Mixed reports coming in this week after some
strong winds made heading out fairly hard. The local rivers are picking up
thanks to the big swell and good tides we have seen.
Saltwater: Crayfish reports have made a
welcome return from customers that have been waiting for any patch in the
weather this week. Some big bulls have been caught by the anglers that were
itching at the bit to get their Christmas crays. Daryl Paroissien
scored a monster that weighed 3.5kg and would be a great feast for his family
over Christmas. Another notable capture was Oscar Pearce who landed a cracking
3.2kg cray while diving. These fish don’t come about too often but just shows
how good we have it along our coast at the moment. While most are doing the
right thing there have been some anglers fishing in illegal waters around Middle Island inside the marine park; and it's very easy to get caught there, with regular patrols. If you’re unsure don’t drop your nets as the
fine could be a hefty one. This week has also seen the return of the tuna along the coast; not big fish, but excellent to see. These inshore school sized fish usually turn up during late December and then fire right up into January, fishing well until around April/May before heading further offshore. Salty Dog Charters landed the first of the season so if you're keen for early action get in contact with Dan and book a spot. Peter Goode landed a solid
Mako shark with Jamie Twaddle over the weekend. Using 15kg line class Goodie was able to land the 58.4kg mako. Using light line for such a big fish is
a sport in its own right and just shows what good quality tackle and
some preparation can do. The boys also landed a nice bag of blue eye
trevalla and some gem fish which were all taken at the shelf. Once this wind
and weather sorts itself out I reckon there will be a lot more shark action on
the surface. Snapper and nannygai captures remain
strong for those fishing around that 40m mark. Using a mixture of jigs, soft
plastics and paternoster rigs with squid and pilchards, anglers are enjoying
some nice bags of pan sized snapper and some big nannygai. With the return of Warrnambool
Offshore and Light Game Club's Shipwreck Coast Fishing Classic on the 3rd to 5th of January, it’s a great time of year to head out
and target these amazing looking species. Not only can you target mako shark in
the game shark section but there are over $6000 worth of prizes to be won
across the board. Everything from bream, trout, snapper and kingfish can be
weighed in this year and this year sees 4 extra prizes for estuary perch and
bream caught and released in both the open and junior sections. Get the kids
ready for a few days of non stop fishing action. We are proud to be naming
rights sponsor of this great event and look forward to seeing everyone at the
weigh ins or instore to enter.
Estuaries: The Hopkins River has had some
great saltwater coming in with some sizeable swells and bigger tides during
the early hours of the mornings. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing
some mulloway reports thanks to this clean water coming into the mouth. There
has been a few good solid bream caught lately and a fair few smaller models to
keep everyone occupied too. The ski run and the rock walls leading up to Kings Head have been a great place to start as the water is warm and the bream
should be looking for a crab or two. Expect a few bust offs thanks to the fish
being in so tightly and the coral encrusted rocks they love to feed on. To
save you getting busted off you can just up your leader size and the other
thing to help you land more fish when they want to bust you off is simply
winding against the drag which is usually enough for them to get disorientated
and swim out. This works really well if using light line as all you’re doing is
not allowing your fish to get its head down in the rocks and rub you off. If
you’re using bait then I would suggest a 10lb leader and if you’re using lures
then a 5lb or 6lb should be sufficient enough to land a good fish if needed.
The Curdies River is still fishing well for good numbers of bream and smaller
perch. This small system is a brilliant place to try catch your first bream or
perch on a soft plastic or lure thanks to the aggressive strike with which they usually
hit the lure. Another reason is because they congregate in sections and are easy
to find… usually. Your best tool for this river is a fish finder with side view on it. This allows you to essentially scan each side of the river from the
centre and really narrows down your search time. It’s not uncommon to find a
big school of fish just off the edge of the reeds that line the bank. This can
turn into a fish a cast at times and will absolutely get you hooked on lures.
When the weather warms up the surface action really fires with perch belting
surface lures ranging from undersize right up to trophy size 2kg plus
models. A very explosive and exciting way of targeting these southern barra!
Freshwater: Mick from Victorian Inland
Charters set out on Bullen Merri during the week on a reconnaissance mission to
suss out the local bass stocks. The fisheries have been stocking Australian
Bass in this lake for a number of years but we’ve only really ever seen or
heard of the big ones being caught. The bass that Mick has been catching are a lot
smaller than what we have seen in the past, but is far more exciting than the big ones. It
shows that they are growing well and that you can land multiple fish in a
session. Typically the bigger models will see you land maybe one or two but to
see proper numbers is really exciting. Rocklands
continue to be a go to place for everyone targeting natives and will only be
busier in the next couple of months over the holidays. Carp should begin to
move around the edges and be caught pretty easily. Scrubworms and corn kernels
are still favourites for these mud marlin and are an easy fish for kids to
experience a hard fighting species without needing heavy tackle. Redfin
also love the warm weather but unlike carp they are a great eating quality fish. They can also be targeted on a range of small lures
cast from a boat or the bank.
With the Christmas season just around the
corner our workshop will be closing this Friday for a week but the Tackle Shack will be
open right through except for public holidays. I hope you all have a great
break if you get one and enjoy time with your friends and family. Until next
time tight lines and best of luck.