It’s been a fantastic week of spring fishing right across the southwest! With the weather warming up and summer just around the corner, the action is really starting to fire. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening across our local waters.
Saltwater
Offshore reports were a little quieter this week due to some wild weather, which kept most boats on the trailer except for a few windows of opportunity. When conditions allowed, the springtime school shark action was excellent, with anglers finding success fishing baits of squid and fish on the bottom in 35–50m of water, using a steady berley trail.
During spring, gummy and school sharks move in closer to breed, making them far more accessible for small-boat anglers. Salty Dog Charters out of Port Fairy has been getting onto plenty of fish lately — client Chris Wehl reported non-stop action, with one schoolie after another, though as often happens with these toothy sharks, they lost as many as they landed!
If you’re keen to get in on the action but don’t have your own boat, or just prefer to leave the hard work to someone else, give Dan at Salty Dog a call — he’ll put you onto the fish any time of year.
For those struggling to get bites, try switching from full wire traces (which schoolies can be wary of) to short 20cm wire droppers on a fluorocarbon paternoster rig. These pre-made rigs are available in the Tackle Shack, featuring 125lb wire, 150lb mainline, crimped Shogun connections, and Black Magic KLT hooks — and they sell out fast once the schoolies show up!
Land-based anglers have also been getting into some great fishing from Portland’s Lee Breakwall, with reports of quality snapper, salmon, squid, and the odd shark. A surf rod with a paternoster rig baited with squid or fish is the go-to setup, while casting soft plastics or squid jigs nearby can keep you busy between bites.
It’s also only a matter of weeks now until the first kingfish arrive along the Portland North Shore. Water temps are sitting around 14.6°C, so keep an eye on the trend using the Aus Wave site, which provides near real-time readings from the IMOS buoy at Dutton Way — an excellent resource for monitoring sea conditions.
Estuary
The standout estuary action this week came from the Vic Bream Classics round on the Hopkins River — one of the best events ever held there!
Day one saw calm, sunny conditions and finicky fish, with pre-fishing pressure making the bream extra cautious. A few mechanical dramas also struck several teams, keeping the Tackle Shack phones ringing with requests for emergency parts and repairs.
Despite the tough start, Team Lureback 29 (Ben Jeffrey & Craig Turner) led after day one with 5/5 bream weighing 4.18kg. Day two brought better results for many, including locals Jess Lane and Lewis Holland, who battled electric motor issues early on but made a huge comeback to finish 3rd with a 5.5kg bag — earning the “Monster Movers” award!
Top honors went to Michael Malone and Janaka Kandage, two local Warrnambool guns, whose local knowledge helped them secure first place with an impressive 8.3kg two-day total, edging out second place by just 95g. Stewie McKinnon also took home the Millerods prize for the biggest perch of the event at 1.25kg.
Outside the tournament, Joey Bourke and Ryan Bell enjoyed a casual session under the bridge and landed a cracking 42cm bream on a small vibe — one Joey probably wished he could’ve weighed in!
Further west, the Glenelg River has finally come alive for mulloway. Mitch McMaster made the trip from Geelong and found good numbers of bream and perch on soft plastics and Cranka Crabs — plus some solid mulloway down near the front. It’s great to see these prized fish making a strong return after a few lean years.
Freshwater
Things have really switched on at Rocklands Reservoir, with rising water temperatures sparking an all-out feeding frenzy. Big numbers of golden perch and Murray cod were caught this week. Pete Brilliant from Richardson Marine landed a fat 76cm cod while trolling a large StumpJumper among the timber.
The Warrnambool Offshore & Light Game Fishing Club held its annual trip there last weekend, with 15 members landing 59 golden perch plus plenty of redfin. Ash Rawlings also had great success trolling from Glendinning, boating some quality goldens and cod on Jackall Chubby and Berkley hardbodies. Check out Ash’s *Rawlo’s Fishing* YouTube channel to see the action firsthand.
The Hopkins River (freshwater section) continues to produce good estuary perch between the falls and Tooram Stones. Now that spawning has wrapped up, fish are moving back upstream. Surface activity is still a little slow due to the cooler water, but hardbodies like the Daiwa Infeet Spike, OSP Dunk, Berkley Stunna, and Zipbaits Rigge, as well as small soft plastics, are all working well when cast around structure and flow changes. And don’t be surprised if you hook a stray bass — a rare but occasional catch in the Hopkins during spring!
Lake Purrumbete received another stocking this week with 20,000 brown and rainbow trout. These fish are expected to grow into 3–4kg trophies within a few years. Some nice chinook salmon have also been landed recently — anglers have been berleying in 20–30m of water with pilchards, then fishing pilchard cubes suspended off the bottom. These powerful fish can pull serious drag, with specimens up to 15lb caught in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, Andy Joosen has been finding success on the Merri River near the old weir, landing solid brown trout and redfin using Nomad Live Ops soft plastics. These ultra-lifelike lures have been incredibly effective on local trout, bream, redfin, and EPs this spring — definitely worth adding to your tackle box.
This weekend’s forecast looks good — especially Saturday — and plenty of anglers are already stocking up on squid and IQF pilchards in preparation for some shark sessions. Whether you’re heading offshore, chasing estuary bream, or exploring the freshwater options, there’s no shortage of action on offer.
Good luck out there, and don’t forget to share your catches with us in-store or online!