Lakes & Rivers .....Estuaries.....Saltwater.....

Freshwater Lakes & Rivers

Lake Purrumbete
Location: Situated 10 km from Camperdown on the Princess highway 2 1/2 hours drive south west of Melbourne.
Camping: For those wishing to stay for more than a day, Purrumbete has a well established Caravan Park providing powered and un-powered sites, park cabins, boat ramp, playground, laundry, barbecue area and camp lounge. For Motel, Hotel and Bed and Breakfast accommodation the township of Camperdown is only 10 minutes drive from the lake.
Access: Boat ramp, limited shore access.
Fish to be taken: Consistent catches of Salmon and Trout weighing 1 to 3 kilos and the chance of catching fish up to 6 kilos or more, also Redfin & eels.
Methods of fishing: Mudeyes and Minnows from the bank, Live baits, Lures and whitebait from the boat.
Bullen Merri
Location: 4 kms from Camperdown on the Princess Highway in the south west of Victoria 2 1/2 hours drive south of Melbourne.
Camping: Camperdown has a well shaded camping ground which over looks the lake with powered and unpowered sites, three new cedar cabins, onsite vans, kiosk, full laundry facilities and adventure playground, offering quality accommodation for groups, clubs and families.
Access: Boat ramp, Road three quaters of the way around lake.
Fish to be taken: Rainbow Trout 1-8 kg, Bass, Silver & Golden perch.
Features: Small jetty, playground, toilets and barbeque area.
Methods of fishing: Bank fishing, Mudeyes, Minnows, worms and fly fishing. Boat fishing, Trolling with lures as well as live baits such as Mudeyes and Minnows
Lake Tooliorook
Location: Situated on the Camperdown to Lismore road in southwest Victoria 2 3/4 hours drive south of Melbourne.
Camping: Basic camping facilities are available, with fresh rain water and toilet facilities and Playground at the lake foreshore park.
Access: Boat ramp, boats of 3-5 metres can be launched saftly. Small amount of landbased fishing either side of the jetty.
Fish to be taken: Rainbow Trout 1-2 kg, Redfin (English Perch) from 1/2 kg to 1 1/2 kg.
Features: T shaped jetty for land based anglers.
Methods of fishing: Mudeyes, Minnows and worms
Deep Lake
Location: Situated 4 kms north east of Derrinallum in Western Victoria, 3 hours from Melbourne.
Camping: Good facilities are available, with toilets, picnic area and small playground.
Access: Boat ramp, boats of 3-5 metres can be launched safely.Access to the shore is available on the southern side where the road runs the full length of the bank.
Fish to be taken: Brown & Rainbow Trout 1-2 kg, Redfin (English Perch) from 1/2 kg to 1 1/2 kg and eels.
Features: Long concrete jetty with a wooden landing, ideal for both boat handling and fishing .
Methods of fishing: Mudeyes, Minnows and worms, lure fishing can also be quite productive, fly-fishing is also recommended.
Lake Elingamite
Location: Located 10 kms west of Cobden 3 hours drive from Melbourne.
Camping: Nearest camping facility is in Cobden.
Access: Boat launching facilities are available for smaller boats to 4 metres.
Fish to be taken: Brown Trout and Redfin.
Methods of fishing: Mudeyes, Minnows and worms, lure fishing can also be quite productive.

Mount Emu Creek: Winding its way through southwest Victoria, The Mount Emu Creek has been stocked regularly with Brown trout. Trout weighing up to 2.5 kg have been landed, but the fish found here normally average up to 1kg. The Mount Emu Creek also provides fishing for Redfin, Tench, Eels and Blackfish. Places worth trying are Panmure Bridge, Mckinnons Bridge and Castlecary Rd Bridge. Most of these areas have small reserves with babeque facilities (B.Y.O wood). With the use of a good road map other areas can be seen where the stream is crossed by road, most of these spots provide for good fishing.

Saltwater

Peterborough One of the most popular sections of coastline for sight seeing in Victoria, this section of the Great Ocean Road also offers some splendid fishing. Regular catches of Pinky Snapper, Gummy Shark, Whiting, Mullet, Trevally and Salmon can be had from any one of the beaches like Peterborough Bay and Newfield Bay. Also good bags of Crayfish, Cod and Sweep can be caught from rock outcrops around Peterborough.

Port Campbell Port Campbell is not only a great tourist destination, this part of Victoria's coastline offers excellent fishing. The Port Campbell pier that is situated within the town produces good catches of Snapper, Trevally, Barracouta, Mullet, Garfish and Whiting. The beaches to the east of Port Campbell are fished mainly for Snapper, (Gummy and School sharks), Whiting and Salmon. Caution must be taken as not all areas have safe access, especially Gibson Steps, which is the most popular beach for local fishermen.

Princetown Situated 14 km east of Port Campbell Princetown has several beaches next to the mouth of the Gellibrand River. If you are keen on catching Salmon this region is certainly worth a visit, the best months are May until August. Excellent catches of Snapper, Mullet and Gummy shark can also be taken here.

Saltwater Estuary

Curdies River Located at Peterborough, the estuary of the Curdies River contains good numbers of Estuary Perch, Southern Bream, Mullet and Salmon. Further up the river towards Timboon, Brown Trout up to 4 kg and Blackfish can be caught.

Gellibrand River The mouth of the Gellibrand is situated at the township of Princetown; this river is mainly fished for Bream, Mullet, Small Salmon. There is excellent Brown Trout, Large Mouthed Bass and Blackfish fishing to be had in the upper sections.

Sherbrooke River The mouth of the Sherbrooke River is situated at Lockard Gorge east of Port Campbell. Small Salmon, Bream and Mullet can be caught in this river, while Larger Salmon and Mullet can be taken from the beach.