Lake Toolondo fishery on road to recovery

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Lake Toolondo fishery on road to recovery

Lake Toolondo, once an important southwest recreational fishery with a reputation for producing quality brown trout, is on the road to recovery. The recent drought meant Lake Toolondo had been virtually dry for the last few years.

The fishery was based on stocking trout but they were last stocked in the lake more than ten years ago in 2000. Fisheries Victoria staff recently met local anglers and their representatives at Horsham to discuss the options available to make Lake Toolondo a great recreational fishery again.

The anglers wholeheartedly said they would like the lake restored back as a brown trout fishery in the long term. But they acknowledged that rainbow trout may flourish in the short term as the productivity of the lake is high.

As a result of the meeting the lake will be stocked with 20,000 brown trout yearlings to resurrect the previous fishery and five thousand yearling rainbow trout will also be released.

The long term aim is to re-establish and maintain a brown trout fishery while rainbow trout will thrive in the re-filled lake and quickly provide exciting fishing opportunities.

Grampian Wimmera Mallee Water has been transferring 30,000 megalitres of water from Rocklands Reservoir to Lake Toolondo since September. It is expected to refill Lake Toolondo to about half its capacity and high productivity over the next few years is likely to restore the fishery to its former glory.


http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Toolondo+Reservoir,+Toolondo,+Victoria&hl=en&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=39.349464,86.220703&vpsrc=0&hnear=Toolondo+Reservoir&t=m&z=6


Source- Vic Fisheries Dept