Inland Fishing

Well it’s true that Australia’s arid and semi-arid inlands may be virtually devoid of permanent waterways, however, most of the coastal fringe and the highlands enjoy good rainfall. These waterways can delve a long way from the coast too. Just look at the Murray River which begins in the Snowy Mountains in NSW, travelling for over 2,500kms before meeting the Southern Ocean in South Australia. Most inland waters are on public property and anglers generally have easy access to rivers and lakes. That said however, check with your state or territory’s freshwater fishing laws to see if you need a recreational fishing license.

Nearly all freshwater fish species have a preferred environment that is determined by climatic and water conditions. Although many species can adapt to new environment, fish living in preferred waters will typically be in abundance, growing to their full potential size. Species such as rainbow and brown trout will typically prefer the higher cold alpine waters; however they can also flourish in the lower elevations away from the mountain country. There are also hardy tough natives like golden perch that can live in a variety of environments from warm sluggish inland waters to turbid backwaters and billabongs. The inland fishing waters in Australia can be broadly classified as tropical, temperate and cold.

There are many fishing techniques that can be very effective when used in the right environment. The popular techniques for freshwater inland fishing are baitcasting, lure casting and trolling, and for the keen-eyed trout angler - fly fishing.

Baitfishing

Baitfishing is the most widely known fishing style and involves using real bait such as worms or prawns to entice the fish. Like many techniques these days, baitfishing has become quite ‘technical’, considering the many types of baits (live or dead) that can be used and the various rig setups there are. Nevertheless, the baitfishing basics can still be employed to produce good results. Some baitfishing practices include natural bait drifting and bottom fishing.

Lure Casting & Trolling

Lure casting is the technique that describes casting and retrieving of artificial baits, whilst lure trolling works on the same principle except the lure is usually towed behind a moving boat. Lures are typically made of metal, wood or plastic and are designed to mimic bait fish and other fish food. You can also purchase lures specifically designed to appeal to a particular fish such as barramundi or Murray cod. A lure does not need to look exactly like the prey to be successful so long as it imitates features such as movement and colour. Some of the main groups of lures include: soft plastics, spinner blades, surface, minnows, spoons and slices.

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is the technique of casting almost weightless artificial lures called flies. Flies are made of materials such as fur, feathers and artificial substitutes. They are designed to imitate insects like mayflies, caddis and beatles. Since flies are so light, casting can be very challenging and thus requires the use of heavy lines, long flexible rods and not to mention - good casting skills. An angler must swing the rod back and forth in the air as to generate enough line speed for a successful cast. This skill requires some practice to keep the fly airborne and to accurately cast into a designated area. Fly fishing can be used for targeting almost any freshwater fish, although trout is the species that responds exceptionally well to the technique. The two categories that flies fall under are dry and wet.

Throughout Australia’s inland waters, there are over 196 native freshwater fish species from 35 families and 24 exotic freshwater species from 7 families. Some exotic species were introduced into Australia for their sporting or ornamental qualities, while others were introduced for aquaculture or biological control of mosquitoes. Like many introduced species, this has unfortunately brought with it some problems such as the decline of native species due to the aggressive and territorial nature from some exotics like redfin. For an in-depth look at freshwater fish found in Australia - including scientific and family names, please check out the Summary of Australian Freshwater Fish from Native Fish Australia.

For more information including photos of individual fish species in NSW, there’s an excellent guide in the PDF format called What fish is this? A guide to freshwater fish in NSW created by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Below is a state-by-state list of the more familiar freshwater fish species found in our inland waters.

One of the most important freshwater angling skills needed is the ability to study the environment and read the water. This involves studying the river or lake, reading the water flow and predicting the locations where fish would normally habitat. Casting your bait or lure into a potential habitat will greatly increase your chances then casting into an open area void of fish.

The habits of freshwater fish - and especially the bigger dominant species can be predictable. They generally enjoy taking up the prime positions in the river or lake. This may be near the main current flow, although not directly in it, as they want to ambush any morsels drifting with the current. Usually the prized positions will be in shelter near slight water flow where food passes often. Bigger fish may enjoy living in the deeper, slower flowing sections, either in the pools or the holes. The water can be read by studying the path of floating leaves and insects and where they end up.

Trout do not like hot weather and they tend to seek solace in the deeper waters. These waters can be targeted as the depths of pools can be roughly determined by the steepness of its river banks. Fish such as Australian bass, Murray cod and barramundi enjoy the protection of underwater timber and overhanging branches. Many of these structures provide good hiding places against predators and also a place to ambush passing food.

Polaroiding is a technique used by trout anglers during bright days where the water conditions are clear. It involves wearing polarised sunglasses to remove the glare from the water which enables much clearer vision below it. Fly fishers can visually locate their target if it be an unusual movement or the flash of scales and then present the fly in the right spot.

In a nutshell, coarse angling is freshwater bait fishing for ‘coarse fish’. The history goes back hundreds of years ago to medieval England where class hierarchy determined what fish was allowed to be kept. The higher class aristocrats were permitted to catch prime table fish such as trout and salmon often from the highlands. On the other hand, the lower class commoners were only allowed to catch and keep fish whose flesh was considered too coarse for the table. Hence the term ‘coarse angling’, which has been a prominent sport in the United Kingdom and Europe for the past half a century, is now becoming a popular sport in Australia.

There are three recognised coarse fishing disciplines namely match fishing, specimen fishing and leisure fishing. Fishing in the popular match fishing discipline is said to be one of the best ways to hone your fishing skills. In match fishing, the winner is declared as the one with the heaviest net of live and then released fish. Like any sport, there are rules in place to follow. Anglers are generally allowed to employ specialised fishing gear such as long and very sensitive float or quiver tip rods, finely tuned floats and small hooks. The ‘coarse’ fish usually targeted in coarse angling are carp, redfin and tench.