Reel Life | Anglers halted by river flows

Last weekend and early this week have been perfect examples of how she can change within a few short hours. Although it is worth remembering, we have not reached the same levels of storm activity that our northern neighbours have suffered.

So much for a hot, dry summer. The past two have been wet, and this latest one is no exception.

The Goulburn is again overflowing, and this has made the fishing iffy at best.

This leaves Eildon, the Hume and Dartmouth as the best options for fishing.

The Goulburn, Murray, Broken and other rivers in the north-east will all be out of action for several weeks; that is, if we get settled weather.

At Eildon, anglers fishing the river arms at dawn and dusk have been catching cod using surface lures and baits, as well as deep-diving lures.

Anglers are also bagging redfin from among the trees as well as near the concrete ship at Peppin Point; the best baits are live shrimp and small yabbies among the trees.

You will need to fish at a depth of five to six metres. Fish at a tree for 10 to 15 minutes, and then, if there is no action, move to another tree until fish are found.

Greens Lake is good for redfin, but I am not sure how it has been affected by flooding. The same goes for Waranga Basin, where large flows of muddy floodwater will have a bad effect on the schools of fish, making catching them problematic.

You can also fish for redfin in the Hume; in fact, fishing for redfin is probably the most productive.

You might also be chasing trout again, but for now, there’s a wait for the water to recede and the banks to dry out before we can head to our favoured fishing spots in the region again.

This leaves us with one other option, and that is saltwater. So let’s head south to Queenscliff.

Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters has reported plenty of action, bagging a number of different species, including snapper, salmon, silver trevally, flathead, blue-eye trevalla, whiting and early kingfish.

There have also been bluefin tuna caught off the Barwon River bluff.

Rod said the fishing had been better offshore, but inside the heads, it could be just as rewarding when it was too rough outside. He said he was also catching calamari squid — one of my preferred meals. I love squid rings, salt and pepper-coated or crumbed in a mixed herb. To think, years ago, we only thought of squid as being bait.

Rod reported that anglers off Portland were catching snapper inshore while further out, there were still schools of bluefin tuna. Rod fishes the tides, so on some occasions, we can be on the water before the sun rises. Watching the sun come up when you are offshore is a magic experience, especially if you are catching fish, which is most of the time when you go fishing with Rod Lawn.

With the weather in your favour, the fishing off Queenscliff and surrounding regions provides some of the best fishing — from game fish to smaller table fish — any angler can hope for. Rod knows where and how to fish for them.

Close by is Western Port Bay, where, with some variations, the fishing is just as good. Rod said the snapper fishing was as good as at Queenscliff. However, the method of fishing is slightly different. The waters in Western Port are less deep, so a lot less weight is needed on your rigs.

Most snapper are being caught not on rocky reefs but on the rubble surrounding the edges of the shipping lanes.

The ocean end of Western Port around Phillip Island and San Remo is a hot spot for catching gummy sharks and flathead. Fresh fillets of salmon and small whole squid are ideal bait for gummy sharks.

Be mindful when fishing in Western Port Bay of its extremely shallow areas, which can trap the unwary when the tide is dropping. If stuck, you may have to be towed to deeper water or wait until a high tide.

North of the border at Eden, John Liddell said the fishing inshore along the reefs had been excellent, with snapper, morwong and other table fish being caught while along the sandy bottom between the reefs, snapper have been recorded at greater than a metre in length. Fish this size are generally seen on the Victorian side of Green Cape, and there is also a big gummy shark to be caught in that region as well.

Mark from Freedom Charters, which operates out of Twofold Bay, told John that off the shelf there were marlin and tuna, both yellowfin and their southern cousins, the bluefin and albacore. He said there were schools of kingfish providing anglers with plenty of fishing action.

Further north at Narooma, another former local, Graham Cowley, noted that the fishing near Montague Island was about the same as that at Eden.

As an added bonus, when the weather is too rough, the fishing in the lake is as good as it gets, with bream and flathead around the oyster leases and other structures.

Down south, James Luddington at Flinders Island has reported plenty of flathead and gummy sharks on the sandy bottom in the channels and around Lady Barron. James said that regardless of the winds, you could always find calm water to fish off Flinders Island.

Well, there you go for another week.

Let’s hope the floods clear, and we can get back to some local fishing.

Stay out of floodwaters, be wary of falling tree branches, drive safely, take care when boating and finally, stay COVID-19 safe.