The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 6 March
On Tuesday, Mathew headed down to the shipwreck at Golden Beach for a cracking fishing session and to send a few baits out using his drone. The conditions were great with clear skies and nice water, but unfortunately things didn’t go exactly to plan…
While dropping a bait out, Mathew’s drone suddenly lost battery power and ended up going down into the water not far from shore. A costly mistake and definitely a lesson learnt - always make sure you have plenty of battery before sending it out!
Despite losing the drone, the session still turned out to be a ripper one! Not long after, Mathew managed to land a solid snapper right off the beach which made the trip worthwhile.
Even with the setback, it was still an awesome day fishing the stunning waters at Golden Beach.
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
Dusky flathead at Mallacoota are a consistent catch this week, especially when flicking out paddle tail soft plastics and minnow style diving lures. The inlet is also the ideal spot to target mammoth black bream and they can often be found snacking on fresh prawns. Marlo’s Snowy River system is also getting in on the bream action with reports of good bites on sandworms. There’s plenty of King George whiting and flatties active around the estuary flats.
90 Mile Beach is offering up 90 miles of surf side fishing chaos! Pan sized snapper are devouring squid strips while gummy sharks are hammering pilchards. There’s been some quality bronzies caught on fresh slimies, with a few Aussie salmon in the mix caught on poppers.
Warrnambool’s offshore fishing is next level, with chunky salmon getting reeled in on a daily basis! The salmon schools are cruising the gutters ready to launch themselves at metal slugs. The breakwater is witnessing schools of pinkies and silver trevally, while the Hopkins River is pumping out bream, giving keen anglers a fantastic day on the water!
Portland remains the ever-reliable fishing capital of Victoria, with impressive catches that would have any angler thinking they were dreaming! There’s only one word for the size of gummy shark getting reeled in – behemoths! One of these beasts would be sure to feed the family and friends! Fishers are bagging out on snapper and whiting, while land-based anglers are getting stuck into some quality salmon.
Around the Bays
The fishing is firing on all cylinders around Western Port, with the shallow waters providing a thriving ecosystem and optimal opportunity for boaters, kayakers and land-based fishers. The top end has proven particularly productive for whiting and squid. Drifting alongside channels around the 6m mark with pilchards is the key to success for securing class snapper.
Fishing Lang Lang on an outgoing tide is a certified formula for a serious fishing session! Gummy shark are on the chew and fresh squid strips are on their menu. By-catches of snapper and pinkies are guaranteed. Swap to pipis for bait and you’ll likely bag out on the abundant whiting schooling up in the area.
Corio Bay is busy with pinkie action and they are loving squid cubes! The flathead fishing is flat out around the Geelong waterfront with soft plastics putting in the work to land large specimens. Fish during low-light periods to take advantage of prime bite windows.
There is varied but decent fishing activity at the top end of Port Phillip Bay. St Kilda Pier is a perfect spot to park up and have a relaxing day targeting flathead, trevally and whiting. Further down the east side to Mornington, pinkies are nipping at pilchards and squid are hunting dark coloured jigs. There are mixed bags of flatties and whiting to be had with the odd trevally keeping things interesting!
Inland
The Loddon River between Bridgewater and Serpentine is producing top tier native fish! Avoid dirty patches of water and aim for areas with good water clarity. Lure fishing is working best to land small but colourful cod with a few large ones to be found. There’s decent yellas up for grabs which can often be located along reedy edges.
Another metre cod was caught out of Rocklands recently, and with the stocking program continuing to release one million native fish into Rocklands annually, the fishing there will only continue to improve!
The High Country rivers are delivering amazing trout fishing this time of year by providing a cool refuge for small rainbows and browns. As crickets become active around this time of year, collect some for bait or use lures or flies that mimic their presentation for the best chance of securing a top class of trout!
If your keen for a feed, pack the esky and head to Lake Purrumbete because it is redfin fishing galore! There are some absolute donkeys getting caught on a range of small hard body lures and bait. Once filleted, cook fresh or chuck in the freezer, redfin fillets are perfect for long term storage!
The yellow belly at Lake Eildon have been eating well over the summer resulting in bowling ball sized catches! They are destroying yabbies and worms and creating rod bending chaos! The cod are just as hungry and are chasing spinnerbaits, cheese and medium sized hard body lures.
Are you keen to explore these great spots but feel your boating skills need a boost? Join one of our free Boat Trailer Reversing Clinics running across the state. Sessions are open to both beginners and those more experienced, with dedicated classes for women and others open to all genders, so there's something for everyone.
To learn more and book your place, visit the Better Boating Victoria website.
Tight lines - Mr Percy!