Recreational anglers will now be able to catch Murray cod all year round in the Wimmera and Millicent basins after changes to Victorian Fishing Authority regulations.
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Rob Loats, Chairman of the VRFish, Victoria's recreational fishing peak body, said the change is "a big win for recreational fishers".
Emerging native fisheries such as Rocklands Reservoir and Taylors Lake will be popular spots, according to Mr Loats.
However, rivers, including the Wimmera, are exempt from the new regulations.
The annual closed season will remain on the river, "giving breeding Murray cod protection during the spawning season".
A similar move at Lake Eildon eased pressure on fisheries and gave anglers a place to fish during Murray cod breeding season, according to VRFish.
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Mr Loats, who was Chairman of the Wimmera Anglers Association for two decades, said it was an anonymous fisherman from the Wimmera who got the ball rolling to change the regulations.
"He was fishing away and he just thought, 'I should be able to take a fish home for my family and have a feed'," Mr Loats said.
Previously, recreational anglers were not permitted to catch Murray cod during an off-season between August and December.
With the new regulations, that's no longer the case.
"If you want a feed of Murray cod in winter or spring, you'll be able to go catch one," Mr Loats said.
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However, a statewide slot limit of 55-75cm will maintain growth rates within the cod population.
Mr Loats said that the offseason was unnecessary, as the Wimmera basin sits outside the species' natural range.
"They weren't naturally there," Mr Loats said.
According to Mr Loats, the regulations will provide fishers good value for money, as licence fees are used to replenish fisheries like the Murray cod population in the Wimmera.
"It's all about returning benefits to recreational fishers," he said.
"Most of the Murray cod are actually stocked utilising licence fees. Everybody wants to catch a big cod."
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