Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the Glenelg River Basin
			GLENELG RIVER BASIN MAP (PDF 148Kb)
			BONG BONG or BUNG BUNG LAKE
			CLEAR LAKE
			CRAWFORD RIVER
			ESS LAGOON
			FRESHWATER LAKE
			GLENELG RIVER
			THE ESTUARY
			GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK STREAMS
			GRANGE BURN
			GREENWALD RESERVOIR
			HAMILTON LAKE
			KANGAROO CREEK
			KONONG WOOTONG RESERVOIR
			LINLITHGOW LAKE
			MOMBEONG LAKE
			MUDDY CREEK
			OLD HAMILTON RESERVOIR
			ROCKLANDS RESERVOIR
			STOKES RIVER
			WALKER SWAMP
			WANNON RIVER
			SEDIMENTATION OF WATERWAYS

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Glenelg River Basin 38
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | FISH SPECIES | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS | SEDIMENTATION OF WATERWAYS

Hamilton Lake

Most of the Basin receives a low mean annual rainfall (500-700mm) with a higher rainfall (700-1,000mm) southwest of Casterton. Much of the area, particularly in the northwest and along the Glenelg River, is fairly inaccessible. The basin is drained by one of the largest rivers in Victoria, the Glenelg, which flows into the sea at Nelson. Rivers in the Basin have a sluggish flow and mud or sand bottoms. Trout fishing is largely dependent on stocking. The freshwater sections of the rivers are probably not worth a special trip to fish.

Carp were detected in Rocklands Reservoir and in the river below the reservoir in 2000. The Glenelg River Basin was up until then one of the last ‘carp free’ river basins in Victoria. There are major concerns about the potential impact of the carp on particularly the lower-Glenelg River and estuary.

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact is managed by South West Fisheries, DPI. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy, lists Hamilton Lake and Konong Wootong Reservoir as salmonid waters while Rocklands Reservoir is a mixed species water. Catchment management is carried out by Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. Urban water is handled by Glenelg Region Water Authority. Irrigation and rural water use is managed by Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority. No waterways are currently listed for development of Streamflow Management Plans.

Diversions

Water is diverted from Glenelg River into Rocklands Reservoir (348,000ML) then to Balmoral. From Konong Wootong Creek into Konong Wootong Reservoir (1,800ML) then to Coleraine & Casterton. From Eureka Creek to a 90ML Reservoir to Glenthompson and from an unnamed creek into Railway Reservoir (20ML) to Glenthompson. From Waterfall Creek to Dunkeld and from seven creeks on the western side of the Grampians to Hamilton. These creeks are Browns, Waterworks, No 1, No 2, No 3, Chimney Pots Gap Creek, and an unnamed Creek. Water from an unnamed creek is held in Hartwich Reservoir (360ML) and Cruckoor Reservoir (990ML).

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

The section of the Glenelg River from Dartmoor to the sea (excluding the section in South Australia) has been listed as a Heritage River Area.

Ramsar Sites

There are 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.

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

Fish Species in the Basin

*Also called Ewens pygmy perch

The Glenelg spiny crayfish, Euastacus bispinosus, inhabits the Glenelg River and its tributaries and extends up into headwater tributaries. It occurs in streams with good riparian vegetation. Its maximum size is approximately 13cm, measured along the carapace. Minimum legal length is 10cm carapace length and the bag/possession limit is 5, of which only 1 can equal or exceed 11cm carapace length. Other restrictions apply to methods of capture. See current Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide.

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed dwarf galaxias, and Yarra pygmy perch as Lower risk-near threatened and variegated pygmy perch as Vulnerable. These three species, plus the Glenelg spiny crayfish, are all listed under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

The Department also lists mountain galaxias, lower Glenelg River slender form, as Data Deficient.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

Most of the waterways (90% of total length) are in poor to moderate condition, because of erosion of tributary streams which results in sediment moving into the Glenelg and Wannon Rivers. The Glenelg River downstream of Rocklands Reservoir to Dartmoor is considered to be in poor to moderate condition because of sedimentation although riparian vegetation of mature gums is almost continuous along both banks.

The Wannon River downstream to the Wannon Falls on the Glenelg Highway is in good, moderate and excellent condition at various localities. However it is in poor condition downstream of Tahara (about 12km from Wannon Falls) and continues to deteriorate in its remaining 30km to the Glenelg River because of sedimentation. There have been very extensive stream management works (pre and post 1975) in a 15km section of the Glenelg River upstream of Casterton and in the Wando and Crawford Rivers which has been a major source of sediment from bank erosion.

There is an accumulation of sediment in the top of the Glenelg River estuary which has reduced habitat in that area. Further downstream the river in the Lower Glenelg National Park is in excellent condition. Salinity in the main rivers increases to very high levels downstream. Maximum levels of salinity recorded by the Department (between 1989 and 1991) were Glenelg River (10,600EC), Crawford River (3,590EC), Stokes River (4,520EC), Chetwynd River (6,670EC), Wandoo River (11,300EC) and in Henty Creek (10,700EC). Causes are severe dry land salting due to removal of natural vegetation.

© The State of Victoria