Sport
3 August, 2022
Fishing ROD What's biting where
When one can get offshore, the Southern Bluefin tuna scene seems to be coming into full swing with barrel fish to 120 kilograms being taken off Port MacDonnell in south Australia almost through to Portland.
When one can get offshore, the Southern Bluefin tuna scene seems to be coming into full swing with barrel fish to 120 kilograms being taken off Port MacDonnell in south Australia almost through to Portland.
From Portland to Port Fairy and almost to Warrnambool school tuna from four to twelve kilos are being taken in large numbers.
The fish are falling to skirted lures in bronze/gold colours trolled nearby surface feeding fish or casting large deep diving lures amongst the maelstrom of surface frenzy.
These schoolies can be found closer in-shore and make better eating with boaters keeping just a fish each and letting the rest go which is great to hear.
If the tuna are quiet, bottom bouncing in forty odd metres over rubble ground has seen good winter Gummy shark to fifteen kilograms boated using tough baits such as eel, leather jacket fillets and squid chunks.
The bigger the bait the better apparently.
The upper Hopkins (Framlingham), Merri (around Woodford) and the Mount Emu near the falls have produced solid, beautifully coloured brown trout to 60 centimetres.
The fish have been feeding well and are fat, so they must be approaching two kilos in weight.
Cast and retrieved shallow diving minnow lures to 90mm in length have taken fish as well as soft plastics almost surface fished.
The big news is that at Lake Bullen Merri sizeable Tiger trout have been taken close in-shore casting or trolling minnow lures and Lofty’s Cobras with gold the favoured colour.
A few Chinooks as well as the odd rainbow to similar size have also been caught.
Bank anglers have also caught a few solid beasts.
Berley helps hen static fishing but don’t overfeed.