Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the Ovens River Basin
			OVENS RIVER BASIN MAP (PDF 159 Kb)
			ANDERSON LAKE
			BARAMBOGIE RESERVOIR
			BARWIDGEE CREEK
			BLACK RANGE CREEK
			BOGGY CREEK Whifield
			BUCKLAND RIVER
			BUFFALO CREEK Myrtleford
			BUFFALO LAKE Dandongadale
			BUFFALO RIVER Dandongadale
			CATANI LAKE
			CATHERINE RIVER
			COBBLER LAKE
			DANDONGADALE RIVER
			ELDORADO DREDGE HOLES
			FIFTEEN MILE CREEK
			FLETCHERS DAM
			HAPPY VALLEY CREEK
			HARRIETVILLE DREDGE HOLE
			HURDLE CREEK
			KERFORD LAKE
			KING LAKE
			KING RIVER
			LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL
			MOODEMERE LAKE
			MORSES CREEK
			MULWALA LAKE
			MURRAY RIVER (NSW)
			OVENS RIVER
			ROSE RIVER
			SAMBELL LAKE
			WILLIAM HOVELL RESERVOIR
			WOORAGEE CREEK
			FISH SENSES

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Ovens River Basin 3
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS | FISH SENSES

Golden perch, Ovens River, downstream of Wangaratta

Mean annual rainfall exceeds 1,400 mm in the mountains in the Great Dividing Range but decreases to 500-600 mm nearer the Murray River.

The high rainfall and granitic rocks in the mountains result in clear, fast- flowing, clear- water rivers, with coarse substrates in their upper and middle reaches. These support good self-sustaining populations of freshwater blackfish and brown trout. Access to almost all rivers is excellent for conventional vehicles with good fishing possible without extensive walking. All the best fishing is in rivers with the exception of Lake Mulwala (often called Yarrawonga Weir), which provides excellent fishing for Murray cod and golden perch. There are two reservoirs, Lake Buffalo on the Buffalo River and Lake William Hovell on the King River.

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stockings and fisheries policy. Northern Fisheries, DPI, manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact.

The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has listed Lake Mulwala and the Ovens River downstream of Wangaratta as native fish waters; the Buffalo River, King River (below Edi), Ovens River (Myrtleford to Wangaratta), and Lake William Hovell as mixed species fisheries and; the Buckland River, King River (above Edi), and the Ovens River (above Myrtleford) as salmonid waters.

Lake Mulwala and the Ovens River have a high priority for development of a Fisheries Management Plan. The Northern Fisheries team undertakes enforcement activities to ensure anglers comply with fisheries regulations.

The North East Catchment Management Authority is responsible for catchment management. The Goulburn- Murray Rural Water Authority manages irrigation and rural diversions in the south. The North East Region Water Authority manages urban demands.

Streamflow Management Plans are being developed for the Upper Ovens River.

Diversions

Water is diverted from Fifteen Mile Creek into a 20 ML storage and then to Glenrowan. From the Ovens River to Wangaratta and Bright. From Musk Gully Creek to Whitfield. From the King River to Moyhu, Oxley and into Lake William Hovell (13,500 ML). From the Buffalo River into Lake Buffalo (24,000 ML). From Buffalo Creek to Myrtleford. From the Buckland River to Porepunkah. From Simons Creek to Harrietville. From the west branch of the Oven River also to Harrietville. From a tributary of Black Dog Creek into Barambogie Reservoir (45.5 ML) then to Chiltern. From Diddah Diddah Creek into a 55 ML reservoir then to Springhurst. Lake Kerford and Beechworth receive water from Nine Mile Creek in Basin 2

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

The Ovens River from Killawarra to Lake Mulwala has been listed as a Heritage River Area. Yarrarabula Creek and Long Jack Creek (two upper Buaffalo River tributaries) and Devils Creek-Middle Branch (a tributary of the Buckland River) have been listed as Natural Catchment Areas.

Ramsar Sites

None in this Basin

Fish Stocking

The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for:

• Desirable introduced species such as brown trout, rainbow trout, Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon, and
• Desirable native fish species such as golden perch, Murray cod, Australian bass and silver perch.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment stocks trout cod in an attempt to establish self-sustaining populations and ensure the survival of this 'critically endangered' species.

Stocking Plans for desirable species are developed annually as part of the regional consultation process involving VRFish representatives and various arms of DPI including Fisheries Victoria and Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic).

Up to date information can be found on the Fish Stocking section in Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Best Fishing Waters

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed trout cod as Critically Endangered,; Macquarie perch and Murray hardyhead as Endangered,; Murray cod and golden perch as Vulnerable and Murray rainbowfish as Data Deficient. Murray cod, Macquarie perch, trout cod, Murray hardyhead, Murray rainbowfish, Murray spiny crayfish and the Lowland Riverine Fish Community of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin have been listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

Freshwater Fish in the Basin

The Murray spiny crayfish, Euastacus armatus, is present in the Basin.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

The rivers located in the forested mountains in the southern area of the Basin are in good to excellent condition with native riparian vegetation and stable banks and beds. Those sections of the larger rivers flowing through cleared valleys awere generally in moderate condition with some incursion of introduced riparian vegetation and some bank erosion from domestic stock. However, instream habitat for aquatic biota was still in good condition.

Most of the smaller tributaries in the cleared, northern area of the Basin are in poor to moderate condition because of sedimentation as well as bank erosion and loss of native riparian vegetation. Water quality iwas generally good throughout the Basin with fresh water (< 300EC), low levels of nutrients, turbidity, colour and bacteria levels in most rivers, except infor the lower reaches of the Ovens River.

© The State of Victoria