Ready to reel in the big one?
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Daneka Hill
Just four quarters of football left, and we then can concentrate on fishing. That is, if we are not hooked on cricket, tennis or even golf. Yes, there are many distractions that can get in the way of serious fishing.
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Even Mother Nature can stick her nose into the noble art of interrupting, angling, wetting a line and catching a fish. All interruptions aside, let’s bite the bullet and go fishing.
I have spoken with Rod Lawn, who runs Adamas Fishing Charters based at Queenscliff, right at the head of Port Phillip Bay. He said now was the perfect time to start fishing for snapper in his neck of the woods. He said that the large, big redfish were beginning to move into the bay. By big redfish, he means snapper.
These fish can exceed 10kg — big by any stretch of the imagination. They are great sport to catch and eat.
One thing big snapper will do is put up a good fight, so the selection of the correct gear is important. If fishing in deep water, the best line to use is braided; it does not stretch, and you can feel even the most tentative bite. In the shallow water, mono filament is suitable. Pick a line with the breaking strain that matches the size fish you have in your sights.
Knowing how to set the drag on your reel is also important. As a rule of thumb, I will set the drag at about one-third of the breaking strain. The drag allows the fish to run, but with a resistance that will help tire the fish, thus allowing you to reel in your catch without either pulling the hook or breaking the line.
Another rule is always to be patient, and once connected to a fish, keep a bend in your rod; don’t give it any slack line. This can allow fish to escape. Once you get a fish to the boat, don’t lift its head out of the water until it is safely in the landing net.
By the way, if you run into Rod Lawn, you should wish him a happy birthday for last Monday. I don’t know how old he is, but does it really matter as long as he is still catching fish?
Rod did say it was still a little quiet. This is still early in the snapper season; it will be another couple of weeks before it kicks off in earnest.
Rod said that in addition to snapper, he was also bagging silver trevally and blue-eye trevalla.
There are schools of couta off Barwon Heads and gummy sharks around the dive sites around Ocean Grove. But for the most consistent results, Rod said flathead were plentiful on the sandy bottoms along the shipping lanes and also off Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale.
Rod said he was also bagging squid and whiting among the grass beds from around the mouth of Swan Bay for whiting and from the ferry terminal to Point Lonsdale Jetty and the corresponding side of the heads on the Portsea side of the heads.
So, generally speaking, when the weather (winds) allowed it, the fishing was typically good.
The report from Western Port Bay was similar, with gummy sharks biting on the run-out tides in the deep waters around Cowes and flathead along the sandy bottoms. As far as snapper go, you have to fish the rubble beds lining the shipping lanes, virtually the entire length of them, including Hastings to the Steel Works.
Finally, Rod said tuna were still schooling around Portland, but the bigger fish were up to 20kg or more offshore.
Up north at Eden and Narooma, John Liddell and Graham Cowley both said the winds had kept most anglers off the water.
Graham said that even fishing around the oyster leases was slow. Because of conditions, oysters may be in short supply for Christmas.
Most footy leagues around the region have held their grand finals, and congratulations to Echuca in the GVL, Wangaratta Rovers in the Ovens and Murray League, Murchison in the KDL and Congupna in the Murray League.
It’s been a long time between drinks for the Road. I will have a more in-depth local report next week.
Stay safe and enjoy your fishing.
Get ready for adventure. The Jarvis Walker kids’ spin rods are now in stock at Trelly’s for just $24.95 — perfect for the school holidays. The Victorian Fisheries Authority will be restocking Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake with trout, so it’s the ideal time to head outside, reel in big catches and make the most of the holidays.
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