small reddies @ Sugarloaf

[hunsky]

Went to Sugarloaf today and fished from 2 - 6pm, caught 5 small reddies on jerkbait.




Released these back to the water.

Fished snags with SP grubs at first along the banks only had 1 chase, switching to fishing the open water with the jerkbait proved to be effective.

Anyone been to sugarloaf lately? Been trying to get a yellow belly but only been getting small reddies (28cm the biggest so far).

[blakesirus]

great pics mate! what lure?

Cheers,
Blake

[Blueyed1]

Nice to get out and fish. Just love how they will go after lures that are 1/2 their size. Love the photo.
I always thought it was illegal to throw them back - but reading the 2017 guide I understand now you can.

"No limit. Anglers are encouraged not to return redfin back to the water as they are a voracious predator that prey on native fish species and other aquatic organisms.Removing redfin will enhance fishing opportunities for salmonid and native species. " This is in contrast to carp where it states " no limit, must not be returned to the water alive given noxious status."

Just wondering how many of us return small sized reddies as they are darn good eating no matter what size they are.?

Joe

[hunsky]

great pics mate! what lure?

Cheers,
Blake

Gotta love how these fish look, especially the medium sized ones.

Lure was Rapala original float f-05.

[hunsky]

Nice to get out and fish. Just love how they will go after lures that are 1/2 their size. Love the photo.
I always thought it was illegal to throw them back - but reading the 2017 guide I understand now you can.

"No limit. Anglers are encouraged not to return redfin back to the water as they are a voracious predator that prey on native fish species and other aquatic organisms.Removing redfin will enhance fishing opportunities for salmonid and native species. " This is in contrast to carp where it states " no limit, must not be returned to the water alive given noxious status."

Just wondering how many of us return small sized reddies as they are darn good eating no matter what size they are.?

Joe

Yeah I wasn't expecting to catch these small fellows on a 2 inches jerkbait: their mouth barely fitted the rear treble.

I have mixed feelings releasing these reddies. I only release them in sugarloaf because it's no longer stocked and reddies from sugarloaf are reported to have too much mercury for consumption according to multiple sources.

[FreeSpool]

Its a shame the fish from the Loaf have been reported to have high levels of mercury as i love fishing there and have caught heaps of reddies but never game enough to take one home to cook up & eat.
Im surprised as to the size of the reddies at sugarloaf, i have never got one over 27cm there very small but in big numbers when you find a school of them.
I haven't come across a yella yet but i know there in there as i have seen some caught by other fishermen.

[Blueyed1]

Is the mercury level in Sugarloaf really so high??? Can't be that high as it is a drinking water storage reservoir. When water levels were low they used to pump water from the Goulborn/ Eildon to fill it using the pipeline. Is that when the mercury came in?

Joe

[Blueyed1]

Youre right on with the mercury issue.

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries ... #sugarloaf

"Artificial lures or flies only permitted. No natural baits or berley, including bread or corn, is permitted. For most of the area where fishing is permitted, the banks are open with no vegetation. No cleaning of fish in the reservoir. Use fish cleaning facilities and offal bin provided.Note that mercury levels in redfin are above the statutory limit. Stocked with trout until 2000 when Melbourne Water withdrew permission to stock."

However I would believe eating the fish occasionally would do us no harm. Its a bit like eating shark I guess. Eating it once or twice a week should be OK.

Joe

[hunsky]

The biggest reddie i've pulled out from there is 28cm, right next to the bank. The high mercury level is quite a shame especially considering how clear the water at sugarloaf is.

I have eaten medium sized reddies caught from the loaf and I seem to be doing ok still : D wouldn't do it more than once in a very long time tho.

Does anyone know if there a place I can send some reddie fillets in for heavy metal concentration analysis? I wonder if the mercury levels in the reddies from the sugarloaf have declined over the years.

[guppie12]

Lol, I caught my first reddie on Monday ant the loaf and it was 30cm lol and fat too :super:
Cheers