VICTORIAN anglers get ready…a new section of Hazelwood Pondage will officially open for fishing from 9am on Thursday, February 1.
Gippsland Water have permitted access to a 500 m stretch of land, which runs alongside the pondage channel where the majority of barramundi now reside.
Some of these trophy fish are longer than a metre and they’re now easier to target than ever before!
Note that due to water safety hazards, the channel area is a land-based fishery only. No boats or watercraft will be permitted.
The Victotrian Fisheries Authority (VFA) has been monitoring Hazelwood and can confirm that around 1500 barramudi have survived the winter and are now confined to the upper reaches of the channel.
They are actively feeding again in the channel, which has reached 30oC, so anglers have a good chance of enticing a strike on a cast lure.
The improvements also include a road, fencing, signs and a new car park, all of which will keep Hazelwood a family friendly option.
To ensure the fishery provides year-round angling opportunities for people of all ages, the VFA will continue to stock rainbow trout in winter. The release of bass fingerlings will also be considered.
