Fishing Lake Wau Wauka in East Gippsland, Victoria

• Overview

  East Gippsland, Victoria, is where Lake Wau Wauka sits. It sits at 3 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 28 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. On size it sits at the modest end of our East Gippsland list. Mallacoota at 16 km is the nearest place to stop. Canberra sits 258 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No regional boundary comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lake Wau Wauka

  Our records hold no depth for this water. This is tidal water: the state of the tide decides where fish sit, so plan the session around it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Documented catches and surveys in the area cover flathead grey mullet, Australian bass and Australian longfinned eel. Records show what people reported, so treat the list as a guide to what lives in the area. At Lake Wau Wauka the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 11°C to 20°C. Cold never closes this one. Summer, December to February, brings heat, so fish the early and late hours. Early spring brings the water on quickly here. Plan any trip to Lake Wau Wauka around it. Long daylight spreads the feeding across more hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. A campsite is mapped about 1.2 km away, which makes an early start easier. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Lake Barracuta, 6.1 km away. None of that is settled for Lake Wau Wauka in what we hold.