The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 13 February
It is time to crown our snapper season champion, and the winner by a clear margin is Eliza! A Sunday morning session offshore at Lakes Entrance resulted in a lifelong memory for Eliza and her dad, Brendon.
They set out to target a mixed variety of snapper, gummy and flathead. Casting out slimy mackerel on 5/0 octopus circle hooks using 30lb mono and 40lb leader around the 22m mark was the key to landing Eliza’s biggest catch yet!
As her line peeled, a fight ensured and Eliza reeled in this whopping 11.8kg snapper! Eliza said that sharing this special moment with her dad who taught her everything she knows about fishing was her proudest moment yet!
To be our next Pelican’s Pick star, submit your photos to pelicanspick@vfa.vic.gov.au, or share your fishing story here.
Along the Coast
Victoria’s best seafood basket can be found swimming around Portland and Warrnambool so grab your rod, fresh bait and get ready to reel in a feast! Deep offshore, barrel sized tuna are running and anglers are chasing. Keep an eye out for bait balls to land a prized catch! Gummy shark, whiting and salmon are being caught both boat and land based. The Portland breakwall is keeping anglers busy with ripper catches of squid and pinkies.
The mouth of the Glenelg River is full of fun fishing. Estuary perch are hammering surface lures around peak feeding times. Fish around structure with paddle tail soft plastics and look out for mulloway. If you prefer to bait fish, chuck some sandworms or yabbies on your line for a chance to reel in a donkey sized bream!
Port Welshpool is the perfect spot to enjoy action packed game fishing! If you’re not too busy catching tuna, you could be reeling in a PB kingfish. Ensure you’ve got a heavy duty set up and some fresh oily baits. Please remember that the daily bag limit for kingfish is now two per person. Port Welshpool is also home to Victoria’s longest jetty, stretching over 800m, so there’s plenty of space to wet some line!
90 Mile Beach is testing the patience of dedicated anglers, those who play the long game are truly winning with good catches of flathead and some bagging out on snapper. Gummies in the area are taking a liking to fresh squid which is a nice durable bait, and its tough texture makes it perfect for long beach casts.
Around the Bays
The rip maintains its superiority for being the number one spot to target kingfish, with many anglers getting their share of the action. Tuna fishing remains steady in the area with those using fresh bait getting the biggest catches. When fishing the rip always be on the lookout for commercial ships and avoid the Transit Only Zone.
Fancy a paddle in the kayak? Rye is the place to go! Reports that drifting over the sandy shallows and grass beds is optimal for quality squid fishing. Take it home to keep or reuse as bait and catch something bigger. Theres plenty of flathead and trevally on the chew favouring fresh squid cubes.
The piers along St Kilda to Mordialloc have been very productive. Garfish are biting and whiting are fighting; it’s rod bending chaos! The deeper water out from Mount Martha has large flathead and good catches of snapper reported in 12-20m of water.
Western Port fishers rarely end a day with doughnuts especially when hitting up this week’s hotspots! Corinella has got it all from pinkies to gummies. Hastings is seeing anglers bag out on whiting. If you’re up for a challenge there is some big reds still about, hiding in the deep channels. Cast out curl-tail soft plastics or pilchards and you just might find them!
Inland
The Wimmera River contains a diverse range of freshwater species whilst being a spectacular part of the state to visit. Golden perch and catfish have been the most popular catches this week with the occasional Murray cod and silver perch. Scrub worms and yabbies as bait are working overtime and anglers are getting the payout.
Lake Eildon meteries have switched on this week and they are chomping on both bait and lures. Make sure to pack a variety of lures and bait and keep persisting even when the bite is quiet and you’ll be sure to land a trophy fish. While in the area be sure to support the many local pubs, cafes and general stores as this community recovers from recent fires.
The Ovens River is turning on some seriously photogenic cod. With crystal-clear water and lush, weed-lined banks, these fish are glowing a rich, vibrant green. Cast spinners around submerged timber and structure or land your bait in deep pockets of water and the bites won’t stop coming!
The cod in the Mitta Mitta River have spent way too long in the good paddock as the fish getting reeled in are absolute chonks! The bite is on and anglers are landing quality specimens. Shallow diving hard bodies are working well and so is the typical cheese and chicken combo. The shallow parts of the river have beautiful brown trout on offer. Walk the banks casting small spinners or use bait such as mud eyes and worms. Hard work equals good rewards when fishing for trout along this river, so be prepared for a fun day on the water!
Tight lines - Mr Percy!