Super snapper from the surf

PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

For this report I will concentrate on the amazing surf action from Port Albert and east all the way to Lake Tyers. So many happy anglers have been contacting me and I’m finding it hard with who to start with. The whiting and flathead have really slowed down in the estuaries so let me get into the beach action first.

90 MILE BEACH

The real hotspot for snapper seems to be Golden Beach, and some of the hauls have been next level.

I’m going to start with Anthony Havers, who is still coming to terms with this amazing surf story. He arrived at about midday with low tide about two hours away, and the surf was flat and a good water depth just in front of him. Using two surf rods without a drone, he was able to cast out into the deep, and he said it was mayhem from the first to very last cast at about 7pm. With a standard paternoster rig and using mainly bluebait or pilchard, he landed at least 25 snapper, with the best two going 62cm and 54cm. The amazing thing for me was that all of the fish were over 40cm. Havo reckons he lost many fish because he was struggling to keep up with both rods. He says it fishing has been a great option for lures such as the Bassday Sugapen in hf119. These lures have been highly successful due to the prawns that are heavily present in the lake. Somedays the bream have been so focused on grubbing that you have to drag something right in front of their nose or they will not see it. Small soft plastics grubs on a light weight jighead, like may have been better to use just one rod, that’s how busy the bite was.

There has to be an incredible population of snapper in the area because plenty of other anglers are having the best results they have ever seen. I reckon that nearly anyone fishing from the beach, even first timers, will probably encounter at least a handful of decent pinkies if they get calm

60cm long. Tailor and salmon are moving around in big schools, and are all good-sized fish. You will also have to deal with skates and rays that will cause you all sorts of grief. On the upside however, big bronze whaler and gummy sharks have a fair chance of turning up, so it’s all worth the effort.

Of interest is the lack of flathead this year. Although a few big fish have turned up, overall flathead numbers are way down on most other seasons.

Last of all, I’ve heard that the elephantfish have arrived early back in late February, and already surf anglers are hooking plenty.

ESTUARY FISHING

Flathead and whiting really slowed down early this year, but I don’t think we can complain after such a bumper summer. My last few trips to Port Albert were very slow indeed, and I had to work extra hard for five rock flathead, a few small yank flatties and not a are totally gone by January or February, so this is quite strange indeed. But then, over the last few years enough water to fish. In fact, for the first time ever, I’m going to declare that targeting snapper from the 90 Mile Beach is probably more productive than nearly anywhere else in all of Gippsland.

Other species are also firing, and the little hammerhead sharks have moved in big time, with some anglers landing up to six a session, all under a 1/24oz or lighter, have been ideal. single whiting.

Recently I’ve been having great fun fly fishing for these tailing bream with small shrimp patterns. It’s all about casting as close as possible without spooking the fish, then the bites come thick and fast. I’ve done a lot of bream fishing but there is nothing that is the same as hooking a kilo bream in ankle deep water, it’s truly mental.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING?

If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic please send to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with short description and you could be featured in the edition of Fishing Monthly.

Interestingly, I’m still getting quite a few pinkie snapper around 38cm on lures, and that’s keeping me entertained. It seems a massive population of snapper have moved in to this part of Gippsland, from Welshpool to Lakes Entrance. This has been going on for two years now, and nobody is complaining one bit!

I’ve also noticed a lot of big tailor and snook now back in the estuaries, and I’ve not seen those fish before at this time of year. They normally peak from October to December, and all fishing seems to have been turned upside down, although mostly in a positive way with many more fish around.

And that brings me to tuna and kingies.

Offshore

It seems the bluefin tuna have been seen right in close to the coast, and that’s probably a result of so many surf anglers crowding the beaches after snapper. A few keen anglers have quickly launched tinnies off the beach when the tuna have been busting up, but they have had a very tough time trying to hook them.

The same goes for kingfish; there have been plenty of them around offshore from Seaspray, but once again they have been avoiding capture.

As the calmer weather sets in this month, I expect greater offshore success to report on next month. One other interesting fact is that those chasing snapper offshore are having to come in really close and fish shallow water. That adds up with why beach anglers are scoring record numbers of snapper up to 80cm.

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