Welcome to 2026 - I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Just before Christmas we had a rain event which sent a flush of fresh water down both the Ovens and King rivers.

Ahead of the flush the fishing was great, but after the flush the fishing has been really poor.

If you have been fishing in the Ovens River over the last couple of weeks and haven’t had much luck, do not stress as you’re not alone.

Quite a few people have told me that they have struggled to catch fish.

I fished twice last week myself and didn’t get a touch - once in the Ovens River and once in the King River.

This often happens at this time of the year when the water gets low and dark and water temperatures really rise.

I am sure that we will see a return to great fishing as soon as we get a little bit of cooler weather - but that is not this week.

The Kiewa River has been fishing quite well for Murray cod lately.

The Kiewa River can be quite hit and miss with its fluctuating water levels, but it certainly has been fishing well recently.

I have had quite a few photos shared with me of Murray cod caught in the Kiewa River, some of which have been over 80cm long.

Lake Hume has been fishing very well lately.

There have been some nice Murray cod up to 60cm caught there, along with quite a lot of yellowbelly.

Increasingly I am hearing of and seeing photos of some nice redfin being caught at Lake Hume again which is just fantastic.

Of the photo’s that I have seen, most fish seem to be getting caught on medium sized hard body lures or lipless crankbaits.