The Pelican's Pick
Friday, 22 May
Donnie and Amanda braved the morning chill and made it a fishing session to remember at Lake Wendouree! They landed an impressive seven brown trout, including this beauty. Surface lures did the damage early, but once the sun came up, soft plastic yabbies sealed the deal. Awesome effort, Donnie and Amanda!
If you’re out fishing this week and would like to feature in Pelican’s Pick, send your photos to pelicanspick@vfa.vic.gov.au.
Along the Coast
Anglers have been absolutely spoilt by a barrel bonanza along the coast. Substantial catches have been reported off Port Fairy and Portland, and by substantial, we are talking well over the 100kg mark! If you’re after something that fits a bit easier on your plate, anglers are reaping the rewards of salmon season.
Offshore from Apollo Bay, anglers have also been enjoying an impressive run of barrel tuna, along with solid catches of snapper and nannygai. The shark action remains strong too, with those fishing off Cape Otway landing both gummy and school sharks.
If land-based fishing is your thing, head to the Lorne Pier for snapper, salmon, and trevally. You’ll also get decent bites fishing on 90 Mile Beach for gummies.
Anglers have been reeling in estuary perch from the Tarwin River using bass yabbies as bait.
Corner Inlet is firing for squid, so grab your jigs and catch some dinner!
Around the Bays
Gummy sharks remain a popular target for anglers over in Western Port, with squid and slimy mackerel doing the trick for bait. The whiting are still out in good numbers and something fun to target if you can’t get onto the gummies!
St Leonards is your go-to for big calamari. As always, if you find the weed patches you’ll find the squid. Clifton Springs is also worth a shot, and several of the piers around the bay have been good at night for squid.
Over at Point Lonsdale, salmon have been on the chew with good catches reported off the pier using metal lures. Work your way along the pier until you find the school.
King George whiting and flathead have been making an appearance off the pier in Dromana, offering some great action for the whole family.
Corio Bay is offering up King George whiting to 41cm on strips of squid. Dawn is a productive time, but some anglers have been stretching their luck and finding schools biting through the day, as long as the tide is moving.
Inland
Over at Lake Eildon, the metre Murray cod have been coming in thick, with quite a few around the Goughs Bay area, and many fishers catching their PB’s. Great size cod have also been caught in Toolamba and Nagambie.
Golden perch are showing up in good numbers in Eildon near the mouth of the Jamieson River. Redfin are still biting well too. In low-visibility conditions, bright-coloured hardbody lures have been doing the trick.
In the Goulburn River, yellas are firing up around Murchison and Shepparton. Shepparton Lake is also producing nice redfin. Not long now until Murray cray season begins on 1 June!
Lake Eppalock has been providing experienced anglers with all the rewards. Bags of redfin are being taken for the dinner table and a few yellas are showing up amongst them, despite the cooler weather. There’s also been an increasing number of small Murray cod caught at Eppalock, thanks in large part to our substantial stockings of the species in recent years. To have a shot at one, try trolling #2 size StumpJumper lures in 10-16ft. A bow mounted electric will provide the ultimate in control for your boat speed, or just toss out a bucket on a rope to slow you down if you’re powered by a larger engine.
With the arrival of cooler conditions, trout are starting to come back on the bite around the colder parts of the state. Lots of lakes have been stocked with trout, over several years, so are well worth a look in May and June. Just rug up, take the thermos and a radio to tune in to the footy! Flat-line trolling Tassie Devils and hard body lures on 6-8lb line is a sure-fire way to tangle with a trout in a lake including Eildon, Hume, Dartmouth and Bullen Merri.
Despite low flows, anglers are landing fish in the Howqua, Steavenson, and Rubicon rivers. Casting lures is effective using Rapalas and Celtas. Drifting bait is also a good idea with scrubworms after some rain a top option.
As shown in the ripper feature image, there has been great catches of 40cm+ brown trout at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat. This is a great spot for a winter trout fish. We’ve stocked plenty of browns and rainbows in there, plus it’s home to some big redfin too. Brown trout of 2kg and more are on the cards at Wendouree this time of year and they can come from the shore! No need for a bigger boat!
With much needed rain forecasted ahead, the river systems will get a drink and stir up some food– hopefully creating a fishing frenzy we can enjoy.
Tight lines – Mr. Percy!