As many fine weather fisherman are packing away their Spring and Summer gear for the year, anglers in the know - the die hards - are packing the thermos, flies, mudeyes, lures, putting on the thermals and having the odd nip of Stones Green Ginger Wine or rum. Ready to hit the chilly water around the Township of Camperdown in Victoria's South West to do battle with some pretty impressive brown and rainbow trout that frequent the Volcanic craters of Lakes Bullen Merri, Purrumbete and, to a degree, their little lesser known cousin Lake Ellingamite near Cobden.

Camperdown is approximately 130km south-west of Geelong Victoria, along the A1. This quiet little country town is typical of most towns within this region that rely mainly on the dairy and forestry industries to support them. What makes this area so special is the trout fishing at its doorstep. Within a 20km radius the three above-mentioned lakes make Camperdown the region's, and possibly this state's, trout lake fishing capital, but you wouldn't know it if you drove through on your way to somewhere else, such is the tranquillity of the place.

Lake Purrumbete
Just 9km from Camperdown, Lake Purrumbete is one of Victoria's best known trout lakes, but there are a few who would argue that Lake Eildon in central Victoria holds the crown due to its size and proximity to Melbourne. But then again there are plenty of reasons to support Purrumbete's and even Bullen Merri's nomination.

Lake Purrumbete has a surface area of approximately 840ha, so it's not big (but then again, size doesn't matter there), and reaches a depth of around 150ft. The lake is rimmed with a great thick wall of weed that provides food and cover for the fish that live there. The deep, cool and clear waters provide the trout with a near perfect environment to grow fat and strong. For many, many years Purrumbete has produced consistent quality double figure fish on all the methods you wish to name.

But with the lake being so deep and the waters so clear, trolling is by far the most widely used method to snare a fish along with baitfishing (but that's another story).

Now you could use paravanes, downriggers, trolling sinkers or even a house brick to get your lure down to the fish, once you find them. But for me you can't beat leadcoring or plain old flatlining. These two methods far out-fish the other methods in my opinion. The only draw back though, if there is one, is the amount of floating weed you get at Purrumbete at times. But if you want to read more about the fly-fishing methods and baitfishing techniques I suggest you get a hold of the last two editions of South West Fishing magazine and read my old friend Doug Lucas's and Steve Theodore's articles on the matter.

As for that lure to entice a strike? It's the old argument isn't it! But at the end of the day you can't go past the humble Lofty's or Tassie Devil style lure. These lures are absolutely dynamite in the whole region not just Purrumbete! And the trout, salmon and even redfin love them.

For the fly fishers, the Eastern side of the lake provides the only access by foot, for those who what to flick the feather and fur and stalk their prey. The areas from Rainbow Point right round to Black Sands Bay is fly flickers heaven, I kid you not. One reason for this is due to that rim of weed that encircles the lake, it only stretches out around 4 to 5 metres from the water's edge before the water gets too deep and the first drop off is found (around 20 to 30ft, so it's clear to say this is not a wading lake).

Another reason is that early winter is the time the trout start to smelt (a term used as the fish chase and feed on the smelt and minnows in the lake). The heart skips a beat or two when you see a large brown smelting on the surface and all the baitfish jump from the water in an effort not to become its next meal.

So for this time of year (winter) all you need is a few variations of two or three fly patterns and you're in with a chance. Nymphs in green or black, bead headed nymphs in green or black or the purpose built smelt imitation the Bullen Merri Special - or BMS as it's called - in silver, green or black. The BMS has two variables, the fat and skinny versions, and either way you can't afford to go on the water without them. Sure, you can take other smelt initiations but the BMS is by far one of the best flies to use in this area and has accounted for a lot of fish in its short time.

Purrumbete is home to brown trout, rainbow trout, quinnet (chinnok) salmon, redfin and slimy eels. In years gone by the salmon would reach the incredible weights of 20lbs plus and the photos on the club room walls make you wish for the good old days to return so a new generation of anglers can have a go and test their skills.

Purrumbete is stocked on a regular basis by the Fisheries Victoria, who release yearling stock, and by Trout Services Victoria plus the Rex Hunt Futurefish Foundation who release fry fingerling stocks into the lake. It's hoped in the next couple of years that the co-operative stocking program will pay bigger dividends to anglers than it's already doing now.

The average size of the fish you should encounter from the lake will be from 1.kg to over the 3kg range. But this depends on the species you catch, but as I've said these are only averages. Purrumbete is home to some mighty monster size fish.

Purrumbete has only one access point for boats, down the southern end of the lake, at the Purrumbete Caravan Park. Facilities here are pretty good with ramp access for boats up to 6m in length (if water levels are up), good moorings for longer stays and plenty of affordable accommodation from camping to cabins for the travelling angler.

Lake Bullen Merri
Four kilometres from Camperdown, Bullen Merri is the epitome of the phoenix rising from the ashes. Around 10 years ago this lake was the jewel in the crown and was home to fish of enormous size and quality, it wasn't uncommon for anglers to have the best days fishing in their life and only manage 1 or 2 fish for the day and have countless bust offs.

Lake Bullen Merri is approximately 1400ha in size and, like Purrumbete, is very deep with the depth reaching 180ft in places. The water is crystal clear with a slight taste to the brackish side and full of baitfish.

A bit of history. Until about 10 years ago Bullen Merri was the lake with the lot. Then almost over night the lake died with massive fish kills that you would only find in other parts of the world due to man made environmental disasters. What happened was that being an old volcano, it released some toxic sulphur, ammonia and other gases into the water that killed all the fish, well that's the theory. The funny thing was the native baitfish population that thrives in the lake survived unchanged.

It took several frustrating years before Fisheries Victoria thought it was safe enough to try a new stocking program, so they trialled a fish release and had mixed results. They waited a little longer then tried again. This time there was no sign of any kills. This opened a new age in the lakes stocking program, with brown and rainbow trout, quinnet and Atlantic salmon and a long term plan with the introduction of Australian bass.

The first releases of browns and rainbows took place around April 1996. The growth rate in this lake is phenomenal with browns now reaching in excess of 4kgs, rainbows and Atlantics are over the 3kgs and the quinnet are around the 2kg mark. As for the bass, they are only around the 30cm size range so the next couple of years we should see them start to show up.

Now this places Bullen Merri in a fairly unique position, as far as stocked waters go in mainland Australia. As far as I know Lake Bullen Merri is the only lake in Victoria to be home to Atlantic salmon and it's only one of two lakes on the mainland, the other is Lake Jindabyne in NSW. Furthermore it's the only lake that I know of that houses both brown and rainbow trout, quinnet and Atlantic salmon in any sizeable numbers in the one body of water. Then you throw into the mix, the tens of thousands of Australian bass. Bullen Merri definitely stands alone as far as a mixed fishery goes.

Unlike Purrumbete, Bullen Merri doesn't have an extensive rim of weed around its shoreline, infact you'll be hard pressed to find much weed at all. But what it does have is plenty of rocky shoreline for baitfish to hide in and for the bigger fish to forage over.

Another point Bullen Merri has in common with its sister lake is its deep drop offs that are fairly close to the shore. These drop offs are great places to soak a bait, drift a mudeye, cast a lure, fly or to troll along. All the methods mentioned for Purrumbete work equally as well here. The only exception is once the sun pops up over the hills the fish tend to go deep, as there is no cover for them to hide in, sit and wait for their next potential meal. So what happens on a regular basis around dawn and dusk are some spectacular surface crashing as the fish come hurtling up from the deep and forcing the smelt and minnows to scamper in to the shallows in an effort to escape their pursuers. So during the brighter part of the day you'll need to switch to methods that will get your lure down deeper to where the fish are holding.

For the fly boys, the good news is you can walk right round Bullen Merri (unlike Purrumbete) as you chase a fish or two. But once again "this is not a wading lake" so care should be taken at all times. Another thing that this lake differs from its sister, as previous mentioned, as the fish tend to stay a little deeper so a fast or extra fast sinking tippet is almost a given, especially during the day. The fly selection is the same as Purrumbete, so what works here usually works well in the whole district.

Bullen Merri has plenty of beach access with a road that rims the crater for more that half of the shoreline. As for boat ramps there are two to be found, the first at the northern end or town end of the lake and the second at the southern end of the lake. The southern end of the lake has great amenities, it's nicely lawned for those of us who like picnics and BBQs, it has a safe beach area to swim in (but not in winter), there's plenty of areas to fish from the bank and you don't have to worry about the kids to much as the bank tapers slowly into the water.

As for Accommodation, you can't camp at Bullen Merri, as most of it is private property and no camping is allowed. But if you join the local Camperdown Angling club you can stay in the well-appointed club rooms for a meagre nightly fee and you're right on the water's edge. So a spot of night fishing is not out of the question and if you're lucky enough you might hook up one of those nightly express trains that stop for no one.

Where to stay
There are plenty of places to stay in Camperdown and the surrounding district, it all depends on your budget and taste. If you want to stay on the shores of Lake Bullen Merri at the Angling Club, I suggest you contact Kevin Plowman on 03-55931494 or 0407437487. If you you're interested in Lake Purrumbete, you can contact Max or Glennis at the Purrumbete Caravan Park on 03 55945377. As I'm sure both will help you out.

Conclusion
Have the crater lakes got that something extra to offer anglers and sets them aside from other trout locations?

You bet!

For my money you can't beat the diversity of the fishing, the average size of the fish in both lakes, the beauty of the craters themselves and the countless opportunities that exist for anglers prepared to try something different.

So if you happen to come to Southern Victoria on business or pleasure make sure you pack a rod or two and head down my way for a spot of fishing that you wont forget in a hurry, because crater country will blow its top this winter, you can bet on that.

Karl Fedke
(June 2002)