Local advice is the key to catching bluefin tuna

Phillip Island

Craig

Edmonds

They say time goes faster as you get older, so I must be really old because this year just seems to be flying past. Once we finish with the April school holidays, it will see us with only about eight months to Christmas, with just winter in the way.

Winter! Some anglers say it’s time to put everything away and vegetate on the couch. Other anglers are a little smarter and will continue to fish, either to stock up the bait freezer or to get a feed; both are more than possible. Yes, it’s colder and there’s less daylight, but that’s what jumpers are for. And yes, you don’t catch as much but if you spend more targeted time fishing, you’ll get results. Once you taste fish caught in the cooler water compared to the warmer water, you might take it up every winter.

The weather experts are telling us that old mate that brings the rains is going to bugger off, and his brother who brings the warm, dry drought weather will turn up. This remains to be seen. I think most people would be more than happy for BOM just to get tomorrow’s forecast correct, let alone the next 12 months. Frustratingly, the bureau will get it correct for a couple of days, and then very wrong for the next few.

While these inaccurate forecasts are a bit of a joke, they also create dangerous situations, especially now with the tuna showing up and more boats outside than inside, with some quite small. Offshore here is a little different than up the coast, and can get very dangerous very quickly because of the short, sharp swell we get. We had several situations over the summer season where the weather changed unexpectedly, and the forecast didn’t reflect that, and many boaters got caught out. If you are heading out for the first time, ask a local, drop in and see us and, more importantly, if you are unsure don’t go.

While the whiting fishery has changed a little through the season, things are looking promising for the future, and at least next year’s fish. Over the last few years the whiting have been exceptional right through the year, with the average size around the 40cm mark. This season, especially the end of the summer season, we have seen the average size drop closer to the low 30s. They are still in good condition, just not as long.

We have also seen a lot of undersize whiting, again something that we haven’t seen for a few years. Why, who knows – but it has always cycled every few years, it’s just this time there hasn’t been the normal lack of fish while the numbers replenish.

The other good thing this season has been where the whiting have been caught: everywhere! We have had the usual reports from what are known as the usual spots, but it’s the not so usual reports that have been the most pleasing – across the corals, 10m+ of water and on snapper gear in the deeper channels.

Calamari have also been different this year, but that’s more to do with those anglers fishing for them than the calamari population itself. We have found that customers aren’t doing a whole session on the calamari to get their bag, but just a few for baits and then moving on to where they want to fish. Those anglers chasing them from the land have probably done just as well, and spent more time chasing them for the dinner table. The beaches have been good but the jetties have been hard work, especially San Remo. It is normally very consistent, but this season it has been very patchy. Newhaven hasn’t been too bad, and Cowes has been good when there haven’t been 100 people swimming or boats coming and going. The evening is much better.

It seems as though the only thing we have been speaking about over the last three months or so has been bluefin tuna. I’m not going to take up a lot of the report with the tuna, other than to say it has been a better season than last year. I still have plenty of customers that have spent lots on fuel driving the ocean looking for them and with no luck, and my advice is to stop thinking too hard, simplify it and take note of what others are doing in this area. Ignore the fishing personalities on YouTube, or advice from people in another state or a different part of Victoria –your only interest is what’s happening out here. If it’s like last year, the school fish will soon be swimming

Some people are looking for who to blame for other ramps’ mistakes and yes, there are plenty, but that is another issue and something to learn from. Right now, the focus should be on getting Newhaven right.

Don’t forget through all of this there are several factors that will restrict certain activities, so we need to work around what can be done to get it as close to what is needed. I will be attending the planning meetings and I’m more than happy to pass on your ideas and thoughts. Simply drop into the shop and have a chat, or send us an email. There will be a series of public consultation meetings that everyone can attend, where you can have a say in the designs. The new design, once finished, will not please everyone –that would be impossible –but hopefully they can get it better than it is now. somewhere else, but get out the big gear and hang on for the barrels.

Better Boating Victoria have started the planning, with council, for the upgrade to the Newhaven boat ramp. It is still in the very early stages of planning, and there are no set designs drawn as yet, but there are plenty of sketches and ideas. I think we can all agree that what we want is a solution that will better help us launch and retrieve our boats, park our trailers and clean our fish.

FISHING NEWS

Local forums to talk fishing and boating

Recreational fishers and boaters will get the chance to hear all about their beloved pastimes and share ideas on how to make them even better at ten free forums across the state scheduled for June, July and August.

From Portland to Lake Tyers, Boort to Ballarat and seven locations in between, the forums will provide an ideal opportunity for people to talk face-toface with government staff from the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) and Better Boating Victoria.

VFA CEO Travis Dowling said the forums will feature an hour-long presentation from fisheries managers, scientists, boating project managers and local Fisheries Officers, followed by an hour of question time and discussion with those attending.

“Presentation topics will include fish stocking, access, facilities including fish cleaning tables, boat ramps, fish habitat projects, enforcement and education, and fisheries research,” Mr Dowling said.

“This is the perfect chance to get definitive answers to all those questions that get debated between mates on the water, whether they be about catch limits, permitted equipment, life jackets or fishing licences.

“We’ll have the experts there on the night to settle things once and for all.

“It’s also the perfect time to suggest a great project that will really make a difference to grass-root fishers in the area. Local people know their patch best and we want to hear from them on the night.”

Mr Dowling said each of the forums would be held at a fishing club and non-members were encouraged to come along and encourage a friend to go too.

“Fishing clubs are a wonderful environment to share stories, learn new fishing skills, tell a few yarns about the ones that got away, and maybe add a few hot spots to your list of fishing destinations.”

Seats will be limited to ensure the forums remain COVID safe so registering a seat is essential.

For more information or to reserve your spot on the night visit www.vfa. vic.gov.au/localforums –Victorian Fisheries

See below list of forum locations and dates.