Inland Fishing Survey

Introduction

Example of  'river reaches' and CMA region maps used in the survey.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority surveyed 4,500 Recreational Fishing Licence holders to better understand what lake, river and estuary locations are most important to recreational fishers.

A key driver of the survey was to ensure recreational fishers priorities' were captured in the Victorian Government's review of the River Health Strategy (Victorian Waterway Management Strategy) which provides a blueprint for future investment in river health restoration.

The survey also provided some valuable insights into fishers' preferred species, how fishing can be improved and why particular locations are preferred.

The web-based email survey was deployed in May 2012 and was open for around four weeks. It was sent to recreational fishing licence holders who purchased their licence online and provided their email address. The survey utilized the

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport, and Resources (DEDJTR) (former) Department of Environment and Primary Industries' 'River Reaches' classification system as well as Catchment Management Authority (CMA) regional maps and drop down lists of lakes and estuaries to assist respondents.

The information below is a summary of the key findings of this survey. For more information on great spots to fish across Victoria, take a look at our Inland Angling Guide.

Key findings

Rivers

• By far the most preferred fishing location was the Goulburn Broken catchment at 26% of fishers, followed by the North East catcment at 15% of fishers.
• The Goulburn River was the popular river overall.
• Fishers were asked to identify the main reasons for selecting their most preferred location. The top two responses were that it was somewhere that the fisher knew well (50.4%) and that they liked the location (39.5%).
• The most common suggestions for improving the habitat were to 'improve water flows and levels that benefit fish' (58.3%) and 'Removal of undesirable bank-side vegetation e.g. blackberries' (53.9%).
• The three most preferred river catch species were rainbow trout (53.6%), brown trout (53.3%) and redfin (48.1%).

Lakes and impoundments

• By far the most preferred fishing location was the Goulburn Broken catchment at 30% of fishers, followed by the North Central catchment at 18% of fishers.
• Lake Eildon was the most popular lake overall.
• Fishers were asked to identify the main reasons for selecting their most preferred location. The top three responses were that the location was somewhere that the fisher knew well (47.9%), he/she had a good chance of catching his/her preferred type of fish (39.5%) and it was easy to get to (37.7%).
• The most popular suggestions for habitat improvement were to 'improve access for land-based fishing e.g. trails, fence styles etc. (46.3%), and to 'improve water flows and levels that benefit fish' (42.5%).
• The three most preferred catch species in lakes and impoundments were redfin (61.7%), rainbow trout (60.4%) and brown trout (58.5%). The same fish feature as preferred species in river locations but in a different order.

Estuaries

• By far the most preferred fishing location was the East Gippsland catchment at 38% of fishers, followed by the West Gippsland catchment at 20% of fishers.
• Andersons Inlet in the South Gippsland catchment was the most popular estuary overall.
• Fishers were asked to identify the main reasons for selecting their most preferred location. The top responses were that they were somewhere the individual knew well (46.9%) and that they had a good chance of catching their preferred fish species (46.0%). These two reasons are also the same two most selected for lakes and impoundments.
• The most popular suggestions for habitat improvement were to 'improve access for land-based fishing e.g. trails, fence styles etc.' (45.1%) and 'artificial reefs in estuaries' (39.6%).
• The two most preferred catch species in estuaries were bream (73.5%) and flathead (70.0%).

Preferred species to catch

Rivers

Lakes and impoundments

Estuaries

The survey results will be used to inform future Recreational Fishing Licence and Recreational Fishing Initiative investment priorities, particularly in relation to habitat, angler access and amenity projects.

A full electronic copy of the survey report can be provided by emailing Anthony Forster on anthony.forster@vfa.vic.gov.au.