Reel Life | The best days are spent fishing

The outcome was a partial success with just one. There is nothing better than a grandfather and grandchild spending quality time together.

Sadly, this friend passed away, and I miss him, and so does his family.

It was not for want of trying that he could not go fishing with his grandkids.

He and I had only managed a couple of fishing adventures, but we did speak about our fishing exploits.

I want to pass on my condolences to his family.

I miss you, Bazz.

The fishing in our region has been getting better every day; the rivers are now at their normal level for this time of year, and while still a little muddy, they are starting to clear, hence the improved conditions.

When fishing the Goulburn from Seymour to Shepparton and then downstream, there are plenty of cod, some yellowbelly and other fish being caught by anglers using bait and lures.

Vic Recreational Fishing has released hundreds of Murray cod fingerlings to increase cod numbers. The release was mainly in the Broken River between Shepparton and Benalla.

The goal is to replace fish lost due to flooding, black water events and other reasons. With luck, cod numbers should increase in the region over the coming years.

I heard about a monster goldfish caught in a lake in suburban Perth; the fish was reported to have measured 52cm. Experts said the fish would have been released by a pet owner and found the environment in the lake ideal, which allowed it to reach the reported size.

Imagine the size of the goldfish bowl you would need for a goldfish that big.

On reflection, there is another way carp and goldfish make it into our rivers and waterways, and that is unscrupulous anglers who use them as live bait. This is against the law, and anglers caught doing so will face severe penalties.

While I love to fish Dartmouth, there are better times of year to do so. The summer heat sees the trout spend most of the daylight hours in the deep, and they do most of their feeding during the night and early mornings when conditions are cooler. While some fish can be caught during the day, in most cases, special gear is needed to reach the depth at which the fish are.

I have mentioned previously that Dartmouth is one of my favourite spots to fish. Well, close behind are the rivers and streams of the high country; not just for the trout fishing but also the solitude and scenic beauty. In the heat of summer, wading them cools you down and takes you to the fish; travel light and cast to likely spots where the fish are hanging out.

Now, let’s look at saltwater fishing.

Rod Lawn at Adamas Fishing Charters based at Queenscliff has been reporting good bags of fish being caught inside the heads and in Bass Strait, off Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads and even further down the coast to Anglesea.

Inside the heads, depending on his clients, Rod hunts whiting in the grass beds from Swan Bay to St Leonards and on the eastern side of the bay. He catches flathead along the edge of the shipping lanes, salmon in the rip, snapper on the inside reefs and kingfish around the rip.

The same species can be found along the reefs and dive sites west of Barwon Heads.

James Luddington at Flinders Island is expecting a group from our neck of the woods to join him at Lady Barron for a week-long fishing trip in the next couple of weeks. They will be fishing for reef fish, whiting, salmon, flathead and possibly kingfish. James says the fishing around the islands off Lady Barron is as good as it has been for some time.

North of the border at Eden, John Liddell says the boys from Freedom Charters are bagging out on snapper, morwong, big flathead and a variety of reef fish from the inshore reefs.

From Boyd’s Lookout to Green Cape near the Victorian border, tuna and marlin were being caught on the shelf when conditions were suitable.

Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said the fishing around Montague Island was the same as at Eden, but when it was too rough to go offshore, there were big flathead, bream and luderick inside. The best fishing was around the oyster leases and other structures.

Well, that is it for the week. I hope you enjoy the warm weather and catch a fish or two. Stay safe, and good luck.