According to Rod Lawn at Adamas Fishing Charters based at Queenscliff, at this time of year, the southern bluefin tuna season should be moving north of the NSW border. But for some reason, known only to the fish themselves, they are still being caught along the south coast at Portland.
Rod says most fish are school size, about 15 to 20kg, but further off the coast, they can grow a great deal larger. In fact, a few weeks ago, a 100kg tuna was caught off San Remo near Phillip Island.
Coincidentally, we are nearing the Olympic Games, and I’m reminded that tuna played a big part in an Australian winning a gold medal.
South Australian weightlifter Dean Lukin won the super heavyweight gold medal in 1984. He comes from Port Lincoln, where his family owned a fishing boat. Dean used to practice weightlifting, not by pulling in fish, as many thought, although that may have helped. He had a bench press and weights set up on his boat’s deck, and he practised while out fishing.
Dean’s medal-winning combined lift was about the same weight as a thoroughbred horse.
Tuna is one of the best fighting fish to hunt. There are many different species, including yellowfin, long tail and others, all ideal to serve as sashimi.
Around the heads, fishing is good, according to Rod; he said that while salmon were scarce, pinky snapper, silver trevally and snotty trevally were providing anglers with a good supply of table fish. The trevally are close relatives of blue-eye trevalla, a most sought-after fish in the deep waters.
Gummy sharks are also on the bite around the dive wrecks, Western Port Bay and in deep waters.
Around St Leonards, the mouth of Swan Bay, Portsea and Point Nepean, anglers are bagging King George whiting and calamari squid among the grass beds.
Years ago, like many anglers, I viewed squid only as bait. Now, I’ve come to appreciate their delicate flavour.
When nothing else works, there’s always the reliable flathead to reel in. I started fishing for flathead with my dad when I was young, both from a boat in Port Phillip Bay and from jetties and piers. They’re easy to catch and delicious to eat.
Leatherjackets were also relatively easy to catch, despite having strong jaws and sharp teeth that could bite through lines and hooks. As their name implied, they had tough skin and needed to be skinned to get to the sweet flesh.
There is an abundance of fish to be caught off the heads, according to Rod — if you pick the right day to go. You want a light wind, preferably from the south or west. A little movement on the water helps keep the fish interested, so pick your day with care.
North of the NSW border at Eden, John Liddell said yellowfin tuna were starting to come on the bite. Yellowfin tuna grow to enormous size and are as keenly sought by the Japanese market for sashimi as southern bluefin.
John said most fishing was done along the inshore reefs. Anglers are seeking snapper, morwong and large flathead, kingfish and other table fish. The best fishing is between Boyd’s Lookout, just south of Twofold Bay, and the Victorian border near Green Cape, clearly marked by a tall lighthouse.
Both inshore reefs and the deeper reefs are worth fishing. When bottom bouncing, let your sinker hit the bottom, then lift it clear by about half a metre. This keeps your bait in the strike zone but reduces the risk of getting snagged on the rocks.
If the boat is drifting too fast, keep letting the line out to keep in touch with the bottom where the fish are feeding.
Further north of Eden is Narooma, and Graham Cowley said the fishing around Montague Island was much the same as it was at Eden; the main advantage is the shelf is closer to the shore.
Graham said when it was too rough to go outside, fishing in the lake provided another option. He said large flathead and bream could be caught around the oyster leases.
Here in our neck of the woods, the fishing was good enough for anglers to hunt cod, and in the early season, yellowbelly. While still a couple of weeks away from the wattle bloom, the yellowbelly are starting to become more active.
The recent rains have kept the rivers on the rise, and this means the best fishing will be in the slow-flowing water close to the bank. The same goes for cod; they are getting ready for their breeding season, which is a month and a half away.
At this time of year, the best bait are scrub worms or garden worms. If you can find any, small yabbies are also good bait, as are chicken and cheese.
Well, that’s it for another week; stay water-, COVID-19- and road-safe — and good fishing.