Victorian Fisheries Authority

02/09/2026

Our mouths are watering at the thought of these recipes! 🤤 If you want to check out Tim Bone's amazing cooking demonstrations for yourself, get to the FREE Ballarat Fishing Festival 2026 THIS SATURDAY on the banks of Lake Wendouree!

You’ll get to try free samples of each of these dishes and take home a recipe card so you can try them at home:

🦞 Chilli garlic yabby pasta
🍔 Japanese katsu tempura trout burger
🐟 Gin-cured trout on rice cakes and crostini

There’s heaps on throughout the day from 9am-2pm, including free kids activities, fishing clinics, fish stocking and more! Make sure to bring your rods along and try your luck catching a freshly stocked rainbow trout too. Why not take the whole family along, including Dad - for a Father’s Day treat. 😉 See you there!

More info at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ballaratfishfest.

02/09/2026

That’s a wrap on our 2026 FREE fishing forums! 🎣
We finished the statewide series in Mildura last night, where local fishers joined us for a great conversation about the future of fishing in the region.

There was plenty to cover, including Murray cod fishing, action on carp and our work to recover native species such as Macquarie perch, trout cod, river blackfish and freshwater catfish.

A big thanks to the Mildura RSL Angling Club for hosting us, and to everyone who came along, asked questions and shared their local knowledge. It was a cracking way to finish this year’s forums! 👏

02/09/2026

Marine electronics education night thanks to a Small Grant Project with Danglers Fishing Club!

Hi members please see the invitation for the marine electronics workshop
Please forward to your guests

02/09/2026

This colourful surprise was found at our Marine and Freshwater Discovery (MFDC)! 👀

Our education team recently spotted this ornate sea slug tucked in with some pink sponge collected from Queenscliff Harbour to feed our nudibranchs.

Commonly known as batwing slugs 🦇 (genus Sagaminopteron), the team returned this vibrant hitchhiker to the water after snapping a few pics and videos.

You never know what curious creatures might turn up at our MFDC! The Centre hosts hands-on school excursions during the term and welcomes the public through the term holidays.

Find out more at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/mfdc

01/09/2026

Nothing better than creating memories by the water! Especially when it’s FREE! 😃

Our Ballarat Fishing Festival 2026 is happening THIS Saturday 5 September. It's the perfect family event, with something for everyone, including free kids activities, cooking demos, fish stocking and more! Make sure to bring your rods along and try your luck catching a freshly stocked rainbow trout too.

Find out more about the day at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ballaratfishfest.

01/09/2026

Thanks to your fishing licence fees, funds provided through the second round of the Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program are already getting put to good use and making a real difference for members and local fishing communities.

Benalla Angling Club has installed solar power, helping cut ongoing costs so it can put more money back into fishing activities, community events, making fishing more accessible, and offer lower membership fees. Camperdown Angling Club has upgraded its kitchen and added a new BBQ, while Warrnambool Offshore & Light Game Fishing Club has repaired damaged cladding on its clubhouse and added a new roller door to help protect it from the coastal weather for years to come.

With 100 clubs funded through the program, it’s great to see how far these grants can go and the difference they’re making in clubs right across Victoria. Find out more about the program here: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/strongerfishingclubs

01/09/2026

It was all smiles, sunshine, and stonkers last weekend! 👏

There’s nothing better than seeing young anglers getting outdoors, wetting a line and landing catches to remember for a lifetime.

Those smiles came after we stocked 1,000 large rainbow trout into 17 of Melbourne’s most popular fishing lakes last week. 🐟

Stonkergeddan is all thanks to your fishing licence fees and the Victorian Government’s $96 million Go Fishing & Boating Plan.

River trout season 2026 officially opens this Saturday, 5 September. Wherever you are, it’s time to get out there and wet a line! 🎣

01/09/2026

What if your next yabby-catching session could help stock bait fridges across Victoria?

Starting today (1 September 2026), Victorians can apply for a permit to collect and sell freshwater yabbies as bait under a new two-year trial.

The trial is designed to improve supplies of freshwater yabbies for recreational fishers, and allows permit holders to sell yabbies to bait and tackle stores and recreational fishers throughout Victoria.

So if you're a keen yabbier who’d like to kick off a small business, or know a young person keen to earn some pocket money, this is your chance to get involved.

🦞 Catch freshwater yabbies for sale as bait
🦞 Supply tackle shops and local fishers
🦞 Under 18s can apply free of charge

Find out more, read the FAQs, and apply for a permit here: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/baityabbies

31/08/2026

It’s all go at Lake Tyers! 🎣

The fish continue to bite in east Gippsland, so Tony got on the water to make the most of one of Victoria’s premium fishing destinations.

“I was back to Lake Tyers – one of my favourite places – fishing for flathead with some good results on swim baits,” Tony said.

He snagged a few estuary perch, bream, trevally, and dusky flathead, including this whooping 78cm flattie!

According to Tony, the new TT Quakes 60mm gold dust vibe lure was key to this successful day 👌

We’ve been stocking Lake Tyers with nearly 300,000 EPs since 2016. Check out the stocking history of all your favourite waters through our fish stocking database here: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/db.

31/08/2026

Looking for something fun to do this school holidays?

If you have a day to spare, come and explore the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre in Queenscliff.

Get up close with some of our incredible marine and freshwater animals, explore our aquarium and get hands-on with the underwater wildlife that calls Victoria home.

There’s plenty to see, learn and discover for all!

Plan your visit at https://vfa.vic.gov.au/education/marine-and-freshwater-discovery-centre