The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 23 January
Zav and his dad Heath have been making the most of the school holidays, flicking brightly coloured spinners along the banks of the Wimmera River.
Their persistence paid off with a golden reward when Zav landed this cracking 54 cm yellowbelly, what a donkey! Awesome work, Zav! Keep it up and we’re sure the rest of your summer will be packed with plenty more trophy-worthy catches.
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 coastline stretches over 2,000 km and has some of the best fishing on the planet! From sandy beaches to sheltered inlets, there’s a spot for every angler to grab a rod and wet some line!
Anglers out to the west are reeling in perfect Portland pinkies! Fishing from the breakwater is the most successful, with everyone catching their fair share of a hard-earned dinner! Offshore, there’s massive game to be caught! Mako sharks and tuna are providing fast paced action with plenty of reward for fishers keen to have a crack and cast out big baits like mackerel and mullet.
The Hopkins River hosts a range of estuary species and is the perfect spot to kayak and flick some lures. When chasing bream, look for areas with built up structure and use soft plastics to entice them to bite! Estuary perch can often be found in slow flowing areas inhaling shrimp and worms.
Anderson Inlet is providing the perfect mix of shallow and deep-water fishing. Casting soft plastics around shallow sandy edges is proving very successful for flathead. The deeper pockets are the sweet spot for snapper with squid strips doing the trick.
Sandy Point has been a boat fishing bonanza! Fish have been flocking to the area like seagulls chasing chips! Snapper have been schooling up around the 18m mark, and they are loving fresh oily baits. Gummies are hammering large squid strips. To target the large flatties in the area, cut the strips into smaller cubes or switch to soft plastics.
Around the Bays
A trip to Western Port is a guarantee that you’ll have an action-packed day on the water! Tenby Point has got more gummies than a lolly store, and with so many anglers peeling line you’d think they were having a sugar high! Stony Point is where snapper and flatties are waiting to bite on a running tide. Yakkas and pilchards are stealing the show, proving irresistible to hungry fish!
Port Phillip Heads is home to some extreme fishing! Mammoth tuna are being landed on large baitfish. Kingfish are migrating down south, and they are starting to hammer squid and mackerel. Vertical jigging bright reflective lures mimics prey action resulting in a big bite! The rip is dangerous to navigate; ensure you are well educated on the tide and wind before heading out and that all your safety equipment is well maintained.
Pier fishing is on this week, with many anglers taking home quality catches. Rye Pier is producing flatties, while Mordialloc is seeing anglers’ bag out on snapper. St Leonards is the go-to for squid and whiting.
Mount Martha is seeing kraken sized squid caught off the rocks. The trick to catching squid is to have a variety of different coloured jigs. Squid only see in black and white which means contrast is everything! If you are jigging over dark weed beds, opt for light and bright coloured jigs. Use dark, bold colours when fishing bright white sandy areas.
Inland
Lake Eppalock is a great place to flick lures and cast out bait. Chuck some worms on your hook and reel in some of the huge reddies that are cruising around. Redfin are great to eat and are ideal for homemade fish and chips! There’s plenty of Murray cod and golden perch about. Boat based anglers are having great success on the troll using small, bibbed lures.
The Murray cod in the Loddon River are becoming increasingly common. Whilst only small, these extremely healthy fish boast some of the most beautiful colours. The stretch between Bridgewater and Newbridge is fishing well. These fish appreciate the finer things in life and are taking a liking to cheese.
Murray cod and yellas are on the chew at Rocklands Reservoir this week. Those casting out aggressive lures are reeling in big fish. With high temperatures, native fish will move into deeper pockets of water. Fish along the edge of the deep river channel to land a bite.
Blue Rock Lake is pumping out healthy Aussie bass! Target woody structure in low light conditions. Redfin are frequently being caught, giving anglers a variety of action.
Some of the Goulburn River’s cooler tributaries are accessible again for those anglers keen to target some of the best wild trout fishing Victoria has to offer. Reports are coming in of plenty of rainbow trout under 30cm being caught, and if you can get your lure, fly or bait past them, there is the chance of tangling with larger brown trout.
As the water temperatures in the river continue to warm up, try targeting the heads of pools below riffles and rapids. Actively feeding trout will sit there to take advantage of the more oxygenated water and constant supply of food. If you’re practicing catch and release trout fishing, please minimise air time and make sure to keep the fish wet when handling.
Please stay on high alert this weekend with hot weather expected across the state and be sure to download the VicEmergency app or check all live updates here - https://emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/
Tight lines - Mr Percy!