Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters says tuna fishing at Portland is going gangbusters.
He says fish up to 20kg are being landed by anglers trawling a pattern of skirted lures as well as hard-body-style lures.
The secret to catching tuna is to watch the sea birds; tuna feed on schools of smaller fish, and by driving them in tight clusters or bait balls at the surface, they are able to slash their way through and gather a feed.
The injured fish in turn attract the birds — the birds in turn attract anglers.
A pretty simple way to hunt down the tuna.
Southern bluefin tuna are one of the best eating fish in the ocean; one of the best fighting fish, as well.
While the tuna being caught off Portland are considered small, barrel-sized tuna are to be found near the South Australian border.
Fish over 100kg are not uncommon.
Rod said a few tuna had been caught around Queenscliff, but they were the exception.
He said if they moved north it would be later in the year, as they headed up the coast into NSW.
Rod said recent weather had slowed the fishing around the heads and that he was catching parrot fish or “wrasse” at the moment.
Rod said around the dive wrecks, he was catching gummy shark, with fresh fillets of salmon, whole pilchards or small whole squid being the best baits.
It was the same around the coast at Western Port Bay.
Speaking of saltwater fishing, north of the border at Eden the fishing was still being affected by the weather.
John Liddell said the boys from Freedom Charters spent most of last week tied up at the wharf, spending only a few hours actually fishing.
Mark from Freedom Charters said they caught a few fish in some of the sheltered spots in the bay.
Further up the coast at Narooma, charter boats also stayed inside the harbour.
Graham Cowley said even inside it was rough, but once again some sheltered spots were producing bream and flathead.
Best baits were fresh squid or slimy mackerel.
Local fishing has been patchy — some days good, other days not so good.
The best spots have been at Eildon where anglers have been catching cod in the river arms, the Delatite, Big River, in the deep in front of the wall and some of the smaller bays.
Remember big baits and lures for big fish, some metre-plus cod have been caught using this method, as well as surface lures at dusk and early morning.
Trolling a ford fender with a bait of worms or mudeye or a Tassie devil is resulting in trout (brown and rainbow) being caught.
Best colour on the Tassie devil is the clown pattern.
Here is a tip I have used with some success: I remove the treble hook and replace it with a single one.
That is just me, if it doesn’t work for you, replace the treble.
Redfin are also biting at Eildon but are slowing down.
Drop a bait alongside a tree to about 4m or 5m.
If no bite in 10 or so minutes, move to another tree.
With most rivers and streams closed for the taking of trout, the best place is Lake Dartmouth.
Reports of plenty being caught, but not many fish over a 1kg.
Trout are just about everywhere at Dartmouth, but look for where streams and gutters run in
. Go over these areas several times because where you catch one, there will be more.
I fish the main bay around the boat ramp. Stick close to the tree line trolling a fender with a bait or lure behind.
The speed at which you troll is the key, no less or more than a fast walking face.
Check your depth finder for where the fish are feeding and fish at that depth.
On your way to Dartmouth, you go past the Hume Weir, and all reports say they are still catching plenty of redfin there.
Small yabbies, worms or shrimp if you can find any — lures are also worth a try.
The Goulburn River has been patchy but worth trying upstream of Shepparton between Mooroopna and Toolamba.
Lake Mulwala is still empty but if you can get to it, the old river course is worth a try.
Anyway, have a good weekend, and stay safe. Good fishing.
Let their be light
Lightforce Spotlights are back in stock at Trelly’s with 170mm, and 240mm models available.
You have a choice of alligator clips or DC plug.
Trelly likes to use them to create a spotlight effect where all the light shines on him, but there are other uses, such as spotlighting.
Giant Boar archery targets $299
Why practice on a small boar when you can get a giant one.
More realistic, and because it’s big, a much easier target to hit.