Waranga Basin

There are 2 concrete boat ramps scattered across the basin that provide excellent boat launching options. The average depth of water in Waranga Basin is 7 metres, with a maximum depth of 10 metres. This area is very exposed so do be careful on windy days as the waves can get surprisingly high.

At Warsnga Basin you can catch

• redfin
• trout
• golden perch
• Murray cod
• carp
• crayfish

Waranga Basin has a healthy population of redfin here you can also target yellowbelly, Murray cod, trout and carp. Fishing can be good all year round with perch more active in the warmer months and trout more active in the colder months. Whilst carp can be caught in good number, particularly around Spring. You’re always likely to get more bites on sunrise and sundown but with some effort on any given day or time. For those fishing with bait power bait and worms suspended from a float are ideal options. Good size redfin and trout are caught here regularly. It’s a prime location to fish with a kayak and has unbelievable potential for those who enjoy fly fishing. Land-based anglers will also catch a good volume of redfin casting soft plastics from the banks.

Effective fishing techniques include trolling hard-bodied lures in the deeper channels and casting hard-bodied lures, soft plastics and surface lures along the shallows and banks. We would highly recommend when fishing here concentrate your time and effort casting lures towards and suspending baits hard up against the visible structure and depth changes. Many of the largest fish are often caught amongst the timber. The trick here is to present a lure or bait and tempt the bigger ones out of the structure they are residing in for a reaction strike.

Recommended baits Waranga Basin

Best fishing lures at Waranga Basin

The lake is shallow and weedy. We recommend using single hooks instead of trebles where possible. Lightly weighted grub and minnow style soft plastics are very effective on yellowbelly ( golden Perch ), estuary perch, carp and trout. Lipless Crankbaits, blades, cranks and shallow diving hard-body lures are a great all-around choice.

• ZMan Slim SwimZ paddle tail with an attached TT Jig Spinner
• Tasmanian Devil Blade
• Daiwa Double Clutch
• Tackle Tactics Vortex Spinner Bait in 1/4oz
• Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub
• Gulp 3 inch minnow
• Zman 2.5 inch grub
• Dawia Bait Junkie paddle tail minnow
• Jackall TN50
• Zerek fish trap
• Jackall transams
• Samaki vibelicious
• eco gear ZX40
• Savage Gear Fathead crank shallow diving
• stump jumpers S3
• Squidges biotough grub
• Bassman spinner bait
• Berkley powerbait grub

Targeting Yellowbelly at Waranga Basin

Yellow belly AKA Golden Perch is a beautiful freshwater fish found in this system. With a rich food source available the yellowbelly here grow too thick and plump sizes. Good lure choices include curl tail soft plastics with the zman 2.5-inch grubz and Gulp 3-inch grub minnow both in black are standout choices. Soft vibes such as the Zerek fish trap, Jackall transams and Samaki vibelicious are great options. lip-less crank-baits such as Jackall TN50 and TN60 continue to be very popular so do blades such as the eco gear ZX40 with stinger hooks. Other favourites are the reliable stump jumpers, spinnerbaits, bassman spinners, large grub style soft plastics in dark colours. Soft plastics are worked best on a 1/8 or 1/4 jig head slow-rolled along any structure. This works particularly well when tying your boat or kayak up against trees and working the soft plastic slowly up against the tree and adding some noise to the action by tapping the butt of your rod or by hitting the jig head into the timber. This brings out the predatory nature of the yellowbelly. Take advantage of down scan and side scan technologies on your sounder and spend some time moving between the structure to find the fish. Other lures to can be worked amongst the timber but in general work really well in open water being slow-rolled or trolled.

When it comes to rod selection we generally use a light spin rod around 7 foot in length in 1-4, 2-4 or 3-5 kilo class paired with a 1000, 2000 or 2500 size reel. Spooled with 8-12 pound braid and an equivalent fluorocarbon leader. Baitcaster rods and reels are a very popular choice when targeting yellowbelly. Good options include a 3-5 or 4-6 bait caster with a 2000 bait caster reel. When bait fishing a 7 foot light rod paired with a 3000 size reel. Good bait rigs would include a paternoster rig with a small sinker at the bottom or a running sinker rig with scrub worms or yabbies.

Targeting Carp at Waranga Basin

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 a 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 using bread.

If your 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.