2025 is here, and we can only hope that the new year brings
along plenty of fishing opportunities for us all. The local boat ramps and
river banks have been packed with the annual summer tourist season, with many
locals also getting out to their secret spots and getting a few fish this week.
Let’s take a look at what’s being caught!
Offshore, we have seen a fairly slow start to the pelagic
season along the coast. Late December did see a few small tuna caught however
reports of these fish have been fairly sporadic. Typically the summer run of
school tuna will kick off early January so the fish shouldn’t be far away at
all. Normally the Portland north shore area fishes well early season due to the
warmer water temperatures in this large shallow bay. Fairly quickly these fish
will spread along the coast towards Warrnambool, Port Fairy and beyond. If you
haven’t done a lot of tuna fishing before, the main thing to keep in mind for
the summer tuna is that they are fussy, and often feeding on small bait
(especially close to shore in 40m of water or less). This requires a light
tackle approach, utilising small lures no larger than 120mm. Casting small but
heavy and realistic stickbaits in the 80-120mm range (such as the Daiwa
Saltiga, Nomad Riptide and TT Hustler) into schools of fish visibly observed is
the most fun way to get some tuna aboard; you can also troll small divers
(Nomad DTX, Samaki Pacemaker and Zerek Speed Donkey) and skirts (Pakula Micro
Uzi and Black Magic Jetsetter) between schools. When fishing at Portland, the
fish can be anywhere as soon as you leave the harbour entrance so it pays to
keep your eyes sharply focused on the water for any disturbance, splashing,
fins, dark patches or birds. Kingfish reports have also been quiet this season
but this may be due to cluey anglers keeping things quiet; boat traffic can
really slow things down on shallow water kings. The north shore has seen fish
over 120cm caught this season, with some smaller rats in the 45-60cm range also
being caught. A well rigged live bait is still the most effective way to get a
hook up, whether it’s squid, salmon or a slimey. The Lee breakwater has seen
some small kingfish taken landbased which whilst not rare, are a great surprise
to the anglers lucky enough to score one. There’s also lots of pinkie snapper,
squid, King George whiting and salmon on both sides of the Lee at the moment
and also into the harbour off the pontoons, so if you’ve got a small tinny or
after a landbased saltwater option; the Portland area is well worth a look at
the moment.
The estuaries are full of activity with caravan parks all at
capacity, ski lanes busier than Bourke Street and river mouths packed with dog
walkers but that doesn’t stop the fish from biting. The Hopkins has got plenty
of fish on the go right through the system, with a lot of smaller fish
dominating catches. I fished up around Tooram Stones last week and found plenty
of small bream and perch but the bigger ones seemed to be elsewhere. The best
fish from the Hopkins this week have been coming from the mid section around
the Kings Head and Deakin areas; where there is a huge amount of fish holding
structure and accompanying food (crabs, shrimp, fish). One of the best bream
tactics in summer is casting along the rock walls with a Cranka Crab lure;
which we have just restocked after months of delay in the Tackle Shack. These
small lures are incredibly lifelike and generate big bites; make sure you fish
a heavier leader than normal and a tight drag as these fish have some real
muscle when hooked in close! The sandy flats found at the mouths of our local
rivers always abound with fish during summer which can be caught in big numbers
on small lures or flies and can be a great way to get kids or newbies into lure
fishing. Try a small 35mm crankbait, 2” soft plastic or even a small piece of
prawn fished lightly. Interestingly, a crew bait fishing at the mouth of the
Glenelg River at Nelson caught a small gummy this week just fishing for bream!
In the upper reaches of the rivers and moving into the freshwater, the EP fishing
has been reasonably but not red hot. Minimal river flows due to very low
rainfall last winter have meant that many of these pools, especially in the
Hopkins, have been a bit stagnant and weedy. The fish are still being caught
though, and are willingly taking surface lures into the evenings. The main
rivers to target EPs locally are the Hopkins around Allansford, Curdies either
side of Boggy Creek up to Timboon, Glenelg anywhere from Nelson up to Balmoral
and the Gellibrand at Princetown. Mulloway reports have been non-existent for a
few weeks now.
The middle of summer is rarely a time for peak freshwater
fishing activity locally, with trout lying low in the warm water. Redfin will
be on the bite during the morning and afternoons fishing in the Merri, Wannon
and Crawford Rivers, and south west lakes such as Elingamite, Aringa, Gillear,
Bridgewater, Koonongwotong, Hamilton, and Purrumbete. For redfin I personally
prefer a small lure moving slow with plenty of action; such as a Spinwright
chatterjig with a soft plastic attached (deadly!), small crankbait or Ecogear
SX40, 35mm blade or a jig spinner with accompanying soft plastic. Rocklands
will be absolutely packed with campers over the Christmas and New Years break;
if you’re planning a trip up, try target your fishing times around sunrise or
sunset when water activity will be low, but the fishing action at the peak.
Another good option for freshwater fishing in the south west during summer is
the Wimmera River at Horsham; this river fishes extremely well for golden perch
anywhere from Horsham downstream and is well worth the drive up for a day or
twos fishing. River blackfish season has also opened here in Victoria; these
fish have become very rare locally and should be released after capture to keep
a good population in order. They are surprisingly responsive to lures in the
right scenario, acting almost like a small Murray cod.
This weekend is the much anticipated return of the
Warrnambool Offshore and Light Game Fishing Club’s Shipwreck Coast Fishing
Classic – anglers have the chance to enter and fish for a massive range of
species along our coast, with both junior and senior prizes on offer; and
plenty of random draw giveaways for entrants too. We have entry forms available
at the Tackle Shack and details can be found on the club’s website. Saturday is
looking like a great day to fish so good luck to all getting out!