ESTUARY Report – 01.10.2024
Hi everyone, I’m excited to announce that a major refresh of the FishingMad website and Members area will go live next week. This will include a refreshed look and feel for the website but also improved functionality for members. This has been many years in the making and we have been deep in development testing over the past few months, I’m very excited to see this finally go live. I have taken on feedback from many members which includes an array of improvements including
- Refreshed look and feel
- Member’s area can be static to make it more dynamic
- Easy ways to identify new content
- Easy ways to see the latest content per section
- Searchable content
- Addition of boating
- Changes, merges and renames to sections to make more sense and allow for more
- Having updates as posts to allow faster loading time
- Better mobile experience
- Can browse older reports
There will be quite a bit of new content as well when this goes live ( shortly after ) including our latest podcast with Lee Rayner and we also will have a podcast with Pure Fishing in the coming week, some very detailed workshops on all the Hobie kayaks, more product reviews and other stuff in works.
Please note there will be some minor disruption when we go live. To make the member’s content searchable and load faster on the refreshed website I will be recreating hundreds of posts, this way all historical items will be easier for you to find. As soon as that’s done then the latest content will go live. I genuinely appreciate your patience and think you will love the updated look and feel of the member’s area and website. This has been a very complex task as the FishingMad website is 15 years old with literally thousands of articles, videos, how-to guides and so forth. This week’s reports will be a minor update, as we are trying to limit new content over the coming days so we have everything ready for the refreshed site.
What is with this Spring weather so far, it’s been a frustrating few weeks and no doubt many just like me have had limited time on the water because of the persistent strong winds and rain. I have recently returned from Mallacoota fishing in the Vic Bream Classic series. What an amazing place despite the crazy long drive passing some of my favourite fishing spots along the Gippsland region on the way. On day 1 we caught plenty of bream in both top and bottom lake flicking Zman ST GrunZ but weighted on 1/8 jig heads in 1-0H because of the depth and strong currents. We landed an avalanche of big salmon as bycatch but failed to land any big dusky flathead like a lot of other teams did. We caught a few good bream up to 43 cm in Goodwin Sands flicking on the shallow flats and working plastics back across the drop-off but got most of our bream beyond the narrows in the top lake working the shallow banks. On Day 2 we started red hot catching again in the top lake in the shallow edges catching 4 bream within the first 10 casts on jackal chubbies in the brown suji colour landing a really nice black bream to 44c2cms as the first fish of the day. Having our bag of 5 by 7.45. Unfortunately, we struggled to upgrade throughout the day which prevented us from skyrocketing up the leaderboard. However it was a great experience, I learned plenty and met some amazing people. Had we not dropped a few good fish boatside we would have been right up there against some of Australia’s best tournament and estuary anglers which is awesome again given we had never fished this system and were using a boat that stood out for the wrong reasons.
I have put together a workshop on all the gear I took which can be found in our behind-the-scenes area and will do some follow-up content including our podcast giving more insight into the event. Let’s get stuck into this week’s report to help get you into a few fish.
Weather Forecast Ahead
Winds are looking pretty reasonable all week. Most days are predicted to get put to 15-20k winds by mid-afternoon. Just make sure you study the conditions closely and plan your trips safely. Don’t be lured in by snapper catches to put yourself in danger but for the most part, there should be plenty of opportunities this week. Thursday will have a high of 25 degrees which is great but heavy showers on Friday and light showers are predicted most of the weekend.
Weather conditions are always changing so study the weather forecast frequently before your fishing trip using tools like Meteye, Willys Weather & Windy ( links to these tools can be found in “helpful Links” ). Remember to check wind strength, wind direction, rain, and storm warnings. We have workshop refreshers that help you identify areas with low swell based on wind direction, so look at those if you’re unsure. Know the capability of your boat, kayak or jetski and never take unnecessary risks that might put you or your passengers in danger. Conditions on the water can change quickly so ensure you have all of the necessary safety equipment checked and ready. Remember to be sun smart during Summer as it’s easy to get sunburnt or dehydrated and to wear appropriate clothing in cold and wet conditions.
Moon Phase week ahead
The new moon is scheduled this week on Thursday 3rd October so bif tides and low visibility at night.
BREAM REPORT
Around Melbourne, the bream fishing has been excellent. That subtle increase in water temperature has seen the bream come out of the depths and now sitting higher along the edges and structure and more importantly actively feeding. With some big models being caught in our urban and metro areas. Plenty in the low 40s which is really pleasing. Lots being caught with cranka crabs worked very slowly against any visible structure like bridge pylons and even along the shallow edges and the continual boom in usage of the mussel vibe in smaller sizes that can be worked just like a cranka cran or worked faster like a vibe. lightly weighted soft plastics like 2.5-inch grubz and paddle tails will always be a staple choice that works well and this time of year shallow diving cranks and surface lures can also work well in the shallows.
I’ve had a few trips around Williamstown, Maribyrnong River, Barwon River, Yarra River, and Docklands, and even ventured down to Patterson River. I’ve been mixing up the techniques of fishing with bait, lures, and plastics. I’ve caught up with a few of my old mates who fish the nong with bait almost daily and they have been catching bream up to 42cm in big numbers. Many of these fish are being caught around the Essendon, Flemington, and Avondale Heights area on live baits including maggots, yabbies, and scrub worms. Berley does help so use feeder rigs or berley in an isolated area which will bring the bream and mullet in.
The bay is really busy at the moment with the snapper season rush its been awesome to fish these metro rivers by land or kayak. Taking in the sights, enjoying no swell, and casting at something that you know will hold fish. Even Port Melbourne, Docklands, and around the CDB have heaps of stricture that hold good fish. Along the moored boats, jetties, and buildings on the water are standout areas to wor lures, vibes, crabs, and soft plastics. Adding some scent to all of the above when the bite is a little quieter. It’s amazing how the scenery changes so much in these areas. I paddled last week from the CBD surrounded by buildings and traffic, I paddled to Avondale Heights surrounded by residential hills and trees. Contrasting different yet same fishing strategy.
Areas to focus on should include.
- Malacoota
- Metung
- Gippsland Lakes
- Nelson River
- Aire River
- Hopkins River
- Lake Tyers
- Hollands Landing
- Patterson River
- Maribyrnong River
- Williamstown near moored boats
- Web dock
- West Gate
- Limeburner’s by Kayak
- Yarra River
- Docklands
Snapper/Pinkies
The weather made it almost impossible last week, with only small windows to get out on the boat and kayak. However, the fishing was fantastic when we did and the land-based fishing for snapper has been outstanding. Big land-based snapper caught at Geelong (St. Helens and Wangim ), Portarlington, St Leonards, Mt Martha, Mornington, Sandringham and many more. The shallow reefs in close are fishing well that’s why land-based anglers are catching some amazing fish right now. This is very typical of snapper behaviour which is like clockwork early season they come from offshore into the bay and head straight into the shallows to feed and spawn as they love those water temperatures. As the water temperature rises above 17 degrees they will slowly head deeper but we are a month or two away from that so fishing in the shallows will be amazing for a while.
Right now most catches of good size snapper in the bay will come between 3 and 8 meters deep. Focus your time on the edges of shallow reefs, this is where I have always done well. Soft plastics like 5-inch nemesis and 7-inch turtelbacks are my go-to choices, in the shallows rigged on 1/8. Lightly weighted or even unweighted baits such as pilchard tails, full pilchards, squid strips and small chunk baits are best this time of year. Later on, when the water temp is warmer and the fish are deeper that’s when I use bigger hooks and bigger baits but not just yet. With snapper, it’s really important to spend some time covering the ground and staring at your sounder. Snapper will move around constantly, I often find them on the reef edges and dropoffs. Spend some time sounding before dropping anchor or throwing plastics.
Areas to focus on should include.
- Portarlington Rockwall
- St Leonards Jetty
- Geelong waterfront
- Wyndham Harbour Rockwall
- Lake Tyers Entrance
- Limeburners Lagoon
- Webb Dock
- Werribee Rockwall
- Yarra near the West Gate Bridge
- Sandringham Breakwater
- Portland Harbour
- Apollo Bay
AUSTRALIAN SALMON
Once again plenty of Australian Salmon on the bite this week mainly in shallow waters ranging from 1 meter through to 5 meters deep. I found schools in the shallows around Altona and Geelong and got stuck into a huge school opposite the footy oval at Williamstown. 3 and 4 inch soft plastics in natural colours are unbeatable as well as small long casting spoons and baits like pilchards lightly weighted.
Areas to focus on should include.
- Altona shallows
- Geelong Waterfront
- Warmies along the rocks
- Williamstown Clock Tower
- 13th beach
- Gunnamatta
- Lorne Pier
- Artillery Rocks
- Fairhaven Beach
- Jump Rocks
- 90-mile beach
TAILOR
Much quieter this week for Tailor as the pumps didn’t run much due to the spike in warm weather so the overflow wasn’t required. The OpenNEM website was down this week but you can still follow it to see if the pumps are running.
Productive areas to concentrate your time on include.
- The Warmies
- Barwon River entrance
FLATHEAD REPORT
As mentioned earlier I had a few good days at Lake Tyers catching big flathead. I caught several right at the entrance opposite the Caravan park, some a tad further down right in front of the main boat ramp and some around the old glasshouse. I also caught a few on the flats around Mill Point and even further heading towards the Nowa Naowa arm. Small cranks slow rolled were the top performers, and so were minnows such as double clutches and blades like TT switch prawns. Baits were also outstanding including a pilchard tail on a basic running sinker rig.
Flathead is back on the bite and Bemm River, Marlo entrance, Tanboon inlet and others around lake entrance and hugging the coast towards Mallacoota have produced some big lizards. Locally closer to Melbourne were also see flathead numbers really pick up in the bay too and even in the entrances such as the Yarra. The good news is that flathead fishing will get better and better from here. I usually consider peak flathead fishing to be between late December and March however this past year they stayed strong on the bite until about May. Flathead are one of the easiest fish to target which love baits, plastics and lures. Who doesn’t love catching a few flattues to take home for a feed?
If you are on a boat, jet ski, or kayak then the best way to catch flathead in these areas is to drift. ( if your land based on plastics good idea to keep walking and covering ground ). If you fish with baits the best method is using a paternoster rig with a very small sinker, so you don’t get snagged as your drifting. I’ve been using pipis a lot lately targeting whiting and always pick up some good flatties as bycatch with pipis. I got so many double hookups of flathead doing this the past few weeks, so this simple technique works so well. For soft plastics, it’s also best to drift and rig a 3-inch or 4-inch paddle tail, curtail, or worm imitations. My standout soft plastics have been the ever-reliable 4-inch turtleback worm in camo colour, 4-inch Keitech easy shiner in silver flash colour, and 3-inch z-man grubs in watermelon. In areas where the big lizards are then large swim baits work amazing so do blades and vibes too.
Areas to focus on should include.
- Lake Tyers
- Bemm River
- Mallacoota
- Bemm River
- Marlo entrance
- Tanboon Inlet
Australian Bass and Estuary Perch
I consider the bass and EP fishing to be at its best during the warmest water temperature months and we’re slowly moving towards this setting. I fished several balmy evenings over the last week locally and was happy to see a lot of surface action but only managed to transition that into a handful of catches using surface lures and sub-surface plastics and vibes. I’m still targeting them with a variety of soft plastics, vibes and blades worked slowly but I will solely fish with surface soon. Well once that water temp rises a tad. Pulling out some favourites like Jackall Micro Tappys, Tiemco Cicada, Storm Gomoku Popper, Shimano BT Bait Bantam, Savage Gear 3D Cicada, Jackall Micro Pompadour and OSP bent minnows and Daiwa Slippery Dogs. This form of fishing requires patience, covering ground and looking for visible snags. Remember they will be most active at sunrise and sundown when they are actively feeding on bugs on the water surface.
The bass and EP fishing will only get better and better. I’m now part of the VFA Vic Rec Fishers board and am amazed by the numbers and investment in these fish to local and remote waters. Our 2023 bass and estuary perch stocking season has finished up with 32 lakes and rivers sharing in 721,000 fingerlings to improve fishing opportunities and bolster wild populations. 5 million bass and perch have been stocked over the last decade. This year included Lake Glenmaggie (50,000) Blue Rock (52,000), Bullen Merri (10,000), Elingamite (10,000), Traralgon Creek (10,000), Mitchell (100,000), Snowy (60,000), Cann (40,000), Timbarra (20,000), Macalister (22,000), Latrobe (20,000), Avon (10,000), Tambo (10,000) and Thomson (5,000), Gippsland Lakes (98,000), Lake Tyers (10,000), Lakers Cutting (15,000), Barwon (45,000), Werribee (20,000), Bemm (10,000), Snowy (10,000), Upper Stony Creek Reservoir ( 24,000), and Devilbend Reservoir ( 9,000 ).
I’ve been getting some good fish in the quieter areas up high on the Werribee River beyond Eynesbury and will focus some time locally around Werribee. Now be careful these remote areas have plenty of snakes. So do wear boots and even gaitor protective pads on the higher reaches of your legs.
Hot spots that are fishing well include
- Patterson River for EPs near the entrance bridge pylons
- DevilBend Res in the shallow weedy edges
- Werribee River
- Blue rock dam
- Rocklands Reservoir
Garfish
The Garfish at Lake Tyers was exceptional. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Gars were jumping out of the water on every cast and following your lures and soft plastic on every cast. I also managed to catch about 10 gars on lures which was a first for me as I was targeting bream and flathead. They are excellent sizes too. If you enjoy eating gars then there is no better spot right now, especially near the entrance where the estuary meets the ocean.
When you think of estuary fishing you typically think of species like bream. However, in many of our estuary channels that feed off the bay, we are seeing excellent fishing of garfish. Much of this will be close to the entrances where there is a good volume of saltwater. This is the time of year when the garfish come on strong and can be caught in big numbers consistently. Stand-out places from an estuary standpoint have included Patterson Lakes on the rock wall between the bridge and the entrance to PPB. Corio Bay between St Helens and Limeburners, the Yarra entrance between Williamstown and Port Melbourne.
The key with Gars is berley. You need to berley consistently to an isolated area every 10 to 15 minutes. You can buy premade garfish berley or make your own using simple ingredients like breadcrumbs, aniseed oil, pilchards, and chook pellets made into a fine grain. Get your baits ideally maggots, silverfish, small pieces of prawn, or pilchard on a very small hook and float. Like all fish species, you will have moments of quiet periods and moments of chaos but when the gars come on strong the fishing is generally a lot of fun. Also, make sure you are using the right gear which should be super finesse. 1-3 kilo rod, 1000-2500 size reel, and very light line and leaders. I generally try and fish either 3 or 4 lb. You won’t need any heavier for gars.
Wrapping Up
I genuinely hope these detailed reports help get you onto some cracking fish. Don’t forget to follow our podcast, tutorials, catch-of-the-month competitions & giveaways. Thanks for being a treasured FishingMad Member and don’t hesitate to reach out to me at alan@fishingmad.com.au with any questions and suggestions. Take care and good fishing, everyone.
