The cold snap has definitely found us here in the south-west but it hasn't dampened anglers' spirits and endeavours to land some great fish.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rivers are fishing well, and offshore has been a hive of activity thanks to the massive bluefin being caught.
OFFSHORE
Barrel tuna numbers have definitely slowed. Is it due to the sheer numbers of boats fishing these fish? Or that the bait they have been scoffing has diminished? One thing's for sure, there'll be anglers targeting these fish day after day until they land one.
One lucky angler who landed a fish of a lifetime was Daren Buttieg, who caught a 110kg fish on 10kg line — a pending world record for that line class. That makes it two pending world records already this season after Anne-Marie Oosthuizen's 141kg fish on 37kg line class.
Just shows the world-class fishery we have in the south-west, but we need to ensure we are doing everything to guarantee these fish will be around for generations to come. Simple things like only taking what you need for a feed will do wonders.
If you want to have a go at these hard-fighting fish, set yourself up with a spread of skirted lures in the 8-12" size range and a mixture of colours. Stand-up game gear is the preferred tackle, with line from 24-37kg being the option for anglers who are purely targeting these fish.
ESTUARIES
The Hopkins has been producing some great fishing on the shallow flats and slightly deeper drop-offs.
Focus on Jubilee Park up to Toorum Stones, the bay of Biscay to Kinnears Hut, and from the Mahoneys Road boat ramp to the mouth of the river.
Warrnambool and District Angling Club held its annual club competition at Pritchards on the Glenelg River on the weekend, with 20 members making the trip. In tough conditions, anglers caught a mixture of bream, estuary perch and mulloway. Peter "Chops" Lamb caught the heaviest fish, a perch that went 1.07kg. Ray Dorman caught the heaviest bag of 10 that went 4.43kg. Indigo Treloar beat all the adults and took out the junior section with 10 fish for 4.84kg.
FRESHWATER
Lake Bullen Merri has had a fish kill which looks to be due to poor water quality, so I would steer clear until Fisheries says so.
Purrumbete has been fishing quite well for redfin on live minnow and bullhead. The big trout should start to fire up in the next couple of weeks due to the water cooling down, so we should see some trophy browns hitting the scales soon.
Until next week, tight lines and best of luck.
