The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 7 February
To catch the ultimate Murray cod, it can often require skill and determination. Cindy put her knowledge to the test when she was fishing the Mitta Mitta River this week! Selecting a bright blue, green and silver stump jumper lure as water clarity was poor, Cindy hooked this magnificent cod! This trickster really tested Cindy’s skills by swimming under multiple snags while also battling the tough conditions of the Mitta. She persevered and reeled in this beautiful fish! Handling it with care and respect, she released this Murray cod to swim another day!
Out fishing this week and would like to feature in the Pelican’s Pick? Send your snapshots to pelicanspick@vfa.vic.gov.au!
Along the Coast
In Lorne you’ll find King George whiting and flathead, give prawns a try as bait.
If you want to target southern bluefin tuna and kingfish, head to Seal Rocks and Pyramid Rock this week. Anglers have also caught some great fish around the Coal Point/Cape Paterson area.
Portland Bay and the Portland Lee Breakwall have attracted King George whiting in great numbers and good size, and anglers are also consistently reeling in pinkies. To further add to the excitement, a variety of sharks are frequently being caught. Fishers are already reeling in school tuna around Portland, which is a great sign this early in the year.
In the Glenelg River, healthy size bream are on the chew, and good numbers of salmon are also being caught. Further upstream, estuary perch are being caught on a variety of bait.
The Fitzroy River has been producing the estuarine fish trifecta, with anglers reeling in healthy bream, mullet and estuary perch.
Around the Bays
Catch a bite to eat in the Lonsdale Bight, with good numbers of calamari around the Queenscliff area. Tuna remain elusive offshore, but don’t be disheartened! Try using natural bait fish like pilchards to tempt these fish on your line. There’s decent whiting to be caught this weekend around St Leonards and Indented Head. Corio Bay has been buzzing with pinkies, so please be mindful of the minimum size of 28cm. If you want to target something bigger, head to St Helens with the odd large snapper being spotted by land-based anglers. Run don’t walk to the Barwon River for plentiful catches of trevally, mullet and small salmon. School is back in session for many across Victoria this week, and the same can be said for the huge schools of large salmon cruising around Queenscliff and Point Nepean. Mammoth catches of yellowtail kingfish have given anglers some excitement between Port Phillip Heads and Barwon Heads on the outgoing tide. Whole calamari or slimy mackerel are the perfect bait to entice these fish.
The north arm of Western Port has been fishing very well for snapper up to 40cm on pilchards and squid. Be sure to use some burley and check your baits regularly as small flathead are experts at stealing baits.
For some surface action, anchor the boat at the western entrance where large schools of Australian salmon have been feeding.
Inland
The weather is hot, and the fishing is hotter! Nagambie, Campaspe River and the Loddon River have been fishing really well for yellas and Murray cod. Dusk to dawn is the prime time for native fish during this season. As evening sets in and boat traffic quiets down, the fish will move into the shallows to feed in the calm waters. During the heat of the day, they will typically retreat to cooler, deeper waters.
The snags at Lake Eppalock are giving patient anglers the fish of a lifetime, with numerous metre+ Murray cod being caught. The usual amount of redfin are out and about and with no bag limit, be sure to take some home for the family to eat.
The Upper Coliban Reservoir has been providing a variety of native species for keen anglers, with yellow belly and silver perch being caught.
The recent storms have caused a feeding frenzy at Lake Eildon, with cod of all sizes around. River systems may be harder to fish with the influx of water causing a fast flow, so keep your eyes peeled for slow moving pockets.
Bushfires in the Little Desert National Park and the Grampians National Park remain active and have impacted the lower Wimmera River from Duchembegarra through to Dimboola and the Rocklands Reservoir. Please stay informed by using the Emergency Vic app for all the latest updates.
Further information
If you’re a regular fisher and interested in contributing to research while you’re out flicking a line, the Angler Diary program might be for you! Anglers are asked to fill out a diary about their fishing trips to assist our scientists with monitoring fisheries stock health.
For more info, check out our web page here.
Tight lines – Mr. Percy!