MC Mecca

TIMBER LAKE, VICTORIA

A private experience.

             Sitting on top of Victoria's Otway ranges at 164m above sea level and around an unbelievable 4.5hrs drive south of the mighty Murray river there is a water impoundment that is nothing short of being paradise or even Mecca for the catch & release Murray Cod angler. It's a private, catch & release fishery known as Timber Lake and is a couple of kilometres west of a quiet little country town in the middle of the Otway Hinterland called Forest. Timber Lake is run by Mike Wallis from Clearwater Tours, it's a 40 acre lake that has been continually stocked since 1989 and has been stocked with over an unbelievable 20,000 Murray Cod plus countless numbers of Golden Perch. It is also home to some of the biggest Silver Perch (yes, huge Silver Perch) you have seen and some thumping big Brown Trout. This part of Victoria is the least place you would expect to find such a trophy water impoundment as this area would be better known for being one of the wetter and colder parts of the state and to top it off it's nowhere near the Murray-Darling Basin. But don't be fooled as this lake is full of some of the most aggressive and unintimidated Murray Cod that you would have met in your life. These Murray Cod are known to take a buzz bait at full retrieval speed in 6m of water, who would of thought that. They are also renowned to munch surface lures day or night and with a fierceness not seen anywhere else. This fierceness may be due to the Cod not getting disturbed too often as only guided parties are ever on the lake so they don't get too used to anglers trying to seek them out and don't think twice about clobbering a lure.

Rod Meade with a Timber Lake thumper which fell to a Jitterbug surface lure	A savage Murray Cod surface strike
	A 76cm Murray Cod

                 On arrival as you drive into the property you see the lake come into view and you almost feel the anticipation building and gaze in awe at the timber that covers half the lake and the Murray Cod that must lurk beneath. It always reminds me of Lake Mulwala in almost miniature form with it's mass of standing timber although they are all slenderish trees but twice the density that is found at Lake Mulwala. The timbered area of the lake is almost entirely shallow with an average of just over a metre in depth and the other half of the lake is open water with a variable depth of 3-6m. Compared to many known and popular Murray Cod water impoundments, Timber Lake is quite small, but the amazing fact that this lake beholds is that an angler has many options as to the type of angling one can pursue. Timber Lake caters to all forms of lure angling from fly fishing to trolling and casting the bottom or top water with surface lures, buzz baits, spinnerbaits and deep divers. Being such a smallish impoundment you can perform all these forms of casting in a very short space of time thus allow the angler to cover all bases in a very quick time which should equal more actual fishing time. Just imagine fly casting and surface luring the shallows, casting out a few spinnerbaits, hard bodied divers and soft plastics, then trolling 5-6m water all in a short space of time with out the hassle of long delayed boat trips. What more could an angler want.

             The size of the Murray Cod in Timber Lake have been known to exceed the one metre mark which is quite amazing considering this lake has only been stocked from 1989. The growth rates and the condition that these fish are in is nothing short of amazing, I have never seen Murray Cod so bulked up as these Timber Lake brawlers are and is testament to the work that has been done on this waterway over the years by it's caretakers. The lake is thriving with life and it certainly shows on the fish as they look in magnificent condition. The Murray Cod are a very dark colour that almost make them look like a new strain of the species, but this darkness would be due mainly to the water being quite clear and a little tanniny. This darkness which is similar to the fish found at Bridgewater on Loddon (Victoria) although the Timber Lake fish are much darker and seem to be so solid you would think they were on steroids. When you hook-up to one of these Timber Lake locals and finally get them out of the water most anglers are taken aback as to their sheer beauty and condition that must be seen to be believed.

               Once at Timber lake, Mike or one of his experienced guides will quickly have you set-up camp and head straight out on the water and get you into the action straight up if you are already a seasoned angler or if your a total beginner, no problems, as the guides will give you expert tuition where needed. You will be guided by very experienced anglers who have a great knowledge in all forms of fishing on the lake and they do know the lake quite well and how it's best fished through the year. All gear from boat, casting rods & reels, Spinning set-ups, fly rods and all lures & fly's etc. are provided for your use and you can also receive expert casting tuition for fly rods or bait casting and spinning if needed. The guides will also be only too happy to give you tips on the correct use of diving lures, spinnerbaits and their specialty, surface lures and buzz baits.

          The camping on the waters edge is also an experience that can only be understood by those who have been here before. While by the camp fire and even more so while a sleepy angler is tucked away in his swag you can hear the sound of the Murray Cod actively feeding from the surface. The unmistakable "BOOF!" is a sound that will surely get a Murray Cod angler excited and many clients who come here very quickly forget about the cooking or even sleeping and quickly get on the water and have a go at lure casting for Murray Cod on the surface. The surface strikes from a Murray Cod is an awesome display that quite often catches the angler by surprise and many an angler here have found there hearts in their mouths and thumping like they just saw the Grim Reaper. It's truly an unreal place to fish for Murray Cod on the surface and I have no doubt that there would be not many other waterways in the world that even compare to the surface action that is found here.

         To make make a booking or even find out a little more information go to the Timber Lake Website (http://www.timberlake.com.au) or give Mike Wallis a call on 0407 812 826 & email: Mike.Wallis@TimberLake.com.au.