We didn’t have a fishing column last week as we were up on
the Gold Coast checking out all the new gear for the upcoming season. We've had a few nice calmer days this week allowing crews to get out offshore finally.
Saltwater: the barrel fever is on again for those die-hard
anglers who love targeting these big tough fish. The two local charter
operators in Salty Dog Charters and Matthew Hunt Fishing Services have been
landing their customers onto some brilliant fishing. When the barrels aren’t
playing the game the school tuna certainly are making up for it. It’s a very
common sight recently to see the boys coming in with their full bag of tuna
including one big fish. These boys know the importance of the fishery we have
at hand and only take what their customers need. The age old question still
pops up with how many tuna can one eat and it’s guys like these two operators
that really enforce this and only keep what their customers are capable of
eating. It’s such a hard thing to tell people that have spent heaps of money on
fuel, tackle and the boat capable to target these fish that you can only take 2
each and a possession limit of no more than 160kg in any form. This means that
one person can’t have anymore than 160kg of meat, carcass or any other form of
tuna at one time which includes your home. This is simply to stop anglers from
stock piling the tuna and keeping what they don’t actually need. As a group we
need to do our bit to ensure that this great resource is kept for many years to
come. These large fish seem to be both at Port Fairy and Portland recently and
are easily reachable for most boats on the right day. Skirts and deep divers
have been the standout lures this season and most seasons really. The major
change recently has been the Nomad DTX 220 minnows that will allow you to troll
a hard body in the rough conditions and know that it’s going to hold in. The
unique part of this lure and many more in the Nomad range is the auto tune bib
which incorporates a free moving tow point. What this does is when the lure
gets bumped or loses traction the bib re-grips the water and bites back in
meaning you don’t have to stop to re-set your spread. A brilliant lure that has
opened up the way we see lure fishing for these big tuna. There has been plenty
of sharks caught recently especially for Ed Richardson and Matt Cook,who
ventured to the shelf and were greeted with lots of school sharks that wouldn’t
allow anything else to have a crack at the baits. These tasty critters might be
on the charge inshore to cause mayhem on your rigs so be prepared.
Freshwater: the trout scene has been nothing but incredible
lately. Numerous anglers who haven’t been able to get offshore have turned
their attention to the rivers and streams. Peter McCallum has been walking the
banks of the Moyne casting Rapala F9’s and Daiwa Presso Minnows for great
success. Last trip he landed a nice 3lb trout and hooked 2 other much larger
fish. One of which he said was pushing 6lb and won it’s freedom close to the
bank while flapping on the surface. The amount of bait in our local systems is
incredible so it's no wonder the trout are gorging themselves on anything that comes
past them. Brent Saulitis has been at it again landing a very solid fish behind
the golf course on the Merri River. Launching his small tinnie down there he
was able to troll and cast along the edges where anglers on foot might find it
hard due to the reeds and growth. The lakes at Camperdown are still producing
some quality fishing including some red hot chinook salmon and tiger trout
action. There was another stocking of small chinook salmon in Purrumbete which
have been having a field day taking anglers lures. Greame Whittaker was over
there and as soon as he began berleying the salmon were everywhere under his
boat. Fishing an unweighted pilchard cube through a berley trail such as this can produce some spectacular fishing and it's easy enough for anyone to do.
Remember if you have caught a fish and you wish to share it then send it
through to go in the running for a weekly prize and then be in the major prize
draw for end of year where we will be giving away a rod and reel combo valued
at over $500 just for sending in your pic of a fish. Until next week tight
lines and best of luck!