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It's been a pretty mild winter here in the south-west, and unless we get a bit of rain soon, the freshwater fishing this spring might be a bit quieter than the last few years. Let's take a look at a few good options for spring fishing in the south west.
Snapper
Spring is always a good time for big snapper in Victoria, and the south west is no different. A strong north or easterly gets the Lee Breakwater at Portland stirred up, and the snapper begin to fire. It can get pretty hectic when the reds are on down there with anglers lining the wall with surf rods trying their luck for a big snapper; some of these can be 6 or 7kg. Often the first blow of the year is the signal for the first anglers to head down and try their luck. A running sinker with Ezi Rig, or paternoster is the choice for most anglers, with 6/0 hooks baited with fresh squid, yakka or salmon fillets. The beaches can also be good this time of year; the Narrawong, Discovery Bay, Levies and Yambuk beaches can be the best for snapper. Offshore, the big ones are found in 70-150m, with pinkies up to around 3kg moving inshore usually October or November.
Golden Perch
The yellowbelly fishing opportunities in the southwest have grown exponentially in recent years thanks to the stocking of Rocklands Reservoir. With these initial stocked fish now 7 years old, there's some whopping great yellowbelly in there over 60cm as well as mega Murray Cod to 80cm. Spring is by far the best time of year for yellowbelly as these fish school up and attempt to spawn. Use your electronics to find these big schools in the southern end of the lake around Brodies, and fish through them with small vibes (Jackall TN60s, Ecogear ZX35) or soft plastics (Gulp Jigging Grub or Z-Man Grub, in black). Early summer sees traditional methods like bait fishing with worms or yabbies, casting spinnerbaits at snags or trolling hardbodies reign supreme. The infamous wall is the best spot in the lake in spring, but make sure you steer clear of the exclusion zone for boating as no doubt you'll get picked up by Fisheries surveillance. Further north, the Wimmera River has been a renowned yellowbelly fishery for decades and this water should fish well anywhere downstream of Horsham from around October.
Sharks
Although we haven't seen many reports recently, late winter and early spring is always go time for big gummies and schoolies inshore. These big girls can be over 30kg, and move in close to 30-50m in big numbers to lay pups. It's worth noting that these big females most likely are full of live young and it's never a good look to return back to the boat ramp with a couple of dead pregnant sharks. If you do decide to keep one of these big spring sharks, and you suspect it has pups, dispatch of it and cut the belly open to release any pups and give them a chance of survival. Even better, practice catch and release on these big girls. Once they'e dropped their pups, they will start moving back out to the deeper water but will hang around inshore until October or November. You can also find some good beach fishing opportunities at the same beaches mentioned earlier.
Trout
This winter has been a bit of a quieter one. Trout fishing is very dependent on rainfall, with these flows helping freshen up the rivers, keep the food source strong and usually make the trout a little more aggressive. Low rainfall this winter has meant our rivers locally are still clear with remnant weed and algae from summer that still hasn't been flushed out. As a result, the trout aren't as fat as usual, a bit spookier and sulkier thanks to the increased fishing pressure. They're still there to be caught in the less pressured regions, but let's hope for some rain in the spring to freshen things up and allow for some late season trout action. If not, concentrate your efforts on the deeper pools with soft plastics. Lakes Elingamite, Bullen Merri and Purrumbete have all been good choices this winter.
Estuary Perch
The EPs are another popular target during spring. They'll begin to feed hard after winter spawning, and move into shallower water where you can enjoy some topwater action. The Tooram Stones are on the Hopkins is a real hotspot with perch congregating under the basalt lava flow rockwall in big numbers as they move upstream. Try casting hardbody jerkbaits with a twitch and pause retrieve (Daiwa Double Clutch and Spike, Jackall Squirrel), soft plastics or bladed vibes with light line of around 4-6lb. Late afternoons and into the evening is always the best time for perch.