Fishing the Cooper and Coongie Lakes

There are heaps of fish in the Cooper system - that said, they don't always want to bite - the locals know the game of course - yabbies are best but not found in that part of the river - shrimp may be on the go - would pay to take some worms and yabbies with you if possible (keep em cool under a qet bag - yabbies can last for quite a few days - you can get frozen prawns at the Innamincka store but they are off when they pack them I reckon - they are horribly pongy ! The Cullyamurra waterhole is long, deep and full of fish but biting may still be an issue. Downstream around the area called "Policemans" there are some huge waterholes too. You are more than likely to catch some tortoises - have some long nose pliers to extract hooks - if they swallow it, cut the line and pray for the blighters. Note that some species are fully protected (catfish and silver perch from memory) - check the regs afore ye go ! PS: If the fish are hungry (were on one of our trips) you can get a good feed using sausages or fresh water mussels - but I only saw them like that once !

Hi,

my bet is, if there's fish & it's legal, you can catch them on a fly.

"If fishing is a sport, then I must be an athlete !"

cheers
Terry

g'day kimprado,by any chance would your mate's name be brad from near orange? have a good trip, cheers sparra.

Kim,

Pretty sure fishing is not allowed at Coongie Lakes.

No fishing licence is required in South Australia. However, fishing throughout the reserve is subject to the South Australian Fisheries Act 1982. The legal catch length for Yellowbelly is 33 centimetres with a bag limit of 5 per person per day. Up to 10 catfish per person per day may be taken. No more than 2 of these fish over 33 centimetres in length are permitted. There is no size limit on Barcoo Grunter with up to 5 fish per person per day able to be taken. Fishing is prohibited in the lakes of the Coongie Conservation Zone. Nets are prohibited in all waters of Cooper Creek and the reserve.

www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/innamincka/visit.html

AS mentioned, fishing (and campfires) are not allowed on Coongie Lakes. Kudrimitchie is as far as you can fish on the Coongie road (and the fishing is great there).

Cheers
Phil

Thanks Guys,
Appreciate your posts re the fishing. I will past these comments onto my mate.
Regards
Kim