Reel Life | What’s really keeping the fish away?

To be honest, it is a bit of both.

Well, that is what I think.

There are several factors that get a fish to bite on your line.

First, bait presentation. In a word, the bait must look good to a fish.

Then there is motion.

It must look and move like something nice for a fish to eat.

And third, it must smell like food.

This is a point that is often overlooked by anglers.

While looks and movement are simple to produce, the smell of the bait is tough to create and the easiest to make a mistake with.

To the point where just washing your hands can cause problems.

The smell of soap can be transferred to the bait, and it can put fish off taking a bait.

This brings me to myths and legends.

There is a belief that certain smells put fish off biting.

One is the smell of bananas.

I know of experienced anglers who will refuse to have a banana on their boat.

Is it a myth or is it a fact that bananas repel fish from biting?

Whatever the answer, once we get rid of the smell of bananas, there are far more insidious smells that we transfer from our hands to the bait, and just about all anglers have this on them: it’s sunscreen.

The 40+ sunscreen that we spread on our exposed skin remains on our hands to be transferred to the bait.

This, according to many anglers, will put most fish off biting on your bait.

So, if you wonder why all around you are getting bites, and you are not, then it could be this.

To solve the problem, spread your sunscreen with the back of your hands and not your palms.

To avoid frustration, keep your hands clean and free of highly scented products.

Now, a quick look at the fishing activity in our region.

The recent rain will have little to no effect on what is happening in our rivers and dams.

The fishing is about the same.

Eildon is still the most productive spot, although the Goulburn and Murray rivers are still producing plenty of cod, although mainly juvenile-sized fish.

While that does not provide you with a keeper, it is a good sign for the future.

Along with cod, there are yellowbelly still on the bite.

The colder weather is not far away, so we will have to make the most of what warmer weather is left to us.

That means we should make the most of our cod fishing.

Also, in the high country, fishing for trout in the rivers and streams, either bait casting or with lures, is still productive.

The reports I am getting from anglers who fish there all say plenty of pan-sized fish, both rainbow and brown trout.

And while I have never used fly-fishing techniques, I have had good reports from those who do fly fish.

As an aside, I have seen anglers using heavyweight fly gear from a boat in the rip, fishing for salmon.

But to be honest, when salmon are on the boil, even I can catch them.

That is a good way to move on to saltwater fishing.

Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff said the fishing had been good, with kingfish on the bite around Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads.

Rod said lures, jigs and live bait were the best methods of hooking up to a kingfish.

Rod has also been catching snapper, salmon, flathead and whiting, depending on the weather.

He said there were also tuna around, but they were hard to tempt.

Rod said that along the coast at Portland was the place for tuna and albacore.

North of the NSW border at Eden, John Liddell said Freedom Charters reported plenty of snapper, morwong, kingfish and flathead.

At Narooma, good bags of flathead as well as snapper, morwong and kingfish were around Montague Island.

Inside the heads, there were bream and big flathead around the oyster leases.

At Flinders Island, James Luddington hosted a group of six anglers. He said they had a great time — and did some fishing as well.

That’s all.

Stay safe and good fishing!