SEVENTEEN waters across Gippsland, Victoria, shared in 120,000 Australian bass fingerlings last week to further improve freshwater fishing opportunities for anglers.
Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said two new waters had been added to the stocking list this season given the species’ popularity and the widespread success of other bass releases in Gippsland’s rivers and lakes over more than a decade.
“Expanding our bass fisheries supports the State Government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing, which aims to get more Victorians fishing, more often,” Mr Dowling said.
“Since 2002, we have stocked nearly 560,000 bass fingerlings throughout Gippsland and they are doing really well in most places.
“One of the new waters this season was the Timbarra River, which received 10,000 bass fingerlings near its junction with the Tambo River.
“Hospital Creek, east of Lake Tyers, was also new and received 3,000 fingerlings.
“Other waters that received bass fingerlings this season were the Avon (5000), Macalister (9,000), Tambo (8000), Nicholson (8000), Mitchell (10,000), Thomson (5000) and Tyers (5000) rivers and the Valencia (3000), Traralgon (2000), Rainbow (2000) and Freestone (2000) creeks.
“Lakes Blue Rock (25,000), Glenmaggie (10,000), Narracan (10,000) and Guthridge (1000) all shared in bass too and Cowwarr Weir received 2,000.”
Mr Dowling said bass stocking was funded by recreational fishing licence fees and Target One Million, which aims to grow participation to one million anglers by 2020.
“A key commitment of Target One Million was to improve boating access to Blue Rock Lake, which occurred in August 2015.
“Now, vessels of any length and any engine size can operate on the lake at speeds of less than 15 knots, making it more accessible to more anglers with trailerboats.
“To celebrate the new arrangements at Blue Rock Lake, 12 mature bass were tagged as part of a competition.
“One of those fish has already been caught and earned a local 16-year old Willow Grove angler a $250 prize pack.”
To learn more about the Gippsland bass stocking program visit www.vic.gov.au/bluerockbass
