are a popular sportsfish and have many fans in Australia. Returns to anglers back then were poor and the liberations were ceased, with near neighbor Cairn Curran Reservoir proving a far better recipient of the salmonids. Fun fact 1, despite the dismal failure of trout stockings in the past, more were stocked a few years back. No, I’ve not heard of any recaptures. I’ll wait a little longer. The native fish liberations however have been far more successful, partially at least. Partially you say? Read on……

Natives

Liberations of yellowbelly and Murray cod have been occurring for quite some time now. In fact Eppalock has received very generous numbers of both native sport fish for decades. Returns to anglers of the yellas has been sensational. Dedicated perch anglers target them specifically and gain good results, and there are plenty more accidental captures by redfin anglers (me!) to support the theory that the yellas are in the words of Borat (did he even fish in Kazakhstan?), “huge success”.

The Murray cod I find perplexing however. I’m too scared to go back through the archives, but I reckon the stockings have been occurring for nigh on 3 decades now. Thirty years! How many cod? I’m way too afraid to look. A “ship load”, with the hopes of becoming another Lake Eildon, undoubtedly a hugely successful, stocked Murray cod fishery. At first look, it would seem to be logical. Both lakes have some deep pockets, rocky banks, weedbeds, forage fish and an endless supply of small redfin for the cod to eat. But, is Eppalock the success that Eildon has been as a Murray cod fishery? I suggest not. Read on……

Oh Cod…..

Now I’m not suggesting at all, that there are not (some) Murray cod in Lake Eppalock. There are, people I know have caught them. They’ve gotta be in there! But! In my opinion, looking at the sheer numbers of released fish, the actual returns to anglers are woeful. I spend a lot of time trolling lures at Eppalock, it’s my go to method for searching for schools of reddies as well as picking them off once found. I dunno, I don’t think I’m that crappier angler, but wouldn’t you think I may have at least once come across an angry cod? Yellas? Sure, plenty of accidental captures there, but no cod. My conclusion? Based on anecdotal evidence gained from talking to many Eppalock anglers, I honestly don’t believe the Murray cod liberations are a success, for this lake. Just like the trout. In both instances there must be “reasonable” returns to anglers to justify ongoing, expensive releases.

The other aspect is certainly a 2020s phenomenon, the introduction of live scoping technology. Murray cod anglers who I respect greatly, tell me that a good day of scoping in Mulwala yields 12 to 15 meterys, and goodness only knows how many smaller fish. Similar scoping trips at Eppalock are battling to turn up a cod. Where are they all? Redfin poo? Do the yellas run ‘em out of Dodge? Who knows, not me that’s for sure.

After 30 years, Eppalock does not seem to me, to be a successful Murray cod fishery, of the ilk of Lake Eildon. Can you go to Lake Eppalock and catch a cod? Sure, if it’s your day and the rest of the planets line up……. But is it a Murray cod fishery? No. Not in my book. Disagree with me? Fabulous! Drop us a line with your reasoning and we’ll have a look. Eppalock is 10 minutes from my front door and I’d love nothing better than to have a classy Murray cod fishery on my doorstep. Anecdotal evidence for me however, is that the newer cod lake in Cairn Curran Reservoir is a better recipient of small codfish. But that’s a story for another day……

Disappointment?

I spend a lot of time (too much at times) online on different forums and Facebook groups pertaining to fishing and Lake Eppalock. Without doubt, one of the resounding themes I keep reading from visiting and local anglers, is that of “ Lake Disappointment”. People really struggle to get onto fish at this lake. When I say fish, I’m referring to redfin, still the most popular target in the lake.

I struggled early in my Eppalock fishing journey. Couldn’t pull a fish to save myself, let alone catch a feed! But I listened to other anglers and changed a few of my techniques. So, here’s “darky’s how to” for Eppalock, the same advice I freely give out to anyone who wants to know. You want an X on a map? Sorry Team, you’ve come to the wrong place! But using these techniques, you can develop your own X’s. And Eppalock being the lake that it is, you’ll be able to return to these hotspots year after year, and get a feed of reddies!

Where?

The wheres of Lake Epalock for redfin have always been clear. Look for your water depths of between 15 to 25 feet firstly. Yes, you’ll catch reddies either side of this depth, but not as reliably. So find this depth firstly and go prospecting. Prospecting with what you say! My go to is the little Crawdad style lures, and trolled on the cobweb braid which is all you’ll need for reddys, a depth of 20 odd feet is achieved. What if the reddys are holding in 25+ feet? That’s ok, your lures will still be in the zone, they’ll snaffle it! You want a lure color? Easy! Start with a green or chartreuse, a few black bars and a lumo orange belly or chin. You cannot go wrong with this starter. Once you find the fish, experiment with others in your arsenal, see what you can come up with.

The other Eppalock fish holding spots are lumps, bumps, irregularities, sunken islands and drop offs. If you can sound up these areas, you will find fish. The Eppalock reddies love these spots, and you will take them running your lures both uphill or down. The drop offs are often easy to pick out from the shoreline terrain and work over, but the mid pool lumps n bumps are often discovered by accident, when motoring between spots. Do not drive on, they will hold redfin. At least drop a pin on your sounder or phone, so you can check it out next trip.

How?

So, you're trolling two rods, you spot a few fish on the sounder and both rods go off. Giddy up! Cut the donk, reel in your fish, keepers, beauty, into the keep net and immediately double back for another run over the top. Another double? Game on! At this point you can make a decision to continue doing what your’re doing, or toss out the “pick” and amp it up a bit. If you’re going the latter, check the wind direction, throw the pick out well upwind of the school, and gently drift back to them. My go to now, is either the good old ice jigs directly under the boat, or soft plastics cast a gentle distance from the boat, and retrieved along the bottom. The ice jigs will fill your bag quickly, but you’ll have a lot of fish drop off mid retrieve too, and then run the risk of the entire school decamping with the grumpy fish with the hole in his lip! Decisions, decisions!

Use these techniques and you will catch redfin. Doing just this has served me well forever. I have a number of hotspots where I can always find fish, but if these are quiet, it’s prospecting time. Off with the trolled lures again, time to find some new spots. Want to ramp it up a little? Tie a short leader just short of your trolled lure, with a soft plastic on a straight shanked hook tied to the end. On a good pass you’ll find yourself in all sorts of bother, trying to land 4 good reddies at the same time! The only down side to this method, is if you snag up, the lure retriever won't make it down to the lure. Game over…..

Found your school and want to try something different? Easy! Blades, vibes, semi plastics, bugs, bobbers, knock yourself out. When the reddies are in a feeding frenzy there’s little they won’t take. My preference is the ice jigs, I can unhook a fish and have them back down in the action in a flash. The downside being frequent pulled hooks.

When?

Without doubt, the redfin are more prolific and easier to catch, through the warmer months. Does that mean they can’t be caught through winter? Hell no! They are slower, and quieter, however employing all the same methods, you’ll still fill your bag. The hardest part is often extracting yourself from in front of the fire, I get that! You will have to slow things down a little once a school is located, for instance a dead slow retrieve of the plastic across the bottom will get the bites. If you’re up for it, winter is also a good time to break out the baits. A peeled yabby tail or a scrubworm will be irresistible to a reddy. They still have to eat!

The other advantage of redfin fishing through winter, is you’ll be “Johnny (or Jenny) on the spot”, when the yellas shrug off their winter blues and start prowling the lake looking for a little action. It’s probably more water temperature than time of year dependent, but if you see the surface water temperature on your sounder sniffing around the 17 degrees mark, prepare for yellas!

Finally

So there it is, Darky’s Eppalock thoughts and musings. Lake Disappointment? As a bona fide “Murray cod lake”, I think yes. But in general, no. The redfin and yella fishing in this spot more than makes up for it.

Let us know your thoughts on Lake Eppalock. Agree? Disagree? It’s all good, everyone’s thoughts experiences and opinions are valid. Either way, drop in and have a chat to the friendly and knowledgeable McCreddens team regarding your Lake Eppalock fishing needs. Green, yella or red targets, they'll see you right!

darky out…