The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 17 July
Lake Eildon is the place to catch a trophy whether it’s a mammoth cod, football yella or a stonking trout!
Dean was the most recent angler to reel in such a reward after spending a frosty morning on the lake!
Flatline trolling some Tassie Devils lures was the key to his success as not one but two ripper fish hooked on! Going 45cm and 49cm these fish were in super condition!
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Along the coast
The winter pinkies are on fire in Portland with many anglers taking home a well-earned feed! Squid, prawns and pillies are the bait of choice to scoring quantity and quality fish! The breakwater is a hot spot and is a good place to go fishing with the family. There’s also huge gummies getting around in deeper water being caught on large oily baits.
The Hopkins River is full of surprises, cast out a lure to reel one in! Curl tail soft plastics, squid, sandworms and crab imitation lures are what’s pulling in big catches! Bream, estuary perch and the occasional mulloway are keeping anglers busy and keen. The river mouth is a super spot to wet some line and be sure you’re landing lures near structure for the best chance to score a bite!
Aussie salmon are swarming along the coast of 90 Mile Beach. Fishing deep gutters at high tide is yielding the best result especially around dawn and dusk. Aim to fish in calmer conditions as salmon will move closer to shore. Stick baits and metal slugs are perfect to cast out and reel in a catch!
Lake Tyers never tires anglers! Black bream remain the most consistent catch and can easily be found in deeper waters on blood worms and peeled prawns. Tailor can be found trolling hard body minnows. If you’re after estuary perch head towards the Toorloo arm of the lake and drop some bait in amongst woody structure.
Around the bays
Get to Balnarring on an incoming tide to get stuck into some ripper fishing! Fresh bait is the way to go here and the chunkier the better! Yakka or salmon chunks are guaranteed to reel in a gummy shark whether your land based or offshore! If you’re fishing the dawn or dusk session ensure you pack a wide variety of jigs because the squid are on the chew and they sure are hungry!
The Bellarine area is serving up a fresh feed so be sure to grab your panko crumbs and a slice of fresh lemon! Squid are the most popular catch drifting along seabeds and sandy flats. Use lighter colour jigs to create a standout contrast! There’s decent winter snapper hiding too – try some pilchards to find them in around 5-8m depth.
The Maribyrnong River is blasting with bream action and if you’re equipped with sand worms, you’ll be sure to get in on the action! Soft plastics are another safe bet and you might just score an estuary perch too! Cast towards structure and slowly retrieve with quick bursts, stay consistent and watch the fish switch on!
Just outside of Western Port there’s large barrels rolling through the area and there’s some big bluefin tuna specimens up for grabs! Trolling brightly coloured skirted lures in deep water will entice a bite! If you’re not up for big game fishing the entrance to Western Port has plenty of bread-and-butter species waiting for a bait donation, opt for yakkas, pillies and squid strips as baits.
Inland
Taylors Lake in Horsham is offering up freshwater fishing goods for the committed angler. This shallow lake is full of bowling ball yellas that are chomping on whatever they can find! Yabbies and worms are proving most effective at securing a catch! There are stacks of redfin ready to reel in, small spinners and grub like plastics are getting big bites!
The Grampians Lakes are packed full of extreme trout fishing action! Lake Bellfield, Fyans and Wartook are all perfect clear lakes for quality bank fishing. Bait and lures will both be your friend when helping to reel in a ripper catch! Brown and rainbows are both biting on worms, PowerBait and diving minnows.
If you prefer to chase trout in rivers, remember that the stocked “South-West Rivers” remain open all year to trout fishing. That includes the Hopkins and Merri rivers, where some excellent brown trout have been caught recently on soft plastic and hardbody lures.
Lake Eildon is a gold mine full of round winter yellas! Casting flashy spinnerbaits in amongst structure will give you the best chance at peeling some line! If you’re chasing something bigger use yabbies and large soft plastics to reel in a famous Lake Eildon cod! It’s good news for early risers as reports are showing that the morning session has been the most fruitful and producing quality fish!
Gunbower Creek is full of fat cod that are wider than they are long! Aim for logs and built-up structure to snag a catch. Bait is the go-to this week with yabbies and chicken the prime option! Or try the ever-reliable cheese cube to land a healthy slot sized fish!
Tight lines – Mr. Percy!