There's been a bit of a contrast in the local catches this week; 80% freshwater fish, and 20% huge barrel tuna! Let's take a quick look at what's been happening on the fishing front to start October off.
The barrel tuna are ON! There is fish all through the Victorian coastline at the moment; with the bulk of captures being made out east, between Inverloch and Barwon Heads area in Bass Strait. There has also been a solid run of fish off Portland in the usual grounds. Last year the fish stuck around into November so fingers crossed they do the same in 2025. The Portland weighing station is seeing multiple fish brought in daily; the last week alone has seen fish from 70 right up to 136kg. Jacob Taylor was the lucky angler behind the 136kg beast; even better as it was his first barrel ever! Matthew Hunt Fishing Services has also been having a good run of fish for his customers, with some even nearly hitting the 130kg mark. It's a great time to be out there, whether you're on one of the many charter boats operating out of the port, or skippering your own boat. Unfortunately the limiting factor at the moment has been the weather; with weekend looking pretty average! Monday is shaping up well through so there will certainly be a few keen anglers heading out of the port. All the usual lures are working well; trolling a mix of skirts and divers is the best way to get hooked up. Make sure you have a good mix of colours and sizes to trial on the day; sometimes the fish want a lure that exactly imitates the redbait, slimies, pilchards or squid they're feeding on, and at other times they might want something the complete opposite. A good lure roll usually holds a redbait, a slimy, a lumo, an orange/brown squid imitation and a blue pilchard with differing heads and sizes; plus some divers from 160-210mm. A good mixture of head styles is essential as what works (and stays in the water!) on a flat day, won't necessarily work on a rough day with big swell! Our favourites are Mackenzie Serial Pests (bullet style) and Bloodhounds (cup faced), Jaks Barrel Bullets and Zeus, Bonze Exocets, Weapons and DLBs, and the trusty Pakula range. A teaser such as the ever popular Bonze Spreader bar is also very handy at bringing the fish up from the depths. And if you've never targeted these fish before; make sure you're running a bare minimum of 15kg game tackle (ideally 24 or 37kg!) and your knots/crimps are done to perfection; you don't want to be hooked up to a fish for hours on end only for your crimp to pull through right in the final stages, when both you and the fish are pushed to the brink of exhaustion. Many anglers are choosing to release their barrels which is a great thing for the fishery, just make sure it's done right. Tuna Champions has some great advice on looking after your tuna, whether you plan to take it home or release it. There's nothing worse than releasing your hard earned fish, only to have it sink to the bottom, exhausted after a fight. Wasting a table fish by not keeping it bled and on ice is really just as bad though; these are such a valuable fish, let's do what we can to make sure nothing is wasted, and the fishery continues to improve!
In the freshwater, we are still seeing some great trout fishing hanging on but also the slow increases in spring water temperature are beginning to stir the native species up. The Warrnambool and District Angling Club held their Rocklands Comp last weekend, with the largest fish caught by John Vickery with just 40 minutes left on the clock; a ripper 70cm Murray Cod. Nathan Angee took home the biggest 5 award; with a combined length of 255cm made up of some very nice golden perch. A total of 18 fish were caught, not huge numbers but the water temperatures are still pretty cool. Once we get a few warm days the fishing will fire right up and then 18 fish might become an average day for one angler! Rocklands has become incredibly popular with anglers from right across the southwest, many whom have not fished for Murray Cod or golden perch before. Whether you're fishing landbased or in a boat; one thing is key - structure. These fish are heavily correlated with structure, in the form of submerged trees, rocks, flooded shrubs and steep drop offs. Whilst it may be overwhelming to choose a tree to cast at - Rocklands is full of them - start by focusing on the big old trees which are most likely to have the most underwater cover for these fish to hide and ambush from. During the early morning and evenings both cod and goldens will come near the surface or on the edges to feed, so run your shallower lures during those times and deeper lures during the day, as a general rule. The southern end of the lake (wall up to Glendinning) seems to be the most consistent, but lots of good fish are taken up the shallower north end around Hynes too. Looking for a good lure? The Tackle Shack stocks a ever-growing range of native lures specifically chosen for this lake by anglers who fish it themselves. A trip to Rocklands should certainly be done with a Jackall TN60 or two, Berkley Gulp Grubs (black!), 3/8th and 1/2oz spinnerbaits (willow blade, black/purple), some 70-90mm deep divers for trolling, and a couple of 90mm surface paddlers. Take spares as there's plenty of trees to lose your favourite lure on! Bait fishing with worms and yabbies can also be extremely effective and can be done right from the comfort of your campsite; a simple paternoster rig with a 5-10g sinker will be all you need. With over one million native fish stocked into this massive lake, it's time to grab the baitcasters and head up!
The rains this week have brought most of our local rivers up; with the Hopkins and Mount Emu systems currently running at their highest flows in two years. This has fired the trout right up, reducing their typical cautious behaviour and washing plenty of terrestrial foods into the rivers. Over the next couple of weeks it's well worth heading for a walk along the rivers; whether it's the Merri from Caramut Road upstream, the Hopkins from the falls to Framlingham, and the Mount Emu Creek right up to Skipton way. Xavier Ellul has been out sampling some great fishing in the Hopkins this week running the Daiwa Silver Creek 95mm hardbodies; the number 1 choice for when the waters rise and muddy. Get your trout fix in now before the summer hits and they get smart again!
With an average forecast this weekend it won't be ideal for local fishing; but Monday is looking nice, so might be a good chance to dust off the rods and head out for a fish! If you do head out, let us know; we love hearing what everyone's up to!