melton reservoir fishing kayak and 4WD adventure

This week I ventured up to Melton Reservoir with my hobie kayak fishing for redfin with ultra light spin gear. Melton Reservoir is a strange location with rubbish dumped everywhere and abandoned cars however it does have nice scenery and good fishing for redfin ( english perch ), EP ( Estuary perch ), carp, silver perch and Cod. It will continue to be stocked with native fish in years to come.
In this episode we use our kayaks to cover the shallow edges, structure and bridge pylons to catch many redfin and carp which are eager to take soft plastics worked slowly.
If you plan to come fishing here than please do make sure you fish in the areas that you are permitted to fish as much of this system is owned by the melbourne runabout and speedboat club and fishing is off limits beyond the railway bridge overpass. Also make sure you clean up after yourself as this place has become a dumping ground. And we encourage you to release any native fish recently stocked to allow this system time to flourish and grow.
Join Alan Bonnici on awesome fishing adventures by Land, Kayak, Boat & Jet Ski. Fishing with lures & bait to catch local saltwater & freshwater fish species. The FishingMad channel is fun, relatable, friendly and features world class fishing action and tips. With helpful easy to follow instructional fishing & rigging videos. We hope you enjoy the content, please support us by subscribing to the channel. For more information visit our comprehensive fishing website www.fishingmad.com.au and follow us on social media Facebook fishingmad.com.au & Instagram fishingmad.com.au

[@bradk8702]

Love your content and responsible words, Alan. Brings back memories of fishing for reddies in Lake Colac in the 90’s.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Brad, I really appreciate it. Yeah Lake Colac would have been epic back in the day. Last time I was there the water levels were quite low. People sometimes get upset when you have videos and mention the location ( often locations that have been around forever ) I think using the videos to bring some awareness on how to care for fish, the importance of stocking programs, cleaning up for yourself, proper access etc will hopefully bring some good and awareness to the area.

[@sergioabdilla4577]

Really appreciate the info of places like this to fish. Wouldn’t have known about the speed boat zone. Many thanks.. 👍🏽

[@fishingmad]

Your very welcome Serge, should be another good local spot for you !!

[@gofishingandtraveltv6716]

Excellent way of fishing, my friend

[@fishingmad]

Many thanks !!

[@TravisDoesKayakFishing]

Good stuff.

[@fishingmad]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@samfishersplinter6057]

Well done mate, awesome as usual ! keep it up..

[@fishingmad]

Thanks a lot!! Much appreciated

[@joshneale6424]

Couple of decent reddies good vid as usual alan

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Josh !!

[@jboutdoors7509]

I like your videos mate from Jason

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Jason, Much appreciated !!

[@thecatchtherelease8982]

I remember jumping of the bridge as a kid and catching the off trout from the res.

[@fishingmad]

That would have been brilliant

[@boobsonheat6826]

Awesome video I'm a local and I never knew the rules with the boats good information to know

[@fishingmad]

Thanks !!! Yeah the lack of signage and information at that spot is really poor. First time I ever kayak fished there I almost go killed by a speed boat.

[@boobsonheat6826]

@@fishingmad yeah it's a shame the area isn't better utilized or managed better they are building houses closer and closer as the town grows it could be cleaned up and looked after

[@fishingmad]

100% agreed, maybe as the houses get closer it will become a place higher on their priority list. As it could be really good, has massive potential

[@nickycrea6075]

As a local, I probably should fish here more often but the rubbish is off putting. Nice to see the water level so high, I remember land based fishing under the rail bridge.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Nicky, yeah the rubbish gets really bad there at times. I remember 12 months ago the water level was so low that as you said you could walk to the bridge before finding any water

[@jaredbuttigieg]

Awesome Video Man!!! Looks like a pretty cool place there.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Jared, yeah apart from all the rubbish it has massive potential. We just need people to do the right thing down there

[@jaredbuttigieg]

Exactly, I hate when you see people leaving a fishing spot and they have left a mess of the place.

[@fishingmad]

100% agreed

[@nickmamic1815]

Great video guys! Use to be some monster reds in there years ago. Seems to still fish well from your video. Might have to go for a flick one day soon👍

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Nick, its appreciated. yeah i have caught some big reddies there over the years. Im sure there are plenty of good ones in there still. Thanks

[@Nick-dd5rg]

Another sick kayak video. Already about to hit 11K subs too!

[@fishingmad]

Thanks !!! Yeah getting around 1,000 more subs per month at the moment which is awesome.

[@Nick-dd5rg]

@@fishingmad Absolute beast. Respect the grind👑

[@mitcheloutdoors_adventures]

Hey Alan love the content just wondering is Melton reservoir worth it

[@fishingmad]

Yeah 100%. there is some weird stuff that happens down there that's for sure, but I've caught a lot of good size redfin there the past 12 months and also a few decent yellowbelly, cod and estuary perch

[@chiweesen6229]

Nice try there Alan. I myself caught few Reddies on Saturday :)

[@fishingmad]

Thats great, well done

[@reconnaissance7372]

I've been to that spot where that car couldn't get out, I think it's way worse now but I still get back up by just maintaining speed after dropping my tyre pressure a little. I go there in an empty 2wD ute that's high enough to get down there. I think it's probably a good idea to bring some tyre chains when I do go because you do really need to attack that hill to get up out of there, I would love to be able to launch a Kayak at that spot.

[@fishingmad]

I now launch at the entrance. Its heaps easier, takes a bit longer but so much easier

[@paulkennedy4842]

Well done young fella its a great spot,but unfortunately it gets abused.Love the red-fin busting the bait in the shallows,you thought it was a bunyip coming to get you LOL.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Paul. Yeah the sound of breaking water and bust-ups drives me a bit crazy. There must of been 200+ small little reddies all in one spot. Yeah its a real shame about this spot as it could be really good, not many local spots close to melbourne

[@nyeeeessss7674]

Will be heading there this Saturday 12/02/2022. Just land base as I don't have anything that I can ride that floats 😂

[@fishingmad]

Good luck, ive seen some big reddies and cod pulled there recently land base so ya never know.

[@demonfree920]

Be interesting to see how the cod go in there certainly no shortage of small carp and reddies to get them to a decent size.

[@fishingmad]

100% true, lets hope the cod grow and flourish in there, and yes heaps of small carp and reddies for them to feast on.

[@tksarmiento]

Can we do recreational kayak here? Just want to spend a little time with daughter in the water..

[@fishingmad]

yes 100% can do recreational kayaking here, may want to consider Lake Daylesford which is a beautiful spot for recreational kayaking too

[@mikhailkoslovskiy7860]

Big drinks yes big drinks friend.... striped perch and carp...wife cook and make special time....fish same my house...ha no snow..god boy

[@fishingmad]

Thank you Mikhail. Cheers and yes big drinks again !!

[@victorbitter583]

Good stuff mate. What kind of arsehole dumps all that crap right beside a river? Honestly? FMD. That yak looks stable. Cheers Al.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Victor, yeah its like that all the time there. Rubbish dumped everywhere. Strange spot when you go there on your own. The kayak is a PA14 its amazing, easy to stand up and fish on too. Thanks

[@THEFISHINGMAFIA]

Thanks Alan . What did landbased look like mate? A few accessible spots?

[@fishingmad]

100% plenty of accessable spots by land. Just drive all the way down Clarkes road, heaps of spots along the banks, you might just need to walk a bit or drive if you have a 4wd

[@THEFISHINGMAFIA]

@@fishingmad Thanks mate appreciate it

[@fishingmad]

no worries

[@jindatackle]

Haha I be throwing lures around the car structure 😁 but far out on the rubbish there is very disappointing why people dump in nice spots boggles my mind. Ps. Was that blokes Cod size? Because it looked a bit dead...

[@fishingmad]

Yeah surprisingly the cars are amazing structure. Last time I was there I sounded one up and caught heaps of perch fishing right next to it. I believe the council has pulled a few cars out of there this week. I bet some of your lures would go great there. Yeah it was a real shame about the cod, im guessing it was around the mid 50s which is painfully close to legal size limit. I spent some time talking to those guys about the importance of release native fish like cod and that they need to be aware of size limits before keeping any fish. I pointed them into the direction of some good websites so they can learn more about the species.

[@LongStraightLines]

Very well presented vid thanks! Just wondering which model Lowrance you're using?

[@fishingmad]

Thanks !!! I appreciate the positive feedback. My sounder is a Lowrance elite ti2 you can see it here on this vid kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHfdYmmiqq9qq6c they have just been replaced by a new model in the last few weeks. I highly rate them

[@LongStraightLines]

@@fishingmad thanks Alan. I was checking out the Elite Ti2 and have also seen it's updated replacement.. a class unit for sure even if I'll never use all the connectivity functions! The Hook Reveal 7 triple shot also looks very good for the price. Keep up the great work and I might catch you on the water one day 😎

[@fishingmad]

The hook reveals are also also very good, ive used them several times on a mates boat. The major difference between the hook reveal and elte ti2 was the size of the trandducer and the reading much clearer on the elite, especially whilst moving around at slow speeds.

[@neltv4471]

Team Australia MARYGO88 here

[@kluc88]

Hi Alan, I'm new to kayak fishing and have been watching heaps of your videos. I live in Melton so thought I would make use of Melton Reservoir as my practice ground. Today is my 2nd time out on the kayak in Melton Res and I have scored ZERO catches on both occasions. I've been using a light 2-4kg rod / 2500 reel / 8lb braid / 4 lb fluoro leader / Zman slim swimz motor oil soft plastic and so far no luck, no even bites. I don't have a sounder, so just casting blindly near bridge and shallow banks. What am I doing wrong pls? Thanks.

[@rhoffy101]

Give the robbiefishing youtube channel a look, he uses a kayak for redfin and is wicked at it.

[@Doodsy1975]

That was a really interesting video mate. Such a nice spot but humans can be so careless and irresponsible the way we treat the environment. Some people just don't give a shit and it really annoys me.

[@fishingmad]

Very wells aid and 100% agreed. Local councils could pour money into the spot with better parking, tables, etc but people would still abuse the place and use it as a dumping ground. Real shame as it has massive potential

[@jeffbaade8480]

Hi Alan I'm disabled and can't walk far could you Tell me The route I would take To have a fish At Melton Reservoir I've never been there before Would love to take my grandkids yet Thank you Jeff

[@fishingmad]

Hi Jeff, just drive all the way down Clakes road. You will eventually come to a dirt track, follow it down the hill and you can park near the water. Hope that helps,

[@relentlessfear2217]

What road did you use to access the water

[@fishingmad]

Clarkes road

[@relentlessfear2217]

Thanks might head out there this week. Never been able to find a way to get into there

[@fishingmad]

Very easy access, follow Clarkes road all the way down. Then you can park at the entrance or do a bit of 4WD

[@kettlebells-ez9xi]

@@relentlessfear2217 can fish the otherside of the dam wall to if you haven't tried but sometimes can be a bit snakey

[@rcbox1216]

Clarkes road closed now due to constructing. Do you know any other way to access? Thanks!

[@dcstealth11111]

can you please make a land base fishing one for melton

[@fishingmad]

Yeah hoping to do this over the coming weeks,

[@dcstealth11111]

love your carp videos alot of people underestimate carp but i love it as they dont need special equipment and can be caught next to play ground so the little one can play. the best part is that the fish can't hurt the little one with spikes or teeth great introduction to fishing if you ask me

[@fishingmad]

@@dcstealth11111 100% agreed, in my opinion carp fishing is so underrated. They grow to massive sizes, very underrated fighters, they will take bait and lures and as you said an awesome fish to get kids into fishing. Thanks for your comments !!!

[@chrisl2694]

Did that bloke throw the cod back?

[@fishingmad]

Honestly not sure Chris, I was just passing him. ( he was land base fishing and I was on my kayak ). I did say to him if you catch any native fish stocked to release them so they can grow. Hopefully educating others will help.

[@chrisl2694]

Yeah I hope so. I’m a local so I know what some of the people are like around there, they will take anything home including carp

[@fishingmad]

I know LOL. Trust me i battle with this all the time. Im always trying to use the channel and website to help promote people doing the right thing. Its a tough battle sometimes.

[@chrisl2694]

Yep some people are just thick! Well done mate I enjoy your videos keep them coming.

[@fishingmad]

Thanks Chris !!

[@User-is2kf]

Hello how do i get access to this fishing with 4wd car for land fishing

[@oli_large]

Is there cod in Melton reservoir?

[@fishingmad]

yes 100% they were stocked last year. Hopefully the video can encourage to release the cod so they can grow to big ones and become and awesome fishery in years to come.

[@oli_large]

@@fishingmad I catch and release especially cod. Do you know how big the cod were when they stocked them

[@fishingmad]

ill see if i can find out, I think about 40cm

[@kettlebells-ez9xi]

Nice had no idea lol. Maybe I'll try fish around the natural stolen and burnt out cars.

[@fishingmad]

LOL yep the very natural surroundings of Melton.

[@haydz9914]

location ?

[@fishingmad]

Melton Reservoir. The vid covers the location in detail for you