Here a series of photos of the new dam

From top to bottom.

1 the inlet gate to control inflows.

2 the shallow section in two parts.

3 these rocks provide habitat no matter the depth.

4 the deep section the water here will be colder and bigger older fish might prefer.

5 the already famous flat rock where contemplation will take place with a few ales.

Beautiful lake Mumblin

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This lake has all but been forgotten by anglers it once held good Trout but has not been stocked since the seventies so no trout remain, Redfin are present but without some pathways it is very hard to get near the water not to mention the snakes.

Princetown:

This needs to be protected, if we lose this then we truly are mad.

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No resort for this place .

The new dam is taking shape, I am thrilled the excavator driver was able to put the rocks where I wanted, they create wonderful habitat for fish, the rocks in the centre will protrude out of the water even when the dam is full they will act as a heat sink warming the water around them even after dark.

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There is a lot more to do aeration, breeding boxes, grass on the bank etc.

when the dam was built one of the rocks that came out was cone-shaped with a flat top so I had it placed on the dam bank flat side up , I intend to build a shelter over it and a deck around it and it will make a great table.

The Curdies is a river in the southwest of Victoria  Australia here are some pics.

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These pictures where taken by my daughter Heather from the beautiful boat S A S H.

I am suggesting Southern Marbled Cod or S M C for short as a replacement name for these fish they are not black they are not slimy they adapt to there surroundings like many Aust animals do.

This fish is taking food out of my hands and I have only had it for a few weeks, it will play a role in next years breeding program.

It astounds me that after 200 hundred years of knowing of these fish so little is known about them, more work needs to be done and quickly before we lose them, to say they are hard to breed is an understatement, we can’t sex them yet, the temp range in the literature is wrong, what age do they breed and many more questions need answering.

On  the question of breeding that will be answered this year and I have some thoughts on sexing them, more on that later.

Enjoy the latest video shot in a tank on my fish farm

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A note to the wider fishing community including VRfish and other fishing bodies I HAVE SUCCESFULLY BRED THESE FISH WHERE MANY HAVE FAILED AND I HAVE HAD ZERO HELP FROM ANY OF YOU MY PHONE NUMBER IS 0407843998 IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT THESE INCREDIBLE FISH YOU WILL CALL ME .

They say that honey catches more flies than vinegar well I am all out of honey I am not sure what it takes to get some action or even a bit credit, things promised don’t happen or take so long that I will be an old man when I get them, phone calls are never returned promises not kept.

I am starting to wonder if the people in authority want these fish or are happy to have trout in all the rivers.

About ten years ago I put some cod in my main dam hoping some would survive, I had some cod boxes made of damaged wheelie bins I got from the council in Bendigo ( which I made for lake Eppalock) left over so I put them in the dam thinking they would be good habitat for these cod however the following year the dam all but dried up and I gave up on any fish surviving ,  recently while swimming with the dog in the dam I decided to pull one of the boxes and to my surprise there was a cod in the bottom and because the dam is about to dry up again I decided to move him to a cement tank where I can make sure he is safe. 

I think it is a bit small for its age especially given the dam is full of large yabbies and all sorts of insects fall on the water but its in beautiful condition.

The ponds that I dug last year have matured and now have lots of cover and lots of food, they are ready for fish and here are some we prepared earlier, four magic Blackfish with more to come.

These are native fish and you must  have a permit for these fish as I do.

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These fish will join others to produce young in the years to come, I have produced Blackfish fingerlings for four years in small numbers from only a handful of brood fish now with these fish and others I will be able to start producing larger numbers.

I needed new brood stock, the fish I had are over ten years old and not producing like they were so some new blood was needed to shake things up a bit, these fish are from a different place and will add genetic diversity to the young fish coming along.

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A crooked stick for sticks.

This walking stick  is a piece of blackwood I found on the block, I sanded and oiled it and put a stopper on the bottom.