Fishing in/near Canberra?

Casting lures for Redfin is the way to go when fishing with little kids. My lot don’t have the patience for bait fishing, but are happy just casting out and winding in again even if they don’t catch anything.

We hit a school near the yacht club last summer and caught nearly 50 before it was time to go home.

Thanks for the tips! We’ll go check out one/some of these spots this weekend!

I find the young ones are happiest using lures, because you are constantly casting they don’t get bored as quick. Plus no messing about with ‘icky’ bait (their words, not mine).

Get a 20 dollar rod from Kmart and small lures with plenty of red on them. Kmart used to have the perfect little silicon fish for catching redfin but stopped stocking them, the bastards!

I get Redfin in front of Hungry Jacks at Lake Gininderra. Just don’t get snagged in the landscaping on the lakes edge. No luck at all in Lake Burley Griffin or Yerrabi Pond. But only because I haven’t found the good spots yet.

But now I have more spots to try. Yay me.

Three spots I can recommend for youngsters. 1. Yerrabi Ponds, 2. Just off the bridge behind government house (watch out for passing bike riders) 3. Off the National Museum pier. All three will provide small to medium redfin on rods baited with garden worms. I’ve often taken friends and their kids to each of these places and never failed. If you head off to Wee Jasper etc you will still see Carp but the odds of catching anything for the little ones might drop.

Redfin Perch can be found in most of the lakes around Canberra. They taste just fine and some think better than trout. They will take worms and even corn, but are better on lures like spinners.
For small children, carp are ideal introductions to fishing, but if you’d like to eat what you catch (and presuming you know how to fillet or prepare fish, then worms are your best option as they’ll catch a range of fish. No need to go above a size 10 hook either.
No license needed in the ACT, great access to water and plenty of options.

I have taken my kids of a similar age fishing under the bridge at Lake Ginniderra. Plenty of tasty redfin lurk next to the pylons, it’s close and shady. The only disadvantage is traffic noise, but as Bramina at #7 says, you won’t be there long…

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Hang on, do you want dinner or do you want to throw it back? Do you know what sort of fish youre after for dinner? Do you prefer a river fish like trout or redfin or do you prefer a sea fish like flathead or snapper? Do you want to fish from a dirt bank, sand, boat, rocks, etc? You seem to have cast a rather large question but already have some ideas in your mind of what you want. Sometimes you may spend all day fishing and catch nothing, other times you might catch your bag limit in 15 minutes.

One thing to be mindful of, if youre fishing in NSW is ensure you have a fishing licence, they only cost a few dollars for a 3-day licence, and contribute to the fisheries. Getting caught fishing without a licence is a rather hefty fine. Also ensure you have a fish identification book or chart which tells you the legal size and type of fish you can keep. These books (and stickers, complete with ruler) are available for free at most tackle stores and maritime offices.

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Perfect for dinner! stick them in a bathtub of tepid water for a week, let them get all the lake gunk out of their system, terminate, de-scale, and then spend the better part of 4 hours de-boning them.Delicious!!

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

IS here a reason why you can’t eat carp? Are you Fishist?

I eat them regularly, just not from any of the man-made lakes in the ACT because I am scared of what might actually be in the water and been eaten by the Carp. However I still catch them in LBG and then dispose of the little bastards.

The most important thing here is that your daughter is 6. Firstly, she almost certainly won’t have the patience to sit around watching a line, and she will have no idea what is going on.

You could catch a carp, chuck it in the bin, and give her fish fingers for dinner.

But since you haven’t fished before, there’s a good chance you won’t catch anything.

If its not too far, consider going to the trout farm at Jindabyne. You will get a bite within seconds of throwing your line in, even if you don’t bait the hook. Your daughter will catch a fish, have a great time, and you get your dinner.

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

In the ACT you are allowed to throw them back.

Fishing on RA can be fun. Pretty easy to get a bite as well.

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Go to any of the spots around Yarralumla Yacht Club, Yerrabi Ponds in Gungahlin or on the way out to Fyshwick, those carparks along Morshead Drive.

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.