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Salmon in total abundance
  |  First Published: July 2012



The depth of winter sees the fishing community in Melbourne focussed on two things – Australian salmon and tuna.

Unfortunately, catching tuna from the peninsula is a bit unlikely but the salmon are in abundance, which keeps our local back beaches as busy as Bourke Street!

On a slightly frustrating note, it is disappointing to see that Devilbend Reservoir is still not open. Given that the winter period is a terrific time for lake trout fishing it is a shame that Parks Victoria have been unable to get the facilities finished and the reservoir opened to the general public in April as was originally planned late last year.

The word on the street, however, is that it is getting close. We wait in hope, as this will be a fantastic future option for Peninsula anglers looking for a freshwater fix.

Australian Salmon

I am pleased to be able to say that this year is probably the best year for Australian salmon that we have had in the last three seasons. The fish were prolific at the heads right through summer and in turn have made a fantastic showing on our back beaches through autumn and winter.

All of our main beaches have seen good periods of fishing, Gunnamatta and London Bridge at Portsea being standouts, but St Andrews has also had its fair share of fish in the better holes. Spinning, again, is an increasingly popular option with many anglers opting to throw 35-50g slugs in search of a salmon as opposed to bait fishing.

On calmer days, with a good northerly, some anglers have even been using small stick baits and sub-surface lures to get the salmon on the boil. Try the 9cm Rapala Sub Walk if you are interested in trying something left of field.

Whiting

Winter whiting are another species high on the agenda and it has been good to see a terrific run of very healthy fish, commonly around 40cm, being taken from around Indented Head, St Leonards and Queenscliff. Further up the peninsula fish are still being taken but much more sporadically from areas such as Sorrento and Safety beach.

Silver Trevally

There have been some patchy catches of silver trevally from Blairgowrie Marina and Sorrento Pier, but we are looking forward to next month where, like clock work, they come on the bite. Fish to 500g have been common so far but next month we should see some bigger models caught. For those fishing in the boat, Nepean Bay is always a good option as are the boat moorings to the west of the Sorrento boat Ramp.

Looking Ahead

August sees the first whispers on the wind of a change in season. Locally, it probably heralds the beginning of big squid season. This is a great time of year where many people start dusting off the boat, going in search of a nice feed of quality calamari or a stock of bait for the upcoming snapper season. If you are land-based it is a great time to start frequenting piers such as Flinders and Portsea, where the big girls often turn it on!

For more information feel free to drop in and see the boys at Peninsula Total Tackle, 11 Boneo Road in Rosebud or phone: 03 5981 1994.

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