Mildura Fishing: Some Good Spots Close To Town
Spot 1 | Spot 2 | Spot 3 | Spot 4 | Spot 5 | Spot 6 | Spot 7
Here are seven good bank fishing spots, all within a 10-15 minute drive of the CBD. A couple of them will require you to go down some roughish river tracks (spots 2,3 and 4), but as long as it hasn't been raining recently, they are all easily accessible with a standard 2WD vehicle.
The spots are all marked on the Google map. The co-ordinates are included, so if you have GPS they are easy to find. I will add pictures of the area and parking to the map, as and when I get a chance to do so. In return for sharing these with you, please... leave the river as you found it. Take your rubbish home with you.
Fishing Spot 1
I catch more perch that carp here, and the golden perch can run to a good size. Just park the car, and the spot is straight down the bank from there. You could literally throw a stone in the river from where you park. There are actually 2 or 3 different areas amongst the reeds, but I find the first one you come to as good as anywhere.
I have caught golden perch, a few silver perch, some small Murray cod, and only one carp in this spot. It's also good for shrimp, if you bring your net. Not too snaggy, though you will probably lose a few hooks/weights here.
The good thing about this spot, is that you don't even have to leave the sealed road to access it, there is minimal walking, and it produces well. I'm just surprised that I never come across anyone else fishing here... perhaps the brown snake that appears to live in the reeds beside where you sit might have something to do with it?? But you leave them alone,they will leave you alone. Just don't step on them.
Fishing Spot 2
To reach this spot, you need to drive down river road. Actually, the word "road" is a rather kind description for what is in fact a fairly rough rutted track. Sometimes the road has been recently graded, sometimes not. But regardless, you don't need a 4WD as long as the track is dry. I feel it's worth the drive, spot 2 produces good fish, and it's one of my favourites. I have been broken off here several times in the past, by what I assume was a rather large cod. As I was fishing after dark and using a large live yabby for bait, I don't think it could be anything else. The pull on the line was far more than any carp or perch could manage.
There are a few snags around here, so you probably will lose a bit of gear. But snaggy water is usually the best. And losing a few hooks and weights is a small price to pay for good fishing, IMO. It's only 50m walk from the carpark, but be prepared to clamber down a clay bank. Not difficult, though it can be a bit awkward getting back when you are loaded down with tackle.
Fishing Spot 3
Very close to spot 2, this one has the benefit of very easy access. However, the fishing is not quite as good as spot 2 in my experience. Still, it's a nice area under shady trees, and you can still catch fish here. Just not as many as spot 2. There is a bench overlooking the river with a nice sloping grassy bank. This might make a nice place for a family excursion, where fishing is just a part of the day.
Fishing Spot 4
As you pull into the car park area, you will see a picnic table just on the upstream side. While people can and do fish from here, my area is just a little downstream by about 20m. You can't miss it, it's the only area that has a nice clear area to the edge of the water.
If there is one drawback to fishing here, it is that during the summe months, there are ants. Lots of ants. You absolutely do not want to fish here wearing flip-flops... ask me how I know this.
In fact they can be so bad, I have resorted to putting my chair in the water. Other times I have used a small tarp to put all my gear on, and then spray the edges of it thoroughly with insect repellant. But some always seem to break through my defences. Other than that, it's a good fishing spot.
Fishing Spot 5
This is possibly one of the best places to catch fish in this area. It is also one of the most snaggy. You WILL lose gear fishing here. It's easy to see the area to fish, once you have parked and walked the few meters to the river.
The trick to fishing here, is to make long casts out, aim straight across the river, or slightly upstream. And when retrieving wind in quickly. Do that and you shouldn't lose too much tackle. Because of snags, a paternoster rig works better than having the hook below the weight. I also like to use slightly lower breaking strain for the hook trace. That way if I do get snagged, I usually get my weight back at least.
For some reason, this particular spot has a lot of turtles, you are always seeing them stick their heads above water to breathe. And they have the annoying habit of taking your bait and pulling it in under sunken logs and branches. Just one of the joys of fishing here... recognizing the gentle pull of a turtle on your bait and winding in before they tangle your line. My record is 4 turtles landed in one fishing session. All released back unharmed of course. I like to use pliers to crimp down the barb on the hook, just to make catch and release easier.
If you can avoid the snags and the turtles, there are plenty of fish to be caught here.
Fishing Spot 6
Not a particularly productive spot, though you will get a few carp, maybe the occasional silver perch. The attraction here is the fact that you can almost cast a line into the river from your car, the ground is clear and flat to set up your chair, and there is a picnic table.
So naturally, this can be a fairly popular spot. Not somewhere I would go to do some serious fishing, but perhaps good enough to take the little ones for a cast. And there is always a decent chance of a carp.
Fishing Spot 7
At first glance, this doesn't look like a particularly good fishing spot. But it is memorable to me for two reasons.
1. The place where I first discovered that an unattended rod can quickly disappear into the depths if a fish grabs your bait.
2. The first and only time I have seen a cod take a duck off the surface. Seriously. I had heard of this happening, but never really believed it until that day.
It was not long after daybreak on a warm summers morning, and 2 black ducks were swimming around the snag just upstream of me. Suddenly, there was an almighty splash, and one duck was gone, and the other flew off.
So if you ever fish this spot, perhaps try about 10-20 meters upstream with a surface lure. You never know what might happen.