Lilydale Lake

[longbob]

I've just totalled up the hours I've spent at Lilydale, from my journal. 27 hours, and not a single fish. Same sort of time in Yarra has me a bucket full. So in all honesty, does Lilydale actually contain fish, and how can it be a Premier Family Lake or whatever with these results. I've met so many others over there with the same donuts for results.

[biggar]

Yeah it contains fish but there are so many better places to fish around the north east suburbs

[FishnMiss]

I've never seen anyone catching there & I've been there quite a few times (not fishing, just taking a walk or seeing what's goin on).
I agree there are better places.

[shazdoggg]

The biggest stockies ive ever caught(i didnt partake in the '13 rubi slaughter) are from lilydale lake. My sister and I caught rainbows to 6lb on power bait fished on the bottom a few years back. She caught 3 one afternoon, to my measly 1. These were excess brood fish chucked into the lake cos eildon was crap at the time(drought stricken). Have heard they have put in brood stock since then but not sure how many..

[Rod Bender]

...................(i didnt partake in the '13 rubi slaughter)......................

Are you talking about the great escape, aka the infamous Brook trout massacre? Cos if you are I think that happened in 2012! Otherwise, I have missed another 'rubi slaughter' that somehow passed me by last year!
As for Lilydale Lake, any chance the stocked fish get cleaned up pretty quickly by anglers therefore leaving it difficult to find fish?
cheers
Jim

[Drifta-X]

Llllydale just crap!!

[rixter]

It has been way over fished for the last few years imo, and now pretty much produces donuts. It was a great fishing lake years back when Eildon was dry ( as mentioned above ) ..

Cheers , Rick

[shazdoggg]

...................(i didnt partake in the '13 rubi slaughter)......................

Are you talking about the great escape, aka the infamous Brook trout massacre? Cos if you are I think that happened in 2012! Otherwise, I have missed another 'rubi slaughter' that somehow passed me by last year!
As for Lilydale Lake, any chance the stocked fish get cleaned up pretty quickly by anglers therefore leaving it difficult to find fish?
cheers
Jim

Haha you got me! I got my years messed up! A sign of getting older me thinks haha! Definetly meat gatherers at the 'premier lakes' which make it hard for others who want to land a fish outside of the fish stockings.

[Novice]

Hi,
I'm local and walk there often and always ask how people are going when they are fishing. I have seen people catching ratty little trout in the past few months, nothing impressive.
The lake was drained mid 2012 to try to control a weed problem and remained as a series of muddy ditches for several months, so I guess everything in there has either been stocked post end of 2012 or has migrated in there from the Olinda creek.
Paul

[ChrisD]

Biggest trout I ever caught was in Lilydale lake a few years back......it is also the only fish I have ever caught there.
I think it has been rubbish ever since they drained it. That combined with it being over fished since it refilled and and stocked has not helped. I have given up on it for now, maybe in another year or two, with a few more stockings, it will bounce back.
Mind you i find the same at Rowville and Don Lake - they all seem to have fished rubbish over the last couple of years.
The Yarra is certainly a much better prospect.