Aug 07, 2026

Trellys Fishing Report 7th August 2026

I think we have passed the worst of the slow winter fishing. Already I am seeing signs that spring is just around the corner, and over the last week, I’ve noticed a slight improvement in the local fishing—though I’ll dive into more detail on that in the Ovens River section below.

Nothing says “spring is coming” quite like the sound of a swooping magpie clicking its beak as it divebombs your head from behind!

That happened to me at the Winton Wetlands last week. To make matters worse, I was photographing snakes at the time. Winter can be a great period to spot snakes lying still in the sun right next to their winter hideouts. They pop out, bask in the warmth, and retreat back into their holes—unless you’re actively searching for them, you’ll rarely spot them.

Anyway, there I was, hyper-focused on the ground with my camera, thinking about snakes, watching my step, and—BANG! Bloody magpie!

The silver lining? It means the seasons are officially starting to shift, which should bring better fishing ahead.

Lake Dartmouth

A friend of mine fished Lake Dartmouth last week with a group of eight people. They trolled lures for three straight days for a grand total of two trout. Safe to say, the fishing up there was dreadfully slow!

Waranga Basin

Waranga Basin has been fishing fairly quiet, but a few persistent anglers have landed some really nice redfin.

In a recent report, I mentioned that I’d been out there without any luck. Following that update, three separate anglers reached out to let me know they’d landed big redfin recently, all in the 30cm to 35cm range. Two of them picked up one fish each, while the third landed three.

All of these redfin were taken trolling small to medium-sized hardbody diving lures in about 10 feet of water.

So, while there are a few fish biting in Waranga, it’s a grind. The winning formula right now is a boat or kayak, small-to-medium lures trolled at 10 feet, plenty of patience, and a willingness to accept that you might come home empty-handed.

Murray River

I received a report of a few carp being landed in the Murray River around Tocumwal, along with a lone Yellowbelly.

These fish were caught off the bank on the NSW side, just outside Tocumwal near Sonneman’s Beach, using worms for bait.

Ovens River

I’ve been fishing the Ovens River system several times over the last week and have noticed a definite shift in action. The fishing has picked up a notch, and I’m landing fish far more consistently than I was a few weeks ago.

Over the past week, I landed a nice Trout cod on a Blue Dog diving lure...

...a small Murray cod on mozzarella cheese...

...plus a couple of carp and even a pair of crayfish on my fishing rods.

While fishing an anabranch of the lower Ovens River with my mate Sonny, I managed to land a very fat 61cm carp on worms.

While I was bait fishing, Sonny went for a walk flicking lures. He hooked and lost a Murray cod right at his feet and had another fish follow his lure right to the bank.

So while the fishing isn’t explosive just yet, it has definitely picked up and should keep improving as the days grow longer. I reckon this slight turnaround won't be limited to the Ovens River either—many regional systems will likely start showing signs of life soon.

The only wildcard is how much rain falls over the weekend, which could temporarily upset river levels again.