Welcome to the Lake Burrumbeet Fishing Guide. Lake Burrumbeet is a large and shallow freshwater lake roughly 20 kilometres west of township Ballarat and a 90-minute drive from Melbourne. This lake has established a reputation as a renowned Carp fishing hot spot. Water levels have slowly been declining and last year the water levels were so low that carp were collected by hand in the hundreds. It’s a great spot that attracts families for camping, boating, kayaking, fishing, picnics and walking. Families often stay by the nearby caravan park or racetrack. The lake was recently closed due to a blue-green algae breakout so please read up on local reports before heading out there.
**BECOME A FISHINGMAD MEMBER** Exclusive Fishing Workshops, Exciting Monthly Giveaways, In-Depth Fishing Reports with GPS Coordinates, Members Podcast, Interactive Maps, Catch of the Month Competitions, Kayak Club, Gear Guides, Rigging Tutorials, Tackle Talks, Sounder School, Fishing Tips, Fish Cleaning tutorials, Behind the scenes content & more.
Check out this video guide on how to catch carp.
Things to do at Lake Burrumbeet
Lake Burrumbeet is a nice location to take the family. There is a 6-kilometre walking track around the lake and open areas which make nice picnic grounds and camping. There is lots of active birdlife such as pelicans and eagles which can be spotted along your walk. Depending on the water depth you can also choose to take a boat or kayak on the lake. Close by is the Lake Burrumbeet Caravan Park and camping is permitted around the lake. The lake is 20 kilometres away from the township of Ballarat which has local attractions including a market, adventure playground, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat Botanic Gardens, Sovereign Hill and much more.
Fishing Lake Burrumbeet
In Lake Burrumbeet you can catch carp, trout, redfin, roach and eels. However, carp will be your primary species of choice as they are in big numbers in this lake. We recommend you read our detailed guide on How to catch carp in Victoria. Standard baits such as corn, bread, and maggots work great for carp. it’s a very shallow water system in most areas so a simple running sinker rig with a pea-size sinker works great in this area. So, does suspend the same baits with a float. We have also fished well using unweighted baits. Carp can grow to huge sizes even in small impoundments, therefore, a 3-6 kilo rod coupled with a 4000 size reel is very appropriate. You could even fish a little heavier with rods designed for snapper that are generally 4-7 kilo 7 foot in length. We recommend 10-pound line and a strong leader. Again you can go heavier if you wish, for fun I have caught some monster size carp using 2-4 kilo rod and 6-pound braid. But I am prepared to lose some good fish in the process.
Most freshwater species have a tendency to feed more aggressively at Dawn and Dusk. We like to target carp on sundown, particularly in the warmer months. This is when you might see carp swimming along the edges or jumping out of the water around. This aligned in September-November which is their spawning season. European Carp must not be returned to the water. A simple yet effective fishing rig here is to thread a small running sinker through the mainline shown in blue, which is usually around 8 pounds. Then tie a medium swivel to the end allowing the sinker to run up the mainline freely. Then tie on the other end of the swivel 50cm of 8-pound fluorocarbon leader (the leader is shown in grey ). Finished with a hook. I generally use a size 6 bait keeper hook or size 10 long shank which is perfect for corn kernels or scrub worms, however, you can also use small treble style hooks which is a better setup if you use bread.
If you getting snagged up then you can also use a float rig. Attach a quill or bubble float to your mainline. Thread the line through and adjust the length using a size 6 bait keeper hook or size 10 long shank to keep your bait suspended at a good depth. Ideally cast down breeze which will stop the float from coming back to you. If you’re not getting bites then adjust the line depth and If necessary add a splint shot to add weight.
When targeting freshwater species such as trout and redfin we recommend fishing with a light spinning rod. This will make the experience more enjoyable and improve your catch rates. We suggest a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo fishing rod. Coupled with a 2000, 2500 or 3000 size reel that’s been spooled with a decent quality braid between 4-8 pound. Then finished with roughly a rod length of a quality fluorocarbon leader. If you plan to fish with bait from the banks then good options include power bait in bright colours, worms, maggots, live minnows and mudeye. Either on a light running sinker rig, paternoster rig or suspended from a float.
Small shallow diving hard body lures are also very effective in this system. As are old favourites such as spinners and Tassie devils. Ideally in smaller sizes and nice bright colours. Check out our guide on the Best lures for catching Redfin. Blue-Green algae have been an issue at times, so read local reports before planning a trip out on the water. We have experienced a couple of encounters with tiger snakes here so be careful and wear appropriate footwear. If you see a Tiger snake keep your distance and don’t approach it as they can be aggressive. Remember to always carry your Victorian fishing license, European Carp must not be returned, FishingMad encourages ‘catch & release’ of all native species to help maintain the water quality within the lake.
Recommended baits Lake Burrumbeet
- Corn
- Bread
- Powerbait
- Scrub worms
- Mudeye
- maggots
Recommended lures Lake Burrumbeet
- Bluefox spinners
- Daiwa DR joint minnows
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub
- Savage Gear minnow blade
- Berkley powerbait grub
- Daiwa Presso minnows
- Tasmanian Devil Blade
- Bullet lures 5-0 minnow
- Bullet lures 3cm lure
- strike tiger nymph
- Rapala countdown floating minnow
- Daiwa Double Clutch
- Tasmanian Devil lure
- Gulp 3-inch minnow
- Zman 2.5 inch grub
- Daiwa Bait Junkie paddle tail minnow
- Squidges biotough grub
Targeting Carp at Lake Burrumbeet
There is a large volume of carp in local lakes however they are fun to catch and you can learn more about catching carp have a read our detailed guide to carp fishing around Victoria. When targeting carp standard baits such as corn, bread, and maggots work great for carp here. Using a simple running sinker rig with a pea-size sinker works great in this area. So, do suspend baits using a float. We have also fished well using unweighted baits. You can also target carp with hard body lures and soft plastics. This is a difficult technique that generally requires sight casting. This means spotting a nearby carp and casting right in there and working the lure of plastic slowly hoping they will strike. It’s tough but very rewarding when you catch a carp using this method. Most however will stick to targeting them with bait.
For rod selection, a 3-5 kilo rod coupled with a 4000 size reel is very suitable. You could even fish a little heavier with rods designed for snapper that are generally 4-7 kilo 7 foot in length. For fun, I have caught some monster size carp using 2-4 kilo rod and 6-pound braid. But I am prepared to lose some good fish in the process. We like to target carp on sundown, particularly in the warmer months. This is often when you see carp swimming along the edges or jumping out of the water around September-November which is their spawning season. European carp must not be returned to the water. Always carry your Victorian fishing license. A simple yet effective fishing rig here is to thread a small running sinker through the mainline shown in blue, which is usually around 8 pounds. Then tie a medium swivel to the end allowing the sinker to run up the mainline freely. Then tie on the other end of the swivel 50cm of 8-pound fluorocarbon leader (the leader is shown in grey ). Finished with a hook. I generally use a size 6 bait keeper hook or size 10 long shank which is perfect for corn kernels or scrub worms, however, you can also use small treble style hooks which is a better setup if you use bread.
Targeting Trout at Lake Burrumbeet
We would highly recommend that you read our detailed 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 your 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 then 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.
We conducted a test to see which would perform better for stocked trout powerbait or lures. Watch the video below to find out the results which were interesting.
Targeting Redfin at Lake Burrumbeet
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 target the bigger size reddies. Just remember they are quite heavy and very prone to snags in small inland systems like this one.
Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. Images and videos shown on the Lake Burrumbeet Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals.
Thanks for reading our Lake Burrumbeet 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
