The Pelican's Pick

Friday, 28 August

Inspired by last week’s AFTA Tackle show, WIRFAB leader Chrissy ventured out to Screw Creek down at Anderson Inlet to try her luck at snagging some estuary perch.

Accompanied by her kids, Chrissy put her expertise to work using her ultralight soft plastic setup on the run in tide. With the water clarity still below average due to the recent rains, Chrissy opted for a black Squidgie Wriggler on a 1/16-ounce jig head which landed her this beauty.

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Along the coast

The fishing at Mallacoota has been quality recently, with plenty of solid winter flathead being caught, along with good numbers of local bream. For flathead, the shallow flats are well worth targeting, particularly as they begin to warm under the morning winter sun. As the day progresses, focus your efforts around channel edges, drop-offs and deeper water, where fish can move as conditions change. Australian salmon and silver trevally are being caught on soft plastics fished slowly in these areas. With the cooler water, a slower and more deliberate lure presentation can be highly effective, so be sure to slow things down compared with the warmer months. Bream can be found around the edges of the system and further up the rivers, particularly around structure, with a slow and subtle approach likely to produce the best results.

Port Welshpool has been reliably producing fish, with Long Jetty a great option for land-based anglers. The pier offers plenty of parking, rod holders and easy access right along its length, meaning there is no shortage of water and a variety of depths to cover. The fishing here produces a good mix of species, with flathead, Australian salmon, solid squid and trevally all being caught recently. Large prawns have been the standout bait. For the best chance of success, try fishing the last hour of the run-out tide and the first couple of hours of the incoming tide, particularly around a neap tide when the current movement is more moderate. This usually provides enough water movement to get the fish feeding without having to contend with a ripping current, making it easier to present baits and lures effectively around the jetty.

The lower Barwon River continues to fish well, with plenty of quality silver trevally still on the chew, along with schools of tailor and estuary perch. The high end of the incoming tide is the time to target these fish, with plastics proving highly effective. Match your jighead weight to the strength of the current to ensure your plastic gets down into the strike zone and stays close to the bottom.

Around the bays

There are plenty of Australian salmon cruising about Queenscliff, with some cracking sized fish among the schools. While targeting whiting and squid, which have both been fishing consistently well throughout the area, keep a rod rigged with a metal lure or small hardbody close at hand. The salmon are highly mobile and schools can move through quickly, so being ready to cast as soon as they appear can make all the difference.

Up at Altona, the squid fishing has been very consistent, with plenty of squid being caught by anglers drifting across the weed beds from boats. Covering plenty of ground is the key to finding actively feeding squid, so keep the boat moving and work different sections of weed beds until you find some action. If you’re struggling to find a bite, don’t be afraid to change things up by trying different jig sizes and colours until you find what they’re responding to.

With snapper season just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start preparing and get your freezer stocked up with bait. In only a couple months, the bays will be full of anglers chasing snapper, so getting your bait together now will put you ahead of the game. Western Port is a particularly productive place to stock up, with plenty of quality bait fish available, including yakkas, slimies, trevally, salmon and garfish. A little burley and a sabiki rig can be all it takes to fill the esky when the baitfish are around, making it well worth spending a few sessions building up your bait supply. A few trips spent collecting and freezing bait now can pay off big time once the snapper really fire up!

Inland

Spring is slowly starting to emerge with water temperatures around the state slowly beginning to rise. Not only does this mean we have made it through a chilly winter but more importantly it means the fish are getting back into action. Reports around the state have shown yellowbelly are beginning to appear up north around Lake Hume and the Murray. Fishers will have the best chance at snagging this exciting species with a lure; however, worms and shrimp work a treat as well. Some persistence may be required when targeting this species, but the reward is well worth the effort.

Out west Lake Fyans and Lake Purrumbete are producing quality redfin. Both locations are renowned redfin fisheries and boy do they live up to their name. Whether you’re on a kayak or on the bank, spinner baits will work a treat for anglers searching for a tasty feed.

Steering away from the fish, yabby season is just around the corner. Yabbies are both a tasty feed and make fantastic bait. To catch these crustaceans, bloody and fatty meats are the go-to however you’d be shocked at what draws them in so don’t be too fussy! Yabbies love dirty water and aren’t too picky on where they call home so head down to your local lake or dam and give it a crack, just remember to return any females in berry back to the water.

Lake Tooliorook is continuing its stellar trout season with 2kg+ brown and rainbow trout being reeled in regularly. Trolling Tassie Devils is the recipe for success at this lake however, one keen angler landed a whopping 2.5kg brown trout wading the shallows with a bent minnow.

Tight lines – Mr. Percy!