Some nice mako action

While it was a pretty tough week for some, the inland fishing action again made up for the lack of offshore opportunity.

Portland and Port MacDonnell have again produced the big tuna for the hardcore guys who chase them year-round.

The red bait has again been the reason for these fish holding in the areas that they are.

Shallow water has been the pick off Portland around the Cape Nelson area and Bridgewater Bay, where the schools of red bait have been getting rounded up then smashed by the sheer amounts of fish on these bait balls.

Some anglers have been using a not-so-popular way of fishing for these - finding a bait school that is being smashed up by the big fish and pitching a pilchard unweighted into the bait balls waiting for that thud of a big fish eating your bait. The key to this is moving into the bait schools as quietly and as fast as you can without spooking the fish. Another key to it is making your baits sink naturally, as they won't eat it if the bait plummets to the bottom.

Other techniques that have been working include trolling skirts and bibbed minnows. Best options there have been Samaki Pacemaker 180DD in the blue pink silver colour, Rapala Xrap 40s, JB Dingos in blue dog and other skirts in the 6.5-10" range especially with a bit of pink or red on it.

There has been some mako action of late, with Salty Dog Charters Port Fairy landing a nice one for one of their clients on Friday.

The cold water is the perfect time to target these feisty but tasty shark, with the majority of guys targeting the 100-200m line with a steady berley trail and a balloon with a nice bait underneath it.

You can use squid, tuna fillets or whole salmon, which is drifted out behind the boat in the berley trail.

Wire is essential when chasing these toothy critters as they will bite you off quick smart if you're using a standard mono.

Circle hooks are another great option as they usually stop the fish getting the hooks right down and consequently biting you off.

The Glenelg River has again been the place to be of late, with heaps of boats trying their luck throughout the river system.

Majority of anglers have been targeting the Mulloway as they begin to move up the system after they make the run upstream from the river mouth.

The bulk of fish seem to be hanging around the South Australian border but are still sitting fairly deep around the 4m mark.

I was over there on Saturday and counted 15 boats from dry creek to the caves which made it pretty hard to target them as they are fairly spooky. Majority of people were trolling either live baits or hard bodied lures.

If you want to soak a bait, try our Californian squid fished on a lightly weighted running sinker rig with a couple of snelled 5/0 hooks.

Find some sort of drop off where it's an easy cast from the edge of the bank and start your search there as the mulloway will run up and down the ledges searching for a feed. Estuary perch and bream have been firing the past couple weeks over there also with the bulk of the fish from Red Gum to Donovan's and eating a wide range of lures and baits.

Harry Linke and myself fished it on Saturday landing some great fish to 43cm on soft plastics fished on the edges on 1/12oz jig heads.

We fished from 8am through to 6pm and caught fish all day, so they are definitely on the go at the moment.

The Hopkins and Merri rivers continue to produce some great trout fishing, especially as the water starts to really run hard and begins to dirty up.

Hard bodies cast up in the running water with a bit of orange or gold on it are your best bet.

Take a few minutes when you get to a run to stand back and watch and see what the bubble lines are doing.

Then start making your casts as this can help you work out where a trout should be sitting without putting repetitive casts over the fish.

Remember to have a go at the weed beds along the edge too, as you'll find the odd lazy fish creeping along the edges looking for an easy feed.

If you manage to get out over the weekend and catch something that you would like to share, then send a picture with a short caption to fishing@richardsonmarine.com.au.

Until next week, tight lines and best of luck.