The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 6 November
Beautiful afternoons call for a session on the water! That’s exactly what Samuel did with his mates Liam and Jake.
They set out to the Goulburn River, rods ready and waders on! Samuel’s lure of choice was a small black and gold spinner.
With the perfect cast at just the right time Samuel’s rod began screaming! It wasn’t long before he landed this stunning prize – an absolute stonker of a rainbow trout!
To be our next Pelican’s Pick star, submit your photos to pelicanspick@vfa.vic.gov.au, and share your fishing story here or show off your catch from this week in the comments below!
Along the Coast
It’s a gummy shark invasion in Portland with sinkers barely scraping the bottom before there’s bites on the bait! Fresh is best with squid and mackerel baits guaranteeing quality catches! The breakwater is serving up pinkies to land based anglers who are using pilchards and paddle tail soft plastics.
Port Albert has enough action to satisfy any angler looking for a good day on the water! Quality squid are everywhere! Keep as bait or take home for a feed, either way you won’t be disappointed! White glow jigs are working a dream to get squid on the deck. Aussie salmon have been schooling up and devouring metal slugs, look for bust ups and cast away! Edges of channels are active hunting grounds for flathead, be ready with a selection of soft plastics to entice an ambush attack!
The shark action continues along 90-Mile Beach with big bronzies being landed! If you’re not after big game there’s schools of fish hiding along the gutters. Snapper, flathead and Aussie salmon have been keeping anglers busy! Baits have been the most reliable with pilchard cubes, squid strips and mullet strips getting strong results!
Lake Tyers is full of fish ready to feed! Working soft plastics in the sandy shallows is paying off with class catches of dusky flathead, while deep slow-moving waters are full of bream and anglers are finding success with prawns and imitation crabs. The odd trevally can be found in fast moving areas ready to strike pilchard cubes and mussels.
Around the Bays
It was absolute mayhem across Port Phillip Bay and Western Port over the long weekend with anglers flocking to the water like seagulls. Many had one prize in mind… a PB snapper! Squid strips have definitely been a favourite amongst the larger specimens almost ensuring a big red will bite! Reports are showing that a flooding tide is the most productive time to wet some line around depths of 8m.
The squid fishing from Mornington to Rye is consistent as ever with anglers getting good sized bags! The piers are a perfect place to start. Casting bright coloured jigs near the pylons is a textbook way to score a catch! Kayakers and boats head out further to explore many of the established weed beds. Darker coloured jigs will work well to create a clear silhouette for squid to chase!
Western Port has whiting action instore for anglers looking for a feed! Whiting have been the star of the show around Cowes with anglers getting ripper catches on pipis, mussels and prawns. Flathead are out and about on the search for paddle tail soft plastics and pilchards!
It’s rod bending chaos out of Stony Point! Casting a running sinker rig baited up with pilchards, salmon chunks or squid near channels will result in a massive bite! Mammoth gummy sharks are on the prowl and they are hammering oily baits! The best depth has been around the 10m mark with class catches being landed!
Inland
It’s prime time at Lake Hume as yellas are well and truly on the chew! Fishing with worms and yabbies near the weir has been successful at reeling in gold nuggets! If fishing near the sticks switch to crankbaits and spinner baits. Bright coloured lures are casting magic particularly yellows, greens and purples!
There’s gold to be found in the Loddon River too with yellas actively feeding! When fishing waters like the Loddon during the cod closed season use lures and baits that are specific to targeting yellas. Small inline spinners or worms are a good way to ensure the only fish snapping at your line is one of the many bowling ball yellas that are rolling down the Loddon River!
For those wanting to get their cod fix there’s no other place than Lake Eildon! This trophy fishery is booming with Murray cod and yellowbelly so big they’ll put all your other catches to shame! This remarkable year-round cod fishery is hiding big fish along deep banks and snaggy areas. Yabbies, spinnerbaits and bibbed hardbody lures are great options when targeting cod and yellas in the lake. Heading up the arms of the lake will give you the best chance!
If it's big brown trout you're chasing, look no further than Victoria's tailrace waters. There are some excellent fish over 2 kilos (4 pound in the old language) being caught on lure and fly in the Goulburn and Mitta Mitta rivers. Keep an eye on the water release volumes coming out of the dams and plan your trips accordingly.
For those who prefer fishing smaller streams, rivers like the Ovens and Steavenson are producing great quantities of both brown and rainbow trout for anglers willing to fish a bit further from access points. Try casting small spinners and shallow diving hardbodies if you like lure fishing, and as the weather has warmed and bug activity has boomed, dry fly patterns like the Royal Wulff or Parachute Adams are seeing lots of fish caught. No matter what method of fishing you prefer, there are some great fish out there waiting to be caught!
Tight lines – Mr. Percy
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