Trellys Fishing Report

Trellys Fishing Report 26th September 2025

Spring is the unofficial “Yellowbelly season” for many anglers as rising water temperatures and rising water levels can trigger the Yellas to bite. 

Over the last few weeks I have been speaking of the Yellowbelly fishing ramping up, and that pattern continues this week. I have seen, heard of or received more Yellowbelly reports this week than the last 3 weeks put together. They’re really starting to fire up in many areas. 

I have had reports of Yellowbelly being caught in Lake Hume, Lake Eildon, Cairn Curran Reservoir, the Loddon River, the Campaspe River and a number of irrigation channels. 

Despite my best efforts, I still have not caught a yellowbelly in my local, the Ovens River system. Maybe the water is still a bit too cold here? The Ovens River and it’s tributaries are fed from melting snow on the highest mountains in Victoria, so naturally they will be a bit colder.  

Just quickly, the stream trout fishing pattern continues with many anglers now reporting better trout fishing than last year, but still not great fishing. Most anglers, myself included, are noticing an increase in the number of small trout in the streams. 

Lake Eildon: 

I have seen a few photos of nice Yellowbelly caught at Lake Eildon this week. The fish were caught on lipless crankbaits and medium sized hard body lures. I have also seen photos of some monster Murray cod caught there this week too, by keen anglers targeting them with large swim baits. Some of these large cod have been caught on a new type of lure that is gaining popularity. They are like a giant colourful fly, but with a weighted head. I think some people call them a fly jig. I have never used one but can see why they are so effective at catching Murray cod. 

Lake Nillahcootie: 

I don’t normally report on places unless I have something to report on, but I know that people are wondering how Lake Nillahcootie is fishing. I have not been there myself yet this spring, nor have I heard very many reports other than a few Yellowbelly and some carp  a couple of weeks ago. 

Lake Nillahcootie can get very windy, and we have had a lot of wind lately. As soon as I get a free afternoon and there is no wind, I will be heading over there to wet a line. 

Lake Hume:

Lake Hume has been fishing well for Yellowbelly. My mate Andrey Colston has been up there a few times lately and has been catching some lovely Yellowbelly with his son, and his dad. You can see some of his catches on Instagram. (Instagram @andrew_colston)

I know that some people have missed out completely, but some are also having great success. Small dark soft plastics seem to be working well up there. 

Ovens River: 

There’s still no sign of any Yellowbelly in the Ovens River yet this spring. The carp are going bonkers, I am having no trouble catching a few carp each time I head out. 

I have also caught a couple of small Murray cod on my worms which were promptly released. 

Mitta Mitta River:

There have been some quite nice brown trout caught in the Mitta Mitta River this week. Exactly where in the river I do not know, but they were nice sized fish. I have seen a few photos from different anglers. 

If I was heading up that way, I would be trying the river near the township of Mitta Mitta using spinners, soft plastics or small minnows. 

Family Friendly Waterways:

We are currently in the middle of the spring school holidays and many of the states small Family Friendly Waterways have been stocked with rainbow trout that are 12 months old and ready to catch. 

You can find a full list of these stocked waterways on the Victorian Fisheries Authority website at vfa.vic.gov.au 

My friend Sonny caught one of these stocked trout at Glenrowan Dam and took it home and filmed this fantastic catch and cook video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU38lSMi3VU&t=57s 

Now for a fishing report… last week I mentioned that I was heading over to the Waranga Basin. This is how that trip panned out:

My wife Lauretta and I headed west around mid morning. The first stop was Greens Lake where I fished for a bit over half an hour. I didn’t get a single touch. The water is low, but there is still enough of it. It was very windy.

We then headed to nearby Lake Cooper. There is still water in the lake but it is very shallow. The bird life was phenomenal. We ever saw a beautiful pair of brolgas. 

I didn’t bother fishing as it just looked too low. It didn’t fish well when it was full so it is hard to imagine it fishing well now.

I then fished the Waranga Western Channel at 4 or 5 different places and didn’t see a single fish. I used bait and lures and never had a nibble, or even a follow. The channel was flowing very hard. 

We headed to Waranga Basin around 3:30pm where I fished until 6:20pm. I caught nothing, I had one follow from a small redfin and that was it. Even that didn’t strike my soft plastic. 

So we drove a 400km round trip and didn’t catch a single fish.