December - January 2012
Hi again,Fishing in the Edward
River and Billabong Creek has improved since my last report. The river level has dropped quite a bit over
the past few months and the water temperature has risen, which seems to have improved the quality of fish being caught.
More reports of catching and releases of Cod and Yellowbelly, and still the dreaded Carp in large numbers, these have
become a nuisance to the fishermen. The
Lake is becoming very popular in the warmer weather with lots of Skiers who have enjoyed their stay with us, they have easy
access to the boat ramp right at the Caravan Park entrance and the very handy large shelter sheds with a free gas barbeque
for yummy lunches and dinners. You can sit and watch the ski boats under the Shelter Sheds in the cooling
breeze. If you wish to fish in the Lake, I have found first thing in the morning and just before sunset a great time, whilst
casting a small lure from the kayak has been the most productive way to catch a couple of nice Cod around the 45cm mark, great
sport on light gear. 9 year old Oscar, who is here with his family water skiing on the Lake, tried his luck in the
evening when all the skiers had gone. By casting lures from the Lake boat ramp, the first evening he was very excited having
landed a 40cm Cod, then the next evening caught another 2 Cod around about 35cm in length. Oscar has put the older fisherman
to shame. Frank and John, who stayed with us a few days, also caught some nice fish in the Edward River,
including a Cod 63cm and nice yellowbelly 33cm using Yabby as bait. Around the same time some Campers from
Wagga caught some Yellowbelly and a Cod 73cm from the Edward River at a place I call the willows. Craig
an ex-resident of Moulamein came with his mate and son Alastair they stayed with us and went fishing in some of Dad’s
childhood preferred fishing spots. Alastair did very well catching and releasing a Cod around the 4kg weight,
and overall they released 8 good yellowbelly all about the 1.5kg weight, all catches where within walking distance from town,
fishing from the bank. On this trip Craig caught quite a few Yabbies to take home, a lot of them were very
large, so I think most of them are destined for the BBQ.
DECEMBER 1 – COD OPENING 2011
Just a short update on fishing for the 1st day of cod opening, guest’s in our cabin Frank and John fishing from
the Edward River bank, using yabbies for bait, caught a 63cm Cod and 33cm yellowbelly. Phil who had a campsite set up near our camp kitchen
also had success catching and releasing a Cod 73cm and a few yellas. All fisherman are also talking about undersize Cod and
some very large Carp taking their baits, it is good to see the Edward and Billabong is still healthy and the larger Cod are
still about, so if you do come fishing in our area, help our Cod survive by just taking a photo home not the fish.
The dates for the “Moulamein
Fishing Competition” has been released, it is the 10th & 11th March 2012, so come along it
is a really fun weekend for all keen fishermen no matter what age. Entry Price is $100 per person (adults)
juniors $25 per person, but you get 5 meals, day one - Breakfast, lunch & dinner, day two – Breakfast & lunch.
Some very good Prizes up for grabs. For more information please ring Jamie on 0418122797.
October - November
Hi again,Now the weather is starting to warm up, we should start to see a few more fisherman
and hunters coming to visit our area. Already the hunters have started coming for the ducks on the rice. Care is needed if
travelling on the dirt tracks in the state forests at the moment with all the rain we have been having lately there is plenty
of wash-outs and muddy bog holes to trap the unwary, it only takes a good shower in these parts to make some bush tracks unusable.
There
are still plenty of Carp about so when your fishing in the area be sure to bring enough bait as they seem to be always on
the bite, I don’t mind catching a few carp its good sport as are the silver bream so if the fishing is a bit slow makes
for a good day, I have been getting reports from fishermen who have been camping along the Edward River, they have been catching
some very nice yellowbelly and good sized silver bream which are protected so will need to be released, both the yellowbelly
and bream are being caught using worms for bait but I am told you have had to work hard for them travelling along the river
fishing around the fallen trees and snags, massive amounts of timber has
fallen into the river from storms that have hit our area in the last year and also the floods have relocated many logs from
where they laid for years, so the once familiar waterways are now significantly altered. So care must be taken if travelling
around in your boat so not to damage your motor or prop and ruining your camping trip.Bruce a regular visitor to our park was back again with his large collection of lures both bought and homemade but
he didn’t have as much luck as on his last visit saying the dirty water made lure fishing difficult, Bruce found that
by casting his favourite lure a twin bladed Colorado with the over size blades which sends out plenty of vibrations did produce
a few fish when casting around snags, he caught a few Cod in shallow water with a 68cm Cod being caught in water around a
meter deep whilst casting around fallen trees over his 3 day stay he caught some good sized yellows – most around 700
to 800 gm. Bruce had trouble catching shrimp for bait but said his yellow belly he caught were full of shrimp ,He tried fishing
the lake but with no success although his sounder showed there to be plenty of good size fish they just would not take lures
or bait no matter how much effort he put in.
David a local from Moulamein caught some nice Yellow belly and caught and released a Cod approx
4.5 kg using Bardi Grubs for bait whilst fishing the Edward River close to town. Fishermen I met at the boat ramp who had
been camping along the river for a week told me that the fishing seemed to improved as the river levels dropped lets hope
that there right and as weather comes good so does the fishing. Also
in our area on the weekend of the 8th October, we had the “Old World Collectable Fair”, which involves
the whole town from the Bowls Club with a lovely display of old cars and other memorabilia. You
can have your old junk valued. Down our end of town on the Lake we have free rides going on the whole day for an old Steam
Boat, an old Timber Oar Boat and an Old Wartime Motorbike with sidecar. Cya John August - September
Hi, Well the weather has been great a little chilly in the morning but nice and
sunny during the day.There is still plenty of carp to be caught and some of them
are very large, in the last few weeks I have tried my luck, fishing the Edward River.I
have been three times in the last two weeks with nothing to show at day’s end but a smile on my face. I have caught
some good size carp though, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon, as carp on light gear are great sport.So I turned my attention to fishing on the water just about an hour before sunset, still with only limited
success.I have caught some small yellowbelly on scrubworms, but amazingly, still no luck
with the cod, but I know there are good size cod in the lake.July of this
year I caught and released a nice sized cod of 64cm whilst kayaking on the Lake and I have seen nice sized yellowbelly caught
by some of the park guests.The locals are telling me that it’s shaping up for
a good fishing season and to expect fishing to improve, as there is plenty of bait in the Edward River and I’m told
that the Edward is still dropping at present, when water is released again and the Edward starts to rise the fish will be
back on the bite better than ever.With the cray season now open there gave been a few fishermen
coming to the park trying their luck in the Edward with a small degree of success, one fellow caught his bag limit over two
days and a four kilo cod, but that is not the norm, lately there nave been some very disappointed fishermen around.Coming to Moulamein is not all about fishing as there is heaps to look at, the bird-life on the lake has to
be seen to be believed, there are birds all over our local lake, Just standing on the boat ramp I counted over 80 black swans and I’m not even going to guess
the amount of smaller water birds and ducks.
Cya John
March - April 2011
Hi, it’s been a sunny and fantastic weekend in Moulamein over the Easter
Anzac Long Weekend with plenty of Fishing Folk poking around. The weather was its usual for this time of the year, just beautiful
in the mid 20’s during the daylight hours and dropping down to the low teens at night, just right for those enticing
campfires and crisps early morning starts. The Edward has finally dropped down to what is considered a
normal water level here in these parts. The water dropped so fast that the banks are quite boggy along the Edward. We love
the buzz that Easter brings to our sleepy little town, with two event filled days: Saturday – yabbie race, dash for
cash, and other social events, face painting, sausage sizzle, BBQ lunch, rubber duck race.Sunday - Angling club fishing comp, BBQ lunch. Sundays fishing comp this year had a 4 burner BBQ up
for grabs just for entering the comp, we are very glad one of our park guests won the BBQ this year. Catches in the Angling
Fishing comp: 67 carp and 4 yellow bellies, the largest yellow belly was 37cms. Some very large yabbies
have been caught just near our Park over the weekend as well, the exact location has been divulged by a happy camper. James
stayed out on a private property over the weekend and using bardi grubs caught 6 cod the largest being 57cms all caught and
released. James also reported catching a lot of carp, and the best time of the day to fish being mid morning. James also said
he had a ton of fun fishing over the long weekend and tries to come to Moulamein Easter weekend every year. You can see from
the recent fishing reports a lot of carp are around, so if you just want to fish and like the thrill of fish on the bite,
fishing is great at the moment. But if you only want cod or yellow belly it is not so good! Linda and Arthur have just come for the visit and fished in the state forest just
outside of town, Linda always does well but this year she caught 50 carp, 1 cod, and 2 yellow bellies. Cya John.
December - February 2011
Hi again, The
fishing over the last two weeks has gone very quiet, I went fishing with my father about 3 weeks ago and landed a nice Cod
67cm, it was Dads first fish since arriving at Moulamein. We tried everything that day to catch fish using fresh
shrimp and worms and trolling for hours, which is how we caught the Cod. I
gave up on the Edward River and went a short way up Billabong Creek fishing using bait, but we only caught Carp and some very
large ones at that, UGH! I guess the flood waters have washed them down, as I have not caught
many Carp before the floods in the year that I have fished this area. I have found that the Billabong has always fished
better as the water levels rise, but that is not happening this time. You see fish on the sounder when trolling but for some
reason the fish don’t want to bite. But I’m not going
to give up. The fish went off the bite very quickly and I’m hoping that they will start again just as quickly. Now the
river has peaked things may return to normal, It was only 2 months ago that catching and releasing up to 40 fish was quite
common for the fisherman that stayed with us.For those of you that enjoy hunting there’s heaps
of ducks in the rice fields and The Farmers would like a hand getting the ducks out of the rice fields, the Hunters we had
in the park lately have all gone home with an impressive amount of ducks for their families.
Cya John
November 2010
Hi
again,
The fishing has improved over the last 2 months;
it is the best I have seen since arriving in Moulamein in February. Park guest Greg caught and released
50 fish during his 3 day stay with us, which is great to see. Aub and his mate Jeff had a similar story catching and releasing
fish keeping only a few Yellow Belly’s for the BBQ. I did not expect the fishing to be this good as the flood waters
have reached the Edward River and the Billabong Creek here in Moulamein bringing with it black water. Although
a few fish have died in both waterways, the fishing has been phenomenal. Lately, I set my trap in Lake
Moulamein and catch enough shrimp overnight for a few good hours of fishing per day. It is great having
the Lake on our boundary as we always have fresh bait to fish with. I went just out of town with my daughter
Katey using live shrimp and worms, we had a great couple of hours fishing, getting enough bites so Katey did not have time
to get bored, she caught a small Yellow Belly which she has told everybody who would listen to her about her fish.
Tracey my wife managed to catch a 45cm Yellow Belly with my line which she was just holding for a minute, whilst I
helped Katey with her catch, I only managed to catch a 34cm Yellow Belly after that. Bill and Faye from
South Australia are regular visitors to Moulamein and also had an excellent few days fishing on the Edward River, they caught
and released a 51cm Cod and a good sized Silver Perch also 2 Yellow Belly of 43cm and 46cm respectively. Linda
and Arthur, regulars to the Park, were up again fishing the shallow areas as the flood water levels rose, over their stay
they caught 11 Cod, then released them only keeping 2 nice sized Yellow Belly for their esky. We still
have a lot of duck hunters coming to the Park helping out the local farmers with the troublesome ducks eating the crops of
rice. Well that’s all for this month don’t forget we are always looking for good photo’s
for our website so call in or email us some of your pics. Cya John
October 2010
Hi again,Well finally
the weather has improved and rivers started to drop and country side is looking great, all the farmers are busy planting there
rice crops which has brought in the ducks, for those of you who enjoy the sport of duck hunting, there are plenty about at
the moment. The fishing has improved this month, the river levels
have began to drop in the last week. Catches of 12 large Yellow Belly reported from the Billabong Creek
and on private property just outside of Moulamein in the Niemur River a group of fisherman caught 40 Silver Bream & Yellow
Belly. Cod are also on the bite, but remember it is still “closed season” till November 30th.
Park Guest Alan fished just on the edge of town, he released 5 Cod in one afternoon
of fishing and lost a large fish that snapped his line, he said on his next trip up he will catch and photograph the same
fish for me. I went fishing with my 4ry old daughter Katey who fished for the
first time using her little pink rod, she hooked a Cod that appeared on the surface only to snap her light line. We repaired
the line and she landed her first fish a Silver Bream with a little help from Daddy. Katey was so excited so were off to the
lake to set the traps to catch some more shrimp and try again. Next
months report I will let you know how we went. CYA John
August - September 2010
Hi well not a lot to
report again this month we have had quite a bit of rain over the past 2 months, so any attempt to leave the road and enter
the tracks leading to the river is not recommended, you’re very likely to get bogged.Camping in the wet conditions is not very enjoyable, but the rain has been welcomed by the farmers in the district
giving them hope for the future crops and plenty of feed for their stock. Not so good for the fishermen who want to try there
luck in the local rivers around Moulamein. There have been a few fishermen who have tried to camp in the Bengee State Forest only to be forced out by the rain,
becoming bogged in their attempt to get out of the Forest, one of the fishermen had to have his caravan towed out by a four
wheel drive then the four wheel drive returned to tow out his car as well. Needless to say it is very wet around these parts
at the present, locals are saying it is the wettest winter in about 10 years. We have had a few campers in the park that have been fishing the Edward River, which is only a
10 minute walk from our Park, the Edward runs right through the town of Moulamein, which means you can fish from the back
of the Tatts Hotel or near the Big Tree which is something worthwhile seeing if you are visiting Moulamein the huge Redgum
is over 11 meters in circumference and assumed to be over 300 yrs old. Two fishermen reported they caught 2 Cod and a large Carp on Log Leaper Lures I gave them to try,
they found the darker coloured lures were the best in the murky flowing water, Cod caught on the lures were around the 55cm
mark which were released, and 2 legal Yellow Belly were caught on worms, along with a couple of Crays which gave them a delicious
evening meal. The Crays appear to be
on the move as I’m hearing quite a few reports of the Crays being caught over the past weeks these tasty crustaceans
relish the cold water and with a bit of local knowledge a morning’s work can produce a meal fit for a King. On to the River News, the Edward River, now at 1.60metres and
a flow of 1375ML/day, temperature remaining at 10oC, whilst the Neimur is at a height of 1.08metres, flowing at
15ML/day and reaching the temperature of 9oC. The Wakool River currently at a height of 53cm, with a flow of 3ML/day
and is at 9oC; last but not least the Billabong Creek is only at a height of 1.63metres at Darlot.
Cya
John
June – July 2010
Well I don’t have a lot to
report this month fishing over the past few weeks has been a bit quiet. The colder water temperature of around 10oC
has quietened the fish down, and the fishermen don’t seem to want to venture out in the cold weather either. If
you are willing to brave the weather and put the time in, there are still some nice fish to be had. We
had some news from Campers that the Crays are on the move, with a couple of nice sized ones being caught in the Edward river
at Berambong State Forest which is situated about 13Km out of Moulamein. Also caught were 2 legal sized Cod but they said
that the fishing was generally quieter than their previous trips to Moulamein and they believed the colder water was the reason.
They said they have enjoyed their stay, as they are coming back in 2 months time to
have another go. Next time they said they shall be bringing “the boat”. The
Fishermen found many places to launch a tinny in the Berambong State Forest.
Moulamein Lake, which is right next to the caravan park, has also been preforming well, a Resident of the
park catching a couple of Yellow Belly, which are now just reaching the legal size limit, although the Cod still have long
way to go till they are of legal size, it was good to see them take a photo and then releasing their catch back into the Lake
to be caught another day. The Lake was reconstructed and filled in January 2009, so it’s good to
see the fingerlings released into the Lake are doing so well. The amount of bait in the Lake has also increased
remarkably as Guests have only to set up their traps in the Lake overnight and wake up to an abundance of shrimp and yabbies
in the morning.
On to the River News, the Edward river has slowed, it went down approx 100mm in the last week, now at 0.75 metres
and a flow of 361ML/day, temperature remaining at 8oC, whilst the Neimur is at a height of 1.02 metres, flowing
at 2ML/day and reaching the temperature of 8oC. The Wakool River currently at a height of 61cm, with a flow of
12ML/day and is at 9oC; last but not least the Billabong Creek is only at a height of 1.45 metres at Darlot.
Cya
March - April
2010
Hi again,
We had a great Easter at Moulamein Lakeside
Caravan Park as we were full to capacity with Campers & Fisherman even the Easter Bunny came for visit handing out eggs
to all the Guests’ young & old alike. The town put on a great weekend of events including the Rubber Duck and Yabby
Races and a Swimming Race out to the Island in the middle of Lake Moulamein and back also there was lots to keep both kids
and adults entertained over the long weekend.
We have had a bit
rain over last month causing few problems with campers along the river being unable to get their vans out without getting
bogged I have even had to help 3 hunters out who walked 3km to the road after getting their vehicle bogged to the axles.
A father and his 2 sons came for a weekend of fishing, the kids caught plenty of shrimp for bait in the Lake Moulamein,
and yabbies in the irrigation channels just outside town, but as we are hearing quite often they had great fun but all the
cod caught are under the legal limit.
Well the fishing has been a bit up and
down the Edward river level is just under a meter but still enough water to travel up and down the river in boats some reports
of good Yellow Belly being caught but the legal size cod are a bit scarce we hear about Cod up to 55cm quite
often but getting over the 60cm legal limit have been a bit harder, but they are there as a Park Guest pulled two fish out
of the Edward River at Benjee state forest just last week a 62cm and 68cm Cod also a few good Yellow Belly 2 & 3kg mark
over two days of fishing.
Peter a Park Resident
has been busy catching his share of fish also bringing home a feed when he goes to his favourite spot just the other day he
brought home two nice Yellow Belly one was 45cm the other 50cm Peter tells me he been getting them on shrimp he catches in
Lake Moulamein.
Steve also a resident of the park well know for catching and releasing some
big Cod brought home a cod 84cm weighing 7.5kg keeping this one for the dinner table and sharing his catch with some park
guests , Steve is always willing to pass on some of his local knowledge to park visitors.
Well that’s my
report for this month call into the park and get your photo taken so we can put it up on the wall in our games room for everyone
to see.
CYA John
February
2010
Hi everyone my name is John Snoys I have taken over the fishing report from Michael Williams, I am also
the new owner of the Moulamein Lakeside Caravan Park along with my wife Tracey and 4yr old daughter Katey.
Tracey and I have moved
to Moulamein NSW from Mackay Qld and fresh water fishing is all new to me, having grown up in Mackay I am a keen reef and
estuary fisherman, hopefully, the locals and park residents will give me a few pointers on where and how to catch the good
ones so I can share their fishing tales with you.
We have three
Guests from Bendigo who have come jet skiing on Lake Moulamein, today they went fishing on the Edward River
and had themselves a very successful day, as they came home with a nice feed for the BBQ, one
good size Cod and couple Yellow Bellies not a bad days fishing, fresh yabbies and shrimp was their preferred
bait of choice.
Long time park resident Steve came home last week with a Cod of 63 cm caught just outside of town using yabby bait,
also he showed me a hook which had been straightened by a monster fish in the Edward River,
Steve said he’ll get him next time, and knowing Steve he will. Bruce &
Bronwyn from Swan Hill stayed for a weekend of fishing and relaxation, they had a few good days fishing on the Edward River,
catching a good feed of Yellow Belly, but they said there was quite a few undersized Cod around the 55cm mark and smaller,
which had to be thrown back, things are looking good for future fishing trips, husband and wife are both looking forward to
trying their luck again.
Don’t miss the Moulamein Fishing Competition on the 6th
and 7th of March should be a great weekend so get your entries in contact Jamie on 0418122797 for enquiries.
River news the Edward has been holding steady at 1.9 m with a flow of 1852
ML per day, the Wakool is running at a height of 1.9m , the Niemur is flowing at a height of1.52 m
The Moulamein Lake is looking good with another two shelters complete with picnic tables right on the waters edge,
there is now plenty of shade for all the family, when your up this way with your ski
boat or jet skis drop in.
Well that’s it for my first report please ring or email the Park with any fishing stories or tips for my next
report.
Cya John
January
2010
G’day all,
What a fantastic
last couple of months it has been here in Moulamein. The weather has been absolutely perfect on a lot of the days and we have
had some rain to green things up as well. The
River has been the highest in years sitting at around 2.40 metres high here in Moulamein, bringing many tourists and fisher
people to the town. We have been told that the river level will be high all summer so this is very good news for all the fishos
ready to get their rods wet. December has been one of the busiest months here at the Caravan Park for the last 3 years. The date has been set for the Moulamein Fishing Competition the Outlaw
Spinnerbait and Gladiator Tackle Cash Classic. Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th March 2010. The comp is Catch
and Release only with huge cash prizes up for grabs. Entry Fees are $85 for Adults and $25 for the Junior Anglers. Why not
get a group together and come and stay at the Caravan Park. Onto
the fishing news there has been plenty of Cod caught lately with many Anglers reporting the majority size to be around the
55cm mark. Anglers are reporting that there is plenty of Cod but the Yellow Belly have gone quiet since November. Regulars Don and John recently spent another week here reporting a
great relaxing time on the River fishing. We hope to see you guys soon for a get together and a great fishing outing. Resident Steve scored himself another monster which was released into
Moulamein Lake. The
fingerlings that were released into the Lake last year are growing well and the food chain is very healthy with plenty of
shrimp and yabbies about. If you are looking for a great spot to
bring your family then come to Moulamein where the kids can have a wonderful time, fishing in the river, skiing on the lake,
riding bikes and motor bikes, canoeing etc
Cya
