Episode 243: Lake Purrumbete Redfin Perch With Michael Evans

Mick’s Redfin Fishing Tips

• Redfin fishing is popular and productive throughout Victoria’s inland waters but Mick’s favourite place to target them on lures is Lake Purrumbete.
• During the warmer months the redfin in this system will school up in shallower water and light up like a Xmas tree on the sounder screen. Over the cooler months they often go deeper, frequently schooling in up to 30 m of water and often appearing as a closely packed mass near the lake bed.
• Redfin can also be targeted by land-based fishers, especially around the rock wall near the cafe or on the eastern side of the lake near the old quarry.
• Mick recommends switching the standard treble hooks on many lure and replacing them with a Decoy Dancing Jack assist hook. This helps reduce the amount of weed that gets caught on the lure and allows the angler to fish the lure through the weed beds more effectively.
• Redfin can be caught through the day but the prime bite periods are the low light hours around dawn and dusk. Mick finds it’s best to position his boat over the school using spotlock, then cast away from the school and work it back towards the boat. Often the tightly packed school is made up of smaller fish while the larger specimens are typically found around the edges of the school.
• Redfin are aggressive feeders. If a school is shut down and one fish eventually takes a lure, the rest will usually start taking lures freely too. If you can’t get a school to feed after 15 minutes or so it’s time to move on to another school. you usually don’t have to go more than 50 to 100m to find the next school of fish. Keep moving until you find an active school.
• Mick finds that redfin are sometimes hesitant to take a lure, so he’ll send down a live bait. Once the first fish takes a bait the school will light up and take lures freely.

Mick’s Preferred Redfin Fishing Tackle

• From a boat Mick uses a 7 foot 1-3 or 2-4 kg spin rod with a 2000 or 2500 size reel, 6-10lb braided line and 6-10lb fluorocarbon leader.
• From the shore Mick likes a longer rod for extra casting distance and prefers a slightly heavier rod to allow casting heavier lures. He’ll switch to an 8’6″, 3-5kg rod, 2500 reel, 10lb braid and 10lb fluorocarbon leader.

Mick’s Best Redfin Fishing Lures

• Metal spoons such as the Norries Wasabi in 12-18g (boat) or 20g (shore) sizes are very effective. From the boat they are often taken by redfin as they flutter down through the school and are fished in a similar way to jigging for bass. From the shore, they are cast and allowed to sink – remember to switch the trebles and put assist hooks on the lure as it’s necessary to fish the lure through the weed.
• Fish ArrowZ 3″ Paddletail soft plastic lures with 1/16 to 1/4 oz jig heads are better when the fish are closer in to the weed in shallower water, as often happens in the warmer months. Mick lets these sink into the school and then hops the lure back towards the school to target the bigger fish that lurk around the edges. For sore fishing Mick likes to use a 1/4 to 3/8 oz jig head for extra casting distance.
• Ice Jigs are great when the fish are schooled down deep. Just drop them into the school and bob them up and down a couple of times. Simple!