Fact Box Lake Eildon fish stocking Fisheries Victoria has a long history of stocking fish into Lake Eildon. The lake does contain a self-sustaining population of trout that breed in the tributaries during winter. Most are brown trout but there are some rainbows. The lake’s productivity boomed after the recent drought broke and all that water rose over new ground. Trout and redfin benefited hugely, along with native fish such as golden perch and Murray cod, both of which have been stocked in recent decades in large numbers. Much less so than trout, these two native species depend on stocking to create recreational fisheries. Golden perch don’t successfully breed in most lakes (but do roe up and behave like they’re trying). Several million golden perch fingerlings have been released into the lake since the 1990s. They’ve created one of the state’s best native fisheries, especially in spring. A small self-sustaining fishery for Murray cod has always existed in the lake, but elevated stockings have taken the fishery to a new level. Everybody’s bracing themselves for exciting things to come as the ‘Murray Cod Million’ projects delivers huge pulses of new ‘greenfish’ into the lake. It’s the largest cod stocking endeavour in the country! All the one million extra Murray cod (stocked in addition to the 50,000 the lake was receiving annually) into Lake Eildon have been marked internally with a harmless food dye. A detailed fish population will assess the contribution these fish make to the overall cod population in the lake. In the neighbourhood Stocking also occurs in the Eildon Pondage with large numbers of ex-broodfish, some as large as 3kg, released through the year. The Goulburn River below the Pondage is also stocked each year, but does contain a wild, self-sustaining population of trout too. Fish production at Snobs Creek along with fish purchases from other hatcheries is all funded by recreational fishing licence fees and the State Government’s $16 million Recreational Fishing Initiative. – DEPI                       One million extra Murray cod were stocked into Lake Eildon over three years in a bold project funded by Victorian fishing licence fees.                       Eildon Pondage is stocked with trout, but the majority of trout in Lake Eildon are wild fish that have been born in its upstream tributaries over winter.     Fact Box Eildon Big Fish Challenge Dates: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October Entry: Adults $25. Junior/Kids $10. Family $60 Enjoy a weekend of Fishing, food stalls, wine tasting, music, children’s amusements, trade displays and fishing demonstrations. Go to www.eildonbigfishchallenge.com.au for more information.