Jan 02, 2026

Trellys Fishing Report 2nd January

Hi, my name is Robbie and I have not been fishing for 1 full week now. I feel as
though I am addressing a group of fishaholics at a fishaholics anonymous meeting.
It is true though, it has been a full week since I have wet a line. This is probably the
longest that I have gone without fishing for 20 years or more.
There are a lot of people around at this time of the year. Campgrounds are full,
access points are crowded and many people are out enjoying the great weather, and
even better fishing so I have chosen to stay home for the week and relax.
I am seriously missing fishing and having withdrawal symptoms though, especially
when I scroll through my social media feeds and see how well the fish are biting.

Goulburn River

The Goulburn River is the king Murray cod fishery in Victoria at the moment. Apart
from the stocked impoundments, the Goulburn River is the place to go if you are
targeting Murray cod, particularly big Murray cod.
There’s rarely a day goes by that I am not seeing a photo of a 100cm+ Murray cod
caught in the Goulburn River at the moment.
While locations are never really spoken about, it is clear to see in most photos that
the bigger fish are being caught in the lower reaches of the Goulburn River.

Ovens River

Here in my local river, the Ovens River the fishing has slowed down considerably. A
number of my friends have been fishing it pretty hard over the festive season and the
reports are consistently slow.
I went for a drive along the river this morning and it looks amazing. Conditions look
ideal, but the reports that I am hearing are not matching that.
Next week I will come out of retirement and head back down to the river that I love
and see if I can catch a fish.
It is not uncommon for this to happen in the Ovens River during the heat of summer.
I remember as a kid, my Dad teaching me that December was the best month to
catch Murray cod in the ovens River because the fishing can slow down after
Christmas when the water gets really warm and low.

Rivers such as the Goulburn and Murray Rivers are fed with water from
impoundments so tend to be higher and faster flowing than the natural flowing rivers
like the Ovens River which could be the reason for this.
One thing that I do know for sure is that the Ovens River WILL fire again.

Crusoe Reservoir And Barkers Creek Reservoir

Both of these lakes are found on the southern side of Bendigo. Both lakes are
stocked with a variety of fish including trout and Yellowbelly. Barkers Creek
Reservoir is sometimes known as Harcourt Reservoir.
This week I have seen photos of redfin being caught out of both of these lakes, and
have seen 2 photos of rainbow trout being caught out of Crusoe Reservoir.
There are a number of other small lakes in the Bendigo region that will no doubt also
be worth fishing at the moment, but these two seem to be appearing in my news
feeds more than anywhere else.

Murray River

I have had two separate reports of great fishing in the Murray River around the
Cobram area with Murray cod, Yellowbelly, Trout Cod, Silver Perch and Carp all
being caught there recently.
I have also seen quite a few photos of Yellowbelly being caught on live shrimps and
worms in the lower Murray River around Mildura over the last couple of weeks, along
with a whole heap of carp.

Happy New Year everybody. I hope 2026 brings you all tight lines and big fish.
Photo Credits: Maverick Hoffmann (Crusoe Reservoir Redfin), Mick Marshall
(Goulburn River Yellowbelly) and Me (Lower Ovens River looking great).