The Pelican's Pick

Friday, 21 August

Sunday was a special one for Lockie and his young son Noah, with Noah heading out for his very first fishing trip. The pair spent the day fishing around Portsea and Sorrento, targeting squid on size 3.0 jigs in the running water and keeping their jigs down close to the weed on the bottom.

The squid were hot on the bite, with the pair landing a cracking model to go along with plenty of smaller ones. Later in the day, they switched things up and fished with bait, picking up a bunch of decent flathead.

For Noah, it was certainly a first fishing trip to remember. He was more than happy to catch the squid, but when it came time to actually touch it, he wasn't having a bar of it! Still, landing your first squid and a stack of flathead is a pretty impressive way to kick off your fishing adventures.

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Along the coast

Those fishing off Golden Beach along the Ninety Mile Beach and targeting sharks have been finding plenty of seven-gillers. While opinions on their eating quality are mixed, the smaller models can make for a decent feed when properly bled and iced as soon as possible. There have also been plenty of salmon cruising through the area, providing another option for anglers looking for a bit of variety. If you manage to land some salmon, they also make excellent fresh cut bait for sharks, so you can target both species on the same trip. If you're heading down to the Ninety Mile Beach, it’s certainly worth putting a few baits out for the sharks and seeing what turns up.

Estuary perch and bream have made their way down to the lower end of the estuaries in Gippsland and can be found schooled up in the deeper pockets of open water. While winter conditions can make encouraging a bite from these fish difficult, slowly hopping soft plastics or small metal blades through the schools can result in some great catches of well-conditioned perch and bream.

The mouth of the Hopkins River has been open, with saltwater pushing in and mixing with the dirty freshwater, firing up the system's predators. Some smaller mulloway and decent estuary perch have been caught, with the discoloured water providing good conditions for targeting fish that are actively feeding. When fishing dirty water, try lures with a more aggressive action or brighter colours to help fish locate your offering. Adding scent to soft plastics can also be particularly effective when visibility is low, increasing your chances of a fish finding its way to your lure.

The Glenelg River has been fishing well, with bream, estuary perch and the occasional mulloway keeping anglers busy. With fish holding in the deeper sections of the river at this time of year, it’s worth concentrating your efforts around deeper pools and keeping an eye on your sounder. Small blades and soft plastics worked slowly through the deeper water are a good option for bream and perch, while those chasing mulloway can try larger lures or fresh bait around deeper structure. With a bit of patience, there are plenty of opportunities to put together a quality session on the Glenelg.

Around the bays

Anglers launching from Mornington have been finding success over the last week while chasing a variety of species. Out on structure, there have been hordes of pinkies, while the nearby channels have been producing some good gummies, seven-gills and solid flathead. If you are heading out with the aim of putting together a mixed bag, try fishing one heavier rod with some larger baits - a big juicy squid strip works great – alongside a couple of lighter setups targeting your flathead and pinkies.

Over in Western Port, shark fishing in the shallows has been productive, with anglers launching from Corinella having some good success. Gummies, school sharks and seven-gills have all been among the catches. It can pay to experiment with different rigs to get your bait sitting just off the bottom. This can help reduce the number of baits lost to banjo sharks while giving you a chance of getting onto the more desirable species.

Fishing has also been productive around the northern end of Western Port, particularly around the Tooradin Channel and the mangrove edges on either side. Anglers using berley (bread and tuna oil works well) have been having the most success. Berley has been bringing in a wide range of species, including flathead, flounder, quality pinkies, tailor, whiting, salmon and gummies. Having a selection of baits and rigs ready to go is a great way to maximise your chances of putting together a mixed bag. With plenty of different species on offer, it pays to stay adaptable and change your approach depending on what you’re finding on the day. As always in Western Port, keep an eye on the tides and current, and adjust your sinker weight and bait presentation accordingly.

Inland

Recently over at Rocklands there have been some solid Murray cod caught. The days keep getting longer and the weather keeps getting warmer so it’s a great time to get over and get in on the action. The fishing in this impoundment is only going to keep getting better and better, as plenty of cod creep closer to that one-metre mark! If fishing lures, fish tight to structure for the best results. In terms of bait, you can’t go past the ever-reliable chicken.

Lake Bellfield is joining in on an awesome trout season, with anglers reeling in some beautiful brown trout. Known as a popular trout and redfin fishery, this stunning lake offers something for everyone with kayak, fly fishing and land-based fishing all popular. Whether you’re enjoying the views of Halls Gap on the bank, or getting around in the kayak, soft plastics around structure at dawn or dusk is the method of choice for this location.

With the recent rain up north, the rivers may be out of action for some time. However, there is still plenty of fun to be had around the state with Blue Rock Dam out in the east continuing to provide a mixed bag for fishers. Anglers are reporting brown trout, redfin, Aussie bass and the occasional carp with worms being the bait of choice, but soft plastics and lures are ideal candidates for land-based fishing in the area.

Tight lines – Mr. Percy!