FUEL, ACCOMMODATION, FOOD, BAIT AND TACKLE

There are many towns that offer services. Yea has a tackle store, fuel stop, a great take away, shops and good pub meals and some motel accommodation. Bonnie Doon also has great food in the main town and at the pub overlooking the lake. It’s not a bad spot for a quiet drink or two! There is also a local service station which has a marine mechanic. Alexandra has plenty to offer with a couple of service stations, four pubs that have some great meal options, take away food, a tackle store and plenty of accommodation places to boot. Eildon is a place loaded with accommodation options from the caravan park right on the Pondage to motels over looking the Pondage. The resort on the front road has caravan access and motel rooms all on the same grounds as the pub. On the Eildon Back Road there is another caravan park with a load of options. Eildon also has a tackle shop in the village with plenty of take away food outlets, a pub, as well as a service station. Eildon has pretty much all you need and don’t forget there is a mechanic on duty at Eildon Outboard Services.

FISHING THE NORTH WEST

The north west incorporates Bonnie Doon, all of the Delatite Arm, Ford Inlet and goes down as far south as Point Shaw. eildonspotlight_1   When the lake level is in the 85% and above mark, as it currently is, the area from the Bonnie Doon Bridge past the caravan park and heading back towards Merton becomes alive with activity as water covers the expansive grassy flats. This attracts a lot of fish to gorge themselves on worms, beetles, snails and countless amounts of other insects. This spot is easily accessible for land-based anglers. If you are in a boat it's in the 5  knot zone so you hopefully won't have skiers buzzing around. Bait fishing is always super-productive with worms and mudeyes being the pick of the bunch. Shallow running hardbodied lures such as Cranka minnows, Rapalas, and small StumpJumpers are also very effective on trout as well as golden perch. In spring if you see a fish tailing in the shallows, don't just assume its a carp. Golden perch and trout both tail around in these waters. Small soft plastics like Squidgies and Berkeley T-Tails also do well in the shallows, especially when finesse-rigged with a 1/16oz to 1/24oz size 2 jighead. Flyfishers will do very well here too. The golden perch season is firing along nicely from Bonnie Doon all the way to where the Delatite Arm starts. This is a very productive and large area and there are heaps of points which hold good numbers of schooling goldens. My favourite two lures for this style of fishing are TN60 Jackalls and Berkley Black n Gold T-Tails on a heavier 1/8oz jighead. In these areas you will also pick up plenty of redfin and the occasional Murray cod (remember the closed season from Sept 1 to Nov 30) and don't be scared to throw a small spinnerbait. The same methods apply into the Delatite Arm. Ford Inlet last year produced some big trophy redfin to almost 50cm and a lot of goldens to boot. Further south down to Point Shaw there are a dozen or so small bays that fish very well. There is also is a very healthy cod population in this area, so remember this for December when cod season opens.