Blue Rock Lake

Welcome to the Blue Rock Lake Fishing Guide. Blue Rock Lake is a stunning fishing destination as Mt Baw Baw creates a scenic backdrop full of green hills on the lake’s edge. This amazing fishing destination is roughly 90 minute’s drive from Melbourne. It’s not just the scenery that’s great the fishing is as well as one of Victoria’s prime surface fishing destinations for Aussie bass. Blue Rock Lake is located in Gippsland Victoria originally built to supply drinking water to the Latrobe Valley. The river’s clear waters are now common to anglers, kayaks, and small boats targeting bass, redfin, and trout.

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With recent changes to boating restrictions fishing here is going from strength to strength. Stocking programs are in full swing which will have amazing bass fishing for years to come. This is a great place for Kayakers with access from the main boat ramp near the dam wall of the spillway road. The dam was originally built to provide cooling water for the nearby power stations within the Latrobe Valley.

Things to do at Blue Rock Dam Mt Baw Baw

This is a stunning location close to Mt Baw Baw. It’s a great destination to take the kids and unplug with some swimming, fishing, canoeing and a picnic whilst enjoying some great views. Keep an eye out for local wildlife including kangaroos, echidnas, lizards and native birds. There are several accommodation offerings in the immediate area with Willow Grove the closest small township and further on Moe. The lake is dog-friendly so feel free to bring your beloved 4 legged friends. During winter you can visit Mt Baw Baw to enjoy the snow season. With beginner-friendly skiing and snowboarding slopes available. You can even go on a sled ride with huskies. Mt Baw Baw is also a great spot year-round for bushwalking and hiking.

Fishing at Blue Rock Lake

At Blue Rock, Lake you can catch

• Australian Bass
• Rainbow Trout
• Brown Trout
• Estuary Perch
• Redfin (English Perch)
• Carp

The lake has become home to annual local fishing competitions which see anglers from far and wide get together to enjoy the lake. At Blue Rock Lake you can catch Australian Bass, estuary perch, Redfin, trout and carp. The most popular form of fishing here is with surface lures targeting Bass and Perch. The thrill of catching one on the surface is truly amazing. Bass will often surface to feed on insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas and flies so using lures that imitate these insects is also a good choice. Match the hatch as they say for fishing success. You will also want to keep a keen eye out for structure and target those areas closely as that’s often where bass will reside. Despite the high volume of stocking they can be tricky to catch and catches can be far and few between. Many Bass that is caught is still quite small but this will only get better and better as stocking programs have time to mature.

This is a great location for lures and soft plastics. Long-casting metal lures, vibes and spoons are a must when fishing from the banks. They will allow you to cover great distances and target multiple freshwater species at once. Another effective method is trolling old-school favourites like Tassie Devils. Traditional lures such as spinners and Tassie devils will also work really well, especially in bright colours. You won’t need to get too fancy here a simple cast and slow roll will be effective. When targeting trout and redfin we encourage you to fish as light as possible. This will make the experience more fun and improve your catch rates. Redfin will actively take many baits or lures. To maximize your chances fish with a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo rod. A reel size of 2500 is perfect. The main line spooled with 4-6 pound braid finished with a good quality leader. You will need to go a little heavier in years to come when yellowbelly has had a chance to grow and flourish. This is also a terrific spot for the fly fisherman who can drift nymph flies with great success for trout. Any time of day, though some fish will be more active at Dawn and Dusk. In the early mornings, you may spot trout breaking the surface to take insects.

Bait fishing here can be quite productive from the banks. Some excellent bait options include mudeye on a float or scrub worms, power bait & yabbies on a light-running sinker rig. This is a great choice for trout and redfin. Trout and redfin are notorious for feeding more aggressively at dawn and dusk. So we highly recommend fishing in the first and last hours of sunlight. Redfin is more active in the warmer months and trout is more active in the colder months. Fish can be caught during any time of day however many freshwater fish are more active at Dawn and Dusk. Peak bass time in the evening on warm balmy nights. Fishing is seasonal and the warmer months will see the redfin and bass more active, whilst the colder months are ideal for targeting trout. Early morning during Spring is a good time to target trout with snow melting from Mt Baw Baw and providing cool clean water which makes the trout active.

Blue Rock Lake Fish Stocking

Since 1995 Blue Rock Lake has been stocked with over 1 million fish. Combination of Bass, Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout as seen in the table below. This become an amazing bass and trout fishery and will continue to get better and better in years to come. Since 2002, more than 300,000 bass fingerlings have been stocked in Blue Rock. Also, the lake has been annually stocked with trout fingerlings for many years. In 2015, boating restrictions at Blue Rock were removed to allow more access for boats, jet skis and kayaks. The changes were part of the State Government’s Target One Million initiative to get more people fishing in Victoria. Use this link to follow the Victorian trout stocking program

 

• Timeco softshell cicada
• Jackall Micro Tappy
• Bass Day Sugar Pen
• Rapala countdown floating minnow
• EcoGear MX48
• YoZuri pins minnow
• Daiwa presso minnows
• Nories laydown minnow
• Bluefox spinners
• OSP bent minnow
• Daiwa DR joint minnows
• Strike tiger nymph
• Daiwa bait junkie 2.5-inch grub
• Daiwa double clutch
• Berkley powerbait grub
• Tasmanian devil blade
• Bullet lures 5-0 minnow
• Tasmanian devil lure
• Zman 2.5-inch grub
• Bullet lures 3cm lure

Recommended baits Blue Rock Lake

The video below demonstrates the best baits for trout and how to rig them correctly.  

Blue Rock Lake Boat and Kayak Access

Blue Rock is a terrific location to launch a kayak or small boat. The main boat ramp is located on 125 Spillway Rd, Willow Grove and the other boat ramp is off Old Tanjil Rd. Both boat ramps have excellent amenities nearby including shelter and BBQs. This is a great spot for kayaking and you can pretty much launch your kayak from anywhere. However, near the dam wall is an excellent choice with a large clearing and easy access. Do check Blue Rock Lake boat ramp access before planning your trip.

Targeting Bass at Blue Rock Lake

Bass pound for pound is considered the best sports fish on the planet. Often mistaken with the Estuary Perch these small silverfish love to smash surface and shallow diving lures. The action can be frantic on warm balmy evenings with low wind. listen for the sound of breaking water. Small surface poppers, cicadas, blades, surface minnows and pencil lures work well here. So do shallow diving hardbody lures. Noteworthy options include bent minnows, Rapala countdown series, nories laydown minnows and shallow diving cranks. Basically, anything that doesn’t dive too deep and makes a good vibrating action will work well. You can use any colour choice we often start with silvers that mimic small baitfish or mullet. Bass also respond well to soft plastics lightly weighted. Including curl tails, paddle tails and minnow imitations. The trusty 2.5-inch grubs and minnows are an excellent choice. We would recommend mixing up the retrieval speeds and pauses and playing around with different colours. Where possible fish along the structure and stay alert for signs such as breaking water.

Bass although powerful requires finesse. We recommend an ultralight fishing combo consisting of a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo spin rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 1000 or 2000 size reel spooled with 2-8 pound line and equivalent fluorocarbon leader. When bait fishing use a 2-4 kilo rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 2500 size reel either a float or small running sinker to a swivel and very fine leader.

Targeting Trout at Blue Rock Lake

We recommend you read our guide on how to catch trout which details our favourite lures, baits and techniques. You can follow trout stocking timelines by reading the Victorian trout stocking guide as part of the target 1 million by 2020 and 10 million by 2022 initiatives. When targeting trout with lures we recommend using shallow diving hard body minnows, metal spoons, spinners, Tassie devils and soft plastics which are also very effective on trout. If you’re bait fishing, then Mudeye, scrub worms, power bait, yabbies and minnows suspended from a float or a running sinker rig are great options when targeting trout at this location. Trout are more active in cold conditions with most catches on the first and last light of the day.

We recommend targeting trout with a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo fishing rod coupled with a 1000, 2000, or 2500 reel spooled with 4-8-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader. If there are larger trophy size trout around than you can go heavier moving up the scale to a 3-5 kilo class spin rod spooled with fine 8-12-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader.

 

Targeting Estuary Perch at Blue Rock Lake

Another highlight of fishing in this area is targeting Estuary perch with surface and shallow diving lures. The action can be frantic on warm balmy evenings with low wind. listen for the sound of breaking water which indicates EPs are feeding. The excitement an angler gets from an EP smashing a surface lure on light gear is something that truly needs to be experienced. It almost catches you by surprise when that aggressive strike comes. Small surface poppers, cicadas, blades, surface minnows and pencil lures work well here. So do shallow diving hardbody lures. Noteworthy options include bent minnows, Rapala countdown series, nories laydown minnows and shallow diving cranks. Basically, anything that doesn’t dive too deep and makes a good vibrating action will work well. You can use any colour choice we often start with silvers that mimic small baitfish or mullet.

EPs also respond incredibly well to a whole range of soft plastics lightly weighted. Including curl tails, paddle tails and minnow imitations. The trusty 2.5-inch grubs and minnows are an excellent choice. These imitate small baitfish that the EPs are actively feeding on. We would recommend mixing up the retrieval speeds and pauses and playing around with different colours. Where possible fish along the structure and stay alert for signs such as breaking water. Fishing for Estuary Perch requires finesse. We recommend an ultralight fishing combo consisting of a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo spin rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 1000 or 2000 size reel spooled with 2-8 pound line and equivalent fluorocarbon leader. When bait fishing uses a 2-4 kilo rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 2500 size reel either a float or small running sinker to a swivel and very fine leader.

Targeting Redfin at Blue Rock Lake

We recommend targeting redfin with a light spin outfit. This will make the experience more enjoyable and improve your catch rates. A 1-3 or 2-4 kilo fishing rod coupled with a 2000, 2500 or 3000 reel spooled with 4-8-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader should be perfect. Redfin respond really well to lures and soft plastics so do check our guide on the best lures for catching Redfin When using soft plastics, we highly recommend curl tails, minnow imitations, and paddle tails in both natural and bright colours. Rigged with a jig head that’s 1/8 through to 1/20 in weight. The most effective way to use these is to cast towards visible structure and slow roll the soft plastic with lifts and pauses for the retrieve. Shallow diving hard body lures, blades and vibes are also very effective in this system. So are traditional spinners and Tassie devils in bright colours. Metal spoons also play a role allowing you to cast great distances and targeting the bigger size reddies. Just remember they are quite heavy and very prone to snags in small inland systems like this one.

Watch our detailed video guide on our top 10 redfin lures below

This creek has had several recent outbreaks of Blue-Green Algae so always be wary of the water conditions. There is also known debris in the water so be careful when using small boats or Jet skis. This area is inhabited by wildlife such as Snakes and Lizards, so be wary of venomous snakes such as Brown, Tiger and Red-bellied Black. Camping and open fires are prohibited. Always carry your Victorian fishing license, FishingMad encourages ‘catch & release’ of all native species to help maintain the water quality within the lake however European Carp must not be returned. Always carry your Victorian fishing license, Vehicle access only in approved areas, no camping without special permission, no open fires. Maximum boat speed is 15 knots and 5 knots in safety zones.

Image used from fim.vic.gov.au and Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. All other images and videos shown on the Blue Rock Lake Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals. Thank you for reading the Blue Rock Lake Fishing Guide. If you feel this location guide is missing key information or needs any corrections made, then please let us know by emailing our team at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au with specific details in the email. Please also feel free to share any fishing pictures you have from this location with us. Thank you