Wurdee Buloc Reservoir is situated about 40km west of Geelong and about 10 km past Moriac on the Cape Otway Road.
There is a treatment plant there that supplies Geelong, Anglesea, Torquay and the Bellarine Peninsula with 230 million litres of water per day. With a surface area of 564 hectares, a perimeter of nearly 9km and (at capacity) a maximum depth of 11 meters; it has the makeup needed to keep cool and survive the Victorian summer where other trout lakes have dried up.

Early Days
Wurdee was originally constructed by the State Rivers & Water Supply Commission (SR&WSC) by building earthen embankments around a natural depression just before 1930. It was enlarged in 1955 to 19,000 mL by Geelong Water Storage Trust and raised again in 1991 to its present capacity Geelong District Water Board.

Recent trout stockings (both brown and rainbow trout):
Year number
2000 4000
2001 4000
2002 6000
2003 10,000
2004 6000

Wurdee gets stocked with brown and rainbow trout each year thanks to fisheries and is one of Geelong's main water supplies. Because it is a water supply, you cannot wade, swim, burley or boat in it and you need to take ALL of your rubbish, including fish offal (frames etc), back with you.
There are designated fishing spots that are well signposted and a large car park and toilets at the main wall area.
Best baits are live minnow and mudeye under either a bubble or a quill float for the resident trout. Minnows can also be fished either unweighted or with a small sinker on a running sinker rig. Large scrub worms will also take trout, but this puts eels, carp and if you're lucky a redfin onto the 'possible catches' list. The trout in here are also quite partial to lures and a nice long rod with light line that can cast a long way is an asset here. Good lures to use are Lofty's cobras and Tassie Devils in black with red flecks and pinks as well as minnow styled lures such as Rapala and Knoll's Native minnows.
Redfin bite best when it's warmer, but the largest fish to 2.3kg can often turn up during winter. They will take most minnow styled lures, but a live minnow on the bottom with a running sinker rig is the best way to target reddies over winter.

Best times are the hour just before dusk and the hour just after dawn. Sure Wurdee fish can be caught outside of these hours, but it's just my personal experience tells me this is the best time.
The dam wall is constructed of large stones so care should be taken when walking over them - especially in the wet. Some areas have the larger holes between the rocks filled to make walking over them easier.
The lake stays clear most of the time except periods of heavy rain and it is pretty deep straight off the rocks so long handled landing nets are an asset.
The lake is pretty much snag free (apart from the odd submerged log and weed) except when it is at capacity and your most likely snag will be the base of the submerged wall. This can extend over 5 meters into the lake so lift your rod up high when retrieving baits and lures close to the wall.
All the designated fishing areas face west apart from one that looks north west. This means they are just about unfishable in any wind other than an easterly - especially if your plans include the use of floats. You can still bottom fish, but this time of year the wind chill makes it pretty uncomfortable!

Neil Slater

Related Links
Purchase a Victoria Fishing License on-line