The scream of a big game reel as a huge tuna takes your lure and runs with it is certain to get your heart pumping as you anticipate the upcoming fight between you and the feisty fish.
What was going through the mind of the 11-year-old angler a week ago when fishing with his dad off Apollo Bay? I bet it was not a fish that was almost double his size.
Yes, this youngster fought and landed a massive tuna, much to the envy of his father, who could only manage a fish barely half the size — but that is fishing.
According to Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff, it has been a great tuna season along the coast, especially at Portland. Rod said most anglers were bagging out while fishing along the coast, most fish being between 10 and 30 kilograms. Rod said there were also schools of tuna sighted off Point Lonsdale to Barwon Heads.
While some anglers use baited hooks, most use skirted lures, usually four, trolled in a pattern behind their boat.
The secret to finding fish is to look for the birds diving on the schools of bait being attacked by the tuna. When sighted, troll along the outside of the bait so as not to scare the bait fish. If there are tuna in the vicinity, they will let you know in no uncertain manner. On a good day, you can bag out on tuna in just a couple of passes, with multiple hook-ups most common.
Rod said the fishing around his area had relied on the weather, but when he was able to get off shore, he was catching resident snapper, mainly pinky size. Rod said the bigger fish were still a month or more away. In the meantime, he was also catching flathead, silver trevally, squid and some big couta. Gummy shark were being caught around the dive wrecks.
Rod said the fishing in Western Port Bay off Hastings was about the same, some pinky snapper, flathead and squid, with plenty of leatherjacket and gummy shark in the deeper water off Phillip Island.
While saltwater fishing has its moments, freshwater angling has suffered from the weather, with the rivers and streams rising and falling almost on a daily basis. River banks have been dangerously wet and slippery, while trees and snags are making boating a non-event. The best inland fishing is in the dams: Waranga Basin, Eildon, Nillahcootie, Dartmouth and the Hume.
I have noticed a viral infection appearing on redfin. It showed up on fish caught in the Hume, but also more recently on redfin taken in Waranga Basin. To date, it has not shown up on any native fish such as cod or yellowbelly, nor has it shown up on any trout. So far, there has not been any comment from fisheries in Victoria about the outbreak.
Once again, the weather has played havoc with any plans I might have had to wet a line, but there has been a turnaround in the fortunes of my footy team, for the better — so far, so good.
While fishing rivers and streams is a no-go, you can still fish the irrigation channels and lakes, such as Victoria Park Lake in Shepparton, Kialla Lakes and the lake in Mooroopna. Reports are that yellowbelly, cod and trout have been caught. While they are filled with wood, they are a lot safer to fish, the banks are not so steep and are family-friendly for young and old alike. You can cast a line, set up a chair and fish in comfort.
Finally, a quick trip north of the border to Eden in NSW, where John Liddell said that while some fishing off the shelf continued to be slow, Freedom Charters was bottom bouncing the inshore reefs and bagging out on snapper, morwong and other reef fish, while good-sized flathead were being caught along the sandy bottom between the reefs. The best fishing has been between Boyd’s Lookout and Green Cape.
Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said it was a similar story; however, most action was at the northern end of Montague Island.
With the end of the winter holidays, the traffic around schools will be heavier, so motorists should take care when in a school zone, both as the children are being dropped off in the morning and again in the afternoon when they are being picked up. There will also be children on foot and riding bikes, so be careful.
Well, with a bit of luck we could get a bit better weather, meaning more pleasant conditions for fishing.
Tight lines to you all, and stay safe.