The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 27 March
There’s no better way to spend your birthday than wetting a line and enjoying the great Victorian outdoors! That’s exactly what Elaine did and she got the best birthday present ever!
Casting out a 9 inch soft plastic along the steep banks of Lake Eildon, an absolute giant started pulling on her line! This whopping 90cm beast emerged from the depths smashing her personal PB!
A massive Happy birthday to Elaine and a congratulations on scoring the birthday pressie every fisher dreams of!
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Along the Coast
Mallacoota is the place to reel in boast-worthy catches of kingfish! The conditions are optimal for a mega game fishing session. These kingies are hunting down sinking stickbait lures and mackerel baits. In amongst the royalty action there’s respectable catches of skipjack tuna, which are keeping fishers entertained. They are smashing skirted lures and pilchards, creating some truly rod bending chaos.
Consistent fishing can always be found at Lake Tyers. It’s an ideal location for a relaxing day on the water with high success rates. Look for areas where fast water flows into slow moving areas - drift lures and prepare for a bite! Mimicking the natural way feed filters into snag holes will secure catches of cracking black bream! Tailor can be found in sections of fast-moving water giving quick paced action on hard body lures.
Pull up a seat on 90 Mile Beach for next level surf fishing! It’s a seafood basket with spectacular catches of gummy shark, huge snapper and plenty of flathead up for grabs, ready to fillet and serve with a side of chips! There’s been some reports of mulloway being caught land-based which should give you a glimmer of hope to land this elusive catch!
Portland has every scale of fish from small flatties to big mako! Anglers are reporting significant success using fresh oily bait, the smellier the better! Gummy shark can be found lurking offshore alongside schools of snapper. Those fishing the breakwater are enjoying catches of squid, whiting and the odd pinkie!
Around the Bays
If you love whiting, you’re in for a treat! Get the rods ready because they are well and truly on the chew! Fishing the shallows around San Remo is a sure bet to catch some ripper whiting. Drifting jigs for squid has proven just as successful. Garfish are frequenting the area giving anglers a mixed bag and a fun session on the water.
Fishing at Black Rock remains steady, with a diverse range of species to target. Pinkies can be found in deeper water hammering small pilchards. The shallow waters offer a different kind of chase, with kraken sized squid ready to latch on larger jigs. The odd whiting is out and about and can be tempted with pipis.
Port Phillip Bay whiting are starting to fire up, with many anglers bagging out and taking home a decent feed. The trick to securing an esky full of fresh seafood is to fish the run-out tide and look for slack water. Small squid cubes will be your best friend, cast out in around 3-6m of water and you’ll be reeling them in quicker than you can say “fish on”!
Western Port remains active as always with the top end producing huge gummies on fresh bait. The Tooradin Channel is bursting with whiting: fish along the edges to score quality catches. The Hastings area also has the fishing action, with many anglers having success using pipis to hook onto some whiting. The whiting hotspots don’t end there, with Rhyll receiving the most action and producing large specimens!
Inland
The fishing at Lake Wendouree has switched on when the lights are off! Late night casts are resulting in stonking big browns! Target areas around the reeds equipped with double clutches and jointed hard bodies to entice these midnight snackers. A very welcome by-catch are the mammoth reddies devouring shallow diving lures. Boat and land-based fishers can rejoice because these fish are biting along the banks and in deeper waters.
The Wimmera River has the native fish trifecta locked in this week, with silvers, yellas and cod chomping down on a range of lures. Spinnerbaits are doing the most damage for anglers seeking out cod. Giant silvers are becoming more common and they are loving small, natural baits. The yellas are hungry and can be found on both lures and bait. Meal sized reddies are a regular by-catch and taste delicious!
The Latrobe River stretches 270km and has developed into a class trout fishery! Spend the day walking up the river and casting small spinners and reeling in quality browns! Fly fishing around established vegetation has proven effective. Look for shallow gravel areas to cast small spinners for a chance at trout and even the occasional reddie!
Access to excellent fishing around Bendigo has never been easier, with Lake Neangar and Crusoe Reservoir producing fun fishing for the family! Take your pick to lure or bait fish with both silver and golden perch frequently getting reeled in on small hardbodies and worms. Further out at Cairn Curran, yellas are a rewarding catch for those dedicated to put in the hours. Park up alongside a deep edge and drop your line with some yabbies and worms and wait for a gold nugget to bite your line!
The rivers in the northeast of the state continue to produce beautifully patterned “clearwater cod.” Look for woody structure adjacent to flowing water that creates a pocket a cod would be happy to hide in.
Tight lines - Mr Percy!