Drought Recovery

Significant rain fell across much of Victoria in 2010 and 2011.

Many lakes filled and were stocked with trout and native fish to improve fishing opportunities.

Redfin and yabby populations rebounded too.

Trout

In Spring 2010, 'yearling' trout were stocked into newly filled lakes, however the extent of statewide rain created more opportunities for stocking so 'fingerling' size trout were released into other waters too.

These 'fingerlings' weighed around 5 grams each and were much smaller than the 'yearling' trout normally stocked.

Many of the waters stocked with trout in 2010 and 2011 are fishing very well now. Trout between 1 and 3.5kg have been landed from several lakes for over a year now.

Further trout stockings have occurred during 2011 and are continuing through 2012.

Native fish

More than two million native fish were stocked during the summer of 2010/11 and again last summer. Most were Murray cod and golden perch fingerlings.

A proportion of these were stocked into waters that had recovered from drought.

The bulk of these native fish are 'fingerlings' and will take several years to reach legal minimum size.

Media releases 

• Trout stocking delivers best fishing in 30 years (July 2012)
• Vic anglers hooked on record native fish stockings (September 2011)
• Trout are back at Lake Wendouree (August 2011)
• Trout fishing booms thanks to spring stockings (July 2011)
• Lake Boga restocking to lure recreational fishers (May 2011)
• Fish stocking breathes new life into Lake Natimuk (May 2011)
• Trust funds murray cod return to Charlegrark (December 2010)
• Restocking hooks anglers more rainbow, brown trout (December 2010)