By Renee Wood
Dandenong Ranges residents may follow in the footsteps of Lilydale resident Brian Hawkins, who snagged a stonker rainbow trout weighing around five kilograms at Lillydale Lake.
Mr Hawkins said he regularly fishes at the Eildon Pondage but this catch in his backyard is one of the best he’s ever snatched.
“In all my years of fishing that’s the biggest trout I’ve ever caught…It’s the one you dream about,” Mr Hawkins said.
On Thursday 2 September, Mr Hawkins was having a casual fish at the Lillydale Lake when he noticed his rod had ‘doubled over with a big bite’.
“The only problem was I only fish with a two kilo line and being an over five kilo fish, you’ve got to be very careful when you bring it in because you just snap your line,” he said.
Thankfully Mr Hawkins was able to reel the catch in, with someone helping with the net.
The fish is one of thousands that have been released across Yarra Valley waterways, part of the Victorian Fisheries Authority fish stocking in time for the school holidays and trout season opening.
Lillydale Lake, Healesville’s Don Lake, Emerald Lake and the Ferntree Gully Quarry have all been stocked with ready to catch 800gms rainbow trout and massive stonkers averaging five kilos.
VFA CEO Travis Dowling said seven tons have been released in the last two weeks across family friendly lakes in the Yarra Valley and also places like Eildon Pondage and the Goulburn River.
“It’s a wonderful experience for kids and for older kids,” Mr Dowling said.
“When you go along there and you’re fishing with light line and a worm on the end of your rod just relaxing and one of these big stonker touts starts to pull your rod in the water, it can be pretty exciting and lots of fun.”
The stocking of the larger fish in the urban waterways has only recently commenced in Covid years due to travel restrictions into regional areas.
Mr Dowling said due to the success, it’s continued.
“We brought them to metropolitan regions so that people who were unable to travel distances because of the restriction, then still have the opportunity to get out and stretch their legs and use their time to go fishing in waterways really close to home,” he said.
The Yarra Valley areas also receive stock of other native fish throughout the year, including Murray Cod and Golden Perch, with a record breaking 10 million native fish being released across Victoria in the past year.
The stockings have been funded by recreational fishing licence fees and the government’s $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan to boost fishing.
Local Brian Hawkins said it’s great to be able to take the grandkids to local lakes year-round to drop a line.
“It gets kids out and around the lakes and around the streams without their devices, they get a bit of fresh air and they get a bit of sport,” Mr Hawkins said.
“It’s always great to see kids fishing… it’s a very basic sport, you don’t need a lot to go fishing and it’s a lot of enjoyment – even if you don’t catch fish it’s relaxing.”
The best tip for catching a fish of a life time is just to get out there.
“Just pick up a rod, whether it’s after work before work on a weekend and just go down there and you never ever know what are your chances?” Mr Dowling said.
Rainbow trout are said to be a good catch for beginners and a variety of baits and lures are usable.
“I would suggest if you’re fishing for trout in these waterways the old humble garden worm with a few rocks, with a small sinker, just cast it out there and you’re very, very likely to catch one of these trout,” Mr Dowling said.
“If you’re really super keen and you really want to try and catch one of the big ones, [head out] the first two hours of light in the morning, so really from six till eight in the morning, and your last two hours of the evening.”
