Fishing Nagambie

Na, Na, NAGAMBIE!!!

Where can you find quality beer and wine, quality thoroughbred race horses and top quality fishing? I’ll give you a hint. Its little more than an hour down the road from Greater Bendigo. Nagambie, that’s where!

Up until a few years back, Nagambie wasn’t really on my radar. My cod fishing exploits were predominantly to Mulwala (and why not) or even further afield to my old stamping ground at beautiful Mildura.

Frequent fishing partner Jas’ was at me though. His annual water skiing trip to Nagambie kept turning up small Murray cod on the kid’s bait rods. Let’s try Nagambie he said! I thought well if there’s small cod, there’s bound to be a few larger ones too! We started fishing the area, and have had considerable success. Read on, for darky’s hot tips, for a Nagambie Murray cod fishing trip.

Firstly

Can I firstly put it out there, that I am in no way any form of Nagambie guru (or any other form of guru for that matter). What I do have however, is a few decades of Murray cod fishing experience, and to be honest the techniques are neither difficult nor astounding. That said, they work! And they’ve worked for me at any number of Murray cod waters.

What the hell are they you say! Well hold up just a little. To properly explain the techniques, you firstly have to understand a little of the water you’re fishing. Read on, I promise there’ll be some substance at some point down the page.....

Weiry

Downstream of the township of Nagambie is the Goulburn Weir. It was formed so that precious water can be funneled off for downstream farming, irrigation and town water provision. The Goulburn River has a ripper water supply from upstream Lake Eildon, which is well serviced by several upstream river water supplies.

The filled weir has created a magnificent wooded “lake” at the bottom end, very reminiscent of the flooded tree landscape of much loved Lake Mulwala. Moving further upstream, the original Goulburn River river course was also flooded, creating a river within a river, numerous backwaters and absolutely oodles of flooded timber loving Murray cod. Giddy up!

This beautifully diverse waterway continues all the way beyond the town and the town lake area further upstream, virtually to the old Chinaman’s Bridge. We’ve not fished that much further upstream (we’ve not had a need to, to be honest), but I believe the further you move upstream away from the weir, the more a traditional river it becomes. It makes sense really.

What a troll....

Those whom know me well and those who’ve followed my rantings, would know that as far as Murray cod fishing goes, I’m an unashamed troller of all things bright, plastic and prickly! The techniques Jas’ and I use at Nagambie, are ones that we’ve refined over a couple of decades of trolling Mulwala, Mildura, the Campaspe and Loddon Rivers and others. Here we go, the substance......

Picture if you will, a “river within a river”. “What the hell darky, you been on the beers” I hear you say! But hear me out. In any of these man made weired waters, there will always be a flooded edge of the original river course. You’ll see it easily with your sounder, but essentially you just need to look for the line of trees and stumps which would have originally shaded the original river bank, now showing up as a submerged ledge.

The areas and techniques described are useful in all similar waters. Locally, fishing destinations like Aysons Reserve on the Campaspe and parts of the Loddon River around Bridgewater, Serpentine and Fernihurst come to mind. All were previously unabated waterways, which have been pulled up by a bloody great wall so we can capture the water, thus creating an intricate backwater feature which our fish love! This backwater has shallows, deep waters and everything in between. Let’s look at darkys favorite first, and see how I fish it.

I’m a donkey on the ledge...

Jas’ and I simply love working over the edge of the old river system at Nagambie, within the weired water, whether that’s within the weir proper, or upstream into the river proper. The Murray cod simply love this position within the waterway. Now I don’t know if they’re moving up from the deep, out from the shallows or that's where they like to hang and chill, but that’s where we find ‘em. As previously discussed, this is where you’ll find a line of trees which once lined the old river bank and we all know Murray cod love timber. You’ll often also find a weed bed up into the shallows. Weed in a river equals bugs, forage fish, bigger fish and ultimately Muzza cod tucker. No wonder they love them!

If you’re trolling the edge, try and zig zag up and down the edge. Your lure will travel up, then down the ledge proving irresistible to a cod in waiting. A word of warning, fishing in this manner requires some commitment with the boat. Anyone who knows darky’s boat knows that I don’t care where I put it. I’m not scared to power over the sub surface timber whilst trolling, and the bottom of the old tin can has been described as looking not unlike the surface of a golf ball! Suffice to say if you’re fishing from a 60K fibreglass bass boat, this technique may not be for you.......

Lure wise, have a look at the depth you’re trolling, for me predominantly 8 through to 12 or 14 feet. Those who know me well know my go to lure is without a doubt the number 2 Stumpy. These little beauties are inexpensive, come in every color under the sun and troll beautifully above and below that 10 foot mark, dictated somewhat by the amount of “string” out the back. Other lures worth a shot are the Mul range from JD’s and the smaller, shallower Oargees. Colors? Take your pick, but start with green.

The cast and retrieve brigade are well served by the ledges too. A bow mount electric can hold you off the ledge while you pepper it with your preferred lure. I reckon parking on the shallow side and bringing your lure “up the ledge” is the best method, but certainly parking in the deep and bringing them down can also work well, particularly with sinking lures like spinnerbaits.

Bait anglers are not left out either. My apologies if this piece is geared towards lure fishing, but that’s what I do. If bait fishing is your preference it’s a bit like selling real estate, position, position, position!! Use the stumps, drowned timber and ledges to your advantage, place your baits on the edge and hang on. There is a little bit of flow through the Nagambie system at times, so you may need to adjust your sinker so the bait is not swept away. Experimentation is the key. As always, use the lightest weight possible, to keep your bait in place. When a fish picks up your offering that’s all he needs to feel, not a snapper lead of weight as well ‘cos that’s all you had in the box.

Flat out like a lizard.....

As previously mentioned, the Nagambie system has a multitude of shallower flats as well, formed from the establishment of the weir. These areas can be difficult to navigate, but the rewards are there as they are fish rich destinations. The lure casters are very well served in these spots, and moving on the electric from stump to stump and weed bed to weed bed will put fish on the deck. Think lighter spinnerbaits and large soft plastics here, big n shallow if you will.

These areas are not much chop for the trollers, but if you’re a “drag queen” like me, pay a bit of attention to the old river course on the edge of these shallower flats. Just like the old river ledges within the larger river, they seem to be hotspots for Murray cod particularly. Why that is, is purely speculation (unless someone has truly learned to speak “cod”), but sitting out of the main current in a quieter bit of water seems to be the cod’s gameplay.

I’m goin’ deep, deep undercover......

Trolling the deeper waters of the river within the system is always worth a crack through Nagambie. Since the establishment of the weir the deeper sections of the old river proper can be 30 feet or more, and trolling these depths with some of your deeper diving lures will get you a green fish from the depths. In these areas think Number 1 Stumpys, the larger, deeper Oargees and some of the deeper JD’s offerings. Once again working the boat up and down the deeper ledges will give you the best opportunity to find the cod.

Launch into it...

The area is well served by a couple of boat launching spots. I suggest choosing the area you want to fish and use the closest launch spot. That said, the entire system can be fished (albeit not thoroughly) in a good day. Check the weather forecast and if the wind is tricky let that dictate your launch.

At the top of the system Loddings Lane (which leads to the Holiday Park) is the best of the boat ramps. It’s a large double concrete ramp with nearby pontoons. The largest of fishing vessels can be launched here with a 2WD car. From here you can work “down” the river system, but be aware that at the time of writing the old wooden Chinaman’s Bridge is apparently too dangerous to traverse beneath, so if fishing the river system upstream is on your radar you may need to seek out one of the dirt launching areas upstream of this structure.

In the middle of the system is the dodgy little concrete ramp at the end of Turner Island Lane at Kirwans Bridge. When I say dodgy, if you’re careful it’s quite ok, but it’s fairly narrow and unforgiving if you’re not lined up just right. Darky’s trailer will attest to this, the U bolts copping a bit of a flogging when I’ve been a little too keen to reverse in and dropped over the precipice..... There’s plenty of shady parking and the beauty of this spot is you can work up or down the system.

At the bottom end of the system is the weir with launch access at the end of Cozens Lane, via Hayshed Rd. This launch area is really only suited to the smallest of tinnys. It’s narrow and shallow, with a gravel base. On a good day a 2 wheel drive vehicle may launch a boat ok, but care will be needed. The weir end is affected by wind much more than the rest of the system, so unfortunately the boats best set up to combat these conditions, will be the most difficult to launch here. Take care though and you’ll be ok.

Something’s fishy.....

I fish Nagambie for the Murray cod, I just love them. Be that as it may, Jas’ and I always welcome any captures, and the days when we’ve won “the trifecta” are invariably the best days. The trifecta darky you say, we’re not at the bloody races ya dill!! Indeed not, my Nagambie trifecta is a day of green, yella and red, Murray cod, yellas and redfin.

The system holds good numbers of all fish, they’re widespread and all available fishing in the aforementioned methods. I like to use that mid sized (think #2 Stumpy) lure because you’ll get all species on them. I’ve taken cod to 820 and redfin no bigger than the lure on a #2 Stumpjumper, their versatility knows no bounds! There are however, many other mid sized lures out there. Don’t be scared to mix them up a little, you never know what your quarry may want on any given day.

I’m not a crayer, but the Nagambie area is also a popular and productive Murray cray destination, at the appropriate time of the year. Maybe it’s time to crack out the thermal undies (there’s an image of darky I bet you didn’t need) and drop a few cray nets. Oodles of local crayers can’t be wrong!

Nagambie.....

Accommodation locally is currently a bit tricky, with the recent floods devastating the Holiday Park. Tradies are working to get everything fitted out and up and running again and I urge you to have a look here (once reopened) if wanting to spend a night or two. Prior to the floods Jas’ and I have stayed in the cabins and they are first rate, as good as you’ll find anywhere, with the Goulburn River at your front door.

Until the Holiday Park reopens, accommodation for anglers is scant. There’s a motel in town, and a number of air bnb type houses around, but these are aimed at the higher end of the visiting tourist groups. Fair play to you if you can and want to afford them, but until the Holiday Park reopens Nagambie will remain a day trip for me.

There’s a couple of little gems in town you won’t want to miss too. At the top of town is a cracking Vietnamese Bakery which is an early opener. Great coffee and tasty pastries, what more could the visiting angler want? At the other end of town is a glorious little Thai restaurant as good as any I’ve tried. In the middle of town is a brewery with some very tasty craft beers and a view over the town lake to die for. If you have a moment to spare when not fishing, I highly recommend checking out these quality, local businesses.

Finally.....

There it is, darky’s hot guide to fishing the Nagambie system. Head in and see your friendly and knowledgeable fishing consultants at McCreddens Fishing and Outdoors, the team will set you up with all your requirements for a Nagambie outing.

One last recommendation if I may. The system cools down VERY quickly. It’s been a cracking season so far this year, but it’s already showing signs of slowing up. The fish will always be there, they just become a little more difficult to tempt! Don’t mess about, get yourself down (or up) to Nagambie. Don’t forget the camera, it’s one of the most picturesque spots you’ll ever fish.

darky out....