Fishing & Aquaculture

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

Angling Waters of the Werribee River Basin 31

	Cherry Lake

Cherry Lake, Altona K 9
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48ha. Jetty, boat ramp (fee), picnic, barbecue, bird hide. The lake is managed by Melbourne Water and the reserve by Hobsons Bay City Council.

Carp

A very shallow (<1m) former swamp converted into a flood control basin and developed as a recreational area. The eastern end is developed for bird observation. The lake carries some carp to 2kg, goldfish, redfin to 500g, short-finned eel to 1.5kg, roach, common galaxias and small-mouthed hardyhead. Stocking with a wide variety of native and introduced species has not produced significant returns. The lake is fished mainly by children and locals and is used for general picnicking, boating and windsurfing.

Colbrook Reservoir, Ballan A 4
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Unnamed on the map. Managed by Central Highlands Region Water.

A permit to fish is required and this can be obtained from the water authority (7 Learmonth Road, Wendouree, Ph 5320 3100). Stocked annually with brown trout.

Djerriwarrah Reservoir, Melton F 4
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1,068ML.

A domestic water storage managed by Western Region Water and closed to fishing.

Djerriwarrah River, Melton F 4
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A small creek 2-3m wide, with pools to 70cm deep. Good riparian vegetation. Contains redfin, roach, a good population of Australian smelt, also mountain galaxias, and southern pygmy perch. Annual diversion into the reservoir is capped at 40ML/year.

Not recognised as an angling water.

Exford Weir (see Melton Reservoir) G 7

Kororoit Creek, Deer Park I 7
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A small creek flowing for 4km in flat cleared farmland. The creek is 2m wide with pools to 70cm deep and contains a surprising number of fish species including estuarine fish such as flounder, black bream and mullet, in the lower reaches. The freshwater section has short-finned eel, tench, common galaxias, flat-headed gudgeon, southern pygmy perch, Tamar River goby, long-finned goby, goldfish, tupong and mosquitofish. It is not recommended as an angling water.

Lerderderg River, Bacchus Marsh D 3
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There is a vertical slot fishway on the diversion weir within the gorge.

The river rises in forested hilly country north west of Blackwood and then flows for 30km through the Lerderderg Gorge. Average channel width is 5m. There are numerous shallow riffles with pools to 120cm deep in the gorge area. Substrate in the riffles is gravel and rubble with fast water velocity. The river is in good environmental condition and provides a natural and scenic environment.

The river is accessible from walking tracks along much of its length but there is no vehicle access to the gorge. Road into the diversion weir is locked. There are good numbers of small brown trout (10–25cm) around Blackwood and upstream of the junction of Goodmans Creek. Other fish species in this section are river blackfish, roach, short-finned eel, mountain galaxias, common galaxias and Australian smelt. There is a diversion weir in the Gorge that diverts water to Merrimu Reservoir via Goodmans Creek. An environmental flow of 30-50ML/d is maintained by Gippsland and Southern Rural Water downstream of the weir.

The short section of the river below Goodmans Creek is wider and shallower than upstream and usually has a low flow or sometimes no flow during summer. Fish are tench, goldfish, redfin and roach. The river was stocked with trout many years ago but it has been established that natural spawning is adequate to maintain the fishery. Goodman Creek contains short-finned eel and mountain galaxias.

Melton Reservoir, Melton G 7
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320ha. 17,000ML. Boat ramp, picnic facilities

Also known as Exford Weir and managed by Gippsland & Southern Rural Water.

Water from the reservoir is released into the Werribee River and diverted from the Werribee Weir, just upstream of Werribee township, to irrigate the Werribee market gardening area. Surrounded by grazing land, mud bottom. Contains some redfin, short-finned eel, tench, goldfish carp and roach. Provides poor angling and is considered mainly a boating lake. Not stocked.

Merrimu Reservoir, Bacchus Marsh F 5
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310ha. 35,000ML. Managed by Gippsland & Southern Rural Water.

A deep, domestic water storage surrounded by grazing land. There are picnic facilities but boating swimming, camping and fishing are prohibited.

Pykes Creek Reservoir, Ballan C 5
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	Pykes Creek Reservoir

20ha. 24,000ML. Boat ramp, toilets, picnic facilities, managed by Gippsland and Southern Rural Water.

An irrigation storage supplying water to the Bacchus Marsh and Werribee areas. Surrounded by grazing land, clay bottom. Excellent access. A popular recreational boating water. Carries abundant small redfin to 350g, some to 600g, roach, carp to 5kg, tench, some short-finned eel and a self sustaining brown trout population with fish to 1.5kg. Not stocked. Popular fishing methods are trolling with Celta spinners, and lures (Manns 10+ blue and green; red and black) or bait fishing with worms, maggots and yabbies, usually on the bottom. Redfin tend to be undersized but small numbers of good-sized brown trout can be taken at times.

Werribee River, Bacchus Marsh E 6
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Rises in the Wombat State Forest south of Daylesford and flows for 110km to Port Phillip Bay. It passes through the town of Ballan, where water is diverted to Pykes Creek Reservoir, then flows through the Werribee Gorge to Bacchus Marsh. Here water is diverted to the Dairy Factory and for irrigation. It then flows into Melton Reservoir. Further downstream flow is regulated. Water is released downstream during summer and in dry years to the Werribee Weir, located just upstream from the town of Werribee, for irrigation of market gardens.

Flow in the 20km of river between Melton Reservoir and Werribee Weir therefore varies from very high flows during irrigation releases to very low flows at other times. Diversion of water at the Weir results in extremely low flows downstream to the Port Phillip Bay, although groundwater inflow usually maintains a small trickle flow.

Ballan to the Werribee Gorge B 5

The river flows for 15km in rolling farmland, with basalt outcrops. River width at Ballan is from 2-5m. Much of the river is shallow and the bed is exposed with little fish cover during low flows. However there are some good pools 80-120cm deep with good fish habitat. Substrate is rubble and gravel. Riparian vegetation is usually absent or willows. Some trout spawning occurs further upstream in the headwaters where habitat is suitable. A few deep pools at Ballan provide some angling for small brown trout, redfin and river blackfish. Some of the small-sized fish species occurring downstream will be present in the upper reaches but no fish surveys have been carried out in that area.

From top of Werribee Gorge to a diversion weir 2km upstream of Bacchus Marsh D 6

The river flows through forest and grazing land in a steep-sided valley. Gravel and rock bottom. There is good access to the Gorge and there are picnic facilities. The river is deeply entrenched in the rocky-gorge section and consists of some shallow riffles but mostly very extensive, deep pools, with slow-flowing, turbid water. These pools have never been surveyed for fish but the remainder of this section of the river is known to contain brown trout, to 800g (av. 300g), abundant redfin to 200g, river blackfish, tench and roach. Other species likely to occur are Australian smelt, flat-headed gudgeon, spotted galaxias and mountain galaxias.

Bacchus Marsh to Melton Reservoir E 6

This consists of a 10km reach of river. There is extensive shallow water at Bacchus Marsh with pools 80-100cm deep and some sedimentation. Further downstream there are some good pools to 150cm deep. Substrate is rubble, sand, silt and clay. Fish populations have not been surveyed but are likely to be similar to those upstream.

Melton Reservoir to Werribee Weir H 9

The river flows for about 20km through farmland, in a deeply-entrenched basalt channel in low hills, then through the Werribee Plains with unconsolidated silt, gravel and sand soils to Werribee Weir. This weir has little storage capacity and is used as a diversion point for irrigation of market gardens. Riparian vegetation is often sparse with only a thin strip of riparian vegetation near Werribee. Best access to the river is just below Melton Reservoir and a large reserve area at Cobbledick Ford Road. Flow through this section of the river is controlled by releases of water from Melton Reservoir.

However the prevalence of wide, deep pools maintains good habitat and fishing opportunities even if little water is being released. Angling fish are carp, roach, redfin and some brown trout. Other species are tench, Australian smelt, common galaxias, blackfish, short-finned eel, mosquitofish and flat-headed gudgeon. The first kilometre of the river below Melton Reservoir is very accessible by walking along the bank and is the most heavily fished. Good baits for redfin are scrubworms, worms, live baitfish; and for carp, corn and dough.

Downstream of Werribee Weir to Werribee H 10

During summer or when irrigation diversion from the Werribee Weir is occurring, flow through Werribee can be extremely low. The riffles are shallow with exposed basalt rubble substrate. However there are some extensive pools to 5m deep above Cottrell Street Ford, the former swimming hole (Bungles Hole) and the Pioneer Settlement Park that retain water and can be fished for redfin to 300g, short-finned eel, and brown trout to 400g (av. 120g). Also contains carp, tupong, goldfish, short-finned eel, pouched lamprey, short-headed lamprey, tupong, common galaxias, tench, roach, flat-headed gudgeon, Australian smelt and mosquitofish.

Below Werribee H 12

There is a short length of fresh water from Werribee to the ford behind the Werribee Mansion. This is rather inaccessible but contains quite extensive pools up to 6m deep. Below the ford is estuarine water which carries black bream to 1.3kg, mullet, trevally, flathead and flounder. Best access for shore fishing in the estuary is the lower western shore via the Melbourne Water farm (permit to enter the farm required). There is some shoreline and jetty fishing at Werribee South and the lower river section can be reached by boat from Port Phillip Bay or the Werribee South boat ramp. Successful baits for black bream are bass yabbies, and sandworms. Fish such as blue-bait, whitebait, also full pilchards are successful for flathead which enter the estuary in spring. The lower Werribee River provides excellent fishing for black bream at times.

Redfin
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Redfin (English perch)

Redfin or English perch were introduced into Victoria from Europe in 1868. They now occur in most waters and reach their largest size (often up to 2.5 kg) in lakes, They have a firm white flesh and are excellent eating. They are carnivorous, taking a wide range of aquatic foods but the larger fish prefer yabbies and other fish. Baits are best presented on a running sinker or paternoster rig.

Redfin are also taken by spinning and trolling using a wide range of spinners and lures. Spinners with vibration and revolving flashing blades are always popular. Recommended trolling lures are McLaughlin's Galaxia Minnows, Flat Fish, Wonder Wobblers but many others work well. Jigging (moving a special lure up and down in the water) such as a Baltic Bobber or Demon Jig, near snags and submerged trees, can also be very productive. They can also be caught on wet flies. Redfin can exist in a wide variety of habitats, provided water flow is not too fast, even withstanding periods of very high salinities. It thrives at water temperatures of 8-27^oC but can withstand up to 36^oC. Spawning occurs in late winter/early spring when water temperature reaches 12^oC.

One female can lay up to 200,000 eggs. These are attached to aquatic weeds and logs in long ribbons of eggs and hatch within 8- 21 days, depending on water temperature. It is not hard to see how they have successfully colonised nearly all suitable waters in Victoria. An attempt has been made to exclude them from waters in Gippsland and even now they are restricted to only a few localities. Please assist by not using them as bait or stocking them into waters or dams in that area. Adult fish spend most of their time on the substrate and close to cover such as rocks, debris and weed beds in rivers, so these are good places to drop your line or eggs to other waters.

Fish in several waters in Victoria are now heavily infested. There is no means of control. They are found mainly in lakes, or very slow reaches of rivers, and their incidence seems to be increased when fish are stressed, eg by high water temperatures. Some native fish can also be affected at times.

Red Worms in Fish
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The red worm found in the muscle and internal organs of trout and redfin in particular is a nematode worm called Eustrongyloides. The worms are 20-30 mm long and are often in clumps in the flesh. They do not affect the eating quality of the fish and the worms can be easily removed. It is spread by birds feeding on infected fish and transferring live worms

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