The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 5 June
With the winter cold front around the corner, Ricky made the most of the final weekend of autumn on the water!
Working a yabby oil prawn soft plastic around the Gippsland Lakes he was rewarded with a memorable strike!
The fish wasted no time putting up a solid fight before Ricky finally landed this cracking 45cm bream on the deck!
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Along the coast
Lake Tyers bream have never looked better and with an influx of consistent bites, now’s the time to get on the water! Slow moving patches are holding up 40cm+ bream that are ready to bite. Natural coloured soft plastics and hardbodies are working best to secure a catch. Remember there is a maximum legal size of 38cm for Gippsland Lakes bream! The dusky flathead have quietened down a bit, but large catches can still be found in deeper channels and holes.
The salmon are absolutely going off along 90 Mile Beach with catches of gummy shark in the mix. Woodside Beach has been a particular hot spot, with schools of fish flocking to the area. Surface poppers are working best when conditions are calm and the salmon are feeding aggressively. Metal slugs are another solid option allowing anglers to cast further and are providing consistent results.
The Hopkins River has some superb fishing this week, with stacks of black bream and a few estuary perch in the lower reaches around Warrnambool. Top results are coming from deeper snags, bridge pylons, and rock walls, especially on the run-in tide. Slow soft plastics and small hardbodies are producing the most consistent bites.
Portland is all big game this week, from land-based fishers to far offshore. There’s been mammoth catches of mako shark on yakkas and salmon while tuna are devouring skirted lures and squid! The breakwater has had some ripper catches of gummy shark and salmon with fresh pilchards and squid strips guaranteeing success!
Around the bays
Western Port has been very tide dependent this week, with strong currents making bite windows short but productive. The top end of Western Port is flooding with kraken sized squid! Drifting a size 3.0-2.5 jig is perfect for fishing a range of conditions and the fishing for squid around weed beds in slack conditions is proving to be very efficient.
There’s been incredible catches of gummy shark around Cowes, with anglers reporting consistent action both from boats and selected land-based spots. Fish are being taken in good numbers on the evening run-in tides, with fresh bait like salmon and squid proving most effective.
The fishing has been consistent right across Port Phillip Bay. Reports from Altona have been positive for those wanting to chase squid with plenty of catches to share around. Anglers working weed beds around dawn and dusk have reeled in the most results, especially when conditions are calm and clear.
The Mornington Peninsula has been a King George whiting hotspot, with good catches around Dromana, Rye and Sorrento. Fish are schooling up in shallow sand patches and are feeding best around tide changes. Pipis, peeled prawn and very small squid strips are doing just the trick to catch a feed for the family.
Inland
Winter is here and so are the Murray spiny crays! Dropping some nets baited up with red meat or chicken along the Goulburn are proving fruitful for anglers. Don’t let the weather deter you as these crays love to aggressively feed after the rain! Remember the daily catch limit is 2 with a total possession limit of 4.
Lake Toolondo is heavily timbered and is hiding an excellent fishing session for those willing to find it. The redfin are on the chew and are hammering shallow diving hardbodies and blades. Amongst the action there’s the occasional brown trout devouring Powerbait and scrub worms.
It’s prime time to be fishing at Lake Dartmouth, with brown trout active for anglers willing to rug up and brave the cold. Trolling is producing the best results, especially around drop-offs, wind-blown banks, and submerged timber. Tassie Devils and small hardbodies at a steady pace account for most of the fish caught.
It may be chilly, but the natives are still firing! There’s been some cracking yellowbelly caught at Cairn Curran near the Loddon end of the reservoir on worms and yabbies. The structure around Lake Eppalock is full of cod waiting to inhale baits such as cheese, chicken and yabbies.
The trout streams are pumping with all the recent rain however there’s some great fishing to be found for those willing to brave the wintery conditions. The lower reaches of the Goulburn tailrace’s tributaries are seeing large brown trout push up in preparation to spawn, and plenty of smaller rainbows hanging around them too. Brightly coloured lures in red and orange have been working well in the dirty water. A reminder that the closed season for trout and salmonids in rivers and streams starts on Tuesday 9th of June. Check the Rec Fishing Guide or the Vic Fishing app for more details of the closed season.
Tight lines – Mr. Percy!