Trelly's Weekly Fishing Report - December 5, 2025
by Trellys 5 Dec 07:59 UTC
December 5, 2025
Murray cod © Trellys
Well the new Murray cod season has started with mixed reports coming in. Overall the cod fishing has been quite good for many people, including myself.
Fluctuating water levels with areas of dirty water have proven to be difficult to work around, but there are plenty of fish on the bite if you know where to go.
Goulburn River
Despite a flush of water pushing down the Goulburn River on cod opening, many keen anglers went fishing anyway with mixed results.
Murray cod were caught on both bait and lures with some of those fish being quite large.
There have also been some Yellowbelly and Silver perch caught around the Shepparton area by anglers using bait.
Upstream around the Thornton area the trout are still biting quite well in the cooler water.
Waranga Basin
I am busting to get over to the Waranga Basin myself but have not been able to make it. Either it has been too windy, or on the calm days I have been too busy. I have not heard any outstanding reports, but have seen a few photos of some redfin being caught, some of which have been quite nice fish, up around the 30cm mark. Perfect for the plate.
Box Creek (Kow Swamp)
I fished Box Creek at Kow Swamp with a friend during the week. We fished for a few hours in the afternoon. We caught one lovely Yellowbelly, 1 Silver Perch and a heap of carp. There was quite a lot of fishing action, particularly from the carp.
Brenton Clarke fished there last week and caught a large Silver Perch as well as some carp. The video of Brentons fishing trip to Box Creek can be found here:
My friend Blake fished nearby Taylor Creek on the eastern side of Kow Swamp before we arrive where he caught over a dozen carp while he waited for us. (my wife and I)
These creeks are a bit like glorified irrigation channels, and at the moment they are worth fishing. If the fish are biting in these channels, then I suspect they will be in all channels.
Ovens River
Many anglers have been fishing the Ovens River all week targeting Murray cod, myself included. I have done well with both lures and bait, but I have found the fishing to be better using bait.
This could be because the river has had a bit of colour in it and is flowing a bit higher due to recent rainfall in the catchment.
As is usually the case, while fishing with bait I have been catching a few carp. In Wangaratta a couple of days ago I caught 4 Murray cod and 2 carp. 20 years ago I needed to catch at least 20 carp before I could see a Murray cod.
I have caught my cod on a Jackall Pompadour surface lure, the new 70mm Old Mate (15ft) and OneWell Sumo Mini with the best bait being cheese and worms.
I have been fortunate enough to have had 6 fishing sessions already this cod season and have caught Murray cod on 3 of them. I have had 3 fishless trips.
My "hit and miss" report seems to align with the general fishing reports around the region.
Lake Eppalock
I am getting mixed reports from Lake Eppalock. Some people are catching fish and some are not. I have seen videos of anglers working hard for a few fish, and photos of some lovely redfin and Yellowbelly that have been caught.
I suspect that local knowledge is coming into play here. Those that know the lake well are catching fish and those that don't are missing out.
My friend Rohan caught a very large Mirror Carp there last week. The video of Rohan's Mirror Carp can be found here:
Mitta Mitta River
The Mitta Mitta River has been fishing well for trout lately with some lovely brown trout being caught upstream of Eskdale. These trout have been caught on lures and fly, some of which look to be up around the 50cm size.
I have not heard any reports of Murray cod being caught in the Mitta Mitta or the Kiewa River yet this season.
YABBIES
On a side note, I have been catching a few yabbies this week. I have been catching them in farm dams and in small semi seasonal creeks. If you like yabbying, or just love a feed of fresh yabbies, now is a great time to head out and out the nets in.