VIC
Challenging conditions for dedicated anglers PORT PHILLIP NE
Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au
The cold, wet and windy winter weather has continued for the past month on the bay, and unlike the same time last year, we have had long periods of substantial rainfall and extended periods of strong winds. Some crisp morning frosts on the calmer days have also made early starts a bit of challenge for the dedicated anglers. During any normal Melbourne winter, local anglers like to think of all kinds of excuses not to go fishing on the bay, and are normally looking for other fishing options further
afield. During the clear calm days, this is always a bit of a head scratcher, but if you’re one of the dedicated ones that sticks around the bay over winter, there’s plenty of fishing options available for all anglers. The start of the annual spawning migration of snapper into the bay is only a month or two away from starting in earnest, and already many snapper diehards are talking about getting ready for the upcoming season. For some time, many experts have been predicting that the upcoming season will be the best and most prolific we have experienced in a long time. Consequently, many of the bay’s snapper diehards are already digging in, and getting everything ready for
Big schools of salmon busting up on the surface have been a feature this month.
the upcoming season. For anglers keen to try their luck for a snapper over the coming month from a boat or from the rocks and piers, there are still plenty of resident reds in PPB if you’re willing to put in the hours. Bite windows are normally short lived during the colder months of the year, but the quality of the snapper at times can more than make up the difference. Much like last year, we have enjoyed a good run of winter snapper out from the wider marks around Mornington and Mount Martha and also further south. This is normally a feature around the changes of seasons in late autumn. Smaller pinkie snapper and school-sized fish have also been reported by those anglers fishing the inshore areas and reefs, both at anchor with baits, and fishing lures from a drifting boat. As always, be prepared to endure some undersized fish, and they can be very annoying at times, but it’s worth taking the time to return these juveniles back to the water unharmed. Those angler ’s concentrating their efforts around the deeper snapper marks have also been rewarded by some reliable fishing for gummy sharks, especially in our local areas, and also further south. In fact, more and more anglers are specifically targeting this great fish in PPB this winter, not just next door in Western Port. Anglers have been reporting that fillet baits of salmon and slimy mackerel have been best, and fresh trevally is also a great gummy bait. Be prepared to put up with a fair bit of by-catch, but the rewards are worth it when it all comes together. The wider marks in 18-21m out from Mornington to Safety Beach have been very reliable, as well as a variety of marks further south as well.
Some big gummy sharks, like this one caught offshore by Gerry Morsman, have also been showing up in PPB of late. The squid fishing, both land-based and from the boat, has been very consistent over the last month, both locally and further south, after a slower start than normal earlier in the year. Periods of rain and wind tend to concentrate the calamari in areas of cleaner and calmer water, so keep an eye out for more protected areas during these times. Some bigger models have been turning up more consistently, especially further south in the bay, but the Mornington area has produced plenty of larger than average calamari over the past month. Another feature over the last month has been very reliable and productive
bread-and-butter fishing, especially from the local piers and jetties, and within the rivers and estuaries as well. Salmon have been very reliable along the inshore areas, and good numbers of mullet are keeping anglers busy, especially in the Patterson River. Numerous reports have been coming in of some ripper garfish being taken over the last month as well. This current run of gars is in line with similar fishing at the same time last year and is certainly keeping anglers busy on the clear and calm winter days, with big bags of fish up to 40cm on offer. The use of berley is crucial to keep the fish on the chew, and it
doesn’t hurt to keep a larger bait or lure in the area at the same time, with some big salmon hanging around the gars, especially from the larger piers. Lastly, the bait and lure fishing for bream in Patterson Lakes has been excellent of late. Lure fishers have been doing very well from kayaks and boats throughout the canal system, mostly on soft plastics fished slowly on the bottom. Lure fishers have also been cashing in on some great estuary perch action at night as well in the canals. Bait fishers have been doing very nicely as well in the main river system with baits of scrubworms, yabbies and others.
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AUGUST 2021
Jamie Smith with a 4-5lb brown trout from the Western lakes using Bullet Lures in pearl widow colour.
