Trelly's Weekly Fishing Report - December 19, 2025

Murray cod © Trellys

As I type we have some scorching hot weather in the forecast for the next couple of days. Hotter than anything that we have experienced for the last 3 or 4 years.

This could present some challenges to us anglers, the most effected will be those targeting trout.

It is best to avoid trout fishing during the heat of the day. If you catch a trout in the extreme heat, you literally have just a couple of seconds to get it back into the water or it will die.

In some parts of America, trout fishing is banned once the thermometer rises above a certain temperature and in some parts, that is as little as 25 degrees Celsius. This gives you an idea of the vulnerability of trout in the hot weather.

If you are camping over Christmas in the hills, in a trout fishing area, early morning will be the best time to go fishing before the heat really sets in.

The other effect the heat will have on the trout is that it will likely lift the water temperatures which will slow the trout fishing down.

In lowland areas, the heat can really warm the water right up, making the fishing a bit more hit and miss.

In my local waterways in Wangaratta, once the water gets really low and warm the fishing tends to slow down a bit and the freshwater shrimp become really active.

If we get strong winds with the heat we often see a lot of gum leaves fall out of the trees and into the rivers, which release tannins into the water, staining it a really dark colour, often almost black.

This black water should not be confused with blackwater, which can be deadly to fish. Blackwater is a name given to hypoxic water, meaning that it has little to no dissolved oxygen in it. Black water on the other hand can be quite healthy, just tannin stained.

During these times the rivers still fish OK, but areas with current seem to be the best.

Murray River

There have been quite a lot of Murray cod caught in the Murray River between Yarrawonga and Tocumwal since the cod season opened.

During the heat, this will be a great spot to fish as the water has an unnaturally high flow thanks to water releases from Lake Hume.

Due to the river being so wide, leaves falling from the trees along the banks do not stain the water either, so the Murray River will look mint during this heatwave. On top of that it is already fishing well.

Goulburn River

Similar to the Murray River, the Goulburn River will be worth fishing during the heat as it has quite a bit of water in it being released from Lake Eildon so will remain in good shape.

Like the Murray it too has been fishing well of late. Shepparton angler Mick Marshall has been catching so many Murray cod and Yellowbelly lately. He has been catching them all just walking the banks casting lures in the Shepparton area. In between catching all of his fish he has even been enjoying some unplanned swimming adventures.

Be careful out there Mick!

Ovens River

I have been fishing the Ovens River a lot lately, as I always do. The river is looking great. It still has a healthy flow, but the water has started to get that darker, summer look.

Despite this, my daughter and I fished it yesterday and caught 5 cod and 2 carp.

The cod were all undersized, and made up of 2 Trout cod and 3 Murray cod.

One of the small Murray cod was caught on a live shrimp, the rest of the fish were caught on cheese and worms.

My mate Brendan had a similar experience recently, catching heaps of small Murray cod and Yellowbelly just angling off the bank with bait.

Another of my mates, Sonny, has been catching some larger Murray cod this week using lures. He caught a 62cm Murray cod casting a Lighthouse Lure off the bank during the week.

With the heat, the river may get a bit darker and a bit lower, but should still fish OK. Murray cod fishing in the Ovens River tends to remain pretty consistent all summer. It peaks in December, but then slows down to a steady consistency for the rest of summer.

Lake Eppalock

Lake Eppalock continues to deliver mixed reports of redfin. Some people are catching quite a few and some are catching none. Hopefully the extreme heat this week might fire them up a little bit.

There has also been some nice Yellowbelly caught at Lake Eppalock this week as well as a few Murray cod.

I reckon I have seen more photos of Murray cod caught in Lake Eppalock in the last couple of months than I have in the last 5 years.

Mitta Mitta River

The Mitta Mitta River has been fishing well for trout in the Mitta Mitta area. Much better than last year.

Also, the upstream section of the river in the Blue Duck area has been fishing very well. I was talking to a bloke on the phone last night who fished it a few weeks back and said that they caught a few nice trout, a couple of which were nudging 3lb.

Loddon River

I have had mixed reports from the Loddon River ranging from no fish and very low water, to fantastic Murray cod fishing as demonstrated from Michael Lane in his recent YouTube video, where he went lure fishing in the Loddon from his kayak. Mick's adventure can be found here:

With the extreme heat forecast please stay safe out in the bush. Make sure you drink plenty of water and please... be mindful of the dangers to other people if your camp fire escapes.