East Coast
VIC
Winter whiting, flathead and bream on offer the deeper lake. Just about everywhere I looked for them I found those bream in colossal schools. There must have been an incredible spawning event a few years ago to seed the lakes with millions of fish. Some bigger bream are also cruising around and, as usual, infected with lock jaw disease. Thankfully the lakes are still producing excellent numbers of bream on hardbody lures, and some of them are around 45cm. Nikki Bryant assures me they are still biting flat out around the Mitchell flats, and she stacked
GIPPSLAND LAKES
Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com
Winter in Gippsland means big bream and thumping flathead up the rivers. Additionally, over the last few years we have also seen the whiting continue to bite all year round. Already the signs are looking excellent for the next few months, so let’s look at the prospects ahead and some of the recent action. BIG DUSKIES ON THE MOVE Right on cue, the flathead are heading up the rivers and into the western lakes areas – and they are big! First I saw them arrive at Hollands Landing in late April, with a few small 35cm fish, and then bigger models from 50-70cm quickly followed them. Historically, that is about a month early and it tells me the numbers may be much higher than usual this winter. In recent weeks I have been hearing about even bigger flatties to 80cm moving up the Nicholson and Tambo rivers. Of greater interest are the reports of duskies to 75cm from Loch Sport and Wattle Point, and that area provides excellent shallow water action. Simon Kindred recently headed up the North Arm at Lakes Entrance, and with just
big tallies with hubby Blair on the Hurricane hardbodies. Lake Victoria continues to deliver cracker bream to 45cm, and once again they are crunching hardbody lures in about a metre of water. When fishing with two mates on three separate occasions we managed to release about 60 bream between us, and interestingly they were also just as aggressive on small blade lures too. Working blades across the shallows is surprising deadly for those who haven’t tried it. All you have to do is cast as far as you can and work the lure at a
Nikki Bryant has scored big tallies of bream on Hurricane hardbodies in Lake King. his second cast of the morning landed a 64cm flatty while walking the bank. For those anglers who might not be aware about chasing duskies in winter, let me assure you they are not just a summer species. In fact, nearly all my Gippy Lakes flatties are caught in the cold months as by-catch when I target bream and perch. SURPRISE YELLOWFIN WHITING Everyone knows about the explosion of King George whiting in the lakes over the last three years, and we have
all rejoiced in their comeback. Recently I was walking the jetties at Paynesville and fishing small blades in search of bream or flathead. You can imagine my complete disbelief when after a few small bream grabbed my lure, I landed a yellowfin whiting. I have never heard of yellowfin whiting being caught by anglers in the Gippy Lakes before. I told Matt Jenkins, who used to be a commercial fisherman, and he assured me they did indeed turn up on rare occasions, and were always big fish. My catch measured 39cm
and was a very pleasant shock, especially as it was caught on my homemade blade lure. I’m tipping the King George whiting will be caught from Metung or Nungurner and all around Raymond Island all winter, if the water stays this clean and salty. BREAM NUMBERS INCREASE While walking those same jetties, I was dumbfounded by the immense number of juvenile bream around 24cm. I’m talking about never-ending schools stretching from about 1m deep water, way out into
The author got a big surprise when a big yellowfin whiting attacked his blade lure at Paynesville.
FISHING NEWS
TTs supports oyster reefs TT Fishing is proud to support the OzFish Shellfish Revolution, restoring oyster reefs through the creation and deployment of robust oyster baskets. This community driven project will create a
sustainable fishery that future generations of anglers can enjoy for years to come. What are shellfish reefs? Shellfish reefs are living vertical structures, 82 JUNE 2023
found in bays, estuaries, and nearshore coastal waters. These complex structures are made up of millions of shellfish, including mussels, oysters, pipis, and cockles. They form a hard substrate by clustering together and attaching to older shells,
rocks, piers, or any rigid, submerged surface. Fish and other aquatic life rely on shellfish reefs for habitat, providing places where they can shelter, breed, and source food.
They are also a natural filter, improving water clarity and promoting the growth of seagrass. These benefits create better fishing, with every hectare of living shellfish reef able to produce an additional 2.5 tonnes of harvestable fish per year. Replacing what was lost With 99% of Australia’s oyster reefs now functionally extinct, this project is integral to improving our water quality and creating habitat for marine life. Shellfish reefs are declining due to sediment runoff and human impacts such as pollution,
overharvesting and reef dredging for shells. This not only reduces shellfish numbers but also takes away the hard substrate
they need to re-establish naturally. Basically, they can’t multiply if they have nowhere to anchor. It’s not all bad news though, with mammoth efforts being undertaken by conservation groups, businesses, communities, and everyday Aussies to restore our reefs to their former glory. It is an ongoing project that will take many years to accomplish, but so far, the results are promising. The restoration efforts take advantage of oysters’ natural tendency to grow together in clumps. One method involves collecting recycled oyster shells, and after a period of sanitation,
placing them in degradable mesh baskets that are deployed in the water. This creates a natural hard surface for baby oysters to attach, with one shell housing up to 10 baby oysters. Now that’s a lot of mouths to feed! You can get involved by becoming an OzFish member, getting hands on with the OzFish Chapter in your region, or supporting TT Fishing in their partnership with OzFish Unlimited. To see the project in action, head to the ‘Tackle Tactics TV’ channel on YouTube. To look at becoming an OzFish member, visit ozfish.org. au. – TT Fishing
