Fishing & Aquaculture

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
River Basins Map | Angling Waters A-Z | Tambo River Basin

Angling Waters of the Tambo River Basin 23

Boggy Creek, Nowa Nowa H 12
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Rises in steep forest and flows into the Nowa Nowa Arm of Lake Tyers. The lower section near the Lake is usually the only section worth fishing. Access is by boat from the lake. Contains black bream, estuary perch, yellow-eye mullet, Australian smelt and common galaxias.

Bunga Lake, Lakes Entrance H 15
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A small estuarine lake situated between the Gippsland Lakes and Lake Tyers. Contains Australian salmon, yellow-eye mullet and other estuarine species at times.

Haunted Stream, Tambo Crossing C 8
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A narrow (3-7m) stream flowing through forested country, with native vegetation along the banks. Contains many deep pools, mud and boulder bed. A rough 4WD track runs parallel to the river but is usually closed during the winter (June-October). Access down to the river from the track can be difficult due to steep overgrown banks. Only light angling pressure. Carries a large number of brown trout to 550g, tupong, both species of eel, abundant small river blackfish and a few Australian grayling, Australian smelt, and common galaxias. Catches are good at times. Last stocked with trout by the Department in 1969.

King Lake, Lakes Entrance D 16
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• Ramsar listed

The most easterly of the Gippsland Lakes, surrounded by cleared land to the north and scrub on the southern shore. Boating facilities at Metung and Paynesville. Fish species include black bream, mullet, luderick, flathead, trevally, whiting and garfish. Commercial fishing is permitted in Gippsland Lakes. However 13 of the 32 licences have been bought out recently through the voluntary buy-back scheme, funded by angling licence revenue.

Little River,Ensay E 6
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Flows from forest to cleared land, gravel and rock bed upstream, mud in the lower reaches. Carries abundant brown trout to 450g, both species of eel, tupong and river blackfish. Access is through private property, please ask permission. Fished mainly by locals. Last stocked with trout by the Department in 1983.

Nicholson River, Nicholson C 11
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Bream

Flows through forest above Deptford and cleared land downstream. Above the Princes Highway it has a variety of river structure. Some sections near Sarsfield have narrow shallow riffles (4-6m wide and 30cm deep) with sand and gravel substrate. Other locations downstream have deep, wide pools (over 100cm deep and up to 20m wide) with cascades and riffles with bedrock, and boulder substrate. Riparian vegetation is native forest and tea-tree. Access is difficult upstream of Deptford.

During summer there are often low flows and high water temperatures. Contains one of the best river blackfish populations in Gippsland with numerous fish to 600g. It has only a few brown trout to 1.2kg, (av. 270g), both species of eel, Australian smelt, common galaxias, flat-headed gudgeon, short-headed lamprey, tupong, Gippsland spiny crayfish, a few Australian grayling and carp in the lower reaches.

Below Sarsfield, the estuary contains black bream, Australian bass, luderick, yellow-eye mullet, sea mullet, trevally, flathead, tailor, garfish, and some estuary perch. The most common species taken is black bream and popular fishing areas are all downstream of the Railway Bridge. Local anglers use sandworms, live and small frozen prawns. However the estuary is generally not as productive as the Tambo and Mitchell River estuaries.

There is a self-sustaining brown trout population in the headwaters where the habitat is suitable. Last stocked with trout by the Department in 1983.

Stony Creek, Lake Tyers G 14
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Flows through bush to the Toorloo Arm of Lake Tyers, mud substrate. Carries a few Australian bass, mullet and carp. Access requires walking.

Swifts Creek, Ensay B 6
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A small, shallow tributary of the Tambo River flowing through farmland. Contains brown trout to 350g, (av. 100g), short-finned eel and tupong. Lower reaches easily accessible from the highway.

Tambo River, Ensay E 8
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	Tambo River

Despite the fact that three of its main tributaries carry good self-supporting brown trout populations (Haunted Stream, Swifts Creek and Timbarra River), the Tambo River carries few trout downstream of Bindi. Extensive trout stocking by the Department up to 1974 produced very little return. Although there is no physical barrier to the downstream migration of fish from the feeder streams, several springs (eg Wilga Springs) naturally discharge chemicals including copper into the river. This could affect fish populations.

Trout have always been scarce in the middle and lower Tambo River. This has been partially attributed to contamination by the springs. However another reason for the failure of trout to colonize this section of the river could be the high water temperatures present during summer. Small numbers of brown trout have been found in the main river during surveys in cooler months. Whatever the cause, the freshwater section of the Tambo River is not a productive angling water.

Upstream from Ensay

The road to Bindi follows the river but access to the headwaters above Bindi is through private property, please ask permission. The river flows through cleared hills and some forest. Channel width is around 5m with extensive riffles. Small-sized brown trout and rainbow trout are present as well as Australian smelt, river blackfish, common galaxias, tupong, and occasional Australian grayling.

Ensay Downstream to Tambo Crossing D 4

Flows through an extensive area of grazing land before entering forested-hills at Tambo Crossing. The river at Swifts Creek is 10-12m wide with extensive riffles 30-40 cm deep and some pools 60-140cm deep. In some other reaches, channel width is up to 60m. Substrate is rubble and gravel.

Riparian vegetation is grass and willows and the banks are stable with little erosion or instream sedimentation. Habitat is satisfactory with fish cover provided by willow roots and debris and overhanging foliage. Fish taken in surveys in this area were predominately common galaxias and Australian smelt with some tupong and very occasional brown trout. Downstream towards Tambo Crossing, river blackfish, Australian grayling, both eel species, and short-headed lamprey were present. This section of the river has very little angling value.

Tambo Crossing to Bruthen E 10

Flows through steep forests to Bruthen. Good riparian vegetation of wattles, eucalypts and other native species with willows at the lower end of the section upstream from Bruthen. Channel width is up to 20m and the substrate varies from bedrock, boulders and rubble upstream to the same material but with patches of sand and mud, downstream. Water type is well-defined riffles and pools upstream, then predominantly continuous runs in the lower reaches. The main road runs parallel to the river for some length but then diverges, with access then from several good tracks into the river. Carries abundant Australian grayling, occasional Australian bass, southern pygmy perch, Cox's gudgeon, brown trout to 550g, and other species mentioned in the section upstream.

Bruthen to the Estuary

Bream

Between Bruthen and Tambo Upper, the river has extensive sedimentation and provides poor fishing. Channel width exceeds 25m, with water depths during summer mostly less than 50cm and not exceeding 60cm. The substrate is all sand. The only fish habitat occurs along parts of the bank and is suitable only for small-sized fish. Contains carp.

The river narrows and shallows near Tambo Upper where a sand bar has formed in the river at the head of the estuary. Below Tambo Upper, the estuary extends through open farmland and has a mud substrate. It is accessible along the Metung Road for bank fishing but best access is by boat.

There is a boat ramp at the Johnsonville turn-off. Predominant species are black bream, yellow-eye mullet and estuary perch to 1kg, Other species include luderick, carp to 3kg, and sea mullet to 2.7kg. Any species occurring in Lake King may also enter the Tambo River on occasions. The estuary is heavily fished for black bream and at times provides excellent fishing. Estuary perch are very abundant particularly upstream of the Princes Highway Bridge.

Timbarra River, Timbarra G 10
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Flows through forested mountains in steep gorges, mud gravel and boulder bed. Numerous pools and runs with a good flow even in dry summers. Access is difficult with considerable walking necessary to fish the river. Carries predominantly brown trout av. 450g, max. 1.3kg, a few small rainbow trout, river blackfish, eels, tupong and Australian grayling. Regarded as a good trout stream and heavily fished.

Regular trout stocking by the Department ceased in 1967. A trial stocking of fin-clipped fish in 1982-84 followed by an intensive creel survey showed that the majority of fish taken were naturally spawned. Stocked fish replaced the natural fish for a short time in anglers catches but did not increase the overall catch rate. It was concluded that further stocking was not justified.

Tyers Lake H 5
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1,600ha. Camping facilities, boat ramps. Ramsar listed.

A large inlet often closed to the ocean and surrounded by forest, mud bottom. There is a boat ramp at Lake Tyers township and small dinghies can be launched at Nowa Nowa and a number of other sites on the west shore of the lake. Provides good fishing for a variety of fish including black bream luderick, mullet, garfish, tailor, whiting and flathead. Commercial fishing is permitted in this inlet however 7 of the 10 licences have been recently bought out through the voluntary buy-back scheme, funded by angling licence revenue.

Eels
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Eel

One of the most interesting features of Victorian freshwater eels, is the huge migration they make to a spot somewhere south east of New Guinea in the Coral Sea. This is the sole spawning site for all Australian and New Zealand freshwater eels, with some eels having to travel in excess of 3,000 kilometres to get there.

They begin their lives at this spawning site, at a depth of 200m, as tiny transparent larvae. They are carried southwards by the ocean currents which parallel the east coast of Australia, and swing east past Tasmania and then north to New Zealand. Along the way, they feed on microscopic organisms and develop into transparent, leaf-shaped larvae or leptocephali and eventually metamorphose into ‘glass eels’ which are eel-shaped, but extremely small and still transparent. At this stage, they move closer to land and commence migrating towards estuaries.

The ability of eels to reach Victorian waters is believed to be dependent on the formation of relatively erratic eddy currents, which split off from the main east Australian current and transport the developing larvae through Bass Strait. These currents break down before they reach the mouth of the Murray River and this is the reason for the natural absence of eels in the Murray River and its tributaries north of the Great Dividing Range. In years when these currents are strong, there is a massive arrival of glass eels along the Victorian coast, but in some years the currents are weak and very few glass eels arrive. Their attraction to an estuary depends on the ability of glass eels to detect freshwater flows from rivers. In years when river flows are low and estuaries may even be closed, recruitment of glass eels is correspondingly reduced or may be zero.

Short-finned glass eels enter estuaries mainly during mid winter to late spring, while long-finned glass eels enter estuaries from mid summer to late autumn. Short-finned eels spread along the entire Victoria coastline, while long finned eels are only found east of Wilsons Promontory. Some glass eels will quickly pass through the estuary and migrate upstream and others will remain in the estuaries for some time. They all gradually take on the dark pigmentation of freshwater eels and at this time they are known as elvers. Some elvers remain in the estuary until they mature, but most will migrate upstream in secondary migrations, known as ‘eel fares’, which involve glass eels and elvers of several age groups moving inland into rivers, creeks, lakes and swamps.

Male short-finned eels generally mature when eight to twelve years of age, whilst females mature in ten to twenty years and long-finned eels can take double this time to mature. At maturity, eels undergo a number of changes in preparation for the spawning migration. After a period of voracious feeding, and significant growth, their eyes become larger and their skin takes on a silvery appearance. Internally, their gonads begin to develop and their digestive system closes down and starts to degenerate, Now known as ‘silver’ eels, they migrate back to the sea during late summer and autumn. They quickly move into deeper water and in total darkness swim north against the current to reach the Coral Sea. By the time they arrive, they have basically used up all their energy resources and are little more than a skeleton with gonads. They spawn and die and their young commence the cycle over again.

The commercial fishery for eels utilises both species, in coastal waters from Mallacoota to Portland. However, the bulk of the activity is based on short-finned eels and takes place in the lakes and wetlands of the Western District. Much of the production depends on the eel fishers translocating large numbers of small eels from waters where conditions for growth are poor, to more favourable areas where they can grow to reach commercial size and condition over a number of years.

With a fishery that involves such a slow growth rate, a long life cycle, and where recruitment is so erratic and variable, it would be very easy for the stock to be overfished and for the fishery to collapse for long periods. This has not happened because entry to the fishery is tightly controlled, and the best waters have been exclusively allocated to individual fishers.

This encourages each operator to fish their water conservatively and ensures that, if they exercise restraint, they will be the one getting the benefit of it. In addition to this, there are many coastal streams that are totally closed to commercial eel fishing. Although this was done initially to ensure that platypus in these waters were not caught in nets, it also ensures that there is always an unexploited area to provide spawning stock to return to the sea. Another measure has been to ban all commercial and recreational exploitation of eels less than 30cm. There is a huge unsatisfied world demand for glass eels for aquaculture, and without tight control, the Australian resource could be quickly stripped to satisfy European and Asian requirements.

While the average angler may have little regard for the common eel, it certainly has a fascinating life cycle, and supports a significant and productive commercial fishery. When it is also considered how intensively anglers use many of the waters important to the commercial eel fishery, there has been a commendable lack of conflict between the two groups.

© The State of Victoria