Another huge couple of weeks down here on the tuna front! The bite has been truly incredible, many saying it's been the best we've ever seen - and it helps when there's been so many flat calm days to chase them. Certainly, there hasn't been a season before when barrels can be consistently caught within a couple of minutes of the boat ramp, in as close as 10m water depth! Let's explore what's been caught over the last few weeks; offshore, estuaries and inland.
You'd be living under a rock if you hadn't heard of the incredible run of tuna right along our coast. Daily for the last month we've been hearing reports of barrels barely a kilometre from shore, football field sized schools of smaller fish out deeper, and even massive numbers of fish in the 50-80kg range which we don't often see down here. This has made for interesting results in our Mystery Tuna Weight comp; where we have seen fish from 56kg up to 122kg. This week saw Ashby Hoey weigh in a nice fish of 59.8kg, and Izaac Searle a 68.8 which was a great effort for the team of two fishing out of Warrnambool in a Stabicraft 1450 Frontier, minutes from the ramp!
The arrival of large numbers of 40–80kg southern bluefin tuna off Victoria has been one of the most exciting developments this season, with anglers and charter operators seeing far more of these mid-sized fish than in years gone by. While Victoria has traditionally been known for giant “barrel” tuna pushing well over 100kg, the growing presence of these smaller classes points towards a healthier and more balanced tuna population structure, likely influenced by improving stock management, favourable ocean conditions, changing bait movements and strong recruitment over recent years. These fish are highly migratory and constantly follow water temperature, currents and food sources, meaning seasonal shifts in bait concentrations and ocean patterns can dramatically influence where they hold. For Victorian anglers, it has created more consistent action, more accessible fishing opportunities and an encouraging sign for the long-term future of southern bluefin tuna stocks across southern Australia. Plus, anglers can still get their big tuna fix; but don't need to put up with heavy tackle, 7 hour fights or freezers full of tuna like you do with the 120kg+ models.
Of course, the big fish are still out there; with fish to 130kg being landed recently. School fish are spread everywhere, and easy access for smaller tinnies. What's been really interesting though is the distribution of all these tuna. They're spread all the way from Barwon Heads right to Port Macdonnell, and probably beyond, with no real hotspots. At Port Fairy and Warrnambool though, interestingly the barrel tuna were located closer to land than the school fish! I fished out of Port Fairy recently to get a few mates onto their first tuna. We only wanted school fish - and had to literally drive past guys hooked up to barrels to reach our preferred 15kg fish a kilometre further out to sea! This has allowed many anglers in smaller boats and tinnies to get amongst the fish of their dreams, after work, just minutes from the ramp. How good is that!
All sorts of lures have been working well. As always, it's the skirts and divers reigning supreme. Anything that looks like a redbait will get eaten; but here at Port Fairy and Warrnambool the main bait source has been sauries so matching the hatch with silvers and dark colours has been mighty effective. Jaks Barrel Bullet, Bonze Exocet, Black Magic Jetsetter and Mackenzie Serial Pests have all been top sellers. For divers, the Halco Laser Pro in King Brown is definitely number one, and I also have been doing very well with a white Zerek Speed Donkey. Swap those trebles out for singles though! A few keen anglers have been casting topwater too; catching fish all the way from 10kg up to 100kg+.
One reminder is to always look after your tuna and never waste them. These are a fish which only a couple of decades ago was nearly wiped out by over-fishing on the commercial front. The stock is still in a recovery state, last estimated at 25% of original stocks, and even though it might seem like the amounts of fish out there are endless; they're still vulnerable to overfishing when you consider the commercial pressure and incredible amounts of recreational boats chasing them. Therefore, any tuna you decide to keep should be immediately brain spiked, bled (cut on artery behind pectoral fin), gilled, gutted and iced. This makes a
huge difference to the meat quality; these fish run extremely hot and after a long fight these fish can basically cook from the inside out! Plus, they've got huge amounts of blood circulating which needs to be removed on capture. Anyone who reckons tuna are good for nothing but cat food hasn't tried one looked after properly! These fish can literally fetch millions in overseas markets, and it's very quick and easy to make sure your tuna is of restuarant quality. It's also been encouraging to see many anglers releasing their fish. When doing so - minimise fight times, use single hooks, try keep the fish in the water, and keep the boat moving and water flowing through the gills. If we all follow these steps, we're going to have tuna seasons like this one forever!
Inshore, aside from the tuna, things have been a little quieter but the salmon fishing has been excellent. Killarney, Port Fairy, Yambuk and Nun's Beach at Portland are all fishing well for anglers casting metals into the surf. There's also a few salmon scattered through the bays at Portland and Port Fairy where they're accessible to boats. Whiting fishing has slowed, but the gummy fishing has been good.
In the freshwater, perch are still going in the upper reaches of the Hopkins but have slowed from the earlier autumn bite. These fish will start to slow right down coming into winter as they prepare for spawning in the estuaries. The Glenelg River has been fishing very well still, as Mick Moore from Pure Fishing found out. He caught plenty of fish casting surface lures such as the Berkley Choppo and Nessie onto the edges. Bream fishing has remained strong. This week we received quite a few reports from the Merri River here in Warrnambool, with Andy Joosen being one of those getting amongst the action. Yambuk has also been fishing well.
With a bit of rain forecast this weekend it might keep a few anglers at home, but the seas are still calm so crews will still be heading out fishing. The rains might also help flush out the rivers after a dry summer and get some trout on the chew! To those heading out, tight lines & best of luck.
- Tim