Phillip Island

Winter wanderings on jetties and beaches

PHILLIP ISLAND Craig Edmonds

Winter in Victoria, while on the cool side, can still be a great time to head out on the water or wander down to a beach or jetty. This year has started out a little cooler and wetter than the last few years of Covid, where we didn’t get the wind or wet until well into July/August.

The weather has played a big part in the reports not allowing any type of consistency but still reasonably normal for

We were in Alaska a couple of years before Covid and went to Fairbanks, which is just around the corner from the North Pole. The temperature there will get to -40ºC during the winter and while speaking with locals asked them if they had a good book and a warm fire and their answers were surprising. All of them said ‘no, we just add a layer or two and go about things as normally as possible’. We just add a saw to our tackle kit to cut a hole in the ice and pretty much fish like we normally would. They said if you and become too much. The couple of hours you spend in the fresh air instead of on the couch or the mate you grab to go with you could be just the difference that is needed. Although any problems will still be there when you get home the couple of hours spent fishing might just help you look at things with a different view and start conversations.

Over these months of winter you are mostly fishing for salmon, whiting, calamari and gummies but for those fishing in the bay, don’t be surprised if you

A quick flick on the jetty can result in more than enough bait for your next fishing session.

winter. It’s also come as a bit of a shock and took a little while for people to adjust and head out fishing again. What they did find was the fish hadn’t gone anywhere and a little bit of hunting around and it was fish for tea.

During the cooler months you need to expect your bag numbers will be down a little but the quality is usually better and the fish itself can actually taste better.

The other thing you need to expect is you are going to catch a bit more of the rubbish species that are only good for steeling bait. Often you will find you just can’t get away from them and just have to persevere and wait for something better to come along. You don’t need to change a lot of what you do in rigs and baits or even where you fish, although it does pay to be prepared to move around a bit as you will see a lot of weed after periods of strong winds and it may not be possible to fish where you want. just bunker down and stay inside you will go crazy, you must try and keep it as normal as possible.

While we don’t get to those extreme temperatures, we do tend to bunker down a bit and after the last couple of years of being unable to leave home or do much, following their advice this year could be a good idea. Doesn’t mean head out in a blizzard but try and get out for a bit of a fish. Heading out with a rod, reel and a couple of lures is all you need to go for a walk along the beach. If you’re going to a jetty, grab a squid jig or two and a couple of hours over tide change and wander down for some calamari.

Boats also don’t need to be a long session just a handful of hours to clear your head. Keep an eye on your mates as well, the experts are saying with all that’s going on with the world, fuel prices, interest rates, cost of living and the last couple of years of Covid, this winter it will start to catch up with many The bigger salmon will come a bit closer to shore during these next few months.

land yourself a snapper of two. We had some good reports about a month ago of snapper in the bay with some up to 5kg but more around the 3kg mark, although most have been out chasing whiting with the snapper a by-catch.

The reports of whiting have been very good and the numbers we had reported were well worth the effort. The size of the fish however were a little all over the place and getting a bag of good whiting meant that you would have caught around 30 or more, throwing a few back. Gummies up in the top end of the bay around Temby and Lang Lang have been quiet for some time and you will have far more success fishing closer to the western entrance or the deeper channel off and around Elizabeth Island to Tortoise Head, and that’s where we have seen them caught. Most of the reports were around the 4-8kg and the best a shade over 12kg, which was a big girl returned back to swim again.

Don’t forget about offshore at this time of the year, as there can be some very good opportunities for a fish and some very good table fish to be caught. The best, in my opinion, is flathead which you can find in good numbers but in quality size. The calmer it’s been the closer in they will be, and if it’s been a bit rough head out a little wider.

Same as summer, hunt around, short drifts, work an area and be ready. I go out with people that will be baiting up a rod while they have released one to the bottom and 9 out of 10 times when they check it, the bait is gone.

Flathead will often hit it as it gets to the bottom so if you aren’t holding it you will miss it, especially when using softer baits. The best part of winter fishing offshore is the by-catch.

You have a very good chance of a gummy or snapper, so have at least one bigger hooked and baited rig out. There are usually plenty of salmon for the bait freezer but the biggest bonus is the increased chances you will see a whale or two.